Bellator 170's Chael Sonnen fighting Tito Ortiz, but hasn't forgotten about Wanderlei Silva

When Wanderlei Silva returns to the cage, Chael Sonnen will be waiting.

“The next time I see Wanderlei Silva, I’m going to be fighting Wanderlei Silva,” Sonnen (29-14-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) told MMAjunkie. “And he will tell you the same thing.”

For the time being, “The American Gangster” is headlining Bellator 170 opposite Tito Oritz (18-12-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA). The event takes place Jan. 21 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with main-card fights on Spike and prelims on MMAjunkie.

The main event is Ortiz’s farewell fight after two decades in MMA, while Sonnen is ramping back up after returning to active competition. He retired from the sport after failing multiple drug tests for a proposed bout with Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC) at UFC 175 and was suspended two years.

Sonnen, 39, and Silva, 40, have a long history. They were supposed to fight after serving as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” but both ran afoul of the Nevada State Athletic Commission over drug testing. Silva evaded an out-of-competition test and initially was given a lifetime ban before it was overturned to a three-year suspension.

On the reality show, they came to blows after clashing on camera.

Silva hasn’t fought since a knockout win over Brian Stann three years ago at UFC on FUEL TV 8. He retired from the sport prior to his lifetime ban, citing unfair treatment by the UFC.

This past March, Silva reversed his retirement to sign contracts with Bellator and with Rizin FF after the UFC released him from contract. He was scheduled to rematch Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic this past month in the quarterfinals of the Japanese promotion’s open-weight grand prix, but withdrew after claiming he hadn’t recovered from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident this past May.

Bellator President Scott Coker told MMAjunkie that Silva is still recovering from his injuries. But the promotion has its eye on putting him in the cage this year.

“It looks like he’ll be ready to go sometime in the summer,” Coker said. “Wanderlei Silva is currently under contract with Bellator, so we have him for multiple years. I think it’s just a matter of time, and hopefully we’ll be able to put that fight together.”

When it does, Sonnen figures he’ll be the last to hear about the booking.

“I was live in the building, on the microphone, and didn’t know Fedor (Emelianenko) was about to walk the ramp,” he said. “So one thing Bellator can do is keep a secret.”

For more on Bellator 170, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.