https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5waenm4SpQ As mentioned TUF Brazil 3 did not go as expected. Why? Well, I'd say the fans in Brazil were in on the joke by now. Sonnen was saying things to get under fighter's skins, but he didn't mean them. The truth had really come out during his coaching stint against Jon Jones, where Sonnen proved to be a caring coach and decent human being, while Jones came off as childish and arrogant. TUF Brazil 3 continued this trend. And then the things really exploded, when Wanderlei Silva sparked an on-set brawl. It's been talked to death really, but Sonnen asks Silva for the date of their official fight, and Silva responds with "how about now" - to which Sonnen warns, in a very serious way, "I can't let you get close." There were questions as to whether it was staged, and again, with the Chael show, who knows - but it looks legit. Silva moves in, Sonnen ducks him and takes him down, and team members pile on. Sonnen wound up sucker punched by Team Silva coach Andre Dida, something Dida bragged about later - which infuriated Dana White and most onlookers. After the confrontation, a funny thing happened - fans in Brazil began siding with Sonnen. Wanderlei Silva, a legend of Pride and a star in his home country, was booed when his name was mentioned at the TUF Brazil 3 finale. Sonnen, for his part, was cheered - Silva watched the event from a bar, according to fan reports. A survey of Brazilian fans also showed a majority sided with Chael. Chael had gone face, He wasn't the self-proclaimed "bad guy" anymore - actually, he was the good guy.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.