Two years after one of the best and most shocking fights in UFC history, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will do battle one more time for the Middleweight Championship.
Silva’s dominance in the sport over the last six years has been well-documented. He is looking to extend his UFC winning streak to 14 and number of successful title defenses to 10. Even more than that, though, he is looking to show the world that what happened in the first 23 minutes at UFC 117 was an aberration.
In typical Sonnen fashion, he is talking a good game leading up to this fight. He wants the world to know that he was the better man in the previous fight and that history won’t be repeating itself.
Where: MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, NV
When: Saturday, July 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET
Watch: Main Card starts at 10:00 p.m. ET on pay-per-view; Preliminary Card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on FX; One Undercard Fight on Facebook
Fight Card
Main Card
Middleweight Championship Bout: Anderson Silva (c) vs. Chael Sonnen
Light Heavyweight Bout: Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz
Middleweight Bout: Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote
Welterweight Bout: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia
Featherweight Bout: Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie
Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Mike Easton
Preliminary Card (FX)
Lightweight Bout: Gleison Tibau vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Lightweight Bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes
Middleweight Bout: Constantinos Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda
Lightweight Bout: John Alessio vs. Shane Roller
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Lightweight Bout: Rafaello Oliveira vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo
Silva’s Keys to Victory: Keep the Fight Standing
For all the analysis and hype that this fight will generate, the keys to victory for both men are fairly simple. Silva is the best and most unique striker in UFC, though Jon Jones might be challenging him on that last part.
Despite some good mat skills, Silva wants to keep Sonnen standing to punish him until he decides that he wants to end the fight. That is what he has done with virtually everyone else he has ever fought in UFC, so there is no reason to try to change that style now.
Sonnen’s Keys to Victory: Get Silva to the Ground
Sonnen was able to throw Silva around like a rag doll in that first right. It was shocking to see but also provided the blueprint for him in the rematch.
Despite his desire to knock Silva out, Sonnen is a wrestler first and foremost. He has to park any ego he has to use those skills to get Silva to the ground and keep him there until the final bell rings.
I don’t think he can knock Silva out or submit him, so the best thing he can do is keep things as simple as possible.
Undercard Fight To Watch: Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes
This is not going to have a lot of implications on title fights in the future, but it is going to be as exciting as any bout on the card, with the exception of the main event.
Guillard is a perpetual underachiever. He has good striking skills and a lot of power in his punches, but he has never been able to break through certain barriers for whatever reason.
Camoes is the perfect opponent for Guillard. He is a strong grappler who wants to take things to the ground. Nothing too fancy about his style, though.
If you want a fun fight, this should be the one to watch.
What They Are Saying
Anderson Silva made headlines last week during a conference call, when he did his best Chael Sonnen impression. As much of a departure from character as that was for Silva, it should not have been unexpected.
Silva didn’t want Sonnen to get the rematch. UFC president Dana White disagreed, saying recently that Sonnen has earned this spot and everything will be settled this weekend (via MMAJunkie.com):
My philosophy is always, if you don’t like it, handle it in the octagon. You can’t say a guy doesn’t deserve it because you think he’s mean. He definitely deserves the rematch. More than anybody. It’s true. He’s the only guy who’s ever come close to beating him in the UFC.
I agree that Sonnen may have the resume to be here, and this fight will do big business, but there are certain parts of his personal and professional life that are questionable—namely his failed drug test—to have bumped him from this spot.
Main Event Prediction
I have said it before and will continue to say it: Until Silva loses, it is impossible to bet against him. Plus, he enters this fight healthy. In their first match, he was dealing with a rib injury.
Silva will win via second-round TKO.
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