UFC
UFC 148: Chael Sonnen responds to "dirt bag" Anderson Silva's comments
Jun 27, 2012 - 6:25:22 PM

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva unleashed a tirade of comments on Monday about what he was going to do to Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 in their rematch for his title. It was an unprecedented level of vitriol being spewed out of Silva's mouth, a level of anger he hadn't truly expressed in any of his fights in the UFC to date.

It was a delivery that caught people off guard. UFC President Dana White commented about how he had never seen anything like that out of the longtime Middleweight Champ; and many have wondered aloud whether Sonnen's gotten into Silva's head with his own history of comments toward the Champ, his teammates, and his country.

However, there's one man who says he wasn't the least bit surprised by Monday's outburst: Chael Sonnen.

"Well, it was nice to see the real Anderson come through," Sonnen said on Tuesday's new episode of UFC Tonight on Fuel TV. "The guy is a dirt bag, like I've told you for years. He made a lot of statements about breaking my teeth and bones, but it's not like I've never been to the orthodontists before or had my jaw stapled. What he didn't say was that he was going to break my spirit, or my will, and beat me for the belt. I don't care if he breaks my jaw, or I need staples, I kind of expect it. I think he was one off from saying he would give me a knuckle-sandwich, I'm just glad the real Anderson came out."

Sonnen continues to claim there's no "gamesmanship" from him and his comments towards Silva over the last couple of years. Additionally, he says Silva's comments don't do anything to get him more riled up for the fight than he was before.

"I don't care about being in his head. There is no gamesmanship here," Sonnen said. "It was nice to see the true Anderson Silva here. He probably thought he would get under my skin, but I've been a gangster from West Lynn, Oregon my whole life. If he thought I'd be upset because I found what I was looking for, he is wrong. On 7/7 at 7:00 PM I am going to pound my fist into his head until he gives up."

Penick's Analysis: Sonnen's shifted into low-key mode as the fight approaches. We've got just over a week left to the fight itself, and there will be some very interesting moments next week leading into the fight. With one more press conference that will see the two square off, as well as the weigh-ins, there could be some more heat added to these proceedings as the week wears on. July 7 truly can't come soon enough.

[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]