One of the greatest MMA feuds that never culminated in a fight will finally come to a finish, hopefully, when Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva finally lock horns at Bellator 180 this June. But, as is typical with this unprecedentedly weird rivalry, a new round of trash talk has formed seemingly out of nowhere.
Today on the MMA Hour, Chael Sonnen was in-studio explaining the genesis of his beef with Silva, going through the details that hardcore MMA fans have memorized by now. Mostly, he discussed this infamous video in which Chael gets a talking-to from good ol Wandy:
Back in the day that was a big deal. Chael Sonnen was at his peak of his “West Linn Gangster” persona, and seeing him quiet down was a strange turn of events. Chael was never at a loss for words, but today he explained his confusion well (h/t MMA Fighting:
“He was doing this whole thing and I was like, ‘Wanderlei, this is really weird,’” Sonnen said. “‘Because first of all, you’re telling me off, which is a little bit — that’s rude. Second, we’ve spent the whole day together. We’re in a van, man. Are you trying to start a fight with me in a van?’ … And third, you brought the cameraman.”
So in other words, Chael knew it was a setup. Kind of like today on the MMA Hour when Wanderlei Silva just happened to be listening in on the broadcast and was ready to call in. Wow!
Here’s want Wandy had to say for himself:
“We are the top fighters in the world,” Silva said. “We’re gonna make the biggest fight in the history. One of the most famous arenas in the world. On that day, Bellator is gonna be bigger than the UFC.”
Wand is right — on that very specific day, Bellator will be bigger than the UFC. But I dunno about Bellator taking over just yet. They’re definitely on a nice path, though.
