Wanderlei Silva cancels on scheduled Bellator NYC press conference with Chael Sonnen

A second attempt to put Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva in the same room to promote Bellator NYC has failed.

The Viacom-owned promotion last week announced a press conference for Thursday in Los Angeles to promote the long-awaited clash June 24 at Madison Square Garden, but Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has pulled out, telling Bellator officials he is under the weather and can’t attend.

A Bellator official confirmed the news today to MMAjunkie, asking for anonymity because the news had not yet been made public. MMAjunkie was unable to reach Silva for comment, and Sonnen (29-14-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) did not immediately respond to a text message.

With Silva out, a conference call is in the works to promote the event. Bellator officials expect Silva and Sonnen to participate.

Bellator NYC is the promotion’s second venture into pay-per-view. Sonnen and Silva headline over a re-booking between former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione.

So far, it’s been a chore to get Silva stateside. He no-showed the first press conference for Bellator NYC, claiming he couldn’t make the gathering because he was training for the fight, which forced officials to connect him via satellite. Sonnen called out the former Brazilian PRIDE champ, leading to a lewd back-and-forth during the March gathering.

The June 24 grudge match is Silva’s first fight in four years. He was scheduled to meet Sonnen at UFC 175 for a season-ending coaches fight after “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” but was scratched from the card after he evaded a drug test.

Silva later admitted to having a banned substance in his system and was given a staggering lifetime ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who at the time sought to make harsher anti-doping punishments. Silva fought back, challenging the decision in court, and succeeded when a judge ruled the ban “arbitrary and capricious” and ordered the NSAC to re-hear his case. After several delays, the NYSAC modified its punishment, suspending Silva for three years. He then signed with Bellator and was matched against Sonnen.

For more on Bellator NYC, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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