Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva were never close friends. By most accounts, they’ve been enemies for a long, long time.
Pegged to fight each other at UFC 175 and put an end to the verbal feud the two men had built in years past, one failed drug test from Sonnen and one averted drug test from Silva put an end to the fight that should have been.
Both men have since retired from mixed martial arts. Sonnen now spends his days as an analyst on ESPN while Silva spends his days in front of a camera disparaging what MMA has become as a result of the UFC’s mainstream takeover, accusing them of slavery and underpaying fighters.
At first the former Pride phenom’s sentiments forced fans to take a closer look at what Dana White and company were doing as they took control of the MMA market. But now that people have had time to marinade in Silva’s statements for a bit, some—including our very own Jeremy Botter—are beginning to question the Axe Murderer’s accusations.
It’s reached such a height that his former nemesis has waded through the rivalry-induced clouds to play a role in understanding Silva’s recent transgressions, he told Bloody Elbow’s Steph Daniels:
As athletes, we go through these life altering changes while we’re still young. Athletes don’t retire at 65. We have to retire much earlier, so I think what we’re all seeing is Wanderlei going through some of these changes that he’s struggling with. He’s still trying to figure out how to navigate them. I don’t know who’s managing him, but the things he’s doing are not things I would advise him to do.
Sonnen‘s always been one to have his way with a microphone when a valuable opportunity for self promotion presented itself, but he’s also been one to take a step back and pay attention to the bigger picture at hand. He told Daniels:
He and I never get it right. We butt heads, we’re oil and water, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a good guy. I don’t know if he’s a good guy or not; I don’t even know him, but I do know I want him to have a good life. I do know he has a beautiful family and he cares about them. I just think he’s making some bad choices.
If I could just get him on the phone for 10 minutes, I’d give him some advice. I doubt he’d listen, but I would try to help him. I tried to give him some advice on The Ultimate Fighter, but he didn’t take it. I know if he gave me advice, I’d listen. He’s been in the sport for a long time, and if he was to sit me down and say, ‘Here’s what I regret in my career,’ and whether it was training or diet or taking fights or management or PR, I’d listen, particularly to the stuff that he said I did wrong.
It’s tough to imagine that any one of Sonnen‘s words make a profound impact on the person Silva’s become, but here’s hoping Silva takes a break from his webcam videos to enjoy the riches he earned after putting his body on the line for almost 20 years.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
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