UFC 148: Chael Sonnen on Anderson Silva - "I'm going to beat him on July 7 because I want it more than he does"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

During Monday's UFC 148 media conference call, Chael Sonnen was relatively quiet, with Anderson Silva finally cracking and making some of the harshest public comments he's ever made regarding an opponent. Sonnen opted not to give much of a response during the call, but he said afterward that he's not buying much into anything about Silva, let alons the comments made on Monday.

"People can't understand why I'm not getting caught up on the hype of Anderson Silva, but he can't take the magazine covers and press stories into the Octagon with him," Sonnen said in comments released by the UFC. "He's just a man with two arms, two legs - and I'm going to beat him on July 7 because I want it more than he does."

Sonnen then went into hard sell mode, making it clear he's got one thing on his mind come UFC 148: The UFC Middleweight Championship.

"I don't need anything in my life - but I have to have that belt," he said. "Everything I've done, everything I've worked for and sacrificed - everything I have in life - I would give it all away to be the UFC Champion for just one night."

Additonally, UFC President Dana White commented on Silva's tirade, a rant the likes of which he's never witnessed from the man he considers the "greatest mixed martial artist ever."

"I've promoted every Anderson Silva fight since he's been in the UFC in 2006, and I've never heard him talk even remotely like this," White commented. "He is usually so respectful and doesn't say anything negative or disrespectful. I've never heard Anderson talk like this once ? and I've never heard Chael be so sincere about how bad he wants to win this fight and what it means to him to be the UFC World Champion."

Penick's Analysis: This may be the biggest fight the UFC promotes this year, and it's getting raised up even further after Silva's comments on Monday. He's been mostly silent in the lead up to this fight, but this came at the perfect time. There isn't much in the way of sporting events this weekend, giving enough time for the comments to gestate and stick with fans heading into the pay-per-view next weekend. The UFC is expecting to hit the one million mark for pay-per-view buys for the event, a mark they haven't hit since 2010, and this will only help. As for Sonnen, he's turned off the over the top Chael P. Sonnen persona, and in the final weeks before the fight he's taking a serious note. This is the fight he desperately wants to win after coming so close in 2010, and it's his last chance to keep himself at the top of the MMA world.

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

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13698.shtml

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