Sonnen ready to ‘defend his belt’
“As far as the people, it was great,” he said. “Look, if I want to be famous in America, I’ve…
“As far as the people, it was great,” he said. “Look, if I want to be famous in America, I’ve got to go to a fight. Walking around town, I’m just not. I’m not a celebrity, as you put it earlier. But in Brazil, everybody knows the sport.”
Sonnen said that although Silva obviously has the support of many, there were many Brazilians likely rooting for him as well, because as he put it, Silva was one of several top Brazilian fighters who left the country years ago.
“They left them behind, but come back to take their money two or three times a year, and the people are sick and annoyed with it,” he said.
Whether that’s true or not — and for the record, Silva still does have two homes in Brazil to go with the one in Palos Verdes Estates, California he bought last year — Sonnen has never quite let the facts get in the way of a good promo.
Take, for example, his ongoing monologue about being the division’s rightful champion. He’s even gone so far as bringing a belt with him to appearances, and it doesn’t appear he’ll lay off the claim, even as the rematch with Silva nears.
“I am the champion, so I will always have my belt,” he said. “Will Anderson bring his fake belt? Yeah, he most likely will, and I think it’s embarrassing he has to do that. I think what he’s doing is he’s seeing the influx of new viewers the FOX deal got us, he went out to do his level best to misinform the new viewers into believing he’s champion, and he went out and got himself a fake belt. I think it’s embarrassing. I would never do that. I think it’s shameful. I think it’s disrespectful to everything that I’ve done and I’ve earned in the sport, but he continues to do it. So I’m going to destroy him once and for all, finally, on July 7, live and only on pay-per-view.”