Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen will always be remembered for one of the most heated rivalries any sport has ever seen.
Over the course of the past two years, we’ve seen the unexpected. We’ve seen an average fighter like Sonnen become what many consider the No. 2 middleweight in the world. We’ve seen him talk, talk, and talk some more. But he’s backed up his talk.
We’ve seen Silva take it all in without retaliation.
However, that all changed in a media conference call leading up to their highly anticipated bout at UFC 148. Finally, Silva had enough. He began to pounce on Silva like a lion on red meat. He finally let Sonnen have a taste of his own medicine.
It appeared as if Sonnen finally had gotten to Silva. The insults and verbal abuse finally broke Silva.
But, the same couldn’t be said inside the Octagon as Silva was able to finish off Sonnen in just two rounds via TKO. It was Sonnen‘s second chance at capturing UFC gold and he came up short. Despite dominating the opening frame and winning the round arguably 10-8, Sonnen wasn’t able to take Silva down when Round 2 began.
Sonnen‘s failed takedown appeared to be a turning point in the fight as Sonnen is now 0-2 all-time against the middleweight legend.
However, despite falling short in both opportunities, Sonnen remains a top middleweight not only in the UFC, but the world.
If Sonnen is able to bounce back and capture two or three consecutive wins, the chances of a triology between the gangster from Oregon and the Brazilian greatly increase.
In any sport, it’s extremely difficult to defeat an opponent three straight times. MMA is no different.
If Sonnen and Silva square off once more, could the third time be the charm for the outspoken Sonnen?
Only time will tell.
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