Wanderlei Silva: I Guarantee Shogun Will Retire Sonnen at UFC Fight Night 26

Fight fans are well aware of the fact that there is no love lost between UFC veterans Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen. 

The outspoken American has never hesitated to spit verbal venom at his Brazilian rival and "The Axe Murderer" has always been happy to fire back.

On the latest edition of UFC Tonight yesterday evening, Ariel Helwani informed the viewers that the former PRIDE champion made a bold prediction about Sonnen's upcoming bout with fellow Brazilian star Mauricio Rua.

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I guarantee that @ShogunRua will retire @Sonnench in their fight on @FOXSports1. @wandfc according to @arielhelwani

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) July 24, 2013"

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A gutsy claim indeed by "The Axe Murderer," considering "Shogun" is just 2-2 since losing the UFC light heavyweight strap to current champ Jon Jones at UFC 128 in March 2011. 

Even the most diehard PRIDE fans (PRIDE is where Rua won the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix) have begun to question if the Brazilian slugger's best days are behind him after posting just a 5-5 record in the UFC. 

In all fairness, though, "The American Gangster" has lost three of his past five bouts (twice to Anderson Silva, one to Jones), and also has an even record inside the Octagon (6-6). 

However, it's also worth noting that Sonnen is 7-1 in his past eight non-title matchups. 

Ironically, it once seemed like a forgone conclusion that Silva and Sonnen would headline the UFC's first event on the FOX Sports 1 network on August 17. 

Funny how a couple of months can change things, as Wanderlei also allegedly told Helwani that Sonnen is old news and not on his level, so he no longer has any intention of settling their differences inside the cage (via MMA Fighting). 

Has Silva called a massive upset in the making or is Shogun's style tailor-made for Sonnen to take him down and beat him up for three rounds?

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.