If you somehow haven’t noticed, Chael Sonnen is a pretty charismatic guy.
When the self-proclaimed “Most Interesting Man in the World” talks, people listen. He’s mastered the art of trash talking and he spews entertaining (or infuriating, depending on your perspective) rhetoric to anyone who will listen.
While he may not be “the best,” as he often proclaims, Sonnen is easily the most polarizing figure in Mixed Martial Arts. If you’re a UFC fan, you either love him or you hate him.
There’s no gray area when it comes to Chael Sonnen, and that’s precisely why a Sonnen victory at UFC 148 would be the best possible outcome for the sport.
Until Sonnen wraps that belt around his waist, Anderson Silva is still the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. But while you have to appreciate Silva’s spectacular career, his seven-year reign has made the middleweight division quite stale.
For the better part of a decade, it’s been Silva and everyone else when discussing the division. His run of dominance is reminiscent of Tiger Woods’ run in the early part of the 2000’s, when he simply couldn’t lose.
The only difference is golf needed Tiger Woods. The UFC does not need Anderson Silva. In fact, his 15 consecutive victories haven’t been as good for the sport as you might imagine.
He’s not nearly as captivating as Sonnen (who is?), which means he doesn’t generate the same interest or the same money as his opponent, the man who goes by the semi-sarcastic moniker “The People’s Champ.”
Casual MMA fans will gladly fork over 50 or 60 bucks just to watch Sonnen get punched, kicked, elbowed, kneed and choked. The first time these two guys fought, there were 600,000 pay-per-view buys. You can expect that number to double on Saturday, as Sonnen’s fame has increased dramatically since their first bout.
If Sonnen wins, it means even more money and national recognition for the UFC.
They would have the most marketable champion in the sport’s history, as well as a salivating third fight between the two that would shatter their pay-per-view records.
If Silva wins, Sonnen may just retire, and the middleweight division will return to its dry, boring ways.
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