As usual, Chael Sonnen stepped up as a last-minute replacement to try and salvage a UFC pay-per-view event.

While Sonnen vs. Mauricio Rua wasn’t in the cards for UFC 161, the light heavyweight match up is now headlining UFC on FOX Sports 1: #1 in August.

Speaking from his desk job as an analyst for FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight, Sonnen explained why he felt a fight with “Shogun” made sense (transcription via MMA Mania).

"I went after Wanderlei and I was quite candid, I went after Wanderlei because he's the worst guy I could find, record-wise. He's the worst fighter in the UFC,” Sonnen said.

"I know what you're thinking. ‘What about ‘Cro Cop?'' You're right, ‘Cro Cop' was terrible, but, Wanderlei's record was actually a bit worse. I couldn't get Wanderlei, so I said, ‘Why don't I fight the guy that destroyed Wanderlei for years in the practice room?'

Following a devastating TKO loss to 205-pound champ Jon Jones at UFC 159 last month, Sonnen called out long-time rival Wanderlei Silva, eventually giving him a 24-hour deadline to accept his challenge via Twitter.

While “The Axe Murderer” welcomed the opportunity to fight the notorious trash talker, it was several days after Sonnen issued his challenge and UFC officials never seemed keen on the bout anyway.

Also worth noting is that Wanderlei has a 5-7 record under the UFC banner, while Sonnen is just one win better with a 6-6 record inside the Octagon.

He is a bit more reasonable with his criticism of Mirko Filipovic, as the former PRIDE star had just a 4-6 record in the UFC.

As far as his end of summer bout with “Shogun,” Sonnen said he has no malice toward the former UFC titleholder.

"And that brings us to ‘Shogun.' I like ‘Shogun.' I have nothing against ‘Shogun,' this is just good solid competition. But, Wanderlei did this to you ‘Shogun.'"

Will Sonnen prove to be relevant at 205-pounds with a win over Rua or will the Brazilian veteran have one more vintage performance left in the tank?