Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva were set to go face to face for the first time since their Bellator 180 main event fight was announced at a press conference.
However, the Brazilian failed to appear at the press conference and now the fighter explains his reasoning for skipping the event.
“The truth is, I didn’t go to the press conference because I didn’t want to do what (Cristiane) ‘Cyborg’ (Justino) did with that girl that talked (expletive) to her,” Silva told MMA Junkie. “When I see Chael, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m professional, but the guy has crossed the line with me and played with the wrong guy.”
Silva and Sonnen were supposed to meet during their time in the UFC, but their fight got canceled because both were dealing with USADA-related issues leading into their encounter.
The Brazilian is also back training in his native country for this fight, a decision that was made after an altercation at his gym in Las Vegas.
“Some guys don’t treat me very well,” he said. “Because the rules are different (in Brazil) than in the U.S. In the U.S., you can talk all you want, and nobody is going to do nothing, but in Brazil, it’s different. A couple of guys disrespected me in the street. I talked to my wife, and (she said) to go back to Brazil.”
Bellator 180 takes place on Saturday, June 24 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
