You won’t like Anderson Silva when he’s angry.
And with just a week-and-a-half until Chael Sonnen and Silva square off at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, that’s exactly what The People’s Champ has done.
“What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport,” Silva said through a translator. “I’m going to make sure every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broken, his legs are broken.
“He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that.”
Now, those are certainly some graphic comments, but this is a guy who fights for living. Just like all boxers, wrestlers and UFC fighters, he is going to talk a lot of smack before the fight.
Some of it might end up true, some of it might not. That’s just the nature of the sport and the people who participate in it.
At least, that’s how you would expect to respond to those comments.
But Anderson “Spiderman” Silva is different.
Just out curiosity, I decided to look back to see what kind of things he was saying before he fought Sonnen the first time around, which was back in August of 2010. What I found was interesting to say the least.
“I’m relaxed for this fight. I’m used to fighting idiots like him that are talking about me. It’s a constant battle. I’ve fought idiots all over the world. Some have respected me. Some haven’t,” he said. “I can’t tell you who’s gonna win Saturday night. We’ll see how he’s acting tomorrow at the weigh-ins. That’s when it’s gonna start, and we’ll see how it goes.”
For context, the above quote from two days before the 2010 fight was in response to Sonnen dropping a bunch of smack talk, one-liners, etc., which is similar to the present-day conditions.
But as you can see, Silva’s response is quite a bit different this time around.
What you heard and read from Silva back in 2010 is what you usually hear and read from him. He shrugs everything off, laughs at the smack talk and simply goes out and dominates. That’s why he’s the best in the world.
Now that Sonnen has actually made him mad and elicited an incredibly violent response, watch out. The beast has been awaken from his slumber and that’s not good news for the 35-year-old American.
If Sonnen had to submit in the fifth round against a “relaxed,” unprepared Silva back in 2010—even if he controlled most of the fight—I truly fear for his teeth, arms and legs against a pumped-up, motivated Silva.
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