Chael Sonnen faces UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva this weekend in their rematch at UFC 148.
Ahead of Saturday night's pay-per-view clash, here are some of the best quotes from Sonnen, who is widely seen as one of the UFC's best talkers...
Becoming A Champion (2006)
"I see these fighters come on and pretend to be tough guys, you put a microphone in front of their face and ask them who they want, and anybody who calls out anybody other than the champion should just go retire. There’s no other reason to be in this sport than to be the champion.
"I don’t think of myself as a fighter, I never tell anyone I’m a fighter, I don’t want to be a fighter. I do want to be the champion, so if I’m delusional, then let’s find out now and I’ll move on to the next chapter of my life. If I’m not, then I’m gonna take whatever steps and whatever opportunities they put in front of me to lead me to that one goal. That’s the only thing I’m here for."
Being Motivated (2008)
"There was a gentleman that won a world championship in wrestling named Les Gutches, and he was a hero of mine for many years. And Les told me that after he won that world championship that the next day was one of the most depressing days of his life because he worked every day for that, and he no longer had a goal.
"Fortunately for me, when I win that [WEC] middleweight championship, there’s gonna be another guy on the other side of town named Anderson [Silva] that’s claiming to be a champion in that same weight class. And this isn’t the BCS college poll where we identify two champions. The term ‘champion’ is very exclusive, and it’s exclusive to one. And if I’m not the champion, I don’t want to be called it. So my intention will change to finding out who the true champion is."
On Anderson Silva (2010)
"He adds a couple of new dimensions because he’s very long and lanky – he’s got a really odd body type for the weight class – and he’s got an odd style. There’s nobody to mimic him. He fights in a sport called Muay Thai, which isn’t even a real sport, it’s something somebody made up in a garage somewhere. And apparently Anderson got a membership to that guy’s garage because he got pretty good at it."
Speaking before the first fight with Silva (2010)
"No one tunes in to see Anderson Silva. The guy’s the worst Pay-Per-View draw in the history of Zuffa, and he’s a four-year undefeated athlete with one sponsor. There is one company on the face of the planet that’s willing to put their name on that guy. He walks into a room, he doesn’t have any fans, the media doesn’t want to talk to him, you watch the UFC promotion and it’s the Chael Sonnen show and it might as well be.
"Anderson Silva is about as entertaining as watching paint dry so if you can keep the mic and camera on me, I’ll sell some tickets. I can drag Anderson Silva outside the hotel any day I wanted to and beat him up, But I’m gonna wait until August 7th and I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure millions of people are watching me do it."
More on Silva (2010)
"I have a feeling that beating up Anderson Silva is gonna be like eating Chinese food – 20 minutes later I’m gonna want to do it again. So maybe I’ll beat him up and give him an immediate rematch and do it all over again. But my plate is full right now – I’ve got to get through August 7th and that’s the bottom line."
Looking back at the first Silva fight (2011)
"I expected more resistance everywhere from him. From the grappling to his striking, his strategy, I just expected more resistance everywhere. So yeah, I was surprised at his lack of resistance"
More on the first Silva fight (2011)
"He’s a punk and a bully, he really is, and now he’s out there trying to be me. He’s doing everything he can to copy me. He’s wearing masks to weigh-ins and yelling at guys at press conferences, and doing everything he can do to be me. So good for him. It’s like Marshall Mathers once said: ‘they may walk like me, talk like me, dress, act, not give a dang like me, and they just might be the next best thing, but they’re not quite me.’"
Wanting the Title (2012)
"The title’s the goal, not Anderson. He can go off and do what he wants. But he will be remembered the same way Mike Tyson is – as a phony. I had to grow up hearing Mike Tyson was the best fighter in the world when he was never – not for one day of his life – the best fighter in America. He never won a national title as a kid, he never made an Olympic team as an amateur, he could never beat Evander Holyfield, he never was the best fighter in America, but for 10 years they told us he was the world champ. It’s the same with Anderson. He’ll be remembered the same way. His pocketbook and his bank account will look really good, and he’ll be remembered as the wimp that he is."
UFC 148 take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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