Anderson Silva vs. Jake Paul takes place on October 29th at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ on Showtime PPV. In their pre-fight press conference, they shared the stage along with Logan Paul and Chael Sonnen, the former foe-turned-friend of Silva.
During the conference, Sonnen asked Silva jokingly if he needed any backup as the Paul brothers have outnumbered him. Silva replied putting an arm over Chael’s shoulder:
“You never come to my house, to my barbecue, man. Why?”
Silva referred to the invitation that he offered Sonnen when they met the last time in the octagon. Chael’s over-the-top mic skills and trash-talking ability are among the best.
Sonnen explained that he thought at that time that Silva was just being polite.
“I didn’t think it was a sincere offer. If I knew I was really invited—and then I didn’t know if your wife forgave me. It was a whole thing. That’s the real answer, why I didn’t come.”
During their rivalry, Sonnen left no stone unturned and tried in every way possible just to get under the skin of Silva. The American even took jabs at Silva’s wife and his country, Brazil.
However, Silva responded by saying that he’d still want Chael to join him and his family for the BBQ. Fight fans were very delighted to see the friendly exchange between the two legends of the sport.
One user left a comment: “So beautiful watching Silva and Chael hug it out like good old friends. Made my day.”
While another fan wrote: “As a long time fan, it was heartwarming seeing Anderson and Chael showing each other love.”
Anderson Silva Still Has the BBQ Invitation Open for Chael Sonnen
Anderson Silva and his beef with Chael Sonnen were one of the infamous rivalries that the sport has ever seen. Back in their time in the UFC, Sonnen was notorious for his heel persona and his skills on the mic.
The ‘American Gangster’ knew his way how to get in the minds of his opponents and that’s how he got the title shot against the then UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.
However, it seems despite the portrayal of the arch-nemesis and years-long animosity, Silva and Sonnen have buried their rivalry a long time ago. In their rematch back in 2012, the ‘Spider’ was very happy to offer a friendly hand to Sonnen, despite all the trash-talks from Chael.
After winning the rematch, Silva told Sonnen:
“If you’d like to have a barbecue at my house, I’d love to have you over for a barbecue.”
However, it seems Chael never showed up for the invitation.
After retiring from MMA, Anderson Silva transitioned to boxing and showcased his legendary talents in this sport too. Meanwhile, Sonnen retired from the sport in 2019 and now does podcasts on his YouTube channel and also works as a commentary team member for multiple combat sports.
After all these years, the two legends got a chance to share the stage at a recent Showtime press event for the PPV match, where Sonnen was on MC duties. Anderson Silva takes on Jake Paul in a boxing match where Silva will show his boxing prowess one more time, this time against the famous internet star-turned-boxer.