TUF Brazil may only be airing on fight pass for US viewers, but the coaches are getting plenty of play in the media. In something of a rarity, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva are not only giving interviews to the press while filming the Ultimate Fighter Brazil, but they’re giving those interviews in each man’s respective native language. Wanderlei recently spoke to MMA Fighting about his time on the TUF set. First and foremost he talked about the fight between himself and Sonnen that recently made headlines:
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“It was the worst part of the show,” Silva told the media on Tuesday. “I tell the other guys (on the show) ‘don’t do this and don’t do that,’ but (Sonnen) drives me nuts. I even apologized to the crew, but I’m not meek and mild.
“There are things I can’t handle. The boss (Dana White) likes what it’s fair, he was not upset about it. When they air that on TV, you’ll see that I was right. I did what I had to do.”
He also talked about Sonnen’s TRT use and why he himself isn’t on it:
“If he needs that, what can I say?” Silva said with a laugh. “I thought about using it, but my wife told me she would ask for a divorce, so I said I wouldn’t. People say (Sonnen) only has one ball, so if he has to use it maybe he can’t get it up.”
Silva went on to dsimiss Sonnen for his performances against Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua, so check out the whole thing.
Never the shrinking violet, however, Sonnen was quick to release his own barbs at Wanderlei Silva to the Brazilian press. He spoke to the Brazilian MMA site Tatame about what he feels is Wanderlei’s reluctance to take the fight, adding that Wanderlei has yet to sign the updated bout agreement. (translation via Fernando Arbex)
“I don’t have expectations for this fight, but I hope he will be there to fight. He likes to say that I just talk, and I do like to talk, but I signed to fight as soon as I arrived here in Brazil. They changed the place of the fight and I signed again. But he didn’t sign anything yet. His papers are still white. I can say that I haven’t seen he take off his shirt not a single time, he have never worked out or trained in this period. I think he is not planning to fight me or anybody. Never again.”
That wasn’t the end of it, however. Sonnen also spoke to Globo about his altercation with Silva (among many other topics. Here’s what he had to say (translation via Fernando Arbex):
“I could have took him down and beat him up every day. I regret about what happened, but it was something like ‘Wanderlei, I can’t let you put your hands on me, that is what happens when you do, you moron. This is how you are treated.'”
I can only believe that this is exactly what the UFC hoped for when they signed two of their more vocal and volatile fighters to coach against one another. Sonnen and Silva have certainly done their part in building some momentum for their season of the Ultimate Fighter once it hits the airwaves (or bandwidth). Now it’s up to the show to deliver as well. Be sure to stay tuned for more news and updates on the Ultimate Fighter Brazil as they become available.
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