Chael Sonnen: "He's the champion, and I'm the best fighter in the weight class."

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"Anderson Silva's doing anything the he can do to get attention. And he's doing it because he's been champion for years and nobody cares... People don't care about him. He came out and said he was going to go heavyweight. No one cared. So he says, 'Well, I'm gonna go light-heavyweight.'  No one cared. 'Well, I'm gonna retire.'  Good, beat it. This is back page news. No one cares about you anyway. 'Well, I'm not gonna retire, I'm gonna stick around.'  Or do that. Again, it doesn't really matter, you're a nuisance... Look, nobody cares about him, and that's just the truth. This isn't me picking on him. His skills are his skills and my skills are my skills, and we'll see who's better, but at the end of the day, he's trying to catch a headline like Britney did by shavin' her head.

"You can watch him walk into a weigh in and the place is silent. He doesn't endear his fans and he pretends he doesn't understand them. He doesn't embrace the media, he pretends he doesn't understand 'em... And yeah, I've had conversations with Anderson, and he was a gentlemen. He was a really nice guy. At the same time, look, he's a grown man with earrings. He's a grown man with saggy pants, pink t-shirts and crooked hats. Go join a gang. Don't get in the UFC. So if you wanna hang out as a street thug, go do it. But if you get in my way, I'm gonna run right over ya.

"He's the champion and I'm the best. He's the champion of the weight class, I'm the best fighter in the weight class. I acknowledge he's champion, he must acknowledge I'm the best. There's some reason why he's trying not to do this fight."  - Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen's back in the spotlight, and he's taking verbal shots at his upcoming opponent Anderson Silva.

The number one contender will not back down from this fight. Speaking with MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani, Sonnen said that Silva does not want to fight him, and the only reason that Silva will eventually sign the contract and the fight will take place is because Dana White is making the middleweight champion take the bout.

It is hard to train for a fight against an opponent who does not want to fight you, Sonnen said. The future politician stated that he has beaten every champion that any organization has put in front of him, which includes champions in Elite XC, Strikeforce, IFL and WEC. Now, he looks forward to facing UFC champion Silva, and capturing the middleweight belt. Sonnen acknowledges Silva's skills, saying that they are "fantastic" and that they will be a "big puzzle" for him.

At UFC 109 in February, Sonnen shocked many when he out-wrestled and dominated the former number one contender Nate Marquardt, walking away with a unanimous decision victory. This fight gave him number one contention status.

Sonnen vs. Silva will take place at UFC 117, tentatively set for August 7, in Oakland, Calif. While the bout has not been officially confirmed, White announced on "Jim Rome is Burning" that it is likely to take place then.