Why is Chael Sonnen fighting Wanderlei Silva? 'The American Gangster' has a top-10 list

Why is Chael Sonnen fighting Wanderlei Silva? Oh, let him count the ways.

Years after UFC officials first tried to book the fighters for a bout after serving as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” Bellator recently got the matchup done.

Sonnen (29-14-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC) headline Bellator NYC on June 24 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The pay-per-view card immediately follows Bellator 180, which airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie, as part of a doubleheader day.

Sonnen, who fights for the first time since a submission loss to Tito Ortiz in January (he discusses the bout above), is in a 1-4 skid stretching back to 2012. During that time, the 40-year-old “American Gangster” failed drug tests, briefly retired from MMA, parted ways with the UFC, signed with Bellator, and decided to fight again.

The Ortiz fight, which came after a layoff of more than three years, could’ve marked a one-and-done return to professional fighting. But Sonnen, who famously tangled with Silva on the “TUF: Brazil 3” set, never got the fight due to injuries and drug-testing issues, and he’s clearly anxious to get the grudge match done.

So, why do it now? Sonnen debuted his top-10 list on Twitter overnight – and perhaps it’s clear why he took up MMA instead of standup comedy:

For more on Bellator NYC and Bellator 180, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.