Through the 19-year history of the UFC, fans have been witness to some heated rivalries that have excited and intrigued us until their violent conclusion. Despite intense feuds between the likes of Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock or Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva, there is one that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest: Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen.
Although Silva has been regarded as the top fighter in the world for some time now, until his first battle with Sonnen, it was hard to keep the champion motivated for fights. Never was that more evident than his UFC 112 “fight” against Demian Maia, in which the champion intentionally avoided contact for most of the final two rounds.
When challenger Chael Sonnen decided to use his legendary mouth to defame, defile and degrade “The Spider” and his homeland of Brazil, it was clear that Silva had found something more than just another opponent. He had found an enemy.
The legendary first fight saw Sonnen outstrike Silva at a ratio of 5:1, however the champion would pull off the greatest come-from-behind victory in MMA history by securing a combination triangle choke/armbar to score a tapout in the final stanza.
Who could have predicted that Sonnen would fare so well against the dominant champion? After all, the Oregonian badass had put together a paltry 4-3 record in the UFC prior to challenging for the belt.
So what happened to make the rivalry so intense the second time around? There are some theories, but I attribute the problem to one incident. Sonnen’s penchant for verbal jabs may have gone a tiny bit too far in October, when he decided to direct his attention to another member of the Silva household.
You tell Anderson Silva I’m coming over and I’m kicking down his backdoor and patting his little lady on the ass and I’m telling her to make me a steak, medium-rare just how I like it.
Perhaps he was inspired by his loudmouth challenger. Maybe he is tired of losing the war of the words. I’m not sure. But when Silva finally decided to speak out, his ultra-violent threats were shocking to say the least.
Chael is a criminal. He’s been convicted of crimes. He doesn’t deserve to be in the Octagon. When the time is right, I’m going to knock all of his teeth out. I am going to make him eat these words he has said about me and about the UFC. This is the end of the jokes, no more talking.
What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport. I’m going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broken, his legs will be broken. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the octagon by himself.
I’m going to beat him maybe the way his parents should have beat him to teach him some manners… I’m going to beat him up like he’s never been beat before. He can say whatever he wants, but I’m not playing any more.
It’s not often that you find two men with so much mutual disdain, who can challenge each other on both the verbal and physical battlefields. However, that seems to be the magical paradigm that these middleweights have stumbled upon.
The heat of battle can make men do some crazy things. How crazy will things get when the greatest rivalry in MMA history comes to a head tomorrow night at UFC 148? Don’t miss out on the most anticipated battle that the sport has ever seen.
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