As any fight fan is well aware, the UFC’s favorite bad boy, Chael Sonnen, will rematch his arch-nemesis, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva this summer with “The Spider’s” belt once again on the line.
While the first fight saw “Uncle Chael” land some crisp shots on his feet before scoring on takedowns and utilizing active ground-and-pound, Silva’s Black House teammate Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza told Tatame that he expects a completely different fight this time around.
“But I believe that next time he won’t let Sonnen take him down. He has excellent takedown defense. Sonnen won’t even touch him,” the former Strikeforce middleweight champion boldly proclaimed.
“I believe that if he’s in good shape no one can beat him, especially Sonnen,” Jacare added.
Fans, analysts and fighters alike seem torn on how this fight will play out. Sonnen dominated Silva for four-and-a-half rounds in their UFC 117 bout, but Silva’s camp revealed afterwards that he entered the fight with a rib injury.
Additionally, Sonnen tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone in the post-fight drug test, further adding questions to the former All-American Division I wrestler’s impressive, albeit losing, performance.
Silva once again successfully defended his title when he locked up a triangle choke halfway through the fifth and final round.
The rematch is tentatively scheduled to take place on June 16 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but the venue has not been officially named yet.
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