For the longest time, UFC fans across the globe begged for one fight and one fight only: Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre. It was a must. It was a potential showdown between the UFC’s two largest stars as both Silva and St-Pierre have dominate…
For the longest time, UFC fans across the globe begged for one fight and one fight only: Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre.
It was a must. It was a potential showdown between the UFC’s two largest stars as both Silva and St-Pierre have dominated their respected divisions for as long as most of us can remember. The only problem? The superfight between Silva and St-Pierre never happened.
Now, with St-Pierre sidelined due to an ACL tear, the world is beginning to call for a different fight with as much at stake if not more.
Silva vs. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
In order for this superfight to have even been up for talks, Silva would have had to defeat his fierce rival in Chael Sonnen. He did. It was a second-round knockout heard across the world.
However, following the biggest win of Silva’s career he explained how he has no interest in fighting the youngest champion in UFC history in Jones. Instead, Silva has nothing but respect for Jones. In addition, Jones went to Twitter to agree with Silva as shown below:
I guess Anderson said he had no interest in fighting me at tonight’s press conference, I feel the same way about him. Nothing but respect
However, as we know, it’s not always what the fighters want. Instead, whatever UFC President Dana White wants is what he gets. If White wants the world to see a superfight between Silva and Jones, rest assured, we will see Silva vs. Jones.
The middleweight division is quickly becoming thin. If Silva can manage to fight off contenders in Mark Munoz, Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping or even Hector Lombard, it’s possible we could see this highly-desired showdown as soon as 2013.
32 career victories, 15 UFC wins and 10 straight title defenses. Those are the staggering numbers that long-time UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has provided us with over the years. Since his entry fight against Chris Leben in June of 2006, Si…
32 career victories, 15 UFC wins and 10 straight title defenses.
Those are the staggering numbers that long-time UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has provided us with over the years. Since his entry fight against Chris Leben in June of 2006, Silva has been nothing short of spectacular.
He’s defeated every obstacle that’s been placed in front of him and has defeated some of the world’s top contenders in Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami. Not only did “The Spider” defeat these opponents, but he did it the way he wanted to. In fact, Silva has controlled nearly every round of every fight since joining forces with the world’s top promotion.
This rule of principle applies to every opponent except one man.
Chael Sonnen.
For whatever reason, Silva has struggled against Sonnen. In just one meeting, Silva was taken down and hit more than all of his other UFC fights combined. Sonnen had his number, despite falling short in their historical bout at UFC 117.
Sonnen was rewarded a second chance at Silva’s belt while Silva had the opportunity to prove the first time around was a mere fluke. It had to be, right? There’s no way the world’s greatest mixed martial artist could have been placed on his back and beaten black and blue for 23 minutes, right?
When the action began in the most anticipated rematch in UFC history, Sonnen proved it was far from a fluke as he placed Silva on his back just six seconds into Round 1.
Silva never returned to his feet except to return to his corner between rounds. When the bell sounded for Round 2, Sonnen opened up for a spinning back-fist that missed the target. Sonnen’s failed attempt sent him up against the Octagon and to the ground.
Once again, Sonnen opened a narrow window for Silva to capitalize on, and, he did. It will go down as arguably the biggest mistake ever made in a UFC contest. When have we ever seen Sonnen look for a spinning back-fist? It turns out the mistake cost Sonnen the bout, allowing Silva to once again hold on to his precious UFC title.
So, you make the call—Was this more of a Silva win or a Sonnen mistake?
Make no mistake about it, Chael Sonnen is undoubtedly the most outspoken fighter that mixed martial arts has ever seen. The words Sonnen has spoken over the course of the past two years simply cannot be erased. He’s offended Anderson Silva, his family,…
Make no mistake about it, Chael Sonnen is undoubtedly the most outspoken fighter that mixed martial arts has ever seen.
The words Sonnen has spoken over the course of the past two years simply cannot be erased. He’s offended Anderson Silva, his family, the country of Brazil—the list goes on. Sonnen’s even gone as far as to call out Silva’s wife, demanding his steak done medium rare.
There’s two types of individuals in the world of MMA: those who love Sonnen and those who hate him.
If you’re from America, there’s a decent chance you’re a lover of Sonnen’s words. However, if you’re from Brazil, the likelihood of you falling into the latter category is almost certain.
However, when we begin to examine Sonnen’s actions, you’ll see more than a trash-talker. You’ll see more than a man who fears no one, including the entire country of Brazil. You’ll see a man who is a genius.
Through Sonnen’s outspoken personality, he was able to single-handedly advertise arguably the biggest main event showdown in UFC history. UFC 148 produced staggering sale and gate numbers and none of it could have been possible without Sonnen’s trash talk.
Over the course of the past two years, Sonnen not only made himself known to the world, he was able to pull in a substantial amount of money.
Sonnen showed us his true colors following his loss to Silva when the world least expected it. Sonnen shock Silva’s hand and congratulated the champion on his 10th straight title defense.
In the post-fight press conference, Sonnen took it a step farther and declared the following:
“The better guy wins every time. The better guy won tonight.”
Despite falling short in once in a lifetime opportunity, Sonnen showed his true colors and respected Silva’s accomplishment.
It appears as if Sonnen squashed the beef between himself and Silva…at least for now.
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 conside…
Anderson Silva vs. ChaelSonnen 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?
August 7th, 2010 was one of the most shocking days in UFC history.For the first time in his UFC career, middleweight champion Anderson Silva had his back against the rope. He had been beaten to a pulp for four and a half consecutive rounds. He was on t…
August 7th, 2010 was one of the most shocking days in UFC history.
For the first time in his UFC career, middleweight champion Anderson Silva had his back against the rope. He had been beaten to a pulp for four and a half consecutive rounds. He was on the verge of defeat and being stripped of his long-time title.
But out of nowhere, Silva was able to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in the sport’s history as he submitted Chael Sonnen with just two minutes remaining on the clock. It wasn’t scripted and it wasn’t expected, especially after what he went through the previous 23 minutes.
It was luck.
Like a rabbit out of the hat, Silva found a way to win. It will forever be remembered as arguably his greatest win of all-time. The ‘Fight of the Year’ demanded a rematch as Sonnen, two years later, was still on a manhunt for UFC gold.
The opening frame went as expected for Sonnen fans as he placed Silva on his back just six seconds into the fight. It was the same story, different day from their first meeting. Sonnen on top of Silva and a world of ground-and-pound surely to come.
Silva remained on his back until the opening round came to a close. This was the sixth straight round that Sonnen had controlled against Silva and he proved it was nothing short of his superior wrestling pedigree.
In the second round, Silva stuffed an early takedown by Sonnen as the two remained on their feet. From there, Sonnen flung for a spinning back-fist and missed, causing him to fall against the cage and down on his back. It was a mistake and a costly one at that.
From there, Silva was able to capitalize on Sonnen’s mistake. It wasn’t the breaking of Sonnen’s teeth that Silva promised, it was an opportunity given to him. It was a mistake that Sonnen would like back.
As we look back on the most anticipated rematch in UFC history, Silva certainly earned his due. He walked away the winner and no one can take that away from him. But one question remains from Silva’s 10th straight title defense.
Losing a loved one can be the hardest thing for an individual to deal with. For UFC lightweight, Melvin Guillard, words can’t describe what he went through as he said goodbye to his father prior to making his UFC debut. Guillard’s father never missed a…
Losing a loved one can be the hardest thing for an individual to deal with.
For UFC lightweight, Melvin Guillard, words can’t describe what he went through as he said goodbye to his father prior to making his UFC debut. Guillard’s father never missed a fight and got to witness his son become one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
While Guillard’s father is no longer with us today, his spirit remains alive. Every time Melvin enters the Octagon, he knows his father is with him.
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Guillard shared memories of his father and discussed a variety of other topics.
Garrett Derr: I know you’re from New Orleans and a diehard Saints fan. What’s your take on the whole bounty incident and how everything has unfolded?
Melvin Guillard: It’s messed up, man. When people do things, they got to pay the consequences. Me personally, I don’t think the Saints are the only team who had the bounty programs. I know a lot of NFL fans and I spoke to former NFL players, and they said there has been bounties for as long as they can remember.
Not to the extent for what the Saints are being looked at under the radar for. It is what it is. I don’t see anything wrong with paying anyone extra for playing hard, but for trying to hurt someone is messed up. Paying someone to play hard and put it all on the long, I don’t see anything wrong in that aspect.
We won a Super Bowl not too long ago, and now this. It will hurt, but we’ve been through worse. They might still make the playoffs. There’s a good possibility that they can. I love the city of New Orleans and wouldn’t change it for the world.
GD: You’re coming off back-to-back losses with the latest coming to Jim Miller. Talk me through that loss. What was running through your mind at the time?
MG: I was over it shortly after it happen. I realized that I made a mistake. I had him hurt and I didn’t jump on him. I had him down twice in the fight and didn’t jump on him. I didn’t take advantage of that small window of opportunity. But when the fight was over, I congratulated him.
He was the better guy that night, and I was over it and ready to go again. It’s been a while since I last fought back in January. I’ve been holding out these past two months because I enjoy fighting around the Fourth of July. If it wasn’t for that, I would have been back sooner.
GD: One of the things that your dad said to you before passing was, “Son, never make excuses.” And you haven’t. How has your dad’s spirit remained with you? Are you constantly thinking about him every day and when you take the Octagon? MG: Oh man. I think about my dad every day. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. There are so many things that remind me of him every day. It’s hard not to think about him. My dad was a great guy, and I wish he was still here. As sick as he was, I know he’s in a better place.
He’s always with me. Through all the good times and the hard times. One thing I always remember him telling me was that I’m a man now. He told me it’s time to grow up and take care of my family. That’s what I do. I take care of my mom and my family. Even when I was being a little knucklehead and messing up, I was still taking care of my family. That will never change.
I know he’s proud of me. He’s always looking down on me, and he’s my biggest fan. He never missed a fight of mine. He got sick right before I got into the UFC, so he never got to see me in the UFC. If there’s one thing I could ever have, it would be to have had him there. But, he’s with me every time I fight.
GD: You’ll be meeting Fabricio Camoes at UFC 148. This guy is 1-1-1 in the UFC. You have 10 wins in the UFC. Did you consider this a big step down in competition?
MG: No, not at all. Sometimes the record doesn’t mean anything to a certain extent. I’m a fighter, and I go in there to fight. Whoever you tell me to fight, I’m going to fight. It doesn’t matter to me if a guy is 0-10 or 10-0. Any guy can beat anyone on any given day. It can be a new guy coming in and beating a veteran guy. I’ve seen it happen in the UFC.
I enjoy fights like this. These are the fights I wake up for every morning. These are the fights that don’t have added stress. Going up against Jim Miller, I wasn’t overly nervous, but I was still a little nervous. I was nervous to the extent that I wanted to make sure that I performed to my best ability.
I’m not looking past this guy, because this is how guys like him make their name off guys like me. With a win over me, it catapults him into the limelight. I don’t want to ever be a stepping stone for anyone. I’ve always been the guy who people brought the opponent in for me. They are bringing him into my house to fight me.
GD: What can we expect to see in this bout?
MG: I’m looking for a three-round beat-down. I’m looking to beat him up for three straight rounds. I definitely want to be the bully in this fight. If I end up knocking him out and finishing him, then great. In the words of coach Greg Jackson, when you knock a guy out, you want to be shocked and surprised that you knocked him out.
That’s how I go into every fight now. That’s how I enter every fight from here on out. I want to finish because that’s who I am, but if I got to beat him up for three rounds, then the fans will get 15 minutes of entertainment. My coach always tells me, you got 15 minutes to beat this guy up. That isn’t enough time for me.
GD: When you guys finish up, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will meet for what many consider the most anticipated rematch ever. Who wins this fight and why?
MG: You know what, Anderson is my favorite middleweight of all time. I knew Anderson Silva before he came into the UFC and before people knew who he was. I’m definitely pulling for Anderson. I’m also a fan of Chael Sonnen. He’s a great guy and I know him personally. I think there is a lot of bad blood, and with everything that’s been said, Anderson is going to take this a little more personal.
Chael has been a little disrespect not only to him, but the Brazilian culture. I think he went a little overboard. I think we’re going to see the best Anderson Silva of all time. I think he’s going to finish him in the first three rounds. I could see him finishing, even before the third round. TKO or KO in the second round is my official prediction.
GD: You now have 10 wins inside the Octagon and you’re only 29 years old. I know you plan to fight a long, long time. Randy Couture fought until he was in his late 40s So, if you have 10 wins now, do you believe you have a chance of beating the UFC record of 18 set by Matt Hughes?
MG: I do. Definitely, man. The last time I checked, I was third all time with knockouts in the UFC. Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, then me. I was only one fight off from Chuck. Breaking records is cool, but it’s all about being in the UFC and competing.
It’s my childhood dream, and not everyone can wake up and say they are living out their dream. People go to college to get jobs, and that’s not even their passion. Fighting is my passion and I love to fight. I hope for a lot more wins and not too many losses. I want to keep going as long as my body allows. If the good Lord keeps blessing me, I will.
GD: I understand you’re a gamer. So, what’s the best video game on the market right now?
MG: Right now, I’m all about Modern Warfare 3. I’m about to get on there right now actually [laughs]. It’s got to be Modern Warfare. I got all of them and the Black Ops. I got all the UFC games and I was on the last one. I love to play Modern Warfare online though.
GD: Are you one of those guys talking trash on there?
MG: [laughs] I don’t like to talk trash or rub them guys the wrong way. Some of these guys are Internet heroes and Internet tough guys. You have grown men and 10-year-olds arguing, and the 10-year-old gets the best of the man. It’s the funniest thing ever, but it happens a lot.
GD: I know you’re a pretty thankful man. Who would you like to thank?
MG: I want to thank my wife for being there and being there from the very beginning. She’s been through a lot of hot water, and she’s always stuck by me. My mom and my family have also been there throughout my whole career. Also my agent, Glenn Robinson.
A special shout out to my sponsor Harvey Sharp. That guy has been with me since I was 16 years old. He’s always been in my corner. He was with me when I buried my dad. I have a special place in my heart for that man.
Garrett Derr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
For the longest time, UFC fans across the globe begged for one fight and one fight only: Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre.