The stage is being set for the ultimate grudge match between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
If he gets past Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2, Sonnen could finally get another crack at the middleweight title, but it will most likely come on hostile territory.
“If we can get Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva, that will probably be held in Brazil in a stadium. Everyone in the world will want to watch that,” UFC President Dana White said in an episode of UFC Tonight.
Since the first bout in August 2010, fans have been salivating over the possibility of a rematch. Silva has never been dominated in his MMA career the way he was against Sonnen, who won the first four rounds before succumbing to a triangle choke late in the fifth.
After the bout, the feud between the middleweights spilt over into the media, where Sonnen’s daily routine became bad-mouthing Silva, his teammates and the entire country of Brazil.
Silva has stayed out of all forms of verbal warfare for the most part, but Brazil didn’t take kindly to being the punch line to Sonnen’s jokes.
The former title contender originally planned on accompanying teammate Yushin Okami to the octagon in his fight against Silva in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 134, but a multitude of death threats quickly put an end to those plans.
Rumors have been circulating for quite some time about a UFC event taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event will likely be held in the Estadio do Morumbi soccer stadium, which has the capacity to hold as many as 80,000 spectators.
The event could easily surpass UFC 129 as the biggest live event in UFC history.
With that said, Sonnen’s safety should remain the UFC’s primary concern, and every death threat should be taken seriously.
It won’t be a happy crowd if the middleweight title changes hands.
UFC on Fox 2 takes place on Jan. 28 at the United Center in Chicago. Munoz could throw a huge monkey wrench in the UFC’s plans if he manages to upset Sonnen.
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