UFC: 10 Controversial Moments Between Chael Sonnen & Wanderlei Silva

6. Sonnen Claims Silva's Success In Pride Was Fake

While Sonnen has changed his view on several subjects over the years, his view on one subject has yet to change. He remains persistent on the fact that Pride didn't hold legitimate fights. He recently went to the extent of saying "Pride is as fake as Wanderlei Silva's eyebrows". His belief of Pride being fixed means that Silva's dominant run was nothing more than a farce. According to the likes of Mark Coleman and Don Frye, those fights were set up. While it has yet to be truly documented if Pride truly held fixed fights, this remains to be a controversial topic. Silva's legacy was made from his success in Pride. He became an icon from his aggressive style of simply throwing punches without hesitation. He was undefeated from 2000 to 2004 before losing a split decision to Mark Hunt. That bout didn't derail his success, due to Hunt weighing 80 pounds more than him. Everyone believes that fight shouldn't have been sanctioned. Pride was an organization that was still adored by millions of fans across the globe, despite their faults in match making. One of their biggest stars of all-time was Silva and it was his success in Pride that allowed him to sign a lucrative contract to join the UFC. When Sonnen calls his success in Pride as fake, he's basically verbally destroying Silva's legacy. It's not like his 3-6 record in the UFC will be highly promoted in his record.