Anderson Silva reflects on squashing beef with Chael Sonnen: ‘He’s not a bad guy’

Anderson Silva is happy that his relationship with Chael Sonnen is on far better terms these days.

At one time, Silva and Sonnen had the most intense rivalry in all of combat sports. Sonnen made his share of disparaging remarks about Silva and Brazil to the point where the UFC brass feared for his safety. Ultimately, Silva defeated Sonnen twice inside the Octagon and the two squashed their beef. By the time Silva and Sonnen fought once more inside a boxing ring, there was no animosity at all.

Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Silva said his current relationship with Sonnen is an example of the beauty of sports.

“It’s amazing because sports do that, martial arts do that for us,” Silva explained. “I’m so happy because I [fought] with Chael two times [in the UFC], and when I accepted the exhibition fight in Brazil with Chael, I [was] so happy because Chael came to fight with me in Brazil, and the people, the Brazilian fans can see how Chael is a good man. He’s not a bad guy.

“And this [perception of him] changed completely and a lot of people now know Chael — the real Chael — and this is so amazing. It’s fantastic.”

While Sonnen is done competing, Silva continues to swing leather. “The Spider” will share the ring with fellow ex-UFC star Tyron Woodley on Friday. The two will have a boxing match on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua. Silva is the betting favorite going into the bout, although it should be an intriguing matchup given that both men are savvy veterans who like to counter punch.

BJPenn.com will be providing coverage of the Paul vs. Joshua card. Join us on the homepage for video highlights of Paul vs. Joshua, as well as Silva vs. Woodley. We’ll also be bringing you post-fight tidbits.