Tag: UFC 175

Chael Sonnen: My Fight with Vitor Belfort Is a Middleweight No. 1 Contender Bout

Despite being just 1-3 in his past four bouts and 0-3 in UFC championship fights, Chael Sonnen claims he’s just one victory away from another crack at UFC gold. 
During yesterday’s edition of UFC Tonight, “The American Gangster” proclaim…

Despite being just 1-3 in his past four bouts and 0-3 in UFC championship fights, Chael Sonnen claims he’s just one victory away from another crack at UFC gold. 

During yesterday’s edition of UFC Tonight, “The American Gangster” proclaimed that his UFC 175 light heavyweight matchup with Vitor Belfort is a title eliminator bout … at middleweight (transcription per Mixedmartialarts.com). 

“I still will participate in the pay-per-view on July 5, but the stakes are up,” Sonnen stated. “I am now fighting in a #1 contender’s match – the winner of my bout will take on the winner of Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, my opponent will be Vitor Belfort … Vitor and I are both middleweights, 185 pound division, and that is the contendership that is on the line … Consider it a catchweight, that will take place at 205 pounds.”

The Team Reign Training Center fighter was originally set to meet fellow Brazilian adversary Wanderlei Silva at UFC 175, whom he coached opposite season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, but Silva was removed after refusing a random drug test and never obtaining a fighter’s license, per MMA Fighting. 

“Uncle Chael” has been saying for months that “The Axe Murderer” wasn’t going to show up on July 5 and it has now been proven he was right all along. 

Meanwhile, Belfort has been sitting on the sidelines since becoming the first fighter to knock out Dan Henderson at UFC Fight Night 32 in November. 

“The Phenom” was initially set to meet middleweight titleholder Chris Weidman at UFC 173, but was replaced by Lyoto Machida shortly after the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy, per FOX Sports. 

Sonnen has fought for both the UFC middleweight title twice—both times against Anderson Silva—and the UFC light heavyweight strap. Despite failing to be crowned champion, Sonnen has always fared better at 185 pounds.

On the other hand, Belfort, the No. 2 middleweight in the UFC’s official rankings, has also come up short in title bouts against Silva and Jones recently.

Of course, it is also worth noting that Belfort briefly held the UFC’s 205-pound title, after he scored a somewhat controversial TKO over Randy Couture at UFC 46 in January 2004.

Does Sonnen vs. Belfort as a middleweight title eliminator bout make sense, especially since their UFC 175 showdown will be contested at light heavyweight?

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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UFC 175: Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Wanderlei Silva was forced Wednesday to pull out of his fight (per Brazilian site Combate via Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie.com) with Chael Sonnen. Instead of Sonnen facing off against Silva, he will instead get to fight Vitor Belfort.
Belfort s…

Wanderlei Silva was forced Wednesday to pull out of his fight (per Brazilian site Combate via Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie.com) with Chael Sonnen. Instead of Sonnen facing off against Silva, he will instead get to fight Vitor Belfort.

Belfort stepped up, passed all his exams and is now scheduled to face Sonnen at UFC 175.

People were excited for Sonnen vs. Silva, but many expected Chael to pull out the win. In this one, fans will be split on who’s going to come out on top.

Let’s take a look at whether Sonnen or Belfort has the edge in the fight.

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Chael Sonnen Slams Wanderlei Silva on ‘Fake’ PRIDE Fights and Eyebrows

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has no love lost for his oldest rival, Wanderlei Silva, a face of the Japan-based PRIDE Fighting Championships. 
“The American Gangster” isn’t impressed by that, though, proclaiming that PRIDE bouts wer…

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has no love lost for his oldest rival, Wanderlei Silva, a face of the Japan-based PRIDE Fighting Championships. 

“The American Gangster” isn’t impressed by that, though, proclaiming that PRIDE bouts were about as real as the one’s that take place inside a WWE ring, per BT Sport’s UFC: Beyond the Octagon. 

This guy drives me crazy. This guy has driven me crazy for years. I used to watch this guy fight in something called the PRIDE Fighting Championships. This was as fake as Wanderlei Silva’s eyebrows. … If you really want to know the truth, Garrett, I don’t think Wanderlei‘s going to show up on July 5. … I will walk in that Octagon and I will fight somebody.

The war of words is nothing new between Sonnen and Silva, whose beef began when they got into a brief argument in a van about three years ago. 

More recently, Sonnen has been claiming for months that “The Axe Murderer” would not make it to Las Vegas on July 5:

If you wanna dance you gotta pay the band. If you wanna sing you gotta be the man.Cant retire this hack Until he signs the contract. #sign

— chael sonnen (@sonnench) February 25, 2014

As it turns out, the charismatic grappler was 100 percent correct, as Silva has been pulled from the fight after missing a meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, per MMA Fighting.   

Instead, Sonnen will face another Brazilian adversary in Vitor Belfort, who reportedly has already been licensed by the NSAC—the first time since the commission banned testosterone replacement therapy.

Last month, “The Phenom” indicated he was ready to fight and was hoping to replace Lyoto Machida in a middleweight title bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 175—the position he was in before TRT was banned, per MMA Fighting.  

While he will not get his wish, the Brazilian bomber will get a chance to compete on the same pay-per-view card. 

Earlier this month, Sonnen stated that he had to square off with Belfort before he calls it a career. After Silva’s misstep, he will get to do just that.

Did Silva know all along that he wasn’t going to fight Sonnen, regardless of the date and venue, or did he simply make an irreversible mistake here?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com

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BREAKING: Wanderlei Silva Out, Vitor Belfort In Against Sonnen at UFC 175


(And just like that, Wandy disappeared in a cloud of smoke, his greatest April Fools prank of all times in the books.)

According to Brazilian outlet Combate, the twice–delayed grudge match between TUF Brazil 3 coaches Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen tentatively scheduled for UFC 175 has finally reached its breaking point. Wanderlei has no-showed for his pre-fight medical exams with NSAC, and somehow, been replaced by Vitor Belfort against Sonnen in the evening’s co-main event:

The card for UFC 175 on Wednesday suffered a decent turn of screenplays. After starring with Chael Sonnen moments of biggest rivalry TUF Brazil 3, Wanderlei Silva ‘s out of the fight against the U.S. that would loudmouth in the July 5 event in Las Vegas. 

The Combate.com found that his replacement will be none other than Vitor Belfort, who returns to work for the UFC in Las Vegas, after all the controversy involving his name and the use of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy). The fight between Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort remains the penultimate event, which will feature two title fights: the weights of female-cocks between Ronda Rousey and Alexis Davis, and the weight-average, between Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman.

OK, I feel as if something might have been lost in translation there (female-cocks, LOL!).

How Vitor Belfort has suddenly been licensed to fight is anyone’s guess. A month ago to the day, Dana White stated that Belfort “had a lot of work to do” before he would be approved for a license in the wake of the TRT ban, and that the approval process “doesn’t happen just like that.” Further muddling things are the rumors currently running rampant that the fight will be held at 205 lbs yet serve as a #1 contender fight for the middleweight title. Welcome to the wacky world of MMA, ladies and gentlemen.

We will have more on this insane story as it develops.

–J. Jones


(And just like that, Wandy disappeared in a cloud of smoke, his greatest April Fools prank of all times in the books.)

According to Brazilian outlet Combate, the twice–delayed grudge match between TUF Brazil 3 coaches Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen tentatively scheduled for UFC 175 has finally reached its breaking point. Wanderlei has no-showed for his pre-fight medical exams with NSAC, and somehow, been replaced by Vitor Belfort against Sonnen in the evening’s co-main event:

The card for UFC 175 on Wednesday suffered a decent turn of screenplays. After starring with Chael Sonnen moments of biggest rivalry TUF Brazil 3, Wanderlei Silva ’s out of the fight against the U.S. that would loudmouth in the July 5 event in Las Vegas. 

The Combate.com found that his replacement will be none other than Vitor Belfort, who returns to work for the UFC in Las Vegas, after all the controversy involving his name and the use of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy). The fight between Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort remains the penultimate event, which will feature two title fights: the weights of female-cocks between Ronda Rousey and Alexis Davis, and the weight-average, between Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman.

OK, I feel as if something might have been lost in translation there (female-cocks, LOL!).

How Vitor Belfort has suddenly been licensed to fight is anyone’s guess. A month ago to the day, Dana White stated that Belfort “had a lot of work to do” before he would be approved for a license in the wake of the TRT ban, and that the approval process “doesn’t happen just like that.” Further muddling things are the rumors currently running rampant that the fight will be held at 205 lbs yet serve as a #1 contender fight for the middleweight title. Welcome to the wacky world of MMA, ladies and gentlemen.

We will have more on this insane story as it develops.

–J. Jones

Report: Wanderlei Silva Out, Vitor Belfort in vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 175

News is breaking out of Brazil that the grudge match between The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 coaches Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen has been scrapped from the UFC 175 card and, shockingly, Silva will be replaced by Vitor Belfort. The news was first re…

News is breaking out of Brazil that the grudge match between The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 coaches Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen has been scrapped from the UFC 175 card and, shockingly, Silva will be replaced by Vitor Belfort. The news was first reported on Twitter by multiple sources from GloboTV, the UFC’s broadcast partner in Brazil:

Wanderlei missed exames and his license was denied. Belfort did all the exams and tested negative for them all.

— Ivan Raupp (@IvanRaupp) May 28, 2014

The news is surprising on multiple fronts.

First and foremost is the nature of Silva being removed from the fight. Sonnen has been publicly barbing Silva since the show began taping regarding his unwillingness to commit to a date for the fight. Sonnen stated in April that Silva was trying to “weasel out” of the fight. While this could have easily been chalked up as gamesmanship on Sonnen’s part, the fact that the bout was repeatedly rescheduled raised many eyebrows, and if this report proves true, it all but confirms that Silva is, indeed, “ducking” Sonnen.

Secondly is the fact that Vitor Belfort will be replacing Silva. Belfort was originally slated to face Chris Weidman at UFC 173, but was pulled, or possibly withdrew, from the bout following the Nevada State Athletic commission’s ban on TRT use in MMA. UFC President Dana White speculated following UFC 172 that Belfort’s troubles with the NSAC were nowhere close to being over, and all but laughed at his desire to face off with Weidman…who was rescheduled to face Lyoto Machida at UFC 175.

Suffice it to say, it is strange that Belfort would be willing to face Sonnen when he has a title shot seemingly lined up, and even stranger that he is suddenly good to go for UFC 175.

News is still breaking, so keep an eye out here for more updates as they become available.

Update:

Vinny Magalhaes, a friend, training partner and assistant coach to Sonnen on The Ultimate Fighter season 17 and The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 has confirmed the news:

Additionally, multiple sources are reporting that the fight will be at 205 pounds, but the winner will be granted a shot at the middleweight (185-pound) title:

Update 2:

According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Belfort is, indeed, not licensed to fight in Nevada at this time:

Update 3:

NSAC Executive Director Robert Bennett spoke to MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti: 

It is hard to come up with a rational explanation for why Silva would do this, other than that he was looking to get out of the fight with Sonnen.

Update 4:

Fox Sports’ Damon Martin has tweeted the following:

Update 5: 

Sonnen gave his take regarding Silva, confirmed the fight with Belfort and its status as a middleweight title eliminator. You can read the full report here.

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Sonnen on Wanderlei: ‘He Wouldn’t Have Been the Champion If I Was in PRIDE’

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is chomping at the bit to meet arch-nemesis Wanderlei Silva inside the Octagon at UFC 175 on July 5, which he made clear as day at a press conference yesterday. 
“The American Gangster” turned on his sh…

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is chomping at the bit to meet arch-nemesis Wanderlei Silva inside the Octagon at UFC 175 on July 5, which he made clear as day at a press conference yesterday. 

“The American Gangster” turned on his shameless self-promotion skills at the Las Vegas event, stating that he could’ve easily taken out a PRIDE version of Silva, per MMA Fighting. 

I was sitting at home scratching and clawing trying to make it. I was fighting at the dog park, I’m fighting anywhere I’m getting a chance, and I’m watching this knucklehead coming out of Japan wearing his belt, I thought I want to kick that guy’s ass. He wouldn’t have been the champion if I was in PRIDE.

Boasting an impressive 22-4-1 record under the PRIDE banner and one of the promotion’s top draws, “The Axe Murderer” won the middleweight title when he scored a TKO over Kazushi Sakuraba in November 2001. 

Though he defended the title on just four occasions, the Brazilian brawler kept the belt for over six years before he was knocked out by Dan Henderson at PRIDE 33 in February 2007. 

Silva has been inconsistent since joining the UFC ranks in December 2007, posting a 4-5 mark and unable to get a winning streak going.

As for Sonnen, a major MMA title has eluded him during his 17-year career.

Although “Uncle Chael” won a clear-cut decision over WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho in November 2008, the title was not on the line since Filho missed weight by about seven pounds.

Sonnen has posted just a 3-4 record in his past seven fights, though two of those losses came to then-UFC middleweight title holder Anderson Silva, and another defeat came against light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones. 

Will Sonnen be able to back up his trash talk at the UFC’s annual Fourth of July weekend pay-per-view or will Silva be able to dial up one more vintage performance to shut his American counterpart’s mouth?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com