Chael Sonnen: I would have preferred to stay away from Rashad Evans

Chael Sonnen is never one to shy away from a challenge, but even “The Bad Guy” admits he’d have preferred to avoid a conflict with former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

“If there’s a fighter I would have chosen to stay away from, it would have been Rashad,” Sonnen told MMAjunkie.

Sonnen (29-13-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and Evans (18-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) meet in the co-main event of Saturday’s “UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks” event, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and airs live on pay-per-view.

It’s not, of course, that Sonnen fears Evans. Quite the opposite, in fact. The two are actually frequent co-hosts on FOX Sports’ coverage of the UFC and have admitted mutual respect for each other. But in a sport where friends have often expressed a severe disinterest in meeting inside the cage, Sonnen said it’s impossible for the two high-profile fighters to avoid such an appointment.

“We’re not going to send a message to the younger guys or the other guys that it’s OK to avoid matchups,” Sonnen said. “It’s not. You’ve got to go out and compete.”

In the video, Sonnen also discusses his upcoming role as coach on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” his predictions for this weekend’s UFC 167 event and why UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is likely in for the toughest test of his career.