It was 'The Chael Sonnen Show' at the UFC on FOX 2 press conference in Chicago

Everyone knows that if you put Chael Sonnen and a microphone in a room together, it's only a matter of time before he starts spitting out golden nuggets.

That was certainly the case today (Dec. 7, 2011) at the UFC on FOX 2 press conference in Chicago, Illinois. Sonnen, who's slated to fight Mark Munoz in a number one contender eliminator bout in the co-featured fight of the night at the United Center, had plenty to say about his arch nemesis, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

On second thought, no one was immune from his sharp tongue.

Sonnen commented on everything from friends fighting each other, Silva's injury, how his and Munoz's wrestling stacks up against each other and much more.

You've got to read it to believe it:

To get things started, Sonnen was asked about his thoughts on his and Munoz's collegiate wrestling match where Munoz has claimed that the former UFC middleweight title challenger attempted a kneebar (which is illegal) during their battle.

Munoz tried to put out the flames by saying he felt that it wasn't Sonnen's fault and that's the reason a referee is there, but the Oregonian took full responsibility for what happened.

"Mark's explanation of heat of the moment, I appreciate that but I assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event and I offer no apology. Secondly, I don't even remember college. I'm driving around in a car with no insurance, a pocket with no money and the biggest thing on my mind was which kid to sit next to on exam day so as far as a wrestling match, that was the fourth thing on my mind. I assure you on January 28th, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantel and one more for the bad guy."

Sonnen also addressed the fact that "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" is not exactly a guy he's happy about fighting, but reiterated that he's doing it anyways. He wants to set an example for other friends or teammates that refuse to fight each other.

"Everybody's got guys they don't want to fight and Mark is definitely on the top of my list and not just because I like him but because he's a hard match. I've competed with him before and I've never beat him. But look, we have to do this and on top of that, Mark and I agreed to fight to set example for the rest of the guys. This is just competition. Basketball players don't not play each other just because they're friends or they practice together or any other excuse that guys have for saying, "No." The answer is, "Yes." We will compete and we will shake hands and we will live with the result."

Dan Henderson had previously commented about Anderson Silva's injuries, saying they'd "heal up real quick if Michael Bisping were offered as a title challenger," as a way to say "The Spider" is milking them to avoid both Chael Sonnen and himself.

Sonnen had his own theory on the matter, and he used video evidence to back it up.

"I don't believe Anderson's hurt. I know he says he's hurt and then he was in training camp with Wanderlei that got caught on tape. He just got done working with Machida that got caught on tape. I really don't care about Anderson Silva. I truly don't. How hard is it gonna be to become world champion beating up math teachers? I don't understand it. Give Anderson Silva my schedule and see how well he does. Yeah, I think he's ducking me. I think he's ducking Dan Henderson. I don't know if he'd be eager to fight Bisping, you'll have to Dan about that comment but no, I don't think he's hurt."

Lastly, Sonnen really hammed it up when asked if Munoz was the most gifted wrestler he's ever faced. He took the question, turned it around and then took it to a level where he switched to talking about how amazing he is, as the mouthy ex-Realtor has been prone to doing.

"I would imagine that he's the best [wrestler]. He's certainly the most decorated, you know? I haven't given it a lot of thought. I'm not a wrestler either. I'm a fighter from the mean streets of Westland, Oregon. This is the way it goes. I think everybody up here is grateful to be on FOX. They say, "FOX, thanks," everybody but me. I would say, "FOX, you're welcome. You've been telling people for years you've got the American Idol and now you finally do."

As we head into 2012 and the UFC's second major event held on the FOX flagship station, one of the key questions still remains: is Chael Sonnen ready for primetime TV? Or even more, is America ready for Chael Sonnen?

What do you think, Maniacs?

For more quotes and video from today's UFC on Fox 2 press conference click here and here.