According to the UFC President Dana White, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will defend his title against his nemesis Chael Sonnen, whether he likes it or not. White confirmed the news during an interview with ESPN’s Jim Rome on Wednesday:
“It’s the fight that everybody wants to see. People want to see Chael vs. Anderson,” White said. “Anderson is in this position where he feels like the guy is so disrespectful he doesn’t want to give him a shot.
“But Anderson will end up fighting Chael. The answer is yes.”
White did not say when or where the fight would take place. Silva is currently recovering from a shoulder injury.
Silva defeated Sonnen at UFC 117 last August by a triangle armbar submission in the fifth round. Most fans and analysts had Silva on the verge of losing his title to Sonnen, but the champion proved why he’s the most decorated fighter in the sport by pulling off the incredible.
Since the title defense, Silva defended twice more, defeating Vitor Belfort in spectacular fashion at UFC 126 in February and bombing Yushin Okami at uFC 137 in August.
If you truly believed the rumors that this fight might never happen due to Silva’s reluctance to accept a fight against such a disrespectful opponent, reality has finally won. With the proper promotion, both Sonnen and Silva could benefit greatly from this bout, especially if the event is promoted extensively across Fox’s network of channels. I can’t imagine what three to four months of Sonnen’s barbs could do to inflate the buyrate, but it could very well help Sonnen establish a presence as a pay-per-view draw.
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