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Overrated Anderson Silva is a 'fake' - Sonnen

Anderson Silva was given a hard night by Chael Sonnen © Getty Images

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Chael Sonnen has continued his verbal assault on UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, labelling him a "fake" who is "not a great striker".

Sonnen came closer than anybody to inflicting a first UFC defeat on Silva at UFC 117, winning four rounds before being caught in a last-ditch submission attempt by the Brazilian.

The American has not fought since due to personal issues, which led to a suspension from the sport. However, Sonnen is free to compete again and will begin his road back to a title shot when he fights Brian Stann at UFC 136.

The ultimate aim is a rematch with Silva, which he could even get with victory over Stann, and Sonnen is convinced the man most people rate as the best pound-for-pounder in the world, is not worthy of the praise.

"I think everyone just needs to take the fight to him. Everyone always says Anderson's such a great fighter, well who ever fought him?" Sonnen said to Five Knuckles. "Who ever stepped in range and got in a fight with this guy?

"This guy can't box. This guy's boxing skills are amateur at best. I'd knock this guy through the ropes in a boxing match.

"So when I'm watching the tape of him, I said, 'This is real simple. Get this guy in a fist fight, it's the first one he'll have ever been in.' So I walked right across the ring and stuck a fist right in his teeth. And that's the big difference. I don't think anybody's put a hand on him. They all stayed out of range and they all danced around.

"His skills are fake. He is not a great striker. He's a striker, he's got some good reach and he's pretty athletic, but he's not some great striker. He couldn't make an Olympic team in boxing or something like that. It's just silly."

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