Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen are facing backlash following their lackluster five-round clash in Sao Paulo.
More than a dozen years removed from their final encounter inside the Octagon, Sonnen and ‘The Spider’ stepped inside the squared circle for a long-awaited trilogy bout under the Spaten Fight Night banner in Silva’s native Brazil. Unfortunately, the fight failed to live up to the hype, even though there was very little of it to begin with.
Speaking with the media shortly after the fight, Silva was asked about the online criticism.
“It was an exhibition match, and as an exhibition match, it wasn’t allowed knockouts, it was a match with no [winner],” Silva said. “It was an exhibition and I believe we put on a good show” (h/t MMA Fighting).
Silva’s son, Kalyl Silva, also competed on the card, earning a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Roberto. He is now 3-0 as a professional after going 2-1 in the amateur ranks.
“It was incredible, it was much more than I expected,” Silva said. “It was great to be able to put on this show for the people and my fans, to share this spot with my son [Kalyl Silva], who was a baby and already followed me, so I’m very happy,”
Anderson Silva plotting a return to the ring in Dubai
Anderson Silva is now 2-1-2 since making his sweet science debut in 2021. He’s earned notable victories over boxing legend Julio César Chávez Jr. and another former UFC champion, Tito Ortiz. However, he came up short in his big-money match with ‘The Problem Child’ Jake Paul, coming up short on all three scorecards.
Silva plans to continue boxing, revealing that he already has a match lined up, but was unable to provide any details outside of the location.
“I have a [boxing] match in Dubai that isn’t an exhibition,” Silva said. “There’s no date yet. We’re negotiating, and I can’t say who the opponent is yet or [my manager] will kill me because the contract is in secrecy. It’s another big challenge in my life. A big challenge, indeed.”