They say it’s not classy to kick a man when he’s down. Well, how about kicking a man when he’s injured (again)?
Chael Sonnen (pictured) clearly had plenty of time on his hands Halloween night, so he decided to put his stomping boots on. MMA’s most lethal smack talker unleashed an extended Twitter tirade on injury-prone Antonio Rogerio Nogueira for pulling out of his March 8 fight with Alexander Gustafsson just five days after the UFC announced the matchup.
Sonnen’s beef with the Brazilians dates way back to his heated rivalry with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Speaking of beef, the serious tension started with his whole “medium rare” comment directed towards Silva’s wife.
Of course, there’s been plenty of verbal jabs thrown at Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and both Nogueira brothers along the way.
Nogueira has competed in the UFC since November 2009. However, due to various injuries has only fought six times inside the Octagon. The longest the 37-year-old went without a scrap during his UFC tenure was 14 months.
The light heavyweight hasn’t been seen since taking a decision win over former champion Rashad Evans in February. Nogueira’s latest setback is expected to keep him sidelined until May.
“Little Nog” has withdrawn from five UFC bouts due to intimate relationship with the injury bug: Brandon Vera at UFC 109 (fractured ankle), Rich Franklin at UFC 133 (shoulder), Gustafsson at UFC on Fuel TV 2 (knee), Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 161 (back) and Gustafsson again (lingering back issue).
Here is what Uncle Chael wrote during last night’s three-hour rant:
Lil Nog: the only man who has ‘no-showed’ more times than Axl Rose.
He fights less than Ghandi
FOR SALE: MMA GLOVES
Never used. Contact Lil’ Nog,
1 Fragile Chicken Road,
No-Show, BrazilHe signs his contracts in disappearing ink
He gets hurt more than Johnny Knoxville
Too bad he can’t list his profession as “Fight Avoider” on his tax return
Maybe Dos Santos can lend Lil Nog his heart while his face heals
He’s the “Carmen Sandiego” of MMA
Instead of a contract, Joe Silva faxes him a Missing Person’s Report
it’s Halloween. Lil’ Nog went as a FIGHTER … But he didn’t fool anybody and got no candy