UFC: Anderson Silva Doesn't Think Chael Sonnen Deserves a Rematch

Despite being out of action, amidst a ton of controversy, since a title fight last summer, Chael Sonnen remains in the title mix within the UFC’s middleweight division. 

However, one man does not think that should be the case: current 185-pound champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

On Monday, April 25, Silva had an interview on The MMA Hour. Conspicuously absent was manager Ed Soares, who is almost always on hand to translate Silva’s responses from Portuguese to English.

Once the topic of Sonnen came up, Silva finally decided to speak out against the one fighter who trash talked him to no end prior to their meeting at UFC 117. 

"Chael disrespected me, disrespected all of the fans in MMA, Chael disrespected my people in Brazil. Chael no respect nothing,” a clearly annoyed Silva stated. 

The Spider was not all negative about the middleweight contender, stating that he was a “good fighter,” but also noted that “he has no control.”

So what is Silva’s reasoning for not wanting a rematch with the only competitor who took the fight to him in eight title defenses?

"I fought Chael for five rounds. Chael no win. I don't go more to fight for Chael," Silva said. "I don't care that Sonnen [wants] another chance for the belt, that's just my opinion."

While Silva’s grammar isn’t perfect, his logic seems pretty clear: Sonnen had his opportunity, and he came up short like all the rest.

Silva also wanted to make sure that the fans did not think he would turn down a rematch with Sonnen if Dana White offered it to him:

"I don't know. This is Dana's decision. This is not my decision," Silva said. "I'm back [fighting] for my academy, I'm back for my friend, I fight for all the guys. [Whoever Dana puts in front of me], I'm going to fight."

Soares later offered some comments that echoed Silva’s line of thinking: “This is not [Silva's] final decision here. He just feels [Chael] is not deserving of another shot," he said.

The Spider is taking on the last man who defeated him, Yushin Okami, at UFC: Rio in August. 

Meanwhile, Sonnen’s primary concern right now is regaining his fighting license within the state of Nevada.  A meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to decide his fate is expected to take place in the middle of May.

For these two reasons, it is pretty likely that this rematch would not come to fruition until 2012, should it even occur at all. 

Thanks to MMAFighting.com for the quotes from Silva's interview with The MMA Hour.