UFC 109 - Chael Sonnen Calls out Anderson Silva

UFC Middleweight Chael Sonnen is in the news. The middleweight title contender takes on heavy favorite Nate Marquardt on Saturday night in Las Vegas at UFC 109: Relentless for a chance at a potential title fight, facing odds of -450 for the favorite Marquardt to +325 for Sonnen. But that’s not the only reason people are talking about him.

Chael has gone from an unknown to one of the most disliked fighters in the UFC heading into Saturday's matchup with Nate Marquardt at UFC 109. The reason, he’s been calling out Anderson Silva and others.

There are a ton of good fighters in the UFC who don't get a whole lot of recognition because of their lack of personality or other distinguishing characteristics, and if you had made a list of those guys prior to this week, Chael Sonnen's name would have been near the top of it.

In the weeks leading up to the fight, it seemed as if only the most diehard UFC fans cared about the matchup because of Sonnen's anonymity. Now, however, after a boatload of questionable comments Sonnen made about some pretty well-respected fighters, it seems as if Sonnen has transformed into a full-fledged MMA villain right before our very eyes.

Much like another wrestling stalwart by the name of Brock Lesnar that you may have heard of, Sonnen is a former NCAA wrestling champion who uses those skills very well inside the Octagon. Apparently Sonnen has similar trash-talking skills as well, and those skills were on display.

His first target: middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who Sonnen might face if he ends up beating Marquardt on Saturday at UFC 109.

“"If he wants to leave the division, leave the sport, who cares. Beat it, nobody tunes in to watch him anyways, and his little fake 'I don't speak English.”

Sonnen said he has had conversations with Silva in perfect English before and that he acts like he doesn't speak it well to avoid talking to the media and others. The fact that Sonnen, who's been slapped with the dreaded “lay and pray” tag (as a wrestler who doesn't try to finish fights) and who is not exactly a fan favorite said that “nobody tunes in to watch (Silva) is quite laughable to many UFC fans and analysts because it's obvious that virtually no one tunes in to watch Sonnen.

He also essentially called Silva overrated and hinted that he has a big ego while even stooping to making fun of his earrings and penchant for wearing pink shirts. Sonnen also called co-headliner Mark Coleman, a UFC Hall-of-Famer, a “bum” and questioned his training methods.

Needless to say, someone is in Sonnen's ear telling him to say this stuff in order to make himself more marketable. And truth be told, it seems like it’s working because a whole lot more members of the UFC fan contingent and MMA and UFC betting communities now seem to be much more interested in Sonnen's UFC 109 matchup with Marquardt now.

They want to see if Marquardt can shut Sonnen's big mouth by beating him or even knocking him out like most fans and bettors expected him to before Sonnen started talking. If Sonnen does happen to pull the shocking UFC betting upset over Marquardt, the harsh words he had for Silva will give him a better chance at a title shot and allow the UFC to market the fight as a true grudge match.