Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Anderson Silva stormed out of a press conference yesterday after threatening to break the arms and legs of controversial rival Chael Sonnen.
The Brazilian mixed martial arts star finally hit out after months of taunting from Sonnen, who has been repeatedly targeting his rival since the pair last fought two years ago.
Sonnen was fined and suspended for a year in the aftermath of their first bout after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels, and a fired-up Silva branded his rival 'a criminal'
"What I'm going to do inside the octagon is something that's gonna change the image of the sport," Silva warned through a translator.
"I'm going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broke, his legs are broke. He's not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon.
"He's disrespectful, he's a criminal and I'm going to beat him like he's never been beaten before. I'm not playing anymore."
The conference call, to promote the pair's forthcoming title fight at UFC 148 next month, came to an abrupt halt after Silva was disconnected, with reports from his fight camp claiming he stormed out of the room in anger.
It was an uncharacteristic outburst from the normally mild-mannered Silva - who is undefeated since winning the title in 2006, including a defence against Demian Maia in Abu Dhabi in 2010.
Relations between the Brazilian and Sonnen have been cool since the aftermath of their bout two years ago, where Sonnen was leading on points for four rounds before being caught in a submission with less than two minutes of the fight remaining.
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