When SWR commented Wednesday on Chael Sonnen's return to the light heavyweight division, we were somewhat dismissive of the possibility that the former No. 1 middleweight contender could challenge Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Clearly, the "Gangster From America" is of a different mind on the subject, as he included a potshot at Jones while announcing his return to light heavyweight against Forrest Griffin on December 29 at UFC 155.
"I could go up to 205 and take Jon Jones' belt the same way I could take his candy on Halloween," Sonnen said on Fuel TV, "or any little punk kid."
The remarks certainly got the attention of Jones, who responded to Sonnen with a series of postings on his Twitter account (@JonnyBones), most of which have since been deleted.
"You call me a punk," Jones tweeted, "I'm more man than you'll ever be. #Coward #Cheater."
Jones also referenced Sonnen's loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 148, saying, "You disrespected Anderson and his country but fought like a child."
Sonnen responded from his own Twitter account (@sonnench), mocking Jones' new deal with Nike and his arrest for driving under the influence. "Boarding plane to Oregon now," Sonnen tweeted, "home of your corporate wage masters. Next time you are in town, knock on my door. Don't drive."
The back-and-forth between the "Gangster From America" and the UFC Light Heavyweight champion was a fun diversion on a Wednesday afternoon, but the question now is whether the Twitter skirmish could lead to a more significant battle in the Octagon.
Given the current state of the light heavyweight division, there are probably worse ideas. Jones is set to defend his title against Dan Henderson on September 1 at UFC 151, and the man waiting in the wings as the next top contender, Lyoto Machida, is a man that Jones has already beaten. There will be more young contenders rising through the ranks in the near future - Phil Davis, Glover Teixeira and Alexander Gustafsson chief among them - but at the moment, Jones is at a point in his reign where there's some scarcity of compelling challengers. Given the current landscape, he could do far worse than a battle with the verbose Sonnen in terms of fan interest and pay-per-view buys.
Of course, to make all of this happen, Sonnen is going to have to beat Griffin at UFC 155, something he failed to do when they met at an IFC tournament in 2003. Also, by that point, Gustafsson will have met Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and if the "Mauler" is able to beat the former champion, he could find himself next in line for Jones. It could also be Teixeira after his fight with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson this fall. The UFC doesn't have many options right now for Jones, but it will have them soon.
Will it be too soon for Chael Sonnen? Time will tell.
