Former UFC rivals Anderson Silva & Chael Sonnen to fight in boxing match
The boxing bug has bit two former UFC rivals as Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will do battle for a third time — only this time in the ring vs. the cage.
The news was revealed Sunday night, coming on the same day Silva denied he would be fighting actor Terry Crews. It’s being promoted as the “grand finale” of Silva’s career even though he has declined to answer whether he will retire.
The two will clash on Saturday, June 15th in Brazil, but the rules are unknown as is whether it will be a pro or exhibition bout. It will come nearly two weeks before their first UFC fight is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
The 49-year-old Silva (3-2) has boxed professionally three times since retiring from the UFC, picking up wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz before losing to Jake Paul in September 2022. While the 47-year-old Sonnen has trained in boxing before, he has never competed in boxing professionally.
The two fought twice before in the Octagon with Silva picking up both victories.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.