UFC News: Chael Sonnen Says Anderson Silva Is a "Fake" and "Not a Great Striker"

Despite being in the middle of a heated war of words with former Pride star Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, arguably the most controversial fighter in MMA right now, Chael Sonnen, still made time to call out his arch nemesis: UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. 

In an interview with FiveKnuckles.com, Sonnen once again went off on his favorite target. 

"What makes Anderson Silva special? How could [anyone] even say that? Who has Anderson beat that is still with the UFC? He beat a bunch of guys that got fired. To win the world's championship he beat a math teacher from Ohio.”

Sonnen is, of course, reference Silva’s first win over Rich Franklin back in October of 2006.  Franklin taught mathematics at a Cincinnati high school prior to embarking on his MMA career.

As is often the case, Uncle Chael was just getting started.

“Who can't kick a math teacher’s (expletive). Look, he beat up a drunk Chris Leben, a one-legged Patrick Cote, a math teacher, a slow and un-athletic light heavyweight—what did he ever do?”

The “un-athletic light heavyweight” Sonnen is referencing is more than likely James Irvin, whom Silva knocked out in just over a minute during their July 2008 fight. 

Forrest Griffin, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, also suffered a first-round knockout against “The Spider” in August of 2009.

However, it is unlikely that Sonnen was referencing the original Ultimate Fighter winner, since Griffin owns a submission victory over Sonnen. 

Sonnen continued to try and justify his claim that Silva is an overrated fighter. 

"He would've gotten beaten by Paulo Filho, a guy I destroyed, so he refused to fight him. He lost to Yushin Okami, so he's ducked Okami since. He would get killed by me so he ducked me for six years! What has Anderson Silva done?!"

Since his disqualification loss to Okami in 2006, Silva has rattled off a rarely seen 14 consecutive wins, 13 of which came under the UFC banner. 

Additionally, eight of those wins were successful defenses of the UFC middleweight title.

Despite what many would consider an impressive resume, Sonnen remains not the slightest bit impressed.

“He picks his opponents and he's a phony," Sonnen said.

"Just like Jose Aldo. These guys are all phonies. They're not beating anybody. Dance around like a chicken and then you put your foot in a guy's face and people think that's impressive? That's not impressive. Steven Seagal shows you that?”

A seemingly annoyed Sonnen concluded his thought by saying, “Yeah, he probably did because it was a stupid move.”

Shockingly, Sonnen actually did give Silva credit for his wins over Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt and even finally acknowledged that Silva beat him.

Still, Sonnen was not ready to recognize Silva as one of the sport's best.

“He's got a win over me and I'm sitting here saying, 'Who's he beat?' So I understand. But to act as though it's not a myth, a comical myth. This guy goes out there and he throws punches and kicks and everyone acts like he's amazing.”

“I'm sitting at home saying, 'Wait a minute.' You're in a fist fight on a Saturday night. I expect a guy to punch and kick at you,” Sonnen explained. 

The former college wrestling stand out went on to say that Silva’s success has not only hinged on generally weak competition, but also tentative game planning by Silva’s opponents. 

"I think everyone just needs to take the fight to him," Sonnen said. "Everyone always says Anderson's such a great fighter, well who ever fought him? Who ever stepped in range and got in a fight with this guy?”

As is often the case, Sonnen decided to conclude this point with an exclamation point. 

“This guy can't box. This guy’s boxing skills are amateur at best. I'd knock this guy through the ropes in a boxing match.”

"So when I'm watching the tape of him, I said, 'This is real simple. Get this guy in a fist fight, it's the first one he'll have ever been in.' So I walked right across the ring and stuck a fist right in his teeth.”

While Sonnen admitted that Silva is a good athlete, that’s about as complementary as he would get when discussing the 185-pound king’s striking abilities.

“And that's the big difference. I don't think anybody's put a hand on him. They all stayed out of range and they all danced around. And that's why they can't take him down or hit him.”

“His skills are fake. He is not a great striker. He's a striker, he's got some good reach and he's pretty athletic, but he's not some great striker. He couldn't make an Olympic team in boxing or something like that. It's just silly.”

Not surprisingly, Sonnen once again predicts that his friend and occasional training partner Yushin Okami will beat Silva at UFC 134.

Although, he did indicate that he feels the fight will go to a decision.

Finally, Sonnen concluded the interview by briefly discussing a possible superfight between Silva and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Sonnen heavily hyped St-Pierre, stating that “GSP would barely break a sweat with Anderson. The best part of that fight would be the entrance....”

Both critics and fans of Sonnen alike can likely find some amusement by taking the time to read the interview in it's entirety.