Former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva had his grudge match with Chael Sonnen scheduled for earlier this month postponed after The Axe Murderer ran into some trouble with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but he still thinks the bout will happen.
The Brazilian slugger allegedly refused to take a random drug test administered by the commission, on top of not applying for his fighter’s license on time, so he was removed from UFC 175 in late May, per MMA Fighting.
While Sonnen was quick to poke fun at his longtime rival over the situation, he ended up in an even worse situation when he failed two random drug tests for performance-enhancing drugs in a two-week period, per MMA Fighting.
Last week, the NSAC dropped the hammer on Sonnen and issued him a two-year suspension, though the suspension was likely in vain, since The American Gangster announced his retirement prior to the hearing.
With all that in mind, Silva told Submission Radio on Sunday that he still believes a showdown with Sonnen will materialize before he hangs up the gloves—whether it occurs in the Octagon or on the mat.
“I think he retired just for now, I think after finishing his suspension, he’s gonna (come) back. I hope this fight is gonna happen,” Silva said.
When addressing Sonnen‘s failed drug tests, he added, “Yeah this is bad for everyone, bad for him, bad for me, bad for the fans who want so much that fight. But I’m gonna (be) waiting for him.”
When asked if he’d consider fighting Sonnen in a grappling-only-style matchup in Metamoris, he responded, “Yeah, why not. I never think about that but I think it’s a good idea.”
While Silva is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he has just one submission in his 49-fight career, which happened all the way back in January 2000 when he choked out Bob Schrijber under the Pride banner.
Sonnen, a two-time All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon, is known for his wrestling and has shown an improved submission game since he was tapped out by Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in August 2010.
Although he appears to be done with his MMA career for good, Sonnen will still headline Metamoris 4 on August 9 against multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion Andre Galvao.
In the unlikely event that Sonnen decides to return to the UFC down the line, would a fight with Wanderlei Silva still pique the interests of fight fans?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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