UFC 148's Chael Sonnen won't 'beg for approval' from 'unloyal' North American crowds

Beggars can't be choosers, so Chael Sonnen chooses not to beg.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight number one contender, who isn't expected to get a lot of love and support from Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fans when he fights Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 148 next month in Las Vegas, Nevada, may not get the crowd's approval in "Sin City," either.

He's okay with that.

Sonnen tells Dan Brood of The Times he's not competing for the sake of the North American crowd when he steps into the Octagon on July 7 for his "Spider" rematch:

"We’re fans and we can cheer for whoever we want to cheer for. You want to back your guy. North American crowds can be the most unloyal crowds there are, but I don’t beg for crowd approval."

Stateside fight fans have been known to boo and hiss when wrestlers keep things grounded and Sonnen's schtick has been wearing thin on some pundits as well. The question now is, will anyone be rooting for him when the cage door closes at the MGM Grand?

Anyone?