The rivalry between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen has been going on for quite a few years now.
At Bellator 180, the two rivals will clash in the cage as they headline the second ever Bellator MMA pay-per-view event. Silva will be competing for the 50th time as a professional MMA fighter against Sonnen, and the Brazilian is promising to beat up his rival -- assuming they actually get in the cage this time.
"It's a pleasure to tell you guys that my fight against Chael Sonnen at Bellator 180 is a done deal. It's an old rivalry that will finally be settled. I have 49 fights and I really wanted to have my fight number 50. Even more than that, it had to be against him. I was supposed to face Cro Cop in the end of 2016, but I wasn't able to heal. But I really wanted to have my 50th fight against Sonnen and it will be. And I'll beat him up,” Silva said on his Facebook page.
Sonnen and Silva were supposed to clash in the UFC after their coaching stint on the UFC Ultimate Fighter Brazil. However, Silva was pulled from the fight after allegedly running away from a drug test and Sonnen would also fail a drug test a short time later.
This fight will also mark the promotional debut for Silva, while Sonnen is currently winless in Bellator MMA competition.
Bellator 180 takes place on Saturday, June 24 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva headlining. Fightful will be providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
