UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is called the best fighter out there by many. Chael Sonnen isn't one of those people.

Saturday night, Silva and Sonnen will meet for the second time in the main event of UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II.

While Sonnen has used his words to get inside the head of Silva, it's been "The Spider" firing off several verbal tirades as of late. Sonnen, however, does actually have respect for Silva, despite all his bad words.

"I've watched both his fights and I thought he would lose them both, and he won them both dominantly," said Sonnen, in a recent interview with UFC.com. "So in my mind, he's better than I gave him credit for. I like to be fair. I'm not delusional, he is a good little fighter."

Sonnen, as only he can, went on to say, "I am a world-class athlete and there's a huge difference." Sonnen won four rounds in the first meeting, but Silva scored a submission with just two minutes left in the match.

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