A boxing match with Anderson Silva isn’t the only big-money fight on Chael Sonnen’s calendar this year.
On Sunday, it was revealed that ‘The Spider’ would compete one last time in Brazil against his former foe on June 15. The bout will go down six weeks before their inaugural clash at UFC 117 is forever enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame.
But according to ‘The American Gangster,’ a trilogy fight with Silva is just the beginning.
Chael Sonnen says that Anderson Silva offered to do MMA rules for their fight, but he opted for boxing rules instead.
He says he made this decision because he will be boxing Jorge Masvidal in October of this year
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 20, 2024
Chael Sonnen says that Anderson Silva offered to do MMA rules for their fight, but he opted for boxing rules instead.
Good Guy / Bad Guy
“Anderson said for Chael to pick the rule set and it was just a situation where I’ve always wanted to box,” Sonnen said during the latest episode of EPSN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy. “I’ve got this thing coming up with Jorge Masvidal. If we’re just letting all these secrets out, I’ve got this thing coming up with Masvidal in October of this year and that thing has been coming up ever since ESPN sequestered me in Miami at UFC 299 to try and protect me from Masvidal.
“There was nothing that hurt my ego more than me being the one who was being locked down and I only share that with you because I’ve known this Masvidal thing was coming and when you let the cat out of the bag, the Masvidal vs. Diaz [fight], I don’t want to step on Diaz’s toes, but I’ve got Jorge in my sights because when I step in there with Masvidal, it’s going to be eight rounds and they are going to have the 10 or 12-ounce gloves so it’s going to be a little bit of a different situation.”
Jorge Masvidal chomping at the bit to break chael sonnen’s ‘eye orbital’
The rivalry between Jorge Masvidal and Chael Sonnen seemingly came out of nowhere after ‘Gamebred’ randomly threatened to “break [Sonnen’s] eye orbital” during a scathing rant on The MMA Hour earlier this year. “He’s a cheating f*ck,” Masivdal added. “Like, if you – he’s gotten caught with more substances in his body, than any other competitor in the history.”
The two have since traded barbs back and forth on social media. In March, Sonnen claimed that he was sequestered at the demand of ESPN while in Miami for UFC 299 to protect him from a potential run-in with Masvidal.
Currently, Masvidal is gearing up for a rematch with Nate Diaz on July 6. The two fan favorites first met at UFC 244 in 2019 for the inaugural BMF title. ‘Gamebred’ won the bout via a doctor’s stoppage following the third round.
It was the last fight Masvidal won before effectively retiring from MMA in 2023.
