Chael Sonnen blasts Jacare Souza for turning down title fight

It wasn’t too long ago that former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman withdrew from his UFC 199 rematch with Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title.

Immediately there was a debate as to whether Jacare Souza or Michael Bisping would get to step in on short notice and fight Luke Rockhold. Unfortunately for Jacare, he would need to undergo knee surgery, making him unable to accept the fight. Ultimately, Bisping agreed to the fight, and will now fight Rockhold next Saturday.

Chael Sonnen spoke on The MMA Hour to discuss the situation:

“I don’t like it,” Sonnen said Monday on The MMA Hour. “Man, I don’t like it. Everybody says they want these opportunities.

“[Souza] is great. I would never make believe that he’s not. But the bottom line is, the word is ‘yes.’ If you want an opportunity in America, when one comes, you need to know one word and that is ‘yes.’ The difference between Michael Bisping and everybody else is one word: ‘yes.’ When the opportunity came, that’s what he said. ‘Jacare’ is hurt? Look, fine, I’m sure he is hurt after that long, drawn-out war he just had with Vitor. You think Michael Bisping isn’t hurt? Of course he’s hurt. Whether he advertising it or not, he goes in and fights men everyday. There’s no way to not be hurt. Who gives a damn if you’re hurt, man? You’re either a tough guy or you aren’t.”

That’s what this is really about,” Sonnen said. “We’re not worried about who the best fighter is. There’s no way to know. It’s too speculative. All we’re trying to find out is who is the toughest guy in the world, at this weight class, in this set of rules, on this specific day. If you come forward and you go, ‘I can’t even make the walk, I’m not even tough enough to make the walk,’ fair enough, but you’re now out of the conversation. They should take you out of the rankings.”