Sure Anderson Silva has a date with Chael Sonnen the winner of Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz this summer, but when you think about it, there really aren’t many fights left for the dominant UFC middleweight champion at 185, so why not have him move up?
Anderson has a plethora of reasons why he likely won’t fight at 205 and most of them concern loyalty to friends like Lil’ Nog and Jon Jones, but from a fan’s perspective, a move up in weight is the only one that makes sense for “The Spider.”
Look at how he toyed with Ryan Bader in the TUF sparring session, basically letting him punch him in the chin as hard as he wanted to. Granted, Bader has improved from his technique of charging forward with arm punches, but I really don’t see a match-up between the two going any differently now. Silva made one former UFC light heavyweight champ look stupid and he would likely do the same to most of the division’s top contenders, so why not have him step up?
We’ll tell you why.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/TUF)
Sure Anderson Silva has a date with Chael Sonnen the winner of Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz this summer, but when you think about it, there really aren’t many fights left for the dominant UFC middleweight champion at 185, so why not have him move up?
Anderson has a plethora of reasons why he likely won’t fight at 205 and most of them concern loyalty to friends like Lil’ Nog and Jon Jones, but from a fan’s perspective, a move up in weight is the only one that makes sense for “The Spider.”
Look at how he toyed with Ryan Bader in the TUF sparring session, basically letting him punch him in the chin as hard as he wanted to. Granted, Bader has improved from his technique of charging forward with arm punches, but I really don’t see a match-up between the two going any differently now. Silva made one former UFC light heavyweight champ look stupid and he would likely do the same to most of the division’s top contenders, so why not have him step up?
The number one reason it won’t happen, is it would delegitimize the middleweight title if Silva vacated it, making it the silver medal for whoever wins it. Say Chael Sonnen beats whoever else the UFC decides should challenge him for the vacant strap, they would essentially be the winner of the losers Silva beat. It would be like winning a Strikeforce title after the *real* champs left for the UFC.
Another reson why it is unlikely we’ll see Anderson put the 205-pound class on notice, if Jon Jones still holds the belt at the time and both are willing to put personal feelings aside and do their jobs, is that it would tarnish one of their legacies. One man has to lose, and although I would put money on Silva’s chin and striking over Jones’ creativity and flashiness, it’s unlikely that the UFC will want to risk an outgoing champ on the cusp of retirement beating an up-and-coming face of the promotion like Jones.
The third reason why Anderson likely won’t transition to 205 is the glut of wrestlers who fight at that weight. Silva’s Achilles Heel is strong wrestling. We all saw what Sonnen did to him for four-and-a-half rounds and Chael isn’t half the wrestler guys like Rashad Evans, Phil Davis and Dan Henderson are. Hendo, who could very well surprise Jones when they fight, was able to take Anderson down at will before giving up his back and being rear-naked-choked. A veteran like Dan doesn’t make the same mistake twice, unless he’s named Chael Sonnen and the mistake is being triangled. Nobody wants to take on big challenging projects in their final years before retirement. We just want to coast and collect a pay check for not fucking up the menial tasks our bosses give us until our last day finally arrives. How many retirees do you know who learned HTML programming the last year before they retired? Exactly, so why would Anderson want to learn how to deal with big strong wrestlers?
Hopefully we won’t have to sit through another challenge by a future UFC castaway like Travis Lutter, Patrick Cote or Thales Leites. Silva needs real competition and we need to see him face it.
It’s funny, but now a week has passed and the retirement of Brock Lesnar hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It doesn’t yet feel “real,” the same way Tom Cruise not acting in a fat suit and Canada losing to Russia (RUSSIA!!!!!! *sha…
It’s funny, but now a week has passed and the retirement of Brock Lesnar hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It doesn’t yet feel “real,” the same way Tom Cruise not acting in a fat suit and Canada losing to Russia (RUSSIA!!!!!! *shakes fist*) at the IIHF Hockey Championships doesn’t feel “real.”
You can’t blame us MMA fans. “Retirements” in Mixed Martial Arts usually last as long as it takes the fighter to write “I’m back again, b*tches!” on Twitter. Yes, I’m looking at you, BJ.
But sadly, it looks like Brock Lesnar has finally rode off into the Minnesota sunset for the last time…and by ride off, I mean walk off with 150 pounds of Bison meat on your back while toting the special “light game hunting” .50 cal machine gun.
The big guy’s departure has spawned two pretty strange reactions from MMA fans. The first is a bunch of eulogizing, memorializing, and waxing poetic about what a “warrior” Brock was, and how sad we’ll all be to see him go.
This is such a 180 from where fans were when Brock first debuted in the UFC that I wondered if I hadn’t accidentally slipped into an alternate dimension or something. I guess surviving diverticulitis, being a jerk to Frank Mir and eating some nauseating beatings in your last three fights can warm even the coldest of hearts.
And the second question: where do we go from here? As a man, Brock was huge; as a PPV draw, he’s a veritable giant. No one in the UFC can touch his drawing power on PPV, save for this Canadian guy with a funny accent who may or may not be sitting the whole year out.
Well, as luck may have it (or not), I’ve got some thoughts on who, after Brock, could be the “next big thing” PPV-wise.
See what I did there? That’s wit. Or alcohol-induced brain damage. Same difference, really.
So without any further ado, let’s get to the list, starting with…
Alistair Overeem
Yeah, it’s tough to get any more obvious than this for numero uno. Still, if you believe any of the spin coming off UFC 141, that Ubereem took all of Lesnar’s power when he beat him, Highlander-style.
After all, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE draw at heavyweight…okay, there can be lots, but that somehow felt appropriate. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to listen to some Queen while combing my mullet.
Still, what sounds right now like bet hedging spin from the UFC (“Stay tuned, Brock Fans, cause this Dutch guy with the funny name is the new human dump truck you’ll all be cheering for!”) is soon to become gospel truth I believe.
After all, Overeem is a guy people have been saying for years would be a huge draw in the States…provided he actually started competing there.
Oh, and providing that horsemeat didn’t register on any piss tests.
As of now, we’re two for two people!
MMA, and certainly Dana White, is still looking for our version of Mike Tyson. Someone who can draw big money on the strength of his name alone…oh, and his soul-destroying power, ability to hype a fight, and a healthy dollup of batsh*t crazy.
Chuck Liddell fit the bill for a while, but a white guy with a beer gut is never going to fill the same shoes as a 265′er who looks like he has muscles in his sh*t. Overeem, on the other hand, seems tailor made to step into that role…assuming he beats Junior dos Santos, that is.
Nick Diaz
My next choice might come as a bit of a surprise, but to me it comes on the heels of another retirement: Tito Ortiz.
Ok, so Tito isn’t technically “retired” as much as he “isn’t.” Supposedly, he’s getting (or at least asking for) one more “retirement match” Independence Day weekend. Someone get Chuck Liddell or Rich Franklin on the phone, pronto.
Tito’s departure leaves another hole in the UFC’s PPV strategy, even if Ortiz hadn’t drawn huge numbers in awhile. But he still drew. I mean Chuck vs. Tito 3 was a viable main event in 2010, one that sold out a 19,000-seat arena.
And in his prime, Tito was an absolute monster on PPV. Just look at how many of the all-time MMA PPV’s were Ortiz beating on Ken Shamrock’s corpse, or helping Chuck Liddell work on his punch combos.
And through it all, he achieved this success through a simple formula: be the guy fans love to hate, right up until they’re cheering for you.
Nick Diaz could easily be that guy.
All that’s waiting is for audiences (and I’m talking big audiences here, not you, me, and your pal Daryl with the cool TapouT bandanna) to finally be exposed to him. He’s the kind of personality (not to mention fighter) that demands attention. With the right promotion (and continued success) Nick Diaz’s name could become something casual fans can’t ignore. He could sell whole cards with his personality (just like Ortiz) and help get other guys “over” just by being in the ring with them (also like Ortiz).
Also, Nick Diaz on top of the MMA world just seems like a roller coaster of controversy waiting to happen. I can’t wait.
Chael Sonnen
Of all the guys I’ve mentioned so far, no one has been anointed as “the man” by UFC brass more than the trash talkin’ gangster from Oregon.
It’s pretty obvious by now that the UFC is going to push Sonnen as someone you need to care about come hell, high water, failed drug tests, lying to government officials, non-functioning gonads, real estate fraud, and public comments so crass and offensive that even Miguel Torres’ Twitter account was embarrassed.
Sonnen’s even getting his own segment on the UFC’s weekly television show, called “Piper’s Pit” “Chael’s Corner”.
So face it folks, Chael Sonnen isn’t going anywhere. And if you tire of his routine now, just wait until he’s back in contention for a title, or introducing himself to America on network TV.
You can’t deny Sonnen is a lightning rod of fan interest, and that he makes for good entertainment both in and out of the cage. Despite carrying the label of “lay and prayer”, Sonnen hasn’t been in a boring fight in the last few years. Even Filho vs. Sonnen 2 was a kind of MMA black comedy.
But what’s more, Sonnen’s “persona” (you know, that thing he does every time he opens his mouth) taps into a greater truth about the fight game: people want to cheer, and they want to boo. It’s pro-wrestling wisdom to some; to others, it’s just common sense in the fight business.
Muhammad Ali understood this, and it’s a big reason we remember him today as “The Greatest.” And anyone who praises Ali’s trash talk while deriding Sonnen’s is a hypocrite of the first order.
Mark my words: Chael Sonnen will, in whatever capacity, headline one of the biggest MMA PPV’s of 2012. Count on it.
Jon Jones
By all rights, Jon Jones shouldn’t even be in this conversation. In a world that makes sense, we’d be talking right now about how Jones is the king of the world, the biggest star in our sport, and a guy who makes the Earth stop on it’s axis every time he fights.
Instead, fans are talking about what Jones needs to do to become truly popular with fans. We’re wondering why he can’t quite cross the line from “good” to “great” performances on PPV despite name opponents and impressive outings.
We’re talking about why a significant portion of the MMA fan world absolutely hates his guts. We’re talking about how fake he is, how he might be a cheater, and why we don’t like his Christianity. We’re talking about how a guy who absolutely trucked Shogun, Rampage and Machida is “ducking” Rashad Evans.
It’s absolute insanity.
I was at UFC 140 in Toronto, and it’s no exaggeration at all to say Jones was one of the most hated men fighting on the card that night. He was soundly booed at the weigh-ins, during his entrance, and when he was introduced. Only after he dropped Lyoto like a carp did fans feel it necessary to give him a round of applause.
It’s mystifying, but I still think Jones can (will, should) be an absolute monster on PPV. The fight that could make him such is the long (loooooooooooooong) awaited fight with Rashad Evans. I think a great many fans have been put off by that fight not happening, and buy the line of reasoning that every fight Jones takes is a “duck” fight to avoid Evans.
That fight should happen in 2012, and Jones should (finally) explode as a result of it. Still, knowing fate, Jones will come down with an injury, Rashad will fight someone else, then pull his hamstring right as Jones is cleared to compete. And so it goes.
Minowaman
Okay, I’m mostly kidding here, but part of me thinks Minowa’s gimmick would really go over well in the UFC. One missile dropkick is all it would take to get Minowaman over with American fans. I think. Also have him competing against 350-pound Bond villains. Or midgets. Now we’re talking.
On January 28, one-time UFC middleweight title challenger, Chael Sonnen, will face off against Mark Munoz in a matchup to determine the No. 1 contender to the middleweight title.Many are hoping for Sonnen to earn the win, as it will set up one of the b…
On January 28, one-time UFC middleweight title challenger, Chael Sonnen, will face off against Mark Munoz in a matchup to determine the No. 1 contender to the middleweight title.
Many are hoping for Sonnen to earn the win, as it will set up one of the biggest fights in UFC history—Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II.
Everybody knows the saga of what went down before, during and after the first fight between these two. Ever since the fight, Sonnen has made it clear that he wants another shot at Silva.
With a win against Munoz, it cannot be denied.
Let’s fast forward.
It’s August of 2012. The rematch between Silva and Sonnen is about to begin, in a soccer stadium in Brazil in front of the largest audience for a UFC event ever. Over 80,000 people are there cheering for Silva.
In just four minutes, Silva destroys Sonnen with the most brutal knockout of Silva’s career.
Should this happen, where does the middleweight division go from there?
At that point, there will be very few—if any—challenges left for Silva. He will have defeated everyone that could feasibly get to him. The only potential challenge left would be Michael Bisping should he get past Demian Maia.
If Silva wins a rematch with Sonnen, I would fully expect Silva to retire from MMA.
By that time, Silva would be 37 years old, on a 15-fight winning streak and will have shown the world that his first fight with Sonnen was not representative of the true Silva.
As far as Chael, if he loses, it is nearly impossible to speculate on what he may do.
Perhaps he would fight for the vacant title, perhaps he would move up to light heavyweight and challenge the champion there, or perhaps he may even retire on the spot as well.
After UFC 136, Sonnen made it clear how far he was willing to go.
“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck. I’m calling you out Silva, but we’re upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I’ll leave the UFC forever.”
If he was willing to do it once, he may be willing to do it again.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.
The stage is being set for the ultimate grudge match between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.If he gets past Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2, Sonnen could finally get another crack at the middleweight title, but it will most likely come on hostile territory…
The stage is being set for the ultimate grudge match between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
If he gets past Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2, Sonnen could finally get another crack at the middleweight title, but it will most likely come on hostile territory.
“If we can get Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva, that will probably be held in Brazil in a stadium. Everyone in the world will want to watch that,” UFC President Dana White said in an episode of UFC Tonight.
Since the first bout in August 2010, fans have been salivating over the possibility of a rematch. Silva has never been dominated in his MMA career the way he was against Sonnen, who won the first four rounds before succumbing to a triangle choke late in the fifth.
After the bout, the feud between the middleweights spilt over into the media, where Sonnen’s daily routine became bad-mouthing Silva, his teammates and the entire country of Brazil.
Silva has stayed out of all forms of verbal warfare for the most part, but Brazil didn’t take kindly to being the punch line to Sonnen’s jokes.
The former title contender originally planned on accompanying teammate Yushin Okami to the octagon in his fight against Silva in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 134, but a multitude of death threats quickly put an end to those plans.
Rumors have been circulating for quite some time about a UFC event taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event will likely be held in the Estadio do Morumbi soccer stadium, which has the capacity to hold as many as 80,000 spectators.
The event could easily surpass UFC 129 as the biggest live event in UFC history.
With that said, Sonnen’s safety should remain the UFC’s primary concern, and every death threat should be taken seriously.
It won’t be a happy crowd if the middleweight title changes hands.
UFC on Fox 2 takes place on Jan. 28 at the United Center in Chicago. Munoz could throw a huge monkey wrench in the UFC’s plans if he manages to upset Sonnen.
Chael Patrick Sonnen is set to be accompanied to the Octagon by his doppelgänger (oratory-wise that is) CM Punk in his matchup with Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2 later this month. Ever since the lead up to and the aftermath of his failed attempt at U…
Chael Patrick Sonnen is set to be accompanied to the Octagon by his doppelgänger (oratory-wise that is) CM Punk in his matchup with Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2 later this month.
Ever since the lead up to and the aftermath of his failed attempt at UFC glory back at UFC 117, Sonnen the self-proclaimed “American Gangster” has upped the ante in ways other mere mortal combatants could only wish.
What emerged during that period was Uncle Chael the businessman and to boot, the entertainer.
His trash-talking and gift of the gab has placed him the public stratosphere like no other mixed martial artist, especially one who has achieved so little in his given sport.
For his troubles, he’s now a regular on Michael Landsberg’s show OTR (Off the Record), he co-hosted the 2011 World MMA Awards and in the fewest possible words, he’s just in constant public demand.
And what is his claim to fame?
Beating up on UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva for almost five rounds, before succumbing to a submission via triangle armbar.
That loss, however, did nothing to shut the all mighty mouth that is Sonnen, if anything it spurred him on to the extreme—his antagonism towards Silva finally paid dividends and a second tilt at UFC gold looms ever so large.
The publicity garnered with the announcement that one of the WWE’s most charismatic characters not only making an appearance at UFC on Fox 2, but will also be ushering in the most vocal and controversial of MMA fighters/personalities, will send both ticket and pay-per-view sales through the roof—and that’s a given.
Add to the equation that the event is happening in CM Punk’s own backyard of Chicago— then it’s a recipe for success.
Brock Lesnar has left the building and Georges St-Pierre still has the mass pulling clout, but Sonnen, he’s in a league of his own.
Perish the thought that by some sort of divine intervention, he should upend Munoz and do likewise to Silva—Sonnen will go viral both on a colossal monetary and publicity scale.
The wordsmith provocateur and entertainer personified is hell-bent on furthering his celebrity to new heights and beyond, and his next move is anyone’s guess.
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
Now you may begin to think why make an article about the Dos-equis man? But no, the person we are talking about is none other than the one and only Chael P. Sonnen. A man who is the self-proclaimed “The True Middleweight Champ”. So…
Now you may begin to think why make an article about the Dos-equis man? But no, the person we are talking about is none other than the one and only Chael P. Sonnen. A man who is the self-proclaimed “The True Middleweight Champ”. Sonnen is truly one of the greatest personalities the MMA sport has ever seen.
Before the Nate Marquardt fight not many fans knew who Chael Sonnen was. Most people know him either as the man who lost to Paulo Filho with controversy or whether he tapped or not, or maybe when he screamed in pain during his light-heavyweight fight with Babalu Sobral when he was caught in a heel-hook.
A bunch of pro-wrestling level trash talk, an incredible beat down of Anderson Silva, and a loss in the same fight via triangle armbar is what he is best known for. The majority of the MMA world knows who Sonnen is, as a fighter and MMA personality.
After that fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, Sonnen had some lows as he was caught with elevated levels of testosterone and was found guilty of money laundering in a real estate contract. Those were some dark times for the UFC middleweight.
Many believed he would no longer return to MMA as his contract was on freeze and he had no possible date to renew his license. That cost him a spot as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter against Michael Bisping. Sadly, we were all deprived of some great TV right there.
After appealing his case it came to light that Sonnen was on TRT or Testosterone Replacement Therapy, which is common among older athletes and it is used by many MMA fighters such as Dan Henderson,Nate Marquardt, and some speculations of use surrounded Randy Couture.
To this day many refer to Chael as a doper yet the fact is he has a medical condition and it is treated by such medication that elevates his level of testosterone. The CSAC held up the suspension and Sonnen was left to serve a six month suspension instead of 12.
The smart and witty man that Sonnen is he took on a persona that would make Ric Flair proud as he returned to the spot light when the UFC announced his return to the Octagon against Brain Stann. Sonnen went back to his hilarious routine of taking shots at Anderson Silva and the Nogueira brothers with some funny but harsh words. We all know the quote about the Nogueira brothers and the bus.
He did take a different approach leading to the Stann fights as he didn’t talk bad at all about him like he had about Silva as Sonnen said he respected the American hero.
He went on to defeat Brain Stann in the second round via submission and went on to set a challenge to Anderson Silva in a loser leaves town fight. Unfortunately, Silva has felt so disrespected that he doesn’t believe Sonnen deserves a rematch. He has been rehabbing a shoulder injury he sustained during the Yushin Okami fight training camp. Instead of Silva Sonnen will lock horns on Fox against Mark Munoz for the right to fight Anderson in the summer.
This entire chain of events and Sonnen’s popularity have come from one thing and that is his trash talk. Chael Sonnen took a persona that many would say is better suited for the WWE as Sonnen makes extravagant remarks that offend some people.
This is really a genius plan on behalf of Mr. Sonnen as he gets people interested by his actions and remarks taking the position of the bad guy. That is not a bad approach as Sonnen is in the entertainment business he knows whether people hate him or love him they will watch, and the more people watch the more he gets paid.
It takes real talent to do what Chael does, he could probably make a living as a comedian and you have to admit he gives some of the best interviews in MMA at the moment. UFC commentator Joe Rogan has been quoted as calling Sonnen “The heavyweight trash talking champion of the world”
Chael has taken trash talking to another level, people have taken notice on both ends of the spectrum as many believe is bad for the sport and others enjoy it. Other fighters are taking notice, such as female fighter Ronda Rousey who took a similar approach and now is facing Miesha Tate in a title fight.
Chael Sonnen in reality is a good person who made some mistakes in life but is truly a nice guy. Something that is not talked about was after his UFC 136 win he took a lucky 12 year old fan and not only did he give him an autograph but took him to the post fight photo shoot, the locker rooms where fighters prepare, and made sure he got autographs from the fighters in the VIP section.
Sonnen is also a wrestling coach in Oregon and helps out kids in the wrestling program as he prepares future champions.
At the end of the day, Chael realized that his time table to compete at the highest level was short. Somehow being a nice guy you get over looked especially if you win most of your fights by decision just ask Jon Fitch.
Sonnen took a creative approach to getting ahead and staying relevant in a sport where you can hit rock bottom really fast such as Roger Huerta has lately. At the end, Sonnen may talk plenty of trash but he can back it up and that is why he is where he is at.
He is positioned himself in a high profile Number 1 contender fight on Fox, has his own segment on UFC on Fuel TV, and has earned the name as the Most Interesting Man in the World. He may not be like by many when he fights, but when he does fight people watch. That is a recipe for success on many levels.
Chael Sonnen: He doesn’t always talk trash, but when he does, he owns you.
This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @HurtsBad
It’s funny, but now a week has passed and the retirement of