Chael Sonnen Claims Fans Were Booing At ‘UFC 200: Tate Vs. Nunes’ Because They Wanted Anderson Silva To Knock Out Daniel Cormier

UFC 2oo: Tate vs. Nunes was considered one of the most underwhelming pay-per-views UFC has ever aired, simply because the hype did not meet up with expectations. As a result, many who attended the premier event booed vigorously throughout it, but Chael Sonnen claims fans were booing at UFC 200 because they wanted to see Anderson Silva knock out Daniel Cormier.

According to an interview conducted with MMA Fighting, Chael Sonnen — a former UFC fighter and current ESPN analyst — stated that fans were not upset with Cormier’s dependence on wrestling strategy because it is his “bread and butter,” but that Anderson Silva did not beat the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in phenomenal fashion, which is often synonymous with fights featuring “The Spider” in the first place.

“That’s a misunderstanding. The fans didn’t care what Daniel did. The fans wanted to see Daniel get knocked out. And they knew that was not going to happen. They had no problem with the way he fought. They just wanted him to lose. That’s all that happened there. Brock [Lesnar] had the same game plan and they were happy as could be, because they wanted Brock to win.”

To be frank, many UFC fans who hoped Anderson Silva would knock out Daniel Cormier understand why he did not get the job done. First and foremost, Anderson Silva is coming in just two days before the pay-per-view. Putting aside any training Silva may have had prior to his fight against Cormier, his two days of preparation would pale in comparison to the months of training Cormier had. Even if the training was specifically for Jon Jones, it is still considered better than the two days Silva had.

As for fans wanting Daniel Cormier getting knocked out, Chael Sonnen covered that as well too. Apparently, fans like “bad guys” and “villains” in UFC or any MMA organization for that matter. That is why Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, and Conor McGregor are so popular. They talk trash and often show a cocky attitude either through character acting for promotion or not. Daniel Cormier is considered a “great guy,” a real role model per se, and Chael Sonnen considers this fact to detrimental.

“The biggest thing with DC is he wants to be liked and you’ve got good guys and you’ve got bad guys. DC is neither. He’s a great guy. Daniel is truly in a class of his own. If you interact or you hang out around town with Daniel Cormier, he treats everybody really well. He’s a great human being. And he wants people to see that and that seems to be the turn off, in my opinion.”

It is also possible that UFC fans are upset that Jon Jones was not the one to knock out Daniel Cormier after he tested dirty for an illegal substance, which turned out to be estrogen blockers, just days before the pay-per-view. Many UFC fans, or MMA fans in general, believe Cormier is not a legitimate champion because he did not defeat Jones. Ergo, many actually shun him, boo him whenever he fights. Until Cormier actually defends his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship successfully against Jones, many will most-likely not recognize him. Guess Daniel Cormier will have to wait for Jon Jones even if he says he won’t.

Until then, UFC fans and the MMA community in general are anticipating anyone, not just Anderson Silva, to knock out “DC.”

[AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File]