Chael Sonnen
UFC 148 conference call live blog
Join Heavy.com at 2 p.m. ET today for live updates from the UFC 148 conference call, featuring Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, and Chael Sonnen.
The call takes place just under two weeks prior to the July 7 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Middleweight champion Silva looks to defend his title for a second time against Sonnen, who nearly robbed him of the belt back at UFC 117.
In the evening’s co-main event, Ortiz and Griffin will meet for a third time in the Octagon, and the bout will serve as Ortiz’s last fight.
Live Updates:
– Call begins at 11:05AM PT with Chael Sonnen, Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz and Dana White
– Chael Sonnen asked about when his WWE personality goes away and the cage fighter begins. Sonnen says he’s been training since he was 9 years old and he says he can’t remember a day in his life when this wasn’t serious for him. Says he doesn’t do characters.
– Dana says that very few people could argue that Anderson Silva isn’t one of the best fighters on the planet and goes on to say that he’s the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
– When asked if he would prefer that Anderson Silva do more interviews in English, put himself out there more – Dana says you’re not paying to hear Anderson give speeches. “He could be a deaf, f’n mute”
– Anderson Silva asked if Chael Sonnen crossed the line with anything he’s said. Anderson says that Chael is a criminal, he shouldn’t be in the Octagon and when it comes time, he’s going to break all the teeth in his mouth.
– Anderson says that play time is over and that Anderson is going to beat his ass out of the UFC. Says Chael is never going to want to fight in the UFC ever again.
– Chael responds by saying that he treated Anderson like an amateur the first time and he’ll treat him the same way this time.
– Chael says the stakes are higher in this fight than anything he’s ever done in the past. Says this is the biggest sporting event of 2012, bigger than the Olympics.
– Dana asked about pay per view buys. Says he expects UFC 100 numbers and over a million buys.
– Tito says he’s well prepared for Forrest and that he will show on July 7 how much it means to him. Says he’s very thankful to Dana and Lorenzo for putting him into the Hall of Fame.
– Dana asked about new TUF season in Brazil and about JDS/Cain rematch. Has no info on either.
– Anderson says it doesn’t matter if he’s on top, on bottom, wherever. He’s going to beat Chael Sonnen so bad that it will “change the image of the sport.” Says he’s going to break his teeth, arms, legs…he won’t be able to walk out of the cage. Says he’s going to beat him the way his parents should have beaten him to teach him some manners.
– Dana says that this is the most heated rivalry in UFC history
– Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen appear to have dropped off the call at 11:32AM PT
– Dana decides to wrap up the call
We saw a different side of Anderson Silva on this call. Very passionate, very angry. Dana White even commented that he had promoted every Anderson Silva fight in recent memory and had never seen him this fired up. Chael Sonnen’s two years of constant trash talk seems to have truly bothered the middleweight champ. We’ll see how it all plays out on July 7.