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Chael Sonnen remains distracted by irrelevant Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei Silva has proven to be a distraction for Chael Sonnen, as Sonnen prepares for his UFC 167 fight against Rashad Evans.

By Trent Reinsmith
Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Chael Sonnen's next opponent will be Rashad Evans. However, the UFC light heavyweight fighter has spent most of his time this week talking about Wanderlei Silva. A fact Sonnen is none to happy about.

The reason behind all the talk stems from Silva confronting Sonnen at the Mr. Olympia expo with cameraman in tow. Silva later released video of said confrontation on his YouTube page, adding some additional commentary. Sonnen addressed the video on UFC Tonight, but the incident continues to live on.

Some may say that Silva's antics are akin to those of the outspoken and sometimes confrontational Sonnen. Sonnen doesn't see things that way; in fact, Sonnen feels there is a significant difference between the two. Sonnen, speaking to MMAFighting.com said of the Mr. Olympia Expo incident:

It's silly. In this sport, you cannot refuse to fight a guy and then come out and talk about that guy. It's like, ‘Listen, Wanderlei. I've said a lot of things about a lot of people, but I'll make that walk every goddamn time.' I will never pull out of a fight. I will never call in sick, and I will never say no. That gives me the right to say the things that I say.

Sonnen is referencing the fact that Silva did have an offer on the table to face Sonnen, but according to UFC president Dana White, Silva turned down that offer because he wanted pay-per-view-points for the fight.

Sonnen acknowledged that while he finds Silva "a distraction," he also said he thinks he knows the reasoning behind Silva's actions:

I get it, he needs media. The UFC can't give it to him because he's not relevant. That's not an insult, that's just the reality. He's just not relevant. He doesn't have a fight coming up. But it's bizarre, and it's also very transparent.

Sonnen will face Evans at UFC 167 on November 16 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Georges St-Pierre will defend his welterweight title against Johny Hendricks in the main event.

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