Chael Sonnen has had nothing but nice things to say about fellow middleweight Vitor Belfort. Of course, he was also using Belfort as a prop in his massive trash-talking campaign against UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. That should all change after the latest comments from Team Belfort, especially trainer Shawn Tompkins.
After five months of downtime following shoulder surgery, Belfort is back in Las Vegas readying for his next fight at TapouT Training Center. Who will he fight next? It sounds like there's little doubt, it'll be Silva.�From the Las Vegas Sun:
"Nothing against Chael, but I think he talks better than he fights," Tompkins said. "Anderson is the man and we want to beat that man. I'll be front row (at UFC 117) studying both of them because that's my job. I think Chael will talk himself into the fight but, ultimately, Anderson will knock him out."
Sonnen has said on several occasions that he wants to fight the best in the division at some point and that's Belfort. Tompkins knows it's all part of Sonnen's bluster.
"I think Chael will try to pick a fight, but that's the only way he becomes popular or famous because we all know he's a boring fighter.
"Anderson is the man and we want to beat that man. I think that fight would mean a little more to us. And honestly, go ask the fans who they want to see fight. It's Anderson and Vitor."
Belfort's been waiting for this one, for a while. As pointed out by Brett Okamoto of the Las Vegas Sun, the Silva-Belfort fight has been dumped three times. Silva couldn't fight at UFC 108 and 109 after elbow surgery and then Belfort's shoulder nixed the potential battle at UFC 112.
The Sonnen-Silva prefight and fight should be dynamite, but if the champ rolls to a win, a fight against the fellow Brazilian Belfort will be a mega-fight as well. Belfort isn't into trash talk and hyping things but there should be good banter between Tompkins and Silva's manager Ed Soares.
Lily Allen
Nadine Velazquez
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