Chael Sonnen decided to face former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the boxing ring.
Earlier this month, it was announced that ‘The American Gangster’ would meet ‘The Spider’ one final time. Chael Sonnen retired following a 2019 knockout loss to Lyoto Machida but has long teased a return to fighting. Next month in Brazil he will do exactly that, and meet his longtime rival, Anderson Silva.
The two are currently slated to go into the Hall of Fame at the end of June, as a part of the UFC’s Fight Wing. Their first two meetings were massive fights, with the Brazilian winning both by stoppage. While their first two bouts took place in the cage, the third will be in the boxing ring. With Anderson Silva competing in the sport since 2021, that naturally puts Chael Sonnen at a disadvantage.
However, he doesn’t really care. Speaking on a recent edition of his ‘Good Guy, Bad Guy’ Podcast with Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen discussed his trilogy fight against Anderson Silva. During the discussion, ‘DC’ questioned his co-host why he was deciding to face the Brazilian in the boxing ring. Not only is Silva a noted striker, he even holds a win over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Chael Sonnen opens up on boxing match against former UFC rival Anderson Silva
There, Chael Sonnen revealed that Anderson Silva was open to facing him in MMA as well. According to the former UFC title challenger, ‘The Spider’ left it up to him to figure out the ruleset. While Sonnen is aware that Silva is the more seasoned boxer of them, he’s always wanted to get in the ring at least once. The bout will also help him prepare for a future fight against Jorge Masvidal as well.
“I must tell you, in the defense of Anderson. According to the manager of my manager, so a little bit of hearsay. He offered to do MMA rules.” Chael Sonnen stated during the discussion with Daniel Cormier about his trilogy bout with Anderson Silva. “According to them, Anderson said for Chael to pick the ruleset. But it’s just a situation where I’ve always wanted to box.”
He continued, “Daniel, I’ve got this thing coming up with Jorge Masvidal in October of this year… I’m only sharing with you, I’ve got Jorge in my sights. Anderson, as badly as I want to beat him, and as much as I am going to go out there and beat him, it’s just a step in the process.”
What do you make of these comments from the former UFC title challenger? Will you watch Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva 3?
