Chael Sonnen Publishes Volume One of Heel Manifesto

("No no you backed me in a corner so just shut up and listen / I’ve got a long list of complaints and a shit-ton of suspicions.") 
Y’know, if this fighting thing doesn’t work out, Chael Sonnen could have a future in humiliating his ene…

Matt Lindland Chael Sonnen UFC
("No no you backed me in a corner so just shut up and listen / I’ve got a long list of complaints and a shit-ton of suspicions."

Y’know, if this fighting thing doesn’t work out, Chael Sonnen could have a future in humiliating his enemies through long-winded online essays. (There’s money in that, right?) The UFC’s #1 middleweight contender used FightMagazine.com as a venue for an "open letter to fans" published yesterday, in which he discussed his infamous interview with hapless journalist Jon Lane, and called out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who recently claimed that Anderson Silva will beat Sonnen like a child. But Sonnen saved most of his bile for Ed Soares, criticizing the prominent manager for not being able to control his star client. Read on for another unvarnished glimpse into the possibly-deranged mind of the UFC’s greatest anti-hero…

*****

“Hi, everybody! Remember me? Your ol’ buddy Chael? Y’know I spend most of my time fightin’, which doesn’t leave much time for writin’, but things being what they are, I’ve decided to take a moment or two, and fire up the ol’ Olivetti typewriter, put in a fresh ribbon, and share some of my recent thoughts with you….

Firstly, I’ve gotten a significant amount of feedback regarding my “correspondence” with MMA…..”Journalist” Jon Lane…So….To any and all members of the media: I’m always happy to talk and share my time and ideas with you. And I appreciate your efforts in contacting me, and instead of ‘circling the wagons’ around a “fellow journalist”, for applauding my efforts to….FIX things. Do me a favor, guys. Don’t be so hard on JonJon. He’ll get it. Bring him along, help him out here & there. I kinda like him. And Jon…..No hard feelings. Really. If you re-read our correspondence in the cold, hard, light of day, you’ll see I was trying to….HELP you.

I never expected you to be Umberto Eco; but those questions… guy! I mean COME ON. So buck up, little soldier. If you fall off, just get right back on – even if it’s only a keyboard you’re getting on.

And Lil’ Nog…..I read your appraisal of the upcoming fight betwixt your pal Anderson and yours truly and, I’ll be damned, you are one sharp dude…. about as sharp as a bag of wet mice.

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UFC 117 Betting Odds (Early Preview)

Just posted the latest UFC 117 betting odds to the side bar.
A few early notes for those who like to get in on the action early.
:: If you believe in karma or just that Anderson Silva’s due for a loss, grab Chael Sonnen now at +345 at Bookmaker here. That one is bound to come […]

Just posted the latest UFC 117 betting odds to the side bar.

A few early notes for those who like to get in on the action early.

:: If you believe in karma or just that Anderson Silva’s due for a loss, grab Chael Sonnen now at +345 at Bookmaker here. That one is bound to come down closer to the +300ish listings elsewhere.

:: While we’re not thinking Roy Nelson has much of a shot against Junior Dos Santos, if you disagree, he’s +285 at Bookmaker here. We actually think the other sites will list him closer to +285 than +250. But in case not, not a bad idea to book it now.

Is TUF 13 Hinging on Anderson Silva Beating Chael Sonnen?

("Why do they keep pitting me against Brazilians? It’s tougher to smash the faces of my fellow countrymen.")
TATAME is reporting that the UFC is planning to hold its second event in Brazil in 2011 and that the promotion could possibly do a Br…


("Why do they keep pitting me against Brazilians? It’s tougher to smash the faces of my fellow countrymen.")

TATAME is reporting that the UFC is planning to hold its second event in Brazil in 2011 and that the promotion could possibly do a Brazilian-only version of The Ultimate Fighter next year as well. 

Looking at the current UFC roster and taking into account the SPIKE TV series’ penchant for (except in a few cases) pitting the two coaches against each other at the end of each season, I’m guessing they are looking at Anderson Silva opposite either Vitor Belfort or Demian Maia as the coaches for the show.

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Anderson Silva “Not Anxious” About Chael Sonnen’s Pre-Fight Comments

With UFC 116 in the books many in the MMA world will turn much of their attention to the upcoming August 7th, UFC 117 tilt, between reigning middleweight king Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen. On paper, the fight already screams ‘can’t miss,’ as everyone will be looking to see if Sonnen’s wrestling will rule […]

anderson-silva

With UFC 116 in the books many in the MMA world will turn much of their attention to the upcoming August 7th, UFC 117 tilt, between reigning middleweight king Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen. On paper, the fight already screams ‘can’t miss,’ as everyone will be looking to see if Sonnen’s wrestling will rule the day over Silva’s highlight reel striking and ground game. Of course if that wasn’t enough to hype the bout, throw in Silva’s recent ‘WTF is he doing?’ performance against Demian Maia and a steady flow of pre-fight trash talking from Sonnen, and you’ve got some real drama cooking.

Really, thanks to the onslaught of ‘Sonnens’ that Chael has directed at Anderson (in case you haven’t noticed the middleweight has a knack for saying things that either induce laughter or rage), Silva’s debacle at UFC 112 has kind of taken a back seat. From belittling Silva’s friends and jiu-jitsu instructors in the Nogueira twins, to outright saying the champ has been ducking him, Sonnen hasn’t been ‘reserved’ while offering his pre-fight analysis. As far as Silva’s take on Sonnen’s comments? He recently told Tatame this:

“I’m cool… I’m not anxious about his statements, I don’t worry about those things. He is promoting this fight the way he cans. He’s a great athlete, he’s having a chance to fight for the belt, so let’s go. When you get there, everything changes. Inside that cage the speech changes, everything change. The last one who spoke too much didn’t like the outcome, but it’s normal. People have their mouth and their right to say whatever they feel like.”

This is going to be good…real good. To bet on UFC 117 head here.

Exclusive Interview: Clay Guida Discusses UFC 117 Fight Against Rafael Dos Anjos

Sal Mora talks w UFC Lightweight Clay Guida for CagePotato.com – Watch more Funny Videos
After suffering tough losses against Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian last year, Clay Guida came back with a renewed fire this March and choked out Shannon Gug…

Sal Mora talks w UFC Lightweight Clay Guida for CagePotato.com – Watch more Funny Videos

After suffering tough losses against Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian last year, Clay Guida came back with a renewed fire this March and choked out Shannon Gugerty — his first submission victory in three-and-a-half years. With momentum back on his side, the Carpenter looks to keep the ball rolling next month at UFC 117 (August 7th, Oakland), where he’ll take on Rafael Dos Anjos, who is riding three straight victories against Rob Emerson, Kyle Bradley, and Terry Etim. In this exclusive interview filmed by Sal Mora at Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, Guida tells us what the fight against Dos Anjos means to him, and explains the advantages he’ll have in the cage. He also weighs in on UFC 117’s Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen main event; unsurprisingly, Clay likes the hard-nosed wrestler’s chances.

When asked which loss he’d go back and avenge if he could, Guida said that he doesn’t like to look back at the past. However:

"I think the Diego Sanchez fight kinda spoke for itself. I think he won three minutes of the fight, maybe four. I think I controlled the rest of the fight. So that’s one of those [fights] that would have maybe put me in line for title contention. And it would also be one of the greatest fights again…Diego’s a buddy of mine, I hope the best for him, and our time will come again, maybe. If not, who cares, I [plan to] just keep winning."

Jake Shields Released by Strikeforce, Wants Anderson Silva

("Tell ’em you want a $125,000 base salary to start, increasing $25,000 with every win." "And a custom Hummer, like the ones they give to Ultimate Fighter coaches." "And an immediate shot at Anderson Silva." "And a p…

Jake Shields Strikeforce
("Tell ’em you want a $125,000 base salary to start, increasing $25,000 with every win."
"And a custom Hummer, like the ones they give to Ultimate Fighter coaches."
"And an immediate shot at Anderson Silva."
"And a percentage of the…wait, what?")

After a difficult bidding period in which Jake Shields was asking for more money than Scott Coker thought he was worth, Strikeforce released their middleweight champion yesterday, putting Shields on the open market. Shields’s Strikeforce contract ended after his April title defense against Dan Henderson, which allowed other organizations to make bids on his services. Strikeforce was in the matching stage of the process, and had the option to meet any competing offers, but ultimately decided that letting Shields walk was their best option.

As Scott Coker said on MMA Weekly radio, "The numbers, there was a big gap between what we thought was real, and what we thought was going to work, and I call that the numbers dance. It is what it is, and we’re going to probably be moving forward with that tournament."

Tensions between Shields and Strikeforce have reportedly been strained since he appeared at WEC 48, sitting next to UFC president Dana White, who mouthed "he’s mine" at the camera. Strikeforce may have even tried to block Shields from attending Saturday’s Fedor vs. Werdum show. 

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