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Stephan Bonnar took the Anderson Silva fight because of Silva’s many Twitter followers
Stephan Bonnar stepped up when the UFC needed an opponent. Two UFC 153 fights had fallen apart: Jose Aldo's bout with Frankie Edgar and Glover Teixeria's fight with Quinton Jackson. Bonnar jumped into the main event spot at UFC 153 against Anderson Silva. Though that fight seems a bit crazy for Bonnar, there's a reason why he took Silva instead of Teixeira.
Twitter followers.
The mostly-retired Bonnar said the UFC originally offered Teixeira, but he reminded them of his rule.
"I said, 'You know my rule. If I'm going to do this again, he's got to have more Twitter followers than me.' I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. That's how I feel. That's a measure of someone's popularity, and I just want a bigger name. The last three opponents, I've had more Twitter followers than them, and I've beat them, and I feel like I deserve a bigger name now. I really don't have an interest in fighting an up-and-comer type, guys who are climbing their way up and people don't really know how good they are."
But Silva? He and his 2,549,212 followers make the cut. Bonnar didn't think his manager would be able to make that fight. But the fight was made, and the news spread quickly. Bonnar finally confirmed it with UFC president Dana White on Friday.
Not long after, Bonnar started doing his specialized training for Silva.
