He’s called the UFC middleweight champ a coward and a phony. He’s insulted the Brazilian’s wife, training partners and his entire country. Never in the annals of mixed martial arts has a fighter attacked his opponent with such bravado, belittled him with such utter disdain and assured the world of his victory as a given,
If there was ever a case of a fighter heaping a mountain of pressure on his shoulders and risking public humiliation if he fails to back up his words, it’s this case of Chael Sonnen’s rematch against Anderson Silva at UFC 148.
The fight, which is set to take place in Las Vegas on July 7, will bring to an end one of the most hyped sagas in mixed martial arts. And Chael Sonnen is the reason for that hype.
His campaign began shortly after his victory over Nate Marquardt in February 2010, when, riding a three-fight win streak, he called out Silva. He did so in epic fashion. He told Ariel Helwani after his UFC 109 win, that Silva was no more real than the loch ness monster.
“If we walk into the back dressing room and Anderson says put on hip-hop and Chael walks in and says put on country, I guarantee you it’s going to be a hoedown,” he said. “The guys are going to do what I say. So as far as him being the bully of the playground, well his 15 minutes of fame are up.”
That was just the start. Over the next six months leading up to his fight with Silva, he told him that his BJJ black belt under the Nogueira brothers was like getting a toy in a Happy Meal. He said that his 22 wins in Japan were delusional; that after he’s done with him, Silva could get a job working as a fluffer on a Jose Canseco porn flick.
And even after Sonnen lost in their first encounter, on that night in Oakland where he succumbed to a BJJ triangle choke Silva honed with the Nogueira brothers, his mouth didn’t stop.
He’s since taken to calling himself the real champ, the “reflection of perfection”. He brandishes a replica belt and his attacks on Silva have become even more surreal.
He’s backed himself into a corner and put his entire reputation at stake in one match against one man.
But would things really be that different if Sonnen had kept his mouth shut: had, instead of whipping up a frenzy over one fight like a comical pro-wrestling heal, remained respectful and professional?
The fact is, whether he likes it or not, a fighter always puts his reputation and everything else he’s got, on the line every time he steps into the cage. He can stay as congenial as he wants, in a competitive sport, in a league full of elites such as the UFC, when the door closes, you’re always backed up in a corner—whether you’ve trash talked or not.
And, as much as Sonnen may have painted himself in a corner, standing across him in another corner is Silva, with just as much at stake and just as much to prove against this man who has insulted him worse than anyone ever has.
Both reputations are on the line, both fighters are as personally and emotionally involved as each other, and Sonnen has made sure that they both have their backs up against the wall.
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