Midnight Mania! Sonnen explains origin of Wanderlei feud, who interrupts to heckle him

Welcome to Midnight Mania! Tonight we’ve got Chael Sonnen explaining just how his feud with Wanderlei Silva started, Silva calling in, Nate Diaz making fun of Brendan Schaub, Fedor looking excited, Tonya Evinger being sly, knockouts, the latest Sumo champion crowned, and much more.

---

The Bad Guy and the Axe Murderer

“We just could never get it right... I remember the first time I ever saw Wanderlei Silva. He walked into Randy Couture’s gym. I was sparring, no mouthpiece. I was getting ready to fight Paulo Filho, I think it was 2009. He came in, I was sparring, I had no mouthpiece. Any time you are sparring, and you have no mouthpiece, not a good idea. When you’re at a new gym, and you don’t know the guys, and you have no mouthpiece, you just shouldn’t spar. I told Wanderlei, he came in- that was Wanderlei Silva. There was an aura about him, if you will. I didn’t know how his English was, so I just smiled real big and pointed at my mouth. He said okay. So we sparred the round, and he never threw a punch at me. He really took care of me the entire time, let me throw my combinations on him, and even coached me a little bit... I thought, what a great guy.

So far, so good. But then:

Everything was fine. I had my Anderson fight, and I was doing some kind of a press tour with Wanderlei. We ended up in a van together, and we ended up spending the whole day together. He had his own videographer with him, and at some point he cues the guy up, and he cuts a promo on me, telling me to watch my mouth or whatever, you do these things in Brazil, you lose your teeth.

That’s when things went wrong.

So, I got my ego too, you know, and I kinda admire the guy, but I got my ego too, so I had to push back. So he went crazy or whatever happened, and I was like, hey, well then, game on man. I appreciate you looking out for me that one day, but I’m a fighter too...

That’s how the bad blood started.

Of course, Sonnen goes on to detail the time Wanderlei started a brawl with him in Brazil:

However, Sonnen wasn’t going to get his side of the story out uninterrupted. Wanderlei called in to rant at Chael. You will have to listen to the video above for his input, starting at the thirty minute mark.

---

Bobs and Weaves

Nate Diaz trolling Brendan Schaub is hilarious.

Tonya Evinger defended her Invicta bantamweight title this past weekend. She’s inappropriate and hilarious.

Nice routine on the pads from the world’s most acrobatic bantamweight

Yeah, that knee will make you sit down, son. That’s the guy who taught Anderson Silva all he knows.

---

Slips. Rips. Knockout Clips.

This is still great

Invicta highlights from the weekend:

Is it just me or are they highlighting this position because it’s two women fighting?

Alright, but I don’t know how to type that name with my keyboard, much less pronounce it

Alright... that’s definitely innuendo. Or maybe I’m the misogynist.

Respect the throw.

Speaking of throws, I’ve got that sumo update you’ve been waiting for...

If you are wondering why this is vindication for Kisenosato, who like me you may never have heard of before, Jack Slack’s got you covered.

---

Quick Hits

• This long form profile on Cody Garbrandt is an extraordinary read. Well done, Brandon Sneed.
• Conor Ruebusch breaks down why the kickboxing and boxing guards don’t quite work in MMA, in this excellent piece.
• Jon Jones is finally a free man
• Yoel Romero isn’t buying Bisping’s bluff

---

Podcasts and Video

Tommy Toehold

---

Random Land

This will cure that sympathy headache

Stay woke, Maniacs!