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With all Brock Lesnar's done for MMA, I suppose it's only fair to send a few back the other way.
UFC middleweight to light heavyweight tweeners Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva won't be fighting each other any time soon, but where there's a will, there's a way ... sort of.
Wednesday, Sonnen told 'Off the Record' host Michael Landsberg that both he and Silva had been invited to be flown out to meet with WWE brass at the company's Wrestlemania 31 event Mar. 29 in Santa Clara, CA.
"That's fact," said Sonnen. "Look, I got a call from the WWE. They said, 'Look, we've got Wrestlemania, we've got a Hall of Fame show coming up in March. If you want to come out, come on out. We want to talk to you about some stuff.'
"They're buying me a plane ticket there, giving me a great seat to the show. I do enjoy that product. I don't know what [WWE and I] are talking about, but I will give you a scoop. Wanderlei Silva was also invited. I don't know if he's accepted and I don't know if the two are related, but there you go."
Thursday, Sonnen's claims were shot down by the WWE when the company released a statement to Wrestling Inc saying, "There has been no invitation from WWE for Chael Sonnen to attend WrestleMania."
The matter looked over and done with until, out of left field, Silva seemed to vindicate Sonnen with a post of his own:
"I got a million dollar offer from WWE, and I’m thinking how only the MMA fighters get paid little money. They presented me numbers I have never seen before. What do you think of the idea?"
And if the word of two men currently serving long-term suspensions for cheating in a professional sport wasn't enough for you, MMA Fighting's own Dave Meltzer believes there could be something in play.
via Wrestling Observer and Cage Side Seats' 'Rumor Roundup':
"According to the Observer, Chael Sonnen will be attending both the Hall of Fame ceremony and WrestleMania 31. There is also apparently a meeting scheduled though it is an informal one, which would be why WWE denied ever inviting him for the show.
Given the track record of the three parties, I guess we'll have to wait and see.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
MMA Beat. The panel discusses Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz failing drug tests, where they go from here, what this means for Georges St-Pierre, and much more.
'Kind of stupid.' UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman doesn't like the idea of doing an interim title while he's sidelined with a rib injury.
'Talent and a hard punch is only gonna get you so far.' Nutritionist Mike Dolce talks Johny Hendricks' struggles on the scale. 'I would love to see Johny really dial it in.'
Doc is in. SB Nation medical expert and endocrinologist Dr. Ali Mohamadi says steroids could have made Anderson Silva's leg rehab 'easier than it otherwise would be.' 'They could be potentially extraordinarily helpful in terms of rapid muscle building, both in terms of just physically causing the muscles and proteins to build.'
'It just wasn't feeling right, so I just want to really build it up.' Rashad Evans says he wants to get his knee back to 100 percent before returning to fighting in 2015.
MEDIA STEW
Great spotlight on Kazushi Sakuraba.
Bellator stepping up the video content.
GLORY 19 open workouts.
Michael Chandler talks branching out from Alliance MMA.
Tito Ortiz compares fighting to poker.
Free Fight: Benson Henderson vs. Rustam Khabilov.
Long watches.
Just Business: The Lawsuits against UFC & Zuffa
...
...
[UFC 183 Quiz] Joseph Johnson vs. Shane Staley
TWEETS
Don't be scared.
"@Its__Qasim: .@mmasarah I wonder how many cupcakes were destroyed making this My external fat kid is sad. http://t.co/5w0dhXs07K" 6
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) February 6, 2015
So who knows.
"@rossfinkelstein: @sonnench You said WWE invited you to the Hall of Fame, I assume you're going to WrestleMania as well?" Just as a fan!
— Chael Sonnen (@sonnench) February 6, 2015
Ronda Rousey to be in SI's swimsuit edition. (Check out the cover)
Thank you to my @si_swimsuit and @imgmodels family! I am honored to be your 2015 cover girl! Wow!! http://t.co/TKF5Ko03GE
— Hannah Davis (@hanni_davis) February 5, 2015
Get well soon. DO NOT LOOK.
Second surgery in 15 years of competition. #hardware #cyborg pic.twitter.com/AvI5fp0CFf
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) February 6, 2015
"@Philly_Chimp: @cainmma why do you get injured all the time?"my mind pushes my body to it's breaking point all the time.
— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) February 6, 2015
"@Bikernole: @MieshaTate same to u. Hey Tate does your injury require surgery or just healing up? #GetBetter" No surgery!!
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) February 5, 2015
Outstanding.
At dinner in Miami and @anthony_rumble is making some friends!!! @ufc #kookoo http://t.co/qDZWWQkyLQ
— Dana White (@danawhite) February 6, 2015
Uh oh.
@JohnMakdessiMMA hey can you contact me please. You know why.
— michael (@bisping) February 5, 2015
OK.
If it doesn't involve training, eating or business. I am out.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 5, 2015
That is danger.
Hey what do you guys think about a senior level MMA division, like 35 and over? I know it sounds a little silly, but just a thought!
— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) February 6, 2015
This Week in Struggle.
What's that. O just transferred money to the IRS. And now I'm to my stomach! pic.twitter.com/V1R1P4Ofcp
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) February 2, 2015
"@ZorakIverson: Cowboy isn't tax on prize money something like 50%?" I'm in the 40% to tax bracket then 15% to management and 15% coaches
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) February 3, 2015
8 bags, a jug a water, 1 hand, and 1 trip from the car to the house... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! #easy... http://t.co/2JIeSKiW2I
— Corey Anderson UFC (@CoreyA_MMA) February 5, 2015
I struggle to get out of bed & train at this time of day, more so when it's cold, how the hell do all these fighters manage to be stoners?
— Kerry Hughes (@afcangel) February 4, 2015
Exactly how I feel on this diet #theStruggleisReal http://t.co/aiSGaxe54W
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) February 5, 2015
To lighten things up, I drove this rocket all around DC today for mtngs w/ @uso & @HireHeroesUSA my jaw barely fit pic.twitter.com/jG30UfujLF
— Brian Stann (@BrianStann) February 4, 2015
"@Torque1net: @DavyLambert @CatZingano We wanted to but her management never got back to us! " oh no!!!!
— Alpha Cat Zingano (@CatZingano) February 3, 2015
I didn't really realize how cold 18° is. Cold as balls!!!!!! #inmilwakee
— Paige VanZant (@PaigeVanzantUFC) February 3, 2015
Fucking Hoth
— Peggy Morgan (@peggymorganmma) February 2, 2015
よし、今のところトロント発はオンタイムだ。3日連続の足止めは勘弁して下さい。Flight to Japan is scheduled on time so far... Please let us fly in Japan. No more delay and snow.
— 松田干城 (@TatekiMatsuda) February 4, 2015
Is fighting going out of fashion? Seems everyone and their grannies tweeting they want a fight...what has cowboy done
— Joanne Calderwood (@DRkneevil) February 3, 2015
@TWooodley @ufc I know right . I had to cancel my trip to Disney that I booked when I left the octagon
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) February 4, 2015
Hey @MieshaTate hahahahahaha pic.twitter.com/jHYECUp6Yk
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) February 2, 2015
I get mor nervous for blood work than I do fights. I hate, hate, hate the .
— James Krause (@TheJamesKrause) February 4, 2015
Feels like last time I fought, I was this old @ufc @danawhite #CutePuppiesGetAttention http://t.co/8oXgJf2rKV
— Matt Mitrione (@mattmitrione) February 2, 2015
My car looks like a trash can man I gots ta do better
— Clint Hester (@clinthester) February 5, 2015
Well I was in my seat waiting to take off and the captain said the fog is too bad in the whales vagina... http://t.co/mMcIZxs53H
— chad mendes (@chadmendes) February 5, 2015
Visiting my friend in hospital who got a shoulder operation. For some reason, they've put a nappy on as a bandage! pic.twitter.com/7Q8rQhT5fm
— Cathal Pendred (@PendredMMA) February 2, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Feb. 5 2015)
Kenny Robertson vs. George Sullivan at UFC on FOX 15
John Makdessi vs. Abel Trujillo at UFC 186
Thomas Almeida vs. Yves Jabouin at UFC 186
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day comes via wealltrainufc.
Nick Diaz next opponent... Benson? Bisping?
I just wanted to start a little discussion here about who you guys would be interested in seeing him fight, if he isn't banned for long enough to turn him away from the sport completely.
Diaz is pretty content with fighting once a year, if that lately, but either way this whole experiment with him vs. Silva has got me wondering...
Silva may have very well had more of an advantage than I previously thought in this fight - the size difference, steroids STILL IN HIS SYSTEM AT TIME OF TESTING, and mental advantage knowing he was either on or was recently on some shit....
...
Check out the rest of the post here.
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