Chael Sonnen isn’t the only fighter accusing UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva of faking injuries and dodging fights.
Coming off a major victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, MMA legend and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson is also skeptical of the champ’s recent injury claims.
“All the ‘injuries’ that keep Anderson from a rematch with me or Chael will heal real fast if they offer Bisping to him,” Henderson posted on his Twitter account.
Following his win over Yushin Okami at UFC 134, Silva was reported to have bursitis in his shoulder. There were hopes that he could return to action in early 2012 and take on Sonnen in a highly anticipated rematch of their August 2010 bout.
Unfortunately, the shoulder issues for Silva continue, and he’ll likely be sidelined until June 2012.
Sonnen’s inquiries that Silva is ducking stems from the champ’s refusal to accept his challenge for a rematch. The former UFC title contender has insulted Silva in every way possible, but still, “The Spider” remains quiet and firmly entrenched in his nest.
Since joining the UFC, Silva has tore through the MMA ranks and ascended to pound-for-pound supremacy. His black-belt level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and otherworldly striking has set him apart from every other fighter in the entire sport.
With that said, wrestling has always been a glaring weakness in Silva’s game. Henderson was one of the first to exploit Silva’s grappling woes back in March 2008.
In the first round, Henderson dominated Silva by pressuring him with takedowns and maintaining control from top position. The second round didn’t go over so well for the future Hall of Famer, as he abandoned his initial game plan and opted to stand and trade with arguably the greatest striker the sport has ever seen.
While Henderson saw one round of success, Sonnen took four rounds in his UFC 117 bout with Silva.
Like Henderson, he dominated the fight with persistent takedowns and strong top control, but in the waning minutes of the final round, Silva was able to muster up a triangle choke to retain his world title in dramatic fashion.
There has been no official word from the UFC, but after stopping Jason “Mayhem” Miller at The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 Finale, Michael Bisping could indeed be in the hunt for a middleweight title shot.
It’s hard to ever accuse a world champion with Silva’s résumé for ducking and dodging, but from an outside perspective, things aren’t looking too good for “The Spider.”
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