This evening, Chael Sonnen will try to introduce Paulao Filho to the bitter taste of defeat. The same one the American tasted when submitted by the Brazilian at the first bout between the two, last December.
Held in high esteem by the WEC, Sonnen has his move to the UFC set. According to the athlete himself, as stated to GRACIEMAG.com collaborator Nalty Jr, he even has his first opponent in his new home defined: Anderson Silva. Check out the complete interview:
Paulao Filho said the fight against you was one of the toughest he has ever been in. What do you think of that?
I’m happy to hear it, he told me that once. I think he is a really tough fighter too, and I was impressed with him finding a way to win. I respect him a lot, even more so after our fight.
The last fight between you two caused great controversy. In the end, did you tap or not?
We’ll fight again today, I’m not thinking of the last fight. I forced myself to watch the fight with my coach, and it was hard for me. I’ve been training a lot to fight today and I hope the outcome will be different. It will be a tough test.
What do you expect from the fight?
I know I’ll need to be physically well prepared, I don’t want to miss a single position. Basically it will be like the other one, take him down and watch out for his Jiu-Jitsu.
How did your training for the bout go?
I practiced a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, I have a new JJ coach. We’re training to pass his guard and do some good groundwork.
You are one of the best fighters in the WEC. Are you thinking of heading to the UFC?
Truth is, after this fight I’m going to the UFC.
Do you have an idea who your first opponent in the UFC will be?
Once I’m in the UFC, my first adversary will be Anderson Silva.
Really? Has that been confirmed?
Yes, it’s confirmed. Once I’m in the UFC I’ll fight Anderson Silva. I think he’s a great fighter, but I’m only going to start thinking about that after my fight with Paulo Filho. If you want to ask me about it after tonight, I’ll be happy to answer.
What team do you currently represent?
I represent Team Quest. It’s a team with lots of good professional fighters, lots of well-known names. We also have excellent training partners. The team shows up at training and we do excellent work together. There are a lot of fighters in our gym who are better than some fighters in the UFC, for example, they just haven’t had the right opportunity yet. There’s history there, a certain tradition at Team Quest. You’ll be sure to hear a lot of a lot of the names on the team in the future.
Have you been to Brazil before?
I went to Brazil in 2003, to the ADCC. I had great times there. I like traveling around the world, and for sure Brazil is one of my favorite places. That’s where MMA started. I’d love to go back, and if I could train there I’d be doing something both useful and pleasant.
