Anderson Silva declines invitation to be part of Chael Sonnen’s TUF: Brazil team

Chael Sonnen never accepted Anderson Silva’s invitation for a barbecue at his house following their second fight in the UFC, and now it’s time for "The Spider" to decline an offer from "The American Gangster".

Sonnen told MMAFighting.com that he had invited Silva to be one of his assistant coaches for his upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil early next year opposite of Wanderlei Silva. The Brazilian felt "honored," but passed on the invite.

"Yes, Chael called Ed (Soares, Silva’s manager)," Anderson Silva said during a UFC 168 conference call on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, I won’t be in Brazil so I won’t be able to accept his invitation.

"But it would be great for the sport because all the athletes on the house will be Brazilian. It would be an honor to be on the show, no matter on which team, to help the sport and the athletes that are going to be there."

Silva is one of the few UFC champions who has never coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of being part of the show after his rematch with Chris Weidman on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas, when he’ll try to regain the middleweight title.

"Everything is possible," he said, "but my focus is on this fight with Chris Weidman, so I’m not thinking about anything else."