Vindication. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)
Love him or hate him, Chael Sonnen did what few other men in the sport have been able to accomplish: he made you believe he could take out Anderson Silva. Whether it was his pre-fight promises to dump the champion on his ‘prissy little ass’ or the ease with which he did so in the opening round, for the first time in a long time you doubted Silva’s invincibility. In a time when injuries and injunctions have quashed the UFC’s most emotionally-charged and meaningful fights, ‘The American Gangster’ would not shut his mouth until you were convinced that his fight mattered. To be fair, he never shut his mouth; it was shut for him.
For those who think he’s bad for the sport, you should have checked your pulse when he worked his way to mount. It raced. You should check the ticket sales for this event. It’s a new US record. You should think back to so many of Anderson’s other battles marred by inaction in the cage and indifference in the champ. They sucked. You don’t have to root for the bad guy, but someone has to lose these fights, and it may as well be a loud-mouthed son of a bitch who refers to himself in the third person.
Anderson may not be flying home with the pocket full of Sonnen’s teeth that he desired, but he will be toting an extra twelve pounds of gold. Though he may be slightly disappointed, he’ll have a much easier time getting through airport security.
Seconds into his rematch with Chael, “The Spider” found himself in a familiar spot. The champ spent much of his first fight with Sonnen on his back getting walloped, and the first round last night was no different. A survivor of war-torn West Linn, Sonnen showed no fear as he brought the fight to Silva right from the opening bell, but as he learned in their first encounter it’s how you finish that matters most, and once again Chael came in second place in an ass-kicking contest.
You can point to vaseline or shorts-grabbing or ‘illegal’ knees–and you will–but right now Silva is the best in the world. He has been for a long time, and he will continue to be so until someone takes him out. Who could possibly do it? I have no clue. Silva is so far ahead of the rest of the pack that none of his potential opponents seem credible, and it’s tough to get excited for a title fight when you don’t believe that the challenger can do the unthinkable. I was excited for this fight. Thanks again, Chael.
Silva’s victory sets two UFC records—most consecutive title defenses (10) and most consecutive wins (15). His $75k “Knockout of the Night” check puts him one bonus shy of tying Chris Lytle‘s record 10 UFC Performance Bonuses.
Check out: “UFC 148: Silva vs Sonnen” Aftermath (Part Two): Seizing (And Destroying) the Moment
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commentsCheck out this article about Silva http://www.ufcfightblogger.com/news/ufc-148-press-conference-delayed-due-argument-between-anderson-silva-dana-white/
Wasn't that long ago that I remember many people saying that "if there is a man to beat Jon jones, it was him". I would apply that to silva (loosely).
1. Why did Chael just sit there after he fell down? If he was scared shitless, okay, I would be too... but natural human instinct is then to flee, not to wait around for the ass kicking to arrive.
2. How much does Seagal pay fighters to pretend he taught them something? Silva seemed almost annoyed by his presence. Its clearly a paid promotion.
3. Silva vs Jones... when? Dana, you can have my money right now.
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By the by, I think the fight was stopped far too early.
He used an illegal technique to gain advantage of the situation that ends up putting him in a position that wins the fight and he barely gets a warning
I will call that even.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chael_Sonnen
Check the facts my friend.
(Karma is a bitch for Mr Sonnen)
CSAC Suspensions and Appeals
Urinalysis conducted after his loss to Anderson Silva showed Sonnen had an unallowably high testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 16.9:1 at the time of the fight. An average man has a T/E ratio of 1:1, and testing bodies may allow a ratio as high as 4:1 for athletes. In other words, Sonnen's T/E ratio was nearly 17 times than a normal man's and over four times the allowed maximum for an athlete.] He was fined $2,500 and suspended for one year (until September 2, 2011) by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). His scheduled rematch with Silva was subsequently cancelled.
Sonnen is Sonnen's own worst enemy. Physical Tools - Check, Mental Tools - Uncheck. Sonnen proved he has what it takes to at least ride the Silva horse all the way through 4 and-a-half rounds. And could have ridden it farther if Sonnen would have not given Silva an out. In the fifth Sonnen allowed Silva right wrist control for the better of 5 seconds which is more than enough for a Triangle and/or Arm Bar. Chael beat Chael
Round one of last nights fight Sonnen again proved he could at will toss Silva to the blood soaked advertised leaden canvas. And showed he could thwart Silva's "spider legs" and pound a nice sized mud puddle in Silva's forehead. Last nights round two was first fight round five with new packaging but the same taste, Sonnen attempts yet another take down except this time Silva had a better position and was able to stave off the attack. Instead of Chael standing and banging long enough to setup another take down, Chael goes into panic mode albeit unwarranted and bewildering at the same time. Sonnen attempted a miserable out of position spinning "something" which as we all know did not connect and spun Chael on to the ground. YOU COULD SEE IT IN HIS EYES, Sonnen was finished for some reason he appeared to be out of his element, scard if you will. To me there are two Chael Sonnen's and we got to see both last night. It's been documented before that in May Chael went to see a sports psychologist as he knows there is an issue which needs addressed and remedied. There was hypnosis and counselling performed, just don't think it was enough or the right kind. Maybe he doesn't possess the ability to live in the ring at a championship level. If he can get a handle on the psychological component of his game, abilities permitting, he can dominate. Will he get a handle on it remains to be seen. Regardless I am still a Chael fan, he is an amazing athlete and a resident of the Pacific Northwest!
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I'm not saying you should have assumed it was all over for the champ (the first fight taught us that), but if you saw Silva mounted and had the same incredible confidence in him that you did as he toyed with Maia or Leites, something is wrong. Chael brought the fight to him. Chael lost. I'm not saying Chael is better, because he's not, but it shouldn't pain you to admit that he's looked far better against Silva than anyone else in the UFC.
You can bet big that Master Seagal is now the most sought out adviser, strategist, and tactician in all of unified MMA.
Now let's stop all this non-sense Jean LeBell talk. There is a reason the man wears pink!
I am positive that so is the cost and time de-vouted to the hype before the fight. It's a simple game of numbers for these record sales you point to.
Let me be (fat bellied) Frank, the fight was not all that. Rd 1., the champ was pinned down and mounted, but we have seen that 5 rounds before - he was not beat up last night.
Rd 2., Chael shot his wad on a spinning back fist that failed and was the root of his own demise. Good fight, not even much of a fight.
The Mendez solar-plex shot in less than a minute was a much display of martial arts. But like Chael never being able to beat Anderson, Mendez won't ever beat Aldo.
My point to you, don't get too wrapped up into the money the UFC, that's purely a calculated game of numbers. It would mean something if the fighters on the card earned a fat piece of their labors.
Instead, Dana will get a new Ferrari. And that is not such big news.
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