Sonnen: Wand an invalid, Belfort a chicken

"I don't get it," said the quotable native of West Linn, Ore. "I've been wrestling since I was nine years old. Not once have a missed a competition due to illness or injury. You say you'll do something and the competition is set. That's it. You show up. My dad was a plumber. That's hard work. He never missed a day of work. I will never disrespect him by not showing up for an athletic competition that has a maximum duration of 25 minutes. There should be forfeiture if you have to pull out of a fight. If you don't show up, it should be a loss on your record.

As an example, Sonnen singles out Vitor Belfort, who pulled out of last month's UFC 147 bout in Brazil with Wanderlei Silva, a card which Silva-Sonnen was slated to headline before that bout was moved to Nevada

"Vitor Belfort pulls out of more fights than he agrees to," Sonnen said. "He's fantastic, but he's such a chicken and he's such a liar. To say you're going to fight, to sell tickets, to sign your name, to film the TV show, and then to pull out? Against an invalid? That's insane. It's shocking they're able to say that with a straight face. My opinion of Wanderlei is constantly evolving, because as atrocious as he is skills-wise, he shows up and fights. He goes hard in spite of the lack of talent and gives the fans his best."