As brash as ever, Chael Sonnen sounds off at UFC 145 Q&A

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, April 20, 2012 | 9:30 p.m.

ATLANTA — The question-and-answer sessions the UFC holds before every weigh-in carry extra significance when Chael Sonnen is involved.

The UFC’s top middleweight contender and most outspoken fighter seems to get the call to host the events more than anyone else on the roster.

He entertained a few hundred fans and media members at the Fox Theater Friday ahead of the UFC 145 weigh-in.

Sonnen touched on a number of subjects, but spent most of his time discussing his upcoming rematch with Anderson Silva for the 185-pound championship belt at UFC 147 on June 24 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rumors have surfaced that the bout could be moved to Las Vegas, as the main event of UFC 148 during Fourth of July weekend. Sonnen wouldn’t comment on the talk, but called UFC President Dana White while on stage to ask about it.

White didn’t answer, but Sonnen put his cell phone to the microphone so the crowd could hear rap blaring as White’s ring tone.

“Apparently the mystery will continue,” Sonnen said. “I knew he wouldn’t answer. He never picks up that phone, but I thought it would be funny to hear you guys know the president himself has the Beastie Boys on his downloads.”

That was only one of Sonnen’s antics during his 50 minutes in front of the crowd.

Read below for a few of the highlights from Sonnen at the UFC 145 question-and-answer gathering.

On fearing for his safety in Brazil because of the way he’s insulted Brazilians

“I don’t like being in this spot. I think it went a little bit too far and that wasn’t my intention. It really was not. I’m going to Brazil. We have a press conference there Tuesday. So, I’m going to try to smooth things over with these guys but I don’t exactly know how. So, I packed a suitcase full of gifts, full of things from America that they don’t have. I bought stuff to merge the countries, so that way we can work together. For example, I bought packets of soap. Shampoo. Dental floss. Speaking of dental floss and dentures, this is very interesting. This is a true story. Did you know that the toothbrush was actually created in Brazil? It’s true. Had it been created in America or anywhere else, we would have called it the teeth brush.”

On his demand for the fight against Silva

“Anderson had his list and I have but one. There will be 80,000 people in attendance and my demand is simple — Silence. When I come through the curtain, they will sit down. They will shut their mouths. They will show respect to their American guest, or I will go back to the dressing room. I will go back to the car, back to the airport, back to America and those ingrates aren’t even going to see me fight.”

On if he will ever adopt a nickname

“I don’t think you can give yourself a ring name. I don’t know. When I was young, they used to call me ‘The Foreman’. Not because I was in charge, but because I did the work of four men. I liked that one a little bit. I thought it had a ring to it. But with a name like Chael, you don’t really need a nickname.”

On who he would fight if given the opportunity to face anyone throughout history

“I’d say I speak for everyone that it would either be bin Laden or Hitler, right? It’s very hard to play that game without saying one of those two guys. But my ideal fight would be the smallest guy with the most atrocious record in the largest venue for the most enormous paycheck. That would be my ideal matchup if I could somehow put that together. I love easy fights. That’s why I’m already pining for Anderson (Silva) and then Vitor (Belfort). I’m already trying to feather my nest with bums. That’s the way I like to do it. In my fights, I like to take the easy road.”

On Silva revealing a rib injury after their first fight

“That’s the new marketing of Team Blackhouse. They’ve got a fight and then, all of a sudden, it’s ‘oh I wasn’t feeling well.’ (Junior) dos Santos did this. He goes out and he beats Cain (Velasquez). He could have just walked out. Instead, he said, ‘I also have got a torn ACL.’ What these guys are trying to do is they are trying to tell a story. And the story isn’t how I feel. The story is I’m good, but I could have done even better had I only felt 100 percent. That’s the story they’re attempting to tell and it’s disgusting.”

Lyrics to a song he wrote for Silva

“Anderson, think it through. These’s still a couple months left before they lock that cage behind me and you. Last time, they raised your hand. But it was plain to see that I took a lot more out of you than you took out of me. I broke the mirror and I blew away the smoke. It was me who tapped, but it was you who broke. So Anderson, my friend, think it through — who are you going to send? Frankenstein Nogueira or your lapdog Ed Soares with a couple of rusty pistols and a beat-up Ford Taurus? If they shoot like you fight, all they’re going to do is bore us with you’re overrated stand-up. Your takedown defense is porous. Karate boy Lyoto Machida, will he show up with some fresh warm pee-pee in a Starbucks cup? Wanderlei, Vitor, Babalu himself, I’ll give them all beatings and put them back on the shelf. Come on trains, planes or bikes, but here’s a little advice. Don’t send nobody you like. Because if you come to my home running your mouth, you’re going to be shaking hands with Jesus or the man further South. So get in the gym and work on your sprawl. I just talked to Uncle Dana and it’s winner take all. I’m going to leave you with a string and a whole bunch of welts. You’re going to need to keep your pants up, Anderson, because I’m keeping your belt.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or case.keefer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.