At UFC 136, Chael Sonnen fought Brian Stann for the next UFC middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva. Sonnen absolutely annihilated Stann, proving he’s the best wrestler in the UFC, and also the best contender for the middleweight title.
Brian Stann was an up-and-coming fighter who was rising through the ranks and being groomed for a title shot. He had just beat Jorge Santiago and Chris Leben and was the fans’ choice to take on “The Spider” next.
Chael Sonnen killed any title hopes for a long time for Brian Stann. Stann is a good wrestler himself, but he couldn’t stop any takedowns, let alone land a shot of his own.
Sonnen isn’t great at mixing strikes and landing perfectly timed shots. Everyone knows what he’s going to do, but they still can’t stop him. That’s a mark of true greatness.
If Sonnen gets inside on you and manages to get hooks, you’re going to the ground. That’s a fact.
In the first fight with Silva, Sonnen showed that he could take down the champ with ease. Silva was injured, but I don’t imagine it would have made a difference. Sonnen dominated the entire fight, but he got caught late with a triangle choke.
Sonnen won’t make the same mistake twice. This time he’ll be ready for the submission.
Silva has top-quality jiu-jitsu, but it doesn’t compare to the wrestling ability and control that Chael has. His relentless pace, and grinding style is tough for any fighter to stop.
This fight will once again be decided on the mat. Everyone knows how good of a striker Anderson Silva is, but it won’t matter.
Anderson Silva got beat up by Chael Sonnen once already, but managed to win the fight late. Silva won’t be as lucky this time, and will have to improve his wrestling by leaps and bounds if he wants to go home with a belt around his waist.
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