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"Look, [Anderson Silva's] not my kind of a guy. This is a grown man that’s got earrings. This is a grown man who wears his hat sideways. This is a guy who wears pink T-shirts. This guy wouldn’t make it 12 minutes in my neighborhood. I live in a nice neighborhood and we’d still run him out... I’m not holding back on Nate [Marquardt], necessarily; I haven’t been asked about him. Secondly, there’s not a lot of ammunition there. Every now and then in this sport – and it’s every now and then; it’s extremely rare – but you’re going to come across a good guy. For every dirt bag in this business, you’re going to run into a Nate Marquardt or a Chael Sonnen or a Rich Franklin somewhere along the way. Two decent human beings have ended up getting paired together."
-Chael Sonnen speaks with Yahoo! Sports about his feelings towards Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and his lack of trash talk for his opponent at UFC 109 this Saturday, Nate Marquardt.
Penick's Analysis: Sonnen certainly hasn't been holding back as of late, spouting off against a number of fighters to just about anyone that will listen, but he's got clear respect for his opponent this weekend. In a fight that could land the winner in a bout with Middleweight Champ Silva, Sonnen's certainly trying to make himself a more attractive opponent for that fight should he get past Marquardt on Saturday, and with some of the other things he's said about Silva in other interviews he may just get that fight if he wins on Saturday. Of course, that task is much easier said than done, and it's going to take what would have to be his best performance to get past Marquardt with a Title shot on the line.
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