It’s no secret that Chael Sonnen and the country of Brazil don’t have the healthiest relationship.
Sonnen has been taking shots at Brazilian fighters since it was announced that he would fight Anderson Silva over a year ago.
For the most part, Sonnen has been keeping his insults directed towards fighters. In particular, he has focused on members of team Blackhouse, home to notable MMA fighters such as Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Junior Dos Santos.
However, leading into UFC 134, Sonnen made some remarks that were directed towards the citizens of Brazil in particular. It now appears that the citizens of Rio De Janeiro, the location of UFC 134, have taken offense.
MMAfighting.com spoke with the UFC fans in Rio, asking for their thoughts on Sonnen.
To say the least, most were not big fans of the UFC middleweight standout.
“He is very ugly. I don’t like Chael Sonnen,” one fan said. This quote is paraphrased; the fan also had some choice Brazilian words for Sonnen. One can assume those words weren’t exactly complimentary.
“Chael Sonnen is an idiot,” another fan remarked, to the approval of all those around him.
The news isn’t all bad for Sonnen, though. There were a few fans on his side.
“I think he only says things just to show off and to play on the media, but I like him,” another fan insisted.
While there are some Brazilians who have not taken Sonnen’s comments personally, the majority of opinions expressed about him were negative. The word “idiot” was a recurring theme and several fans used profanities that were subsequently bleeped.
It appears as though Sonnen has made the right decision by staying home, rather than traveling to Brazil for UFC 134. Needless to say, he would not have received a warm welcome.
Sonnen was originally intending on attending the event to show support for his good friend Yushin Okami, who will be featured in the main event against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva’s title will be on the line.
Ultimately, Sonnen decided not to attend the event because he thought his being there would draw too much attention away from Okami, in what should be the biggest night of his career.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com