Just when you thought it was all over… Chael Sonnen to appeal latest loss to Anderson Silva following thigh to the face (UPDATED)
It has today been revealed that former two-time UFC middleweight title contender, Chael Sonnen will be appealing his UFC 148 second round TKO loss to Anderson Silva this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, following the knee thrown in anger towards a downed opponent.
Sonnen plans to file an appeal against his loss to “The Spider” with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), claiming Silva’s crushing knee intended to strike the head of a downed opponent. The news was revealed by Jonathan Snowden who passed along the news to The MMA Show cast and crew.
The appeal comes in stark contrast to Sonnen’s post-fight comments, who not only admitted to joining his Brazilian nemesis in a clothing tug-of-war, but also downplayed the intentions of the knee that signalled the beginning of the end to his championship rematch.
“Yeah, Anderson grabbed my trunks but I grabbed his right back. It goes both ways. We can’t sit and nit pick some of that stuff. It’s a two man sport. It’s kind of like moving the chains in football, it evens itself out. What goes around comes around. Anderson grabbed my shorts tonight, I’ll grab someone else’s shorts down the road.”
On the knee on the ground:
“You know, I don’t make those decisions and I hate those rules anyway. You know, I’m an old school guy before we had rounds and weight classes and all that stuff. We’re in a lot better spot now, I don’t propose we should go back to that but I don’t care about legal or illegal. I could see him, I could see it coming. That’s just the way it goes.”
Sonnen was invited to a barbeque by Silva following the fight as the two men finally showed each other the respect they deserved but I guess that offer will now be withdrawn and new battle lines be set out for the coming months in the media as the trash-talking extraordinaire once again goes on the verbal offensive. Stay tuned to MMABay for more news on this as we get it.
UPDATE:
Scott McQuarry, a coach of Chael Sonnen, appears to be the one filing an appeal on the trash-talkers behalf and told Bleacher Report earlier today:
”Chael’s not the kind of guy who likes to complain after a fight. I felt I needed to take this action to protect him. At the point of impact, Anderson had his hand locked in the cage and his feet left the ground. We believe his intentions were clear.”
“We started the process of filing a complaint with the Nevada Athletic Commission. We believe the knee that Anderson Silva threw was illegal with the clear intent to strike the face. And it did in fact connect with the face. Chael bit his tongue and needed eight stitches.”
“I think it did make a difference in the outcome. I know that Chael grabbed Silva’s shorts briefly too in response, but not for 15 seconds and two punches. They need to call the UFC. We need a rematch. Chael is a great champion and deserves a fair fight.”
The executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, told MMAJunkie.com:
“Anybody can file an appeal, but as you know, the referee’s decision is final. He’s the sole determiner that the knee was a lawful strike, and then he stopped the fight thereafter after the additional strikes. I don’t know what the legal basis would be.”
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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