Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and the Art of Cage Politics and Promotion

Filed under: UFCIt has been suggested over the last 24-36 hours that Chael Sonnen laid the blueprint for beating Anderson Silva. That is a bit of simplistic thinking, as there are few middleweights on the earth with Sonnen’s wrestling skills. It’s a li…

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It has been suggested over the last 24-36 hours that Chael Sonnen laid the blueprint for beating Anderson Silva. That is a bit of simplistic thinking, as there are few middleweights on the earth with Sonnen’s wrestling skills. It’s a little like saying Mariano Rivera has laid the blueprint for closing baseball games. Acquire a singular talent over a lifetime of hard work, and apply liberally. Simple, right?

Of course, there is one man who can still follow the blueprint, and that is Sonnen himself, as the UFC mulls over the possibility of an immediate rematch.

It puts the UFC in an interesting quandary. Do they immediately bring back Sonnen, who despite four-plus rounds of dominance, was legitimately defeated, or do they move on to Vitor Belfort, as originally promised? Taking no chances, both men have already begun their campaigns at getting the next shot at the belt.