UFC 148 – Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II preview
It’s time for the big one, the most anticipated rematch in UFC history as middleweights Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen meet once again as the main event of ‘UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II’ and this time, it’s (even more) personal. The UFC middleweight title will again be on the line as reigning champion Silva looks to prove the first time was no fluke and unbreakable challenger Sonnen aims to finish what he started at UFC 117. The time for talking is almost over, so who will emerge with the gold on Saturday, July 7th? Find out after the jump…
Anderson Silva (31-4, 14-0 UFC)
In August 2010, at UFC 117, UFC middleweight kingpin, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva, was for the first time, made to look human inside the Octagon. Was he injured? Was he playing possum for four and a half rounds? Neither matters. The truth is, Chael Sonnen took the fight to ‘The Spider’ and pushed him closer to the edge than anyone before, by a country mile.
After taking Sonnen’s best for much of the fight, Silva locked up a fifth round triangle-choke, forcing the tap heard around the world and has since defended his title a further two times. At UFC 126, ‘The Spider’ almost decapitated Vitor Belfort with that memorable front-kick to the chops, reminding us just how frightening he can be on top form.
Last summer, Silva took to the cage in Rio de Janeiro to defend his title against one of the few men to hold a victory over him, Yushin Okami, at UFC 134 and again, barely broke a sweat as he out-classed the challenger. Anderson toyed with Okami standing and put him away with punches in the second round, leaving the runway clear for the rematch we’ve all been waiting for.
Chael Sonnen (27-11-1, 6-5 UFC)
Love him or hate him, Chael P Sonnen’s gift of the gab and wrestling prowess transformed the Oregon native from also-ran to top-ranked contender overnight, and the self-proclaimed ‘American Gangster’ finally gets his rematch – or in his opinion, his latest title defence, being the ‘true’ UFC middleweight champion.
The seasoned veteran seemed destined to be a footnote in the UFC having made the switch from the WEC, where he had won the middleweight title from Brazilian Paulo Filho, but three dominant decision victories changed all that. Sonnen cruised past Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt, with the latter being an impressive enough showing to earn the wrestler a title shot.
At UFC 117, Sonnen came within a whisker of shocking the mixed martial arts community as he repeatedly took down the usually elusive Silva, hammering away from guard but never coming close to ending the fight. The challenger looked forlorn after being out-foxed in the final round, and worse was to follow as Sonnen was suspended for elevated testosterone levels – along with finding himself in court on money-laundering charges.
After doing his time, Sonnen returned to action last year and promptly took out two top contenders – submitting knockout artist, Brian Stann, and edging out Michael Bisping by split decision on FOX. The time for talking – and Sonnen’s done plenty of that- is finally over; this weekend, it’s time to put up, or shut up, for West Linn’s finest.
The Verdict: There’s an elephant in the room, and it’s time to give its trunk a shake. Comparing the ease in which Sonnen handled the champ for much of the first fight, to the Sonnen who really, really struggled with Michael Bisping, makes one wonder. Bisping is a top-drawer middleweight, no doubt about it – but few would put him on par with Anderson Silva. So, either Silva was genuinely carrying an injury when the two first met, or post-PEDs Sonnen is not the same beast at all.
Let’s face it, Sonnen may be tightening up his BJJ game with Vinny Magalhaes, but the American is hardly going to go all out in search of submission and while he had success standing with Silva at UFC 117, the champ is always one shot away from ending the fight. Sonnen is going to follow the same blue-print that got him so close to the gold last time out, but this time will probably take fewer risks from guard.
A lot of weight is being put on Silva’s demeanour at the press conference, with many feeling the champ’s anger will be his undoing. On the contrary, the last time ‘The Spider’ got mad, he decimated Vitor Belfort. Sonnen won’t go easily, but Silva will draw a line under the rivalry in style and force-feed the wrestler a few pounds of humble pie. Silva, (T)KO, 3rd round.
By Steve Davies.
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