Chael Sonnen Wants Anderson Silva as Assistant Coach on TUF Brazil

Once his mortal enemy, it now seems that Chael Sonnen would like to extend an olive branch to Anderson Silva for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil. 

In a recent interview, Sonnen stated that he would like to ask the former UFC middleweight champion to help out when he coaches opposite of Wanderlei Silva. 

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Who knows? I may reach out to Anderson and see if he wants to be on the coaching staff with me.

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This would be a giant turnaround, as Anderson and Chael had the biggest rivalry two years running before the beef was settled with two title fights. Silva won both fights despite almost getting beaten in their first encounter for the belt.

Of course, Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva's bad blood led to the two gaining the coaching positions, as announced recently by Dana White. Their feud hit a new level when Silva walked up on Sonnen at a convention. No blows were thrown, but the men needed to be separated.

Sonnen having Anderson Silva on his team would be huge for him, as Sonnen is hated in Brazil. He is so hated that he is going to be under heavy security while down there.

Having Anderson as an assistant coach may lighten the attitudes Brazilians have toward Sonnen, if he were to join his coaching staff. Anderson is beloved in Brazil, and if he were to link up with Sonnen, the hate Brazilians have toward the brash American may decrease.

This would obviously draw huge ratings in both countries, as Sonnen is beloved in America and Anderson is a national hero of Brazil. That being said, Wanderlei is also a huge draw in Brazil, which could lead to massive TV numbers.

No date has been given for when filming will start, so the answer may depend on when that happens because Anderson Silva is currently training for a December title fight opposite of Chris Weidman. After the show concludes—sometime in mid-2014 barring any unforeseen circumstances—Wanderlei and Sonnen will square off.

Of course, it's worth noting that Sonnen has a fight booked already for UFC 167, where he takes on Rashad Evans. Obviously, his focus is likely there before he even thinks about TUF Brazil.