The UFC elected to go with two fight-week pressers leading up to Saturday’s UFC 148 card. The first, featuring main event combatants UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and his opponent, Chael Sonnen, went down on Tuesday afternoon from Lagasse’s Stadium inside The Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
After the heated media call last week, where Silva popped the cork from the top of the bottle labeled “hatred for Chael Sonnen,” the decision seemed wise on two fronts. First, if any other fighters would have been on the dais along with Silva and Sonnen, odds are very good that they would have been left to stare at the fingernails and ponder exactly why they were asked to join in on the Silva and Sonnen show. The second reason is the two pressers allowed the UFC to build even more hype around the upcoming contest, you know, just in case you forgot that these two guys really do not care for each other.
To get things started, Sonnen, when asked if he regretted anything he has said leading up to this fight, replied, “First off I offer zero apologies and secondly if you’re not willing to go too far, you will never go far enough in life and I don’t care. I don’t promote fights I pick fights. I’m like Jon Jones, I sound like Sean Combs and I got trombone size stones like John Holmes.”
While Sonnen seemed to be his normal self, brash, pushing the envelope and delivering a number of bulletin board-style trash-talk quotes, Silva seemed far more intense on the dais. The champion seemed to stare ahead with a focused anger, and when he said, “Play time is over, he can say whatever he wants, like I said last week and I’ll say it again, it’s over,” the message was clear: He’s heard enough from Sonnen and can’t wait for the Octagon door to lock behind them on Saturday night.
After exchanging additional pleasantries, the time came for the staredown. When the two came together, they immediately got up close and personal and despite three people, including UFC president Dana White, attempting to separate them, Silva seemed obsessed with getting in the face of Sonnen. There was not much time for a photo op, as White eventually sent Sonnen off the stage, leaving Silva to stand and stare at his back popping his knuckles and rubbing his fists.
Is there anyone out there that is not looking forward to this fight?
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