As part of this week’s agreement Sonnen will be subject to increased testing leading up to the July 7 headliner, as well as a screening the day after the fight, in order to assure he is not exceeding the mandated ratio.

The 35-year old also agreed to the NAC’s request for him to serve as an adviser in future instances relating to TRT.

Sonnen’s name first came up in connection with testosterone after his bout with Silva in August 2010 when he tested positive for elevated levels and received a yearlong suspension as a result.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“I don’t want his autograph. I want to spit on him. I want everything that he has. I’m jealous and I’m envious. And I would never apologize for that,” explained Sonnen of Silva in a recent interview with MMA: 30. “There can only be one champion, and you have to fight it out. He’s not gonna give it up. I’m not going to give it up. We’re going to have to fight this thing out and figure it out like men.”

The two talented 185ers will settle their score on July 7 at UFC 148. The meeting will mark the second time the two have fought with the first involving Silva’s infamous submission of Sonnen in the fight’s final few minutes after clearly losing the four previous frames.

Sonnen expects a different result this time around, and not just because he plans to win but also because he’ll be entering the match-up with a new nugget of knowledge. According to Sonnen, who explained away the loss as only he could, he simply didn’t realize tapping in the last round of a title-fight ended the entire affair rather than cost him a single stanza.

“If anyone had explained to me that that stops the fight in its entirety, I would not have tapped. … I’d never been in a five round fight, I just didn’t know,” said a stone-faced Sonnen, stating he was under the impression he would go home with the belt based on a 4-1 score.

Silva has fought twice since their original outing, picking up a pair of stoppages against Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami. Comparably, Sonnen is also 2-0 with a submission of Brian Stann and razor-thin decision over Michael Bisping.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“Chael Sonnen talks alone,” said Silva, in an interview with TATAME. “I don’t like him. He disrespected my country, my family; so there’s nothing like it.”

While Silva was upset the bout had to be moved from Brazil to Las Vegas, he plans on taking out that frustration on Sonnen.

Silva said he is, “disappointed” that the fight won’t take place in Brazil, but added, “to me it doesn’t change much, I’m fighting anyway.”

Silva and Sonnen have met once before, with Silva scoring a fifth round submission after being bruised and battered by Sonnen through the four preceding frames. The two were set for an immediate rematch, but Sonnen ran into some outside-the-Octagon problems and had to earn his second shot at Silva after a year away from the sport.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Wanderlei Silva

Though there’s no doubt of Sonnen’s skill, much of his ability to do work inside the Octagon has been overshadowed by his talking skills outside of it. Of course, not everyone is impressed by Sonnen’s verbal skills including “The Axe Murderer”.

“I have nothing to say to him. I won’t give him that kinda audience,” said Silva, in a recent interview with TATAME. “I don’t care about what he says, I’m not interested. If he wants to say those things looking me in the eye, come here. But that way, saying things when we’re distant, he’s an ass face. Only pussies say things at your back.”

Silva also had a stern warning for Sonnen, saying that insulting him to his face instead of through media could be hazardous to his health.

“He’ll leave with a red burning ear,” stated Silva of the potential situation.

Sonnen was recently in Brazil for a special press conference to announce the fight with “The Spider” was going to be moved from Rio de Janeiro to Las Vegas. He made several snide remarks about Brazil, as well as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, during the festivities and has made fun of Silva plenty of times in the past as well.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

A visibly upset Silva expressed disappointment over the decision but made it clear he would perform as expected. Sonnen shared his sentiments, stating he’d hoped to be part of a show with record-breaking attendance and was looking forward to beating “The Spider” in front of his fellow countrymen.

“My plan was to come here, take your money, my new belt, and go back to America. But instead I’m gonna have to wait. I’m gonna have to stomp him on July 7. And that’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” spouted Sonnen after hyping the match-up as being “the biggest fight in the history of combat.”

The move in venue was forced after the United Nations scheduled a conference in the days preceding UFC 147 (where the two were originally set to scrap), straining Rio de Janeiro’s resources to the point an event so epic was no longer feasible.

On the bright side, while Silva-Sonnen II has been pulled from the June 23 lineup, the organization is looking at putting featherweight king Jose Aldo’s next championship defense on the card. The show will also feature Wanderlei Silva fighting Vitor Belfort, as well as Fabricio Werdum in action against Mike Russow and the finals of TUF Brasil.

As it currently stands UFC 148 is arguably the company’s deepest card to date with other scheduled bouts including Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin, Cung Le-Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping-Tim Boetsch, Dong Hyun Kim-Demian Maia, and Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber.

Watch the full press conference below including the customary face-off between opponents:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

As you might expect, Sonnen handled the question in typical Sonnen-fashion.

“I am shocked. Really? That blows me away. What’s next, you’re going to tell me a UFC ring girl got naked for a few bucks? You are blowing my mind,” Sonnen quipped. “I don’t believe it. That’s like telling me that (Alistair) Overeem was positive. I mean, convincing me of that is like convincing me that Roy Nelson is clean. I’m just not going to believe it. I’m just going to have to see it with my own eyes.”

Sonnen, possibly the most outspoken MMA fighter in history, managed to tie in UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste, Overeem and Nelson into the same statement as Silva. Pretty impressive to say the least.

In more important news, it seems that we’ll find out next Tuesday just where the Silva-Sonnen rematch will take place. The UFC has scheduled a press conference for Rio de Janeiro at which UFC President Dana White will be joined by Silva and Sonnen.

Check out the full Q&A below including Sonnen dissing Silva in a rap, addressing concerns about his entertainment-driven personality, and more:

(Action begins at about the 15:00 mark)

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/Istoé Gente

Unfortunately, it now appears the match-up may be in jeopardy, at least in terms of taking place in a Brazilian soccer stadium.

Last week it was reported a United Nations conference scheduled in the days preceding UFC 147 would prohibit the event from taking place based on Rio’s inability to coordinate two major events during the same period of time. While talk initially pointed to the show simply being moved back a week or two, Brazilian media outlet O Globo has revealed Silva-Sonnen is not only switching dates but countries as well.

According to the report, the fight will now take place in Las Vegas with June still being targeted. UFC President Dana White, Silva, and Sonnen are all expected to be in Brazil on Tuesday to address the situation at a press conference where more details will likely come to light.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Though the 33-year old Brit has other things to focus on at the moment – mainly a bout with Tim Boetsch at UFC 148 – Bisping expects to earn a shot at redemption in the near future with the added bonus of a divisional belt being on the line.

“I think Chael will out-wrestle Anderson and beat him this time, and then I’ll get the rematch with Chael considering how close our fight was,” said Bisping in an interview with Your MMA Magazine. Silva-Sonnen’s rematch is scheduled for June and revisits a rivalry seeing Sonnen nearly outpoint Silva in 2010 before being submitted in the final two minutes of action.

If/when Bisping does indeed lock horns with Sonnen a second time he sees things going quite differently, especially within the parameters of a title-fight.

“If I had Chael over five rounds, I’d definitely beat him,” explained Bisping. “In that last fight, I’d have stopped him in the fourth for sure. He was spent after trying to submit me in that third round. Towards the end of that round I was raining down shots on him.”

While Sonnen would undoubtedly disagree with his peer’s extreme confidence in terms of procuring a victory, chances are he’s on board with being wary of the inherent danger in getting hit by “The Count”, paying Bisping a slew of compliments after their bout.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“Chael berating someone on their test level is like me making fun of someone’s bad haircut,” Miller posted on his Twitter account.

The words struck a chord with Sonnen who quickly replied back on his own Twitter page with, “MayHem: Due to time constraints I am currently confining my Twitter wars to active, relevant, fighters ONLY. Buy a T-shirt on your way out.”

The host of MTV’s Bully Beatdown and ex-Ultimate Fighter coach didn’t let it end there, replying back, “Don’t worry – you’re a beatdown away from obscurity. I’ll be happy to beat your head in – that’s if it’s not still on a pike in Rio.”

Despite their conflict, Sonnen and Miller are not likely to meet up anytime soon inside the Octagon, as Sonnen has a title match set with Silva at UFC 147 in Brazil, while Miller is taking on C.B. Dollaway at UFC 146.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“There’s a tremendous difference with what fighters say versus what fighters mean,” began Sonnen before going into a full-fledged rant. “For example, ‘I don’t want to leave it in the hands of the judges,’ means, ‘I didn’t train to go three rounds.’”

Sonnen listed off a variety of other instances involving similar misinformation, then turned his focus towards fighters who don’t give full credit to opponents they’ve faced as a way of acting tough instead of being completely open on the subject.

“I don’t understand why fighters don’t just talk plainly. In my last fight I took on a gentleman named Michael Bisping. He hit me very hard and it hurt a lot. And people were shocked that I’d admit that. Because they’re all so used to lying,” Sonnen explained of his January 28 meeting with the talented Brit. “Well guess what, if a guy hits you hard and it hurts, is your ego so small that you can’t pay him a compliment? Is your ego so fragile that you can’t say, ‘Look, I had my bell rung in the middle of a fist fight’? It kinda seems like a normal thing to happen to me. I expect to be hit hard. I expect to be kicked hard. I don’t need to hide from those things.”

If only he extended the same courtesy to Triangle Choke finishes at the end of a fight…

Check out the complete video from Sonnen below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Yesterday the UFC announced rivals Sonnen and Silva would meet on the aforementioned date in Rio de Janeiro. The bout is a rematch of their 2010 battle where Sonnen nearly took Silva’s title by way of decision before a last-minute submission by “The Spider” ended things in the fifth frame.

Both Sonnen and his manager, Mike Roberts, confirmed to MMAFighting a bout agreement had yet to be put in place. Sonnen also added he has a “demand” he wants to include in the deal but remained secretive beyond the basic statement.

Sonnen vs. Silva II is easily one of the most anticipated fights in recent years based on the closeness of their first encounter, an even more impressive feat when considering Silva’s dominance inside the Octagon against all other opponents. Adding to the intrigue, Sonnen has also directed an extraordinary amount of trash-talk at Silva, calling him a coward on multiple occasions in addition to numerous other insults both personal and professional.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to an official statement from the UFC, the two will headline UFC 147 on June 23 at Engenhao Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The card is also expected to feature a long awaited rematch between TUF Brasil coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort as well as the featherweight/middleweight finals from the show’s ongoing season.

Silva and Sonnen originally met at UFC 117 where the latter nearly lived up to the extraordinary amount of smack he spewed leading up to the bout by grinding on Silva for the fight’s first four frames. However, with less than two minutes remaining “The Spider” was able to procure an Armbar-Triangle Choke hybrid and torqued Sonnen to the point of tapping out.

Since their encounter Silva has scored a pair of strike-based stoppages against Belfort and Yushin Okami with Sonnen picking up wins over Brian Stann and Michael Bisping. While nearly two years will have passed since their first fight the middleweights’ bad blood still exists with Sonnen questioning Silva’s heart while bringing up the 185-pound champion’s wife and countrymen along the way.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Hughes, who is quite familiar with rematches during his career, said, “Frankie had to give rematches to both (BJ) Penn and (Gray) Maynard, so I think Frankie brought in a great point and he should get the rematch too.”

Edgar, after defeating Penn for the title, was put into an immediate rematch with “The Prodigy.” He also won that fight. The trilogy with Maynard is quite possiblly one of the best in MMA history, as Maynard won the first, the two fought to a suspenseful Draw in the second, and “The Answer” ended it with a vicious stoppage victory in the third after getting rocked early.

As for Sonnen, he will be looking to exact revenge on UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva in his own rematch when they fight later this year.

“I don’t care who these guys fight as long as it’s not me,” Sonnen exclaimed of Edgar-Henderson. “There are so many great fighters in that weight class. Those guys are so good, it’ll be a great fight.”

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

While a guest on last night’s episode of MMA Uncensored, Sonnen was asked his opinion on a number of subjects. One of them included Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, specifically in terms of how the former UFC champion has been going about trying to get out of his contract.

“I like him. Look, he’s a crybaby, but I find it interesting,” said Sonnen. “I like it when he goes on his campaigns about entitlement and how he should be given easy fights. A lot of things are expected of him and he’s not quite delivering.”

Jackson, you might remember, missed weight for his bout with Ryan Bader in the co-main event of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson last month in Japan. He quickly let it be known a knee injury caused him to miss several days of training, not allowing him to get in the kind of shape he needed and thus he couldn’t cut the necessary weight.

In more recent days, Jackson has tried to push his way out of competing in the final fight on his UFC contract. Instead, it was announced “Rampage” would meet Mauricio “Shogun” Rua later this year, though, before a date could be set, Jackson remarked he would undergo double-knee surgery and be out for an extended amount of time.

When the 33-year old caught wind of Sonnen’s comments, Jackson addressed them on Twitter, writing, “I’ll walk up to him and smack him like a bitch on camera for the whole (world) to see.”

Sonnen is rumored to be fighting Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title later this year in Brazil, though the outspoken 185er reiterated he still hasn’t signed a bout agreement and that nothing official is in place.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Sonnen will join the cast and address a number of topics, one of which will of course be Anderson Silva, while also fielding questions from viewers who submit topics on Twitter. The episode is also set to feature an interview with War Machine who is set to start serving a year-long jail sentence in the coming days.

MMA Uncensored is Spike TV’s recently unveiled version of a news-magazine program where numerous topics are covered, both pertaining to UFC and organizations outside of the Zuffa umbrella. Hosts include former TUF alumnus and UFC veteran Nate Quarry as well as well-known journalist Mike Straka. Catch it every week at 11:00 PM EST.

Check out a preview of the interview with War Machine below:

Sonnen, who is scheduled to face Silva for the title later this year, read a letter of apology he’d written for “The Spider” based on all the remarks he’d made in the past about the dynamic Brazilian. However, as soon as the letter concluded, the real Sonnen surfaced once again.

“Anderson, over the last several months, I’ve disparaged your name in an attempt to garner respect and attention for my own. That was wrong and I apologize,” said Sonnen. “I wish no further confrontation with you in the Octagon or through the media. In short, I surrender.”

Sonnen signed off before quickly adding, “P.S. I changed my mind. Anderson, you can kiss my ass.”

Silva and Sonnen are set to meet up this June in Brazil if all the paperwork can be completed for the card to take place.

Check out the complete video Sonnen below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

In the card’s main event, Martin Kampmann caught Thiago Alves coming in for a takedown with a Guillotine Choke, earning the submission with less than a minute remaining on the clock in a bout where Alves appeared to be up on the scorecards and well on his way to securing a victory.

Sonnen experienced the same fate during his title-fight with UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva with “The Spider” locking him in a choke as their bout winded down with Sonnen unquestionably leading on the scorecards.

“There is nobody else more surprised that (Alves) tapped out than Martin Kampmann,” Sonnen dead-panned. “I think Martin will tell you himself, he didn’t have that choke. You have to be a real boob to get caught at the end of the fight like that.”

Sonnen is expected to get another shot at Silva this summer with the date/location still up in the air though rumored to be in Brazil this June.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

In the end Sonnen walked away with a closely contested decision victory that left a number of fans, including UFC President Dana White, with a look of surprise when the scorecards were read. While the outcome was not as outrageous as other examples in the past, debate remains as to whether or not Bisping should have earned the judges’ nod and a title-shot in the process.

Now FOX has released a series of highlights from the fight, allowing fans to re-live the exciting affair and either have their opinions on the result either changed or strengthened based on a second look.

Check it out below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Machida expressed his desire to hook up with “Hendo” in a recent interview where he also reaffirmed the possibility of dropping to middleweight in the near future.

When asked about Henderson in an interview with Sherdog, the 33-year old Brazilian said, “I would be really honored to face him. At 41 years old and competing at such a high level, he’s an example for our sport. The fight he had with ‘Shogun’ (Mauricio Rua) was unbelievable. I think we could have a great fight.”

Machida, currently healing up from elbow surgery, says he plans to be ready to return to training in early February and hopes to fight in April/May. If a bout with Henderson doesn’t work out based on Evans potentially beating Phil Davis this weekend, Machida also has his eye on another top contender in action at UFC on FOX 2.

“Actually, I never had an interest in facing (Chael Sonnen), but he did so much trash talking that I started to have an interest because I’m not the kind of person who likes to say a lot of bad stuff about my opponents,” revealed Machida. “I’d rather fight and see what happens. I think that fight could happen, but that will depend on whether or not he fights Anderson (Silva).”

Sonnen, who has also taken shots at Machida in the media, will earn an opportunity to face rival Silva if he comes away with his hand raised tomorrow night against Michael Bisping. Comparably, “The Dragon” last fought in December where he was submitted by Jones in the second round of their headliner after putting together an excellent first frame against the champ.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Of course, ask Sonnen and he’s likely to deny any sort of wrongdoing in the matter as only he can. The 34-year old recently discussed his bout with Bisping in an interview with the UFC where, as expected, Sonnen’s silver-tongue was on display.

“I hate terms like ‘hype’ and ‘trash-talk’ because I don’t do that,” Sonnen dead-panned. “I never say anything I don’t mean and I’m not going to insult a guy I have no problem with. But, that said, Bisping is a jerk and I’m going to finish him faster than he can devour a Bovril and meatpie.”

“I am the best fighter in the world,” Sonnen continued. “He thinks he can beat me, I think I can beat him and we are going to see who is right in the only debating forum that matters – the UFC Octagon.”

Sonnen also made it clear his purpose this weekend has nothing to do with making Bisping look bad in the media or even earn a title-shot, saying, “I came to Chicago to do Michael Bisping a lot of physical harm. I don’t come here to ‘talk trash’ because that’s not something I do.”

What Sonnen does do, at least more often than not, is win. Tune in to see if he’s able to meet his own expectations when he and Bisping battle on FOX with the main card broadcast starting at 8:00 PM EST on Saturday.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC