Chael Sonnen news reveals "The American Gangster" detailing what he described as an embarrassing story involving former long-time middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The former UFC fighter claimed that "The Spider" helped him land the ESPN job that was recently given to him.
Sonnen detailed the account of his encounter with Silva in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow's Steph Daniels. According to "The American Gangster", the said run-in happened during their first title fight in 2010.
"So I'm at the Expo Center, and when I leave, a couple people run up to me and want an autograph and picture, and I'm thinking, 'Wow! I'm Mr. Cool.' All the sudden, there's a mob...I mean a mob of people," Sonnen narrated. "I look over and I can't even see who it is, there were so many people around him."
"The 2 people that I'm signing autographs for, they leave me," he continued. "They don't even say goodbye. They just turn and run towards the mob. I'm thinking to myself, 'Who is this?' Then, I finally see that it's Anderson Silva, but he doesn't stop. He keeps on walking."
Chael Sonnen news reveals that the former two-time middleweight title contender admitted that the sudden shift in attention by the fans angered him and bruised his ego. It was then when he began to fan the flames at their rivalry, which was already heated back then.
"When I walked past him, I point at him and I say, 'Sign those autographs, Anderson, sign every one of them, because in two months, you're never gonna sign another one.' I'm legitimately angry, and in hindsight, I don't have the foggiest idea why."
Chael Sonnen news then reveals that Anderson Silva actually approached "The American Gangster" to take a photo. While the said incident proved to be a civil meeting between to fighters who are about to face each other inside the cage, it proved to be the catalyst for a future career opportunity for Sonnen.
"That night, I ended up in the bar with a guy named Keiran Portley. At this point, he's just some random guy. I don't know him, but we're talking, and somehow, this story comes up, and I tell him exactly what I just told you," Sonnen explained. "He's like, 'I work at ESPN. Do you want to come out next week?' I'm like, 'Yeah,' and that's how I ended up with the job. He thought I was a good storyteller and he hired me on the spot."
