Chael Sonnen believes, like many, that Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are the two best MMA fighters in the world. But he also thinks “they’re a couple of chickens.”
Sonnen, who lost to Jones by first-round TKO in their light heavyweight title fight Saturday at UFC 159, cannot understand why the Nos. 1 and 2 guys in the world are wary about entering the Octagon with each other. Sonnen has also fought Silva twice, losing both times.
“These guys should be calling [UFC president] Dana [White] right now begging to fight each other and it’s not gonna go that way,” Sonnen said in the post-fight press conference Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark. “You’ve got these two guys, they’re great, but they’re a couple of chickens. They should be calling each other out.”
Just the opposite has happened. Going back to last year, both men have expressed a disinterest in fighting each other. First, they both said they didn’t want to ruin their friendship. Then Jones said it would be a lose-lose for both their legacies.
Lately, things have warmed up. And White said Saturday night that Silva called him and expressed interest in a superfight – against either Jones or welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
“I’m not gonna tell you what it is,” White said. “But I’m gonna get to work on it as soon as possible.”
The timing has not worked out lately for either Jones-Silva or Silva-St-Pierre. And White said everything is contingent on Silva beating Long Island’s Chris Weidman on July 6 in Las Vegas.
“Anderson is the key to the whole puzzle,” he said.
Sonnen clearly believes Jones should have fought Silva already. Or at least embraced the possibility.
“[White] is gonna have to call these guys, then he’s gonna have to dangle a carrot and they’re gonna want to negotiate,” Sonnen said. “We’re in the fight business. If you don’t want to fight, don’t raise your hand.”
