Dana White informed Chael Sonnen about Anderson Silva fight after announcing it, recalls fighter

Chael Sonnen has revealed an intriguing story about his first phone call with Dana White.

Sonnen explained how his maiden UFC title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in August 2010 materialized. He also drew parallels between that matchup and the upcoming Glover Teixeira-Jamahal Hill fight.

In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen recalled that UFC president Dana White had already announced the Silva fight on SportsCenter before informing him (Sonnen).

On that note, Sonnen alluded to the split draw between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 earlier this month. The draw resulted in neither fighter winning the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.

During the UFC 282 post-fight press conference, White surprisingly announced that the UFC had already booked the Hill-Teixeira matchup for the vacant title. He also announced that it'll take place at UFC 283 on 21st January, 2023.

While Jamahal Hill has suggested that he was notified of the UFC's matchmaking decision before the announcement, Chael Sonnen feels Hill wasn't informed beforehand.

Referencing an Instagram video that Jamahal Hill posted — in which he excitedly addressed the fight announcement — Chael Sonnen noted that Hill's reaction was genuine.

"Jamahal was not notified that he was going to be fighting Glover, period — let alone in a month, let alone for a world championship. He found out when we found out. And I think you might think that's interesting.

"First time I ever got a call from Dana, Dana thought my name was 'Cael Sonen.' And when he called me the first time, I don't have his phone number. It pops up. He said, 'Cael, it's Dana.' And I said, 'Hey.' And he said, 'You want to fight Anderson Silva.' And I said, 'Yeah, I'll fight Anderson Silva.' And he goes, 'Good 'cause I just announced it on SportsCenter.'"

Watch Sonnen discuss the topic at 10:40 in the video below:

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Ex-UFC fighter on Dana White's 'no-f***s-given' mentality reflected in the title fight announcement

In an edition of the Weighing In podcast, former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson spoke about Dana White's nonchalant title fight announcement after the gruelling matchup between Blachowicz and Ankalaev. Thomson pointed out that White didn't care about them despite their five-round war.

'The Punk' noted that Dana White immediately announced another title fight, as he simply wants a new champion crowned to better promote the UFC's pay-per-views.

"Dana never gave a f**k. These guys are still in the back getting stitched up and putting ice on their shins and f***ing Dana's announcing the next title shot in the weight class they just fought for."

Watch Thomson's assessment at 1:53 in the video below: