Middleweight champion Anderson Silva is entering the most anticipated fight of 2012 tonight at UFC 148 in Las Vegas. He defends his title in a rematch against American Chael Sonnen. Silva must do a few essential things to come out on top.
First, Silva must stay off the ground. The first time the two met in 2010, Silva was punished for most of the fight. It was not until the final round that he locked Sonnen in a choke to finish off the fight.
Getting into a wrestling match with Sonnen is not in his best interests, as that is what got him into trouble in their first match. Silva’s Muay Thai fighting style is what he needs to use in order to set the tone.
The second key to Silva winning this fight is maintaining his stamina. If he learned anything from the first bout, this will not be a quick matchup. Sonnen averages nearly 12 minutes of fight time for each bout. To beat him, it will be a grind for Silva.
Silva has had 18 knockouts in his 31 wins, so he is very capable of ending fights early. However, Sonnen will not be the sort of weak opponent who is susceptible to knockout.
He has only lost by KO seven times.
The third key to Silva coming out on top the use of his striking ability. He must continue to strike Sonnen and stay away from the ground-and-pound game. Sonnen is not able to absorb body hits as well as the Spider, and Silva could use that to his advantage to retain his title.
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