According to Chael Sonnen, he now has two boxing fights lined up.
Sonnen is set to face former rival Anderson Silva in a 216-pound boxing match June 15 in São Paulo, Brazil. Sonnen says their professional bout is scheduled for four three-minute rounds.
But Sonnen says he also will lace up the gloves against former UFC star Jorge Masvidal later in the year. Sonnen and Masvidal have traded barbs in the past after Masvidal called him a steroid cheat and threatened to break his orbital bone. Sonnen says Masvidal’s threats led to him being put in a separate location during UFC 299 in Miami to avoid a potential run-in.
“Anderson said for Chael to pick the rule set, and it was just a situation where I’ve always wanted to box,” Sonnen said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “I’ve got this thing coming up with Jorge Masvidal.
“If we’re just letting all these secrets out, I’ve got this thing coming up with Jorge Masvidal in October of this year, and that thing has been coming up ever since ESPN sequestered me in Miami at UFC 299 to try to protect me from Masvidal. There was nothing that hurt my ego more than me being the one that was being locked down, and I only share that with you because I’ve known this Masvidal thing was coming.”
Masvidal is currently booked for a boxing match of his own. He faces Nate Diaz in a 10-round 175-pound fight July 6 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
“When you let the cat out of the bag, the Masvidal vs. Diaz, I don’t want to step on Diaz’s toes,” Sonnen said. “He’s got that fight. … I’ve got Jorge in my sights and Anderson, as badly as I want to beat him, as much as I am going to go out there and beat him, it’s all a step in the process because when I get in there with Masvidal, it’s going to be eight rounds and they are going to have the 10- or 12-ounce gloves. It’s going to be a little bit of a different situation.”
