There is no love lost between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva.
The feud between the "Gangster from West Linn" and the "Axe Murderer" has been cooking hot for the past few years, as each fighter has been quick to use interviews and other media spots to launch verbal missiles in the other's direction. Sonnen's efforts were made in an attempt to get the former Pride champion to agree on a date to dance inside the Octagon, and the former two-divisional title challenger will get his wish when their paths collide at UFC 175 on July 5.
While their showdown on the UFC's annual Fourth of July weekend show only recently became official, the organization has been working toward getting the matchup locked down for months, as the bout shifted through a few cards before finally settling on UFC 175. Throughout every step of the process, the ongoing grudge captivated the attention of the MMA fanbase, and that was the motivation behind the promotion slotting Sonnen and Silva in opposing coaching roles for the third installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
With both fighters in close proximity for several weeks while the episodes were taped, it was a likely scenario that their mutual discourse would spill over onto the set, and this would only serve to promote their eventual meeting inside the Octagon. It didn't take long for those projections to become reality, as the "war of words" between Sonnen and Silva escalated into a physical altercation just a few days into taping.
MMA veteran and jiu-jitsu guru Vinny Magalhaes is a longtime friend and training partner of the former middleweight contender. During both of Sonnen's stints coaching on The Ultimate Fighter (season 17 and TUF: Brazil 3), the Oregon native has tapped Magalhaes to be an assistant on his coaching staff. Due to his relationship with Sonnen, and being a regular on the MMA scene in Las Vegas, Magalhaes knew tension between the two camps would be a frequent visitor on the set of the reality-based fighting program.
The former M-1 Global champion and UFC veteran recently spoke to MMA media staple Rick Lee about the Brazilian muay thai machine's antics while taping the show and how the on-set producers played a pivotal role in the situation between Sonnen and Silva escalating into a physical altercation.
Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
