The fight between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva during “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” season 3 didn’t last long but is remembered by many.
Silva injured his back and hand during the scuffle, forcing the bout to be moved to UFC 175.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima, a heavyweight from Sonnen’s TUF: Brazil team, was nearby when the brawl happened and recalled what happened when it started.
“I jumped over Wanderlei and held him,” de Lima told the media in Sao Paulo, according to MMA Fighting. “We’re in the fighting business and we’re used to watch fights, but we’re not used with the adrenaline of a scuffle. That was terrible.”
“I worked as security for a long time and I quit because I hated dealing with the scuffles,” he continued. “After the fight, the whole show was really tense. We became closer to each other to not let that happen again. It was tense, but I’m glad that Sonnen was able to deal with it. He’s a great example of an athlete.”
Lima didn’t like Sonnen prior to the reality show but changed his mind.
“We got in there with an image of Chael Sonnen, but everything changed inside the house,” he said. “He’s a good man, very loyal and friendly. I’m really thankful for everything he did for us. We became friends, and Sonnen invited everybody to train with him (in the United States). I think I’m going to California in August to train with Dan Henderson and all the coaches at Team Quest.”
