Even UFC president Dana White was shocked when he heard the things Anderson Silva was saying about his UFC 148 opponent Chael Sonnen during a conference call this week.
“I didn’t see it coming,” White told USA Today‘s John Morgan. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dancing in my office a little when he was talking on the conference call, but I didn’t see that one coming.”
Silva is usually not one to talk trash. He’s usually one to get his work done in the cage, as evidenced by his 14-0 UFC record. That’s why his outburst regarding Sonnen was so unexpected and so delightful to someone like White, who needs all the help he can get as he promotes this matchup.
Silva’s outburst was likely the result of one of two scenarios: He knows he has to pull his weight when it comes to promotion because he usually leaves the mouthing off to his opponent, or he was so genuinely bothered by Sonnen—who has insulted Silva, his wife and his country in the past—that he finally lost his cool.
During this week’s media conference call in anticipation for Saturday’s fight, Silva told reporters (via The MMA Blog’s Dave Coulson):
He doesn’t deserve to be inside the octagon, and when the time comes, I’m gonna break his face and break every one of his teeth in his mouth. … Right now, play time is over. I’m gonna beat Chael like he’s never been beaten before. I’m going to beat him maybe the way his parents should have beaten him to teach him some manners. This joke is over. … He’s never gonna want to fight again after I’m done with him.
Now, you understand White’s shock.
But the problem is this: Silva is quite obviously overcome with fury, and his words aren’t going to faze Sonnen in the least. Sonnen is used to the trash talk and the overt aggression that accompanies the world of UFC, and fighting words from his fiercest rival are expected, if not welcomed.
The only thing that can defeat Sonnen is whatever happens in the ring on Saturday, and judging by what happened the last time these two faced each other—when Sonnen seemed to have victory in his grasp before falling apart in the final round—either fighter is capable of winning.
Sonnen, however, might have the emotional edge. He might be the one who is capable of maintaining his cool throughout the match rather than giving it everything he has early on. He might be the one who can hold himself together instead of falling apart into a hysterical mess.
It all depends on how serious Silva is about his anger. If he was putting on a little show for the reporters—and for Sonnen—on the conference call, maybe there’s nothing to worry about.
But if he truly is so uncharacteristically furious that the things he said were genuine, and if he lets that anger get the best of him, Sonnen could be in better shape than he thought on Saturday.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com