Tag: UFC 148

Anderson Silva, still a man of few words, finally says a small but ominous piece of his mind on the more loquacious Chael Sonnen, who will challenge again for his UFC middleweight throne on July 7, 2012 in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“I pity him. He is a frustrated man who never won anything, never been first in anything. Man, the fight will be sinister, as they say here,” warned The Spider in his interview with Fantastico, Globo TV.

Volume-wise, Silva’s subtle threat is no match to his challenger’s who has been incessantly mouthing his own threats and braggadocio on the former.

Sonnen has been characteristically vocal with his denigrating opinions on the champion and pound-for-pound king Silva, even proclaiming himself as the real champion.

The controversial fighter has been chest-thumping on his performance in their last encounter, when he unsuccessfully challenged for Silva’s belt at UFC 117 in 2010. The fight saw Sonnen ground-and-pounding the champion for much of their five-round title fight until Silva sneaked in a fight-ending armbar with barely two minutes left in the last round.

Even in the UFC 148 press conference right in the heart of Silva’s home country of Brazil, Sonnen did not mince his words on his opponent, and also took a swipe at his hosts: the people of Brazil.

He said,

…when I was a little kid…I would look outside and Anderson and the Brazilian kids are sitting outside playing in the mud.

…I think it’s disgusting and I think it’s an embarrassment to the sport that he would come around with that fake belt when the entire world watched me defeat him on live TV. He goes and gets himself a fake belt and sits up here and pretends to be champion.

It is still safe to say that everybody else in MMA knows who won their first fight, who the real and still champion is, and who walks around with a “UFC belt” purchased from who knows where.

It remains to be seen if there will be an exchange of belts come July 7th, and who’ll end up making good of his issued threat.

 

Thanks to Mr. Nordic for the heads up on this news!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chael Sonnen revealed some interesting news when it was learned he had enlisted the services of former professional wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to help him train and prepare for his upcoming bout at UFC 148.

Serving as a strength and conditioning coach, Austin has been working with the middleweight contender extensively prior to his training camp.

Sonnen recently made an appearance on “Off The Record” with Michael Landsberg and discussed his involvement with the former WWE superstar.

“I’ve worked with him for the last three fights,” Sonnen said. “He’s a strength and conditioning coach, he has me out to the ranch, puts me through hell for 30 days and that’s what we use to jumpstart our camp. But, he doesn’t want to be involved, so I’m not going to involve him.”

Interestingly, Sonnen has delivered some of his interviews in wrestling-like fashion, often portraying a bad guy role as he continuously has mocked and insulted UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

It should be noted that Austin, whose real name is Steve Williams, is a big fan of mixed martial arts and he can often be seen at UFC events along with other wrestlers including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and The Undertaker. 

Some fans may find the notion of Sonnen working with Austin quite comical, but it seems as if Sonnen has developed a trusting relationship with the WWE legend and has been successful in his past few bouts as a result.

Whoever else Sonnen decides to bring into his camp ahead of his rematch, it is certain that he will be prepared to face Silva at UFC 148 on July 7.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com