Wanderlei Silva skipped Bellator 180 presser so he didn’t pull a Cris Cyborg and assault Chael Sonnen

The beef between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen runs super deep. So much so that “Axe Murderer” is avoiding “American Gangster” ahead of their scheduled bout at Bellator 180 on June 24, 2017, in New York City at all costs. And it’s not because he’s afraid if him, but rather afraid of what he might do once he sees him, which is the reason he bailed on a recent press conference.

“The truth is, I didn’t go to the press conference because I didn’t want to do what (Cristiane) ‘Cyborg’ (Justino) did with that girl that talked (expletive) to her,” Silva told MMAjunkie today during a recent conference call (listen to full video replay here).

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Cyborg became the subject of an investigation after she decked Angela Magana in the mouth during a heated confrontation in “Sin City” several weeks ago (see the carnage here).

As for Silva and Sonnen, the two have a rivalry that dates back to 2011, as the two heavy hitters got into a heated argument inside a van (see it again here). They were set to tango three years later under Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) umbrella, but the bout was ultimately ultimately scrapped.

But, not before they came to blows on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) set.

For Silva, getting into a fight with Sonnen prior to their much-anticipated showdown simply isn’t worth it, so he prefers to rather keep his distance. Something he’s been very good at doing.

“When I see Chael, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Silva said. “I’m professional, but the guy has crossed the line with me and played with the wrong guy.”

Bellator 180 will also feature an intriguing heavy fight pitting Fedor Emelianenko against Matt Mitrione, as well as a Welterweight title fight between Douglas Lima and Lorenz Larkin and a Lightweight bout between division champion Michael Chandler and Brent Primus.

To see the entire Bellator 180 fight card click here.