Dana: Chael Sonnen could have the blueprint to defeat Anderson Silva

UFC President, Dana White has given further thought on the meteoric rise up the middleweight ranks for Chael Sonnen which has culminated this weekend in him not only being installed as the number one contender within the division, but a major threat to anyone holding the title.

Speaking at the post fight press conference in Vegas, Dana was asked whether Anderson Silva would stay at middleweight following his upcoming fight with Vitor Belfort.

“I think he will no matter what Chael said. He likes that 185-pound division. He likes having that title, and I'm a big believer in cleaning out a division. This is actually interesting. Marquardt had fought him once, Chael hadn't, and Chael actually has a very interesting style match-up with Anderson. The way that this guy's looked in his last two fights, he just looks better and better and better. I think it's a very interesting match-up. So whether it's Anderson Silva or Vitor Belfort that wins in Abu Dhabi, I think Chael's a good fight for both of them.”

Sonnen also commented on a fight with either man, saying:

“I hope Anderson wins because I think Vitor's a lot tougher fighter. If I had to choose between the two, I'm going to take the low road and take the easier opponent to get to the championship. I really do mean that, Vitor Belfort, in truth, has never lost a fight in the stand-up realm. The blueprint to beat Vitor's out there, but it's not to stand up with him. I can't wait for that fight, but I am picking Vitor.”

“At the end of the day if you want to get to the top of the card in the UFC, you've got to fight tough guys. If you want to be a fighter and get in the cage and be a big deal at your local strip club, go to Showtime. If you want to fight real guys, this is the place to do it. If I'm in this company, I know they're going to be tough.”

Sonnen will be now forced to sit and wait until April to find out which of the two ultra-talented Brazilian strikers he will meet inside the octagon down the line. Until then we can expect more controversial comments from the Team Quest star in an attempt to make sure the MMA world, and whomever holds the middleweight title, doesn’t forget he’s around.

By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)