The legendary feud between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva will finally be settled next weekend in Brazil.
Over a decade after their UFC 148 rematch ended in controversial fashion, Sonnen and Silva will meet for a third and final time in the boxing ring for an exhibition. The pair have mended their friendship over the years, but will reignite the old flame once more in the Brazilian’s final fight on home soil.
Just a handful of select spectators will be allowed into a secret venue in Sao Paolo, where the Spaten Fight Night takes place on June 15. The duo will take part in a five-round exhibition at a catchweight of 216lb.
Chael Sonnen explains why he is fighting Anderson Silva in boxing
Many fans have already noted the seemingly massive advantage Anderson Silva has in a bout with solely boxing rules against career wrestler Chael Sonnen. The American was renowned for his ability to take down opponents, and came within seconds of a win over his rival with his wrestling first time out.
Since both men retired from MMA in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Silva has continued to box with some frequency as a professional while Sonnen has not competed at all. The former UFC middleweight champion famously defeated boxing world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in 2021.
After that win, Silva went on to knock out former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz before facing Jake Paul in a boxing match in 2022. That night, he lost in a close decision after impressing early on against the YouTube star, who was over 20 years his junior.
But Sonnen is confident of the victory, telling Daniel Cormier on their ESPN show Good Guy/Bad Guy: “You got the left hands and you got the right hands, I mean this isn’t rocket science, I really don’t know about it.
“We’re going to go out there and we’re going to fight. This is the only opportunity I had to fight him. I mean, if I had one choice; I could either fight him or not fight him, I go the rest of my life and I get to punch him or I don’t get to punch him. I’m going to choose to do it.”
Chael Sonnen doubles down on vow to cheat in Anderson Silva fight
One of the most enigmatic figures in all of MMA history, Sonnen has embraced the nickname of ‘The Bad Guy’ both in and out of the cage. He was infamous for his brutal trash talking before fights, most notoriously against Silva during their lengthy feud.
But he was also something of a heel outside of the cage as well. He was issued a two-year suspension from the sport in 2014 after failing two separate drug tests for human growth hormone, EPO, anastrozole and clomiphene.
He is one of the only athletes in the history of sport who spoke candidly about his drug use, and has even claimed that he was lucky to only test positive for those substances. And as recently as this year he claimed to be on “the same steroids” during a rant towards rival Jorge Masvidal.
And in a brief clip from his show with Cormier earlier this week, Sonnen bragged that he planned to break the rules this time around. After watching a clip that showed UFC CEO Dana White picking Silva to win, Sonnen made the outlandish claim, which left his co-host in hysterics.
“Dana thinks that because he is not armed with the information, Daniel, that I plan to cheat,” he said without breaking his stare or laughing. Cormier simply responded by reminding viewers that he is known as “the bad guy, ladies and gentlemen; the bad guy.”
And in yesterday’s episode, Sonnen expanded on that claim by saying: “They can set up whatever rules they want, man. I never followed the rules in the first place. I’m coming home a winner, remember I said that.”
It is worth noting that the former middleweight and light-heavyweight world title contender is also notorious for his practical jokes during interviews and appearances. He is considered one of the funniest fighters in history, and toes the line with his tongue-in-cheek humour at times.
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