Chael Sonnen’s warning ahead of Bellator NYC: Keep Wanderlei Silva and I apart

PORTLAND, Ore. – So far, Chael Sonnen hasn’t crossed paths with Wanderlei Silva since they were booked to headline Bellator NYC later this month. That will change eventually, though.

Only 17 days remain until the pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and they’re bound to face off before they step into the cage. To avoid any trouble, Sonnen said it’s best they stay far away from each other until that moment.

“This isn’t some kind of bravado or, ‘Oh, let’s go get our licenses pulled and ruin this big fight,'” Sonnen told MMAjunkie. “But keep us apart. There’s a reason we can’t be in the same room.”

So far, Bellator has managed to avoid hiring extra security because Silva hasn’t attended any press conferences. The former PRIDE champion on Wednesday backed out from a second date to promote the event, claiming he was “under the weather.” That led Bellator officials to instead target a conference call with the rivals.

The last time they were together, it was via satellite. Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) said he was training for Sonnen and couldn’t make a March gathering. Sonnen (29-14-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) pounced, and the two traded insults for reporters at a distance.

That squabble, however, was considerably more tame than the full-fledged fight they got into on the set of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3.” It was one of the most serious physical clashes between opposing coaches in the show’s history and gave the UFC one heck of a promotional clip for the eventual season-ending coaches fight.

Then Silva evaded a pre-fight drug test, later admitting to having a banned substance in his system, and Sonnen failed two tests for a scheduled fight at UFC 175. The pair spent the next two years dealing with the regulatory fallout from their actions.

After serving their time, both came out of retirement to sign with Bellator, opening the door to the current scheduled fight, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York.

There should be only one more chance for the two to face off, and that’s at the traditional fight week presser. Assuming extra security gets in between, words will be the only weapons at play. Sonnen isn’t worried too much about those.

“He mumbles, and he grunts, and he snorts,” Sonnen said of Silva. “I have no idea why they’d bring him out. Respectfully, but I have no idea why they’d bring him out.”

Watch the above video to get Sonnen’s take on facing off with Silva.

And for more on Bellator NYC, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.