Chael Sonnen

Not too long ago, UFC light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen issued a 24-hour deadline for Wanderlei Silva to accept a challenge to step inside the Octagon with him to settle an old rivalry. Unfortunately, Silva never accepted it via Twitter and claimed that he never heard of such challenge from Sonnen.

However, once Silva got the news he responded crudely outside the deadline.

“I want to suck his blood. I want to smell it. Not just fight. Not just fight. I want to hurt him. Chael is a joke, man. He’s going to be second forever. He’s never going to be first.”

Shockingly, Sonnen fired back to his response during his desk job on UFC Tonight last week and announced that he is backing away from the fight.

“I’m not looking for it anymore, I don’t like to bully guys. I tried to fight him, he doesn’t want to fight. I’m not gonna stick a finger in a guy’s chest. If a guy says ‘no,’ I’m not gonna be a jerk about it.”

Now that his interest level in Silva seems to be gone, is he seeking a new challenger, or is he just playing another mind game with the former PRIDE Middleweight Champion? Drop your thoughts off in the comments section below.

Mark Hunt

It was a close call for Mark Hunt, who was nearly replaced by Roy Nelson to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos this upcoming weekend. Fortune was on Hunt’s side yesterday after the UFC confirmed with MMA Fighting that the “Iron Chin” cleared up his issues to fly to the United States, and was finally granted a visa.

Hunt’s traveling problems to the U.S. started two weeks ago when he was stopped twice from leaving New Zealand for a flight to Las Vegas due a “stupid incident which happened in 2002″ that got Hunt arrested by an undercover cop at a club. Hunt was detained and spent a night in jail for public intoxication.

Now that his visa battle is over, Hunt will fly to Las Vegas this week to take on Junior dos Santos in the UFC 160 co-main event on Saturday night.

If Dos Santos defeats Hunt, he is expected to be next in line for a title shot.

Chael Sonnen Offers Wanderlei Silva 24 Hours To Accept Challenge

It looks like Chael Sonnen is eager to step back inside the Octagon after his one-sided loss to UFC light heavyweight champion Jone Jones. Fortuntely for Sonnen, it didn’t take long for him to play his game again on Twitter and pin the tail on the next donkey, or I mean UFC opponent.

Sonnen has already picked out Wanderlei Silva of a handful of Brazilian enemies because of a “real dirt-bag move” Silva pulled on him with a video he published with subtitles back in 2010. For that alone, Sonnen has given Silva 24 hours to accept his challenge via twitter.

Wand- you have 24 hours to accept. If you do, I will donate 10% of my purse to help schools in your hometown of Curitiba .. I mean, VEGAS.

— chael sonnen (@sonnench) May 9, 2013

At the moment, Silva has less than a few more hours left to acknowledge, and I’m damn curious to see if he responds in time.

However, this new video by Cinefix caught our attention because longtime running UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste is featured in it, and she puts your Simpsons knowledge to test. The best part of the trivia, if you manage to make it to the last question, Arianny strips all the way down to her bikini and shows you how to chug on huge pint of beer. Just Lovely!

What are you waiting for? Release your inner-nerd and give The Simpsons Strip Trivia a try now. What have you got to lose?

Anderson Silva

The undefeated No. 1 middleweight contender Chris Weidman can be slithly relieved today for Anderson Silva‘s no show for the UFC 162 media event in Los Angeles the other day since the pound-for-pound king released an unofficial statement via a Brazilian media outlet, and it does not appear like Silva wasn’t trying to disrespect his opponent, nor the UFC in any way, but the problem was caused by “miscommunication”.

MMA Fighting got the first scoop on Silva’s no show, and released the following transcription below.

“I never missed any commitment to the UFC (in the past),” Silva said (roughly translated via Google Translate). “[I'd] never plan a trip to Brazil if I knew I should be in Los Angeles. Everyone knows that I always lock my media schedule to devote myself to training, they are my priority. I am an athlete and my focus will always be to train and be prepared for the challenges.”

Since Google translate isn’t perfect. Will be waiting for the official anouncement by Silva, or his manager Ed Soares on the matter, which should come shortly and we’ll keep you in the loop here on Yell! Magazine.

Stay tuned!

Anderson Silva Slapped With A $50,000 Fine For No Show At UFC 162 Media Day

Ouch! That is one hefty fine the UFC slapped on current middleweight champion and undisputed pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva for a no show. I guess Nick Diaz had it pretty easy for his no show at the UFC 158 open workouts compared to Silva because the UFC is taking matters like this a lot more seriously now, and are handing out fines like flyers.

So far from we know about the situation, Silva cancelled his appearance for a UFC 162 media event in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It’s reported by Sherdog that he decided to fly home to Brazil instead of appearing on local TV and radio stations, and he was also scheduled to do a luncheon with more than a dozen newspaper and Internet media outlets.

His opponent Chris Weidman isn’t happy about the situation one bit, and commented on Silva’s no show. Weidman spent three wasted days in Los Angeles and said the following.

“I hope he’s staying grounded, I hope his head isn’t getting so big that he thinks he doesn’t have to do things for the UFC, but who am I to judge? If his head is really getting too big, I’m definitely going to bring him down to earth on July 6.”

Anderson Silva and his manager Ed Soares haven’t released an official statement yet on the reason for skipping. However, Silva is still expected to return to the Octagon on Saturday, July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to face undefeated No. 1 contender Chris Weidman.

However, an opponent for him hasn’t been officially announced yet by the UFC, but two names come to mind for a potential bout. First and foremost, McGregor already initiated his interest in fighting The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes lightweight winner Norman Parke, unfortuntely, Parke’s is expected to fight on UFC 162 with Kazuki Tokudome. So bad timing cancel’s this one out.

Second, Swedish mixed martial artists Akira Corassani and once a competitor on TUF has just called out McGregor for challenge on the UFC on FOX Sports 1 card. Corassani also fought last month on Fuel TV and won his fight against Robbie Peralta by unanimous decision.

Now the big question is, will McGregor accept his challenge? It’s definitely a possibility since the Irishman already said that he is ready to fight anyone that the UFC puts in front of him.

MMA: Cheick Kongo Releases His Side Of The Story

Earlier this week, we learned that long-time running UFC fighter Cheick Kongo has been officially removed from the heavyweight roster, and we also reported that Kongo wasn’t cut by the promotion, but turned down their contract extension because they couldn’t agree on the terms.

However, Kongo cleared up his side of the story on the matter, and said there isn’t any bad blood between him and the UFC in a statement he released via Facebook.

“Don’t believe he said- she said stories (translated from French). “I have not been cut by the UFC. I am Cheick Kongo so I know BEST what’s NEXT for me. It doesn’t mean that I am leaving the UFC, it doesn’t mean that I am staying, it means this is my LIFE.

“Do not believe what we tell you. I am in the best position to know what happened to my career in the UFC. AND do not worry. For the moment, be aware that in no case the UFC not dismissed me and I am on very good terms with the American organization.”

Cheick Kongo may still return to the UFC one day, but we will forever remember his fight with Pat Berry at UFC on Versus 4. After being droppped twice, Kongo was able to knock Barry out with a hard overhand right to the ear, followed by an uppercut to the chin to secure a win midway through the first round.

WARNING: the video above is graphic, so watch it at your own discretion.

UFC Tonight’s Kenny Florian and Chael Sonnen got the inside scoop on the toe injury suffered by Jon Jones during his fight with Sonnen at UFC 159.

UFC 162

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is once again taking over Fourth of July weekend in Las Vegas. The organization formally announced today that UFC middleweight champion and undisputed pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon on Saturday, July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to face undefeated No. 1 contender Chris Weidman.

That’s not all: this week in July also marks the return of the UFC Fan Expo, as well as Fight Week, a series of fan events, concerts, and appearances featuring your favorite UFC fighters and personalities.

“The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, defends the middleweight title for a record 11th time on July 6 when he takes on unbeaten Chris Weidman,” UFC President Dana White said. “Weidman is 9-0 in his pro career and has incredible wrestling and power. He said he will shock the world at UFC 162 and end Anderson’s reign atop the middleweight division. With UFC 162, the UFC Fan Expo and Fight Week, this is going to be an amazing week for fight fans. You have to be in Las Vegas this Fourth of July weekend!”

In addition to the Silva-Weidman showdown, Frankie Edgar (15-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.), a former lightweight champion and currently the third-ranked featherweight in the world, battles Brazil’s Charles Oliveira (16-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Guaruja, Sao Paulo, Brazil), while former Strikeforce middleweights make their UFC debuts as Tim Kennedy (15-4, fighting out of Austin, Texas) takes on Rio de Janeiro’s Roger Gracie (6-1).

In addition, fourth-ranked “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung (13-3, fighting out of Po-Hang, South Korea) returns from a yearlong layoff due to injury to meet second-ranked Ricardo Lamas (13-2, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) in a fight that could determine the next challenger for the featherweight title, while fifth-ranked featherweight Cub Swanson (19-5, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) faces Germany’s sixth-ranked Dennis Siver (21-8).

UFC 162 Main Card:

FRANKIE EDGAR vs. CHARLES OLIVEIRA
TIM KENNEDY vs. ROGER GRACIE
CHAN SUNG JUNG vs. RICARDO LAMAS
DENNIS SIVER vs. CUB SWANSON

Other bouts for UFC 162 include:

Seventh-ranked middleweight star Mark Munoz(12-3, fighting out of Lake Forrest, Calif.) vs. heavy-handed 10th-ranked contender Tim Boetsch(12-3, fighting out of Sunbury, Pa.).

185-pound fan favorite Chris Leben (22-9, fighting out of Oahu, Hawaii) vs. Andrew Craig(8-1, fighting out of Houston, Texas).

Northern Ireland’s Norman Parke(17-2) vs. Japan’s Kazuki Tokudome(12-3-1) in a lightweight showdown.

Brazil’s Edson Barboza (11-1) challengesMontreal’s John Makdessi(11-2).

Heavyweights Shane Del Rosario(8-1, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) vs. Dave Herman(21-5, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.).

Welterweights Seth Baczynski (17-7, fighting out of Apache Junction, Ariz.) vs. Houston’s Brian Melancon(6-2).

Portland’s Mike Pierce(16-5) vs. David Mitchell(12-2, fighting out of Santa Rosa, Calif.) in a welterweight contest.