There’s a bloodbath on the horizon, and it’s set to play out in the main event of UFC 148 between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and his arch rival, the self-proclaimed “American Gangster” Chael Sonnen.
Will the real Anderson Silva stand up? Well, in a recent UFC 148 media conference call, he did more than assume a vertical position—he let rip with a verbal tirade that sent shock waves through the MMA world.
I’m going to break his face and every tooth in his mouth. I know he’s on the call listening to this and playtime is over. There’s no more talking from him. I’m going to beat him out of the UFC. I’m going to make him pay for everything he’s said about me, my family and my country. I’m going to beat him maybe like his parents should have to teach him some manners. I’ll teach him those manners myself.
No more sh** talking from him. Chael Sonnen’s going to get his ass kicked like he’s never gotten his ass kicked before. What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport, I’m sorry. I’m going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. This is going to be violent and I am sorry. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, that his arms are broken and his legs are broken. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that. He will need a plastic surgeon afterwards.
His message to Uncle Chael was simple: The Sonnen hype train is at an end, blood will be spilt, and there’ll be a whole lot of cussing and crying come fight night.
This isn’t the persona of a personable person we know Silva to be, this is ferocity unleashed—a man on a mission, a man intent on utter carnage and a man with a score to settle once and for all.
The erstwhile NCAA Division l standout has thrown everything at Silva including the kitchen sink just to get a reaction, and he finally got it.
However, he must now be ruminating that he’s got more than he bargained for—every action has a reaction.
Long story short: Sh** just got real for the Oregon native.
With that in mind, unbeknownst to the Brazilian, he subconsciously elevated and promoted the fight from a must-see to a bagarre on the scale of “where were you when President John F. Kennedy got shot?” It’s that kind of a fight—a throwdown that will go down in the annals of MMA and UFC history.
That said, in some quarters there’s the belief that Sonnen has finally accomplished what he set out to do in the first place: Get into Silva’s head and thus infuriate the champion.
Are they right? Absolutely—he’s fuming.
However, to assume a fighter of his caliber and standing will enter the Octagon overwhelmed by anger is a non-starter.
Silva was enraged when he fought Vitor Belfort, and some would say incensed at Yushin Okami for the disqualification he suffered in their first encounter. Nevertheless, he obliterated them both.
Furthermore, Silva has been there and done that—six years undefeated, 15-fight win streak and nine successful title defenses to the good.
“Anybody can become angry—that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
The aforementioned quote from Aristotle is within Silva’s power—he’ll take that anger and use it to his advantage, controlled aggression culminating into a bloodbath and Sonnen’s destructive demise.
UFC 148 is scheduled for July 7, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com