Chael Sonnen has done a good job of hyping up his fight with Anderson Silva, but Brazil’s villain will be silenced by the country’s hero come Saturday night at UFC 148.
The few who back Sonnen in this fight see a competitor with no fear who got Silva down on the mat for each round of their last clash in August 2010. They see a fighter who surprised Silva with his striking ability.
Of course, there’s the other side of the coin, one I tend to agree with.
Sonnen got Silva down on the mat, but he was never able to finish him, despite landing 320 times. As Silva noted, per ESPN:
[Sonnen] was in his most dominant position for most of the fight. If I was in my most dominant position for a few seconds, that fight wouldn’t have went the way it did.
The result was Sonnen’s expending all of his energy throughout the fight before Silva swiftly caught him with a triangle choke, ending the battle via submission in the fifth round.
Silva is a more dominant fighter who is just as confident in his skills as Sonnen is. Also, this time he won’t be caught off-guard by Sonnen’s striking ability.
He knows what to expect.
There’s also the fact that Sonnen is susceptible to getting caught off-guard, as well. That was clear when he got knocked back by an elbow-straight punch combination in the fourth round of their last fight. His style of fighting may make him a more difficult opponent for Silva to face than, say, Rich Franklin, but he does open up in his opponents’ closed guards.
Will this be an old-fashioned thrashing? No, sorry Brazil, I don’t see that happening.
But it would be shocking if Silva lost this fight, and I see him emerging victorious against the American in a more convincing manner.
Sonnen has certainly talked the talk, but Silva will do his talking in the Octagon on Saturday, silencing his rival.
If only for a night.
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