After many delays, the long-awaited bout between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva is finally set for the end of May.
The two fighters have taken shots at each other via the media and Twitter for years. Sonnen has been relentless in building a potential fight with Silva, but there was a time when it appeared the clash would never happen.
But now, the pair are serving as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, and they'll step in the Octagon on May 31st in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
But even with bout agreements signed, Sonnen still believes something is fishy. The former middleweight and light heavyweight contender told MMAFighting.com's Dave Doyle that he still wasn't sure the fight would even happen.
It's one of those things where, something stinks here. He's talking more than ever. He's saying things like ‘Chael better not get hurt' and ‘Chael better not fall out.'
I've never pulled out, ever. If I'm hurt or I'm sick, I just show up. Never do I complain or I pull out. What that's telling me, he's going to claim he's hurt. He's just doing all these things to tip his hand here, and something stinks and I don't know what it is, but something's going on.
Sonnen has a point. He has been one of the UFC's more dependable fighters. Sonnen regularly volunteers to fight on short notice against Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier and others.
Do you think Sonnen vs. Silva will happen in May
But for now, we should probably chalk this up to more gamesmanship from Sonnen. We have no reason to believe Silva will pull out of the fight, so this is likely just another way for Sonnen to get under the skin of his nemesis.
The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, featuring Sonnen and Silva, can be viewed each week on the UFC's subscription-only Fight Pass service.
