In campaigning to turn his August 2010 shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC Middleweight Championship into a must-see ordeal, contender Chael Sonnen relied on his “gift of gab,” rather than his fighting resume, to sell the battle.
Sonnen showcased a flare for creative, pointed, articulate trash talk never before seen in mixed martial arts, and the campaign finally helped the mixed martial arts veteran emerge as a legitimate star. His ongoing verbal attacks on Silva and other Brazilian MMA fighters in the aftermath of that acclaimed fight only enhanced his profile and helped make next week’s rematch the most-anticipated UFC bout of the year.
They also have finally awoken a verbal monster in Silva, who dramatically broke from his calm nature in a conference call Monday.
The excess of media that participated in the call was likely anticipating pages of quotables from Sonnen, who publicly markets himself as the true champion despite losing via submission in the fifth round of the 2010 fight. As it turns out, it was Anderson Silva who delivered the hardest verbal blows.
Speaking through translator and manager Ed Soares, Silva vowed to break Sonnen’s face and teeth in the UFC 148 main-event.
“He’s been convicted of crimes. He doesn’t deserve to be inside the octagon. And when the time comes and the time is right, I’m going to break his face and break every one of his teeth in his mouth,” threatened Silva.
He added, “I’m going to beat Chael like he’s never been beaten before. The joke is over. There’s no more talking. I know he’s on the line listening, and the game is over. I’m going to beat his ass out of the UFC. He’s never going to want to fight again after I’m done with him.”
As the minute count on the call continued, so too did Silva’s aggression in vowing to bring an unrivaled degree of pain to the title challenger.
“Chael Sonnen’s going to get his ass kicked like he’s never gotten his ass kicked before,” declared the Champion. “What I’m going to do inside the octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport. I’m going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broken, (and) his legs are broke. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the octagon by himself. I can guarantee that.”
Sonnen surprised most oddsmakers and mixed martial arts fans by dominating Silva for the near-entirety of their 2010 fight. Despite entering as a sizable underdog, Sonnen held his own with the famed striker on the feet and used his superior wrestling to consistently bring the Champion to the mat.
But as Sonnen approached the final minutes of what could have been a dominating title victory, he found himself caught in an Anderson Silva triangle choke and forced to tap out.
UFC originally planned an immediate rematch between the two, but a positive drug test for Sonnen, ultimately deemed a consequence of not properly filing for testosterone replacement therapy, resulted in a suspension for the outspoken challenger.
Nearly two years later, they finally meet for the rematch in the main-event of Las Vegas’ UFC 148 on July 7. Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin is the semi-main-event.
