Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II: 10 Reasons Why Dallas Should Get the Rematch

Anderson “The Spider” Silva, arguably the most enigmatic combat sports athlete to be called “the best pound for pound fighter” in any sport, had himself a near-fatal career moment last year when he took a trip to Oakland for a UFC Middleweight Title de…

Anderson “The Spider” Silva, arguably the most enigmatic combat sports athlete to be called “the best pound for pound fighter” in any sport, had himself a near-fatal career moment last year when he took a trip to Oakland for a UFC Middleweight Title defense against a man named Chael Sonnen.

Despite the circumstances surrounding the bout—namely the controversy surrounding the Testosterone Replacement Therapy Sonnen had undergone but overdone before the fight—the MMA world remembers that Sonnen did what many hoped the Chris Lebens, Nate Marquardts, Rich Franklins and Dan Hendersons of the UFC would do and pushed Silva for four and a half rounds.

Silva had fought guys with good submission skills before, but a fighter with the ground and pound of Sonnen?

Never, and Silva was still expected to waltz through Uncle Chael, but we all know how that worked out for both guys.

Now, it’s 2011. Silva has torn through all but a few Middleweights, and Chael Sonnen found a submission that he wasn’t really looking for against Brian Stann…complete with Sonnen saying Silva sucks and Dana White thinking about a few good venues for the rematch should he decide to go with it.

MMA Junkie reported after UFC 136 this past weekend that Dana White is looking at Dallas for a venue for the card which might feature Silva-Sonnen II if Silva’s shoulder is good to go by then.

Of course, if Dana White wants to do it in a stadium and he’s talking to Jerry Jones about a trip back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area—specifically to that big place with 110,000 seats and the huge screens in Arlington—he might be making a great move.

So while Dana considers allowing my credentials, here’s why Super Bowl weekend should feature Silva-Sonnen II in Dallas, TX.

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Does Chael Sonnen Have a Negative Impact on MMA?

Chael Sonnen is one of the greatest talkers in all of sports, let alone mixed martial rrts. His colorful commentary and his opinions have sparked a worldwide phenomenon of attention for the UFC Middleweight division.  But with his words and attitu…

Chael Sonnen is one of the greatest talkers in all of sports, let alone mixed martial rrts. His colorful commentary and his opinions have sparked a worldwide phenomenon of attention for the UFC Middleweight division. 

But with his words and attitude, are they doing more harm than good? 

As such an article will ensue, readers have already formulated their thoughts and comments as to their opinions on this subject. This is purely a look into the man that Sonnen has become and to provoke thought on this presence. 

First off, Sonnen, love him or hate him, he must be given his dues. 

Sonnen is a fantastic fighter and has been involved with MMA for quite some time. He fought in the UFC before his days in the WEC, later returning to the Octagon again, where he currently resides.

He has proven himself in the cage and shows expertise in wrestling and grinding guys out. He holds them down, beats on them and doesn’t let them get up. 

He has fought some of the toughest opponents at 185 pounds, and he gave the first real beating to the current UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva. In his most recent fight, Sonnen put on an impressive performance against Brian Stann and showed that ring rust was not existent in his game. His dominant performance over Silva during their fight showed to the world that his words could be backed up. But before that fight, his whole character seemed to change. 

In his WEC days, Sonnen seemed like he got the short end of the stick. His dealings with Paulo Filho left fans cheering for Sonnen in the rematch; but they were dismayed by Filho’s actions to not make weight. This caused Filho to lose his fans and Sonnen to gain fans.

During these times, Sonnen was a monk compared to what he has become today. Once in title contention in the UFC, Sonnen started going on a tear of bashing his future opponent, Anderson Silva. He made comments regarding Silva’s camp, training partners and even his clothing. He then focused his attention on all of Brazil and the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It seemed he had an opinion and trash talk for everyone, including people who had no previous dealings with him.

This, of course, is a natural progression of an upcoming fight. There is always hype to be made or not, and if they choose to do so, every fighter hypes in their own way. Some stay quiet and let the hype take care of itself, some work harder at it. The lines that have always been drawn, were starting to be crossed, though. With Sonnen’s comments regarding Silva’s camp, they were comical and perfectly normal things to attack (case in point, Jorge Rivera and Michael Bisping). It was his comments toward Brazil that seemed to make people find the Oregon native not so funny.

MMA is full of Brazilian fighters, and some of them are the best in the world. The art of BJJ, injected into MMA by the Gracie family, is a major part of most MMA fighters today. In essence, you can make an argument that BJJ created and helped grow MMA, to the point where it can give guys like Sonnen a career.

As said before, hyping a fight is normal, but is attacking whole countries and their culture too disrespectful?

Prior to his last fight, Sonnen also made comments regarding Silva’s wife. Some found it funny, but many saw it as another line crossed. Typically, bashing a fighter, their camp, their friends and their accomplishments is all fair game and very common. Bringing a fighter’s family into it is a whole different beast.

Every fan has their own views on it, but should set aside the joke for a moment, and look at what he is saying and why. 

After his fight with Brian Stann at UFC 136, Joe Rogan approached him in the cage to do the traditional post-fight interview. During this time, Sonnen stated, “Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck! Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the business. I’m calling you out, but we’re upping the stakes. If I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I will leave the UFC forever.”

These words immediately made the MMA universe do a proverbial, “Oh no he didn’t!”

Sonnen’s challenge comes at a price, though. His words incite initial excitement, but mask the after taste of such an act. All too many people found his words to hit too close to home with pro wrestling organizations. Some felt that watching Sonnen talk with Rogan, and Ariel Helwani afterward, was like watching a Vince McMahon scripted publicity stunt.

Wrestling has given MMA some of the most exciting athletes over the years, but we must keep in mind that one organization is entertainment, the other a sport.

Herein lies the issue. With Sonnen issuing a challenge, the shock value inhibits the true repercussions of such action. Hearing “the loser leaves” is a very exciting concept, since any fight is anticipated more when there is more on the line.

Some fans thrive off of bad blood between fighters, others just love title fights. Some just want to see the skills match up, and some support their country’s fighters. Regardless, Sonnen’s challenge immediately puts everything on the table.

The issue with Sonnen’s words is that, if such challenges can be made, does this not pose an issue for the sport as a whole? If every fighter could issue those challenges and the loser would have to leave off of one fight, the UFC and MMA would not be what it is today. Most of everyone’s favorite athletes wouldn’t be around if that were the case. Making someone leave the division or the UFC can be detrimental to the organization as a business as well.

Also, fans must also recognize that either Sonnen or Silva leaving, is not what the sport is all about. Fans must keep in mind that fighting is many of these athlete’s sole career. It is their livelihood and how they support their families and themselves. By making a fighter leave, it can be like asking a worker to quit if they didn’t get a raise.

In the process, you lose the sportsmanship.

But this applies for Sonnen, too. He has stated he is fine with his finances, but leaving the UFC would cost him a great salary. Regardless of whether it’s their main career or not, or if they need the money or not, no one wants to lose any amount of their income. Just look at what’s happening with the NBA.

Lastly, fans must also be aware of some underlying differences. They can choose to acknowledge them or not but should be aware nonetheless. Sonnen’s comments are often hilarious and extremely clever, but fans should look at what is talk and hype and what is true and honest. With Sonnen, you tend to get a little bit of both, sometimes a mix. What happens for some fans is they believe what he says because he is saying it in an entertaining way. The problem can lie in that fans do not want to be on the victim side of Sonnen’s bashings, so they support what he says.

In other words, it’s wise to be careful not to take on opinions that are not your own, based solely on one guy saying them. This is similar to how WWII was instigated. Sonnen is not like Nazi Germany, but there are similarities in use of propaganda.

It is similar to voting for a politician based solely on what you hear from your parents. You do not wish to support the one they dislike, so you go along with them. This is not always the case with Sonnen or MMA fans, but it certainly happens.

Regardless of his talk, nothing should be taken away from Sonnen and his fighting ability. It is because of his actual skills as an athlete that anyone is paying any attention to him at all. His words of calling it the “biggest rematch in the business” is exactly what the rematch with Silva will be and wouldn’t be true had Sonnen not given Silva his biggest and hardest fight to date.

Is Sonnen a negative impact on MMA? Some say yes, some say no, and some say both. This question can only be answered by each individual fan and cannot be definitively stated, so it is always subjective. Everyone can agree that Silva and Sonnen are two of the top middleweights in the world, and we all anticipate their rematch for different reasons.

Do you think Chael Sonnen has a negative impact/positive impact, or both? Who do you think will win in the rematch between Silva and Sonnen? Leave your comments below!  

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UFC 136 Results: The Biggest Winners and Losers Who Weren’t on the Card

Saturday night’s UFC 136 was one of the most spectacular MMA events of 2011. The card wasn’t particularly stacked with big names, but the night was filled with fireworks from start to finish. Not only did the evening offer some serious entertainme…

Saturday night’s UFC 136 was one of the most spectacular MMA events of 2011. The card wasn’t particularly stacked with big names, but the night was filled with fireworks from start to finish. 

Not only did the evening offer some serious entertainment, but it also shook up the future of the UFC in a major way. While it was Frankie Edgar, Chael Sonnen and the rest of the night’s victors who stole the show, the results of Saturday’s bouts had a big-time impact on the careers of several other fighters who were not on the card. 

Here’s the low down…

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The Forward Roll: UFC 136 Edition

Filed under: UFCJust in case UFC president Dana White had any doubts about what he would do next with the middleweight division — and before UFC 136, he seemed a bit torn — Chael Sonnen made his case with his actions and his mouth. Afterward, it seem…

Filed under:

Just in case UFC president Dana White had any doubts about what he would do next with the middleweight division — and before UFC 136, he seemed a bit torn — Chael Sonnen made his case with his actions and his mouth. Afterward, it seemed clear that White would grant Sonnen his wish for a rematch with division champion Anderson Silva.

According to White, it’s a matchup that Silva wants, too, because, as he told MMA Fighting, Silva “hates him with a passion.” The funny thing is, Silva should love Sonnen. He should send him thank you cards. And 20 years from now, he’ll probably feel that way. Because regardless of his words, Sonnen has helped to raise Silva’s profile and to define his career.

Years from now, when Silva is old and we have a stronger grasp of MMA history, the win over Sonnen will be seen as the defining one of his career. It was a victory that only a champion could have pulled out. Silva was fighting with a severe rib injury, and was trailing badly on the judges’ scorecards — 40-34 on one judge’s card. The fifth round started much the same as the first four, with a Sonnen takedown. But Silva somehow willed one last gasp triangle that caught Sonnen and forced a tapout.

Of course, master fight promoter Sonnen barely waited to begin talk of a rematch. It was at the post-fight press conference that same night when he said, in Silva’s presence, “Here’s the truth: if the commission would sanction it and Dana would move, I would fight him again right now.”

If we’ve learned anything about White over time, it’s that he loves a fighter who proactively campaigns for opportunities. Passion moves him. Whether you love or hate Sonnen, you can’t deny his passion. And after his first performance against Silva, you can’t deny he has a chance to win. That should mean big interest in the fight, and big business for the event, and even Anderson Silva should be able to appreciate that.

Frank Edgar
Edgar has spent the last two years of his life focused on two fighters: BJ Penn and Gray Maynard. He has to be thrilled about moving on. And he also has to be thrilled about finishing his toughest opponent after nearly 12 rounds of war, earning a decisive conclusion.

Edgar will take off the next two weeks or so, and he won’t be back in the cage until early next year. Gilbert Melendez has been mentioned, but for now it seems like Melendez’s status is up in the air. That makes it a toss-up as to whether Edgar will face him next, or a UFC lightweight.

Prediction: Edgar faces the winner of UFC on FOX 1’s Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida fight

Gray Maynard
Maynard seemed heartbroken after UFC 136, and you can’t blame him. He came within a punch or two of winning the lightweight title in two different fights and couldn’t close it out.

There is a silver lining though, as his competitive performances have shown that he is clearly capable of giving the world’s best a run for their money. And after having been tied up with Edgar so long, there are plenty of fresh matchups out there for him.

Prediction: He faces the loser of UFC on FOX 1’s Henderson vs. Guida fight

Jose Aldo

Aldo received some criticism for his win over Kenny Florian from those who believed he was too conservative with his offense. But with the way Florian was attacking him, Aldo did the right thing. Florian was looking to take away Aldo’s explosiveness by either taking him down or grinding him against the cage. By FightMetric’s count, Florian tried 19 takedowns (and only completed one).

Even if you didn’t watch the fight, from those number you can surmise that Florian didn’t give Aldo much room to operate. Aldo had to worry about defense for good reason, and he did a great job with it. It may not be any easier in his next fight.

Prediction: He faces unbeaten Chad Mendes in early 2012.

Kenny Florian
At least in the immediate aftermath of UFC 136, Florian looked like a man who was done with fighting. Verbally, he wouldn’t commit to either continuing or retirement, and rightfully, Florian should take time to consider all his options. At 35 years old, Florian is still a very good fighter, and he could certainly continue on and seek out intriguing matchups if he so chose. But Florian has always said his goal was a UFC championship belt, and now it appears that will never happen. That leads me to wonder if he will have the proper motivation to go through the grind of training camps. Hopefully he makes a decision he can embrace wholeheartedly.

Prediction: Florian retires and continues his strong work in broadcasting

Chael Sonnen
Sonnen’s performance Saturday night was nothing short of systematic destruction. Sonnen finished off Stann with the arm triangle choke and got up off the canvas with a stoic, focused look on his face. It seemed like there was something on his mind other than Stann, and we quickly found out what it was. Bring on the rematch.

Prediction: Silva-Sonnen II

Brian Stann
Stann is a strong, powerful dude, but he had no prayer of stopping Sonnen’s takedowns. He’ll always be a tough matchup for strikers, but wrestlers are always going to try to follow the blueprint laid by Sonnen and Phil Davis. Fortunately for Stann, there aren’t an overwhelming number of wrestlers. Anyway, it’s time to retool and reload for Stann.

Prediction: Stann might have a bit of a wait until his next fight. I’m thinking he could face Mark Munoz if Munoz should lose to Chris Leben next month, or if not, Stann gets someone like a returning Alessio Sakara.

Joe Lauzon
Lauzon has some of the best finishing instincts in the UFC, fearless in his attempts to close out a fight. His win over Melvin Guillard was a shocker, entering the fight as a massive underdog. Despite the big win, Lauzon’s only 3-2 in his last five, so it’s hard to figure exactly where he fits in the lightweight hierarchy.

Prediction: TJ Grant looked very good in his lightweight debut. Sounds like a good matchup.

Anthony Pettis
When the UFC announced Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens, no one was expecting a slow grind of a fight. And while it wasn’t Pettis’ best performance, he proved he could go in there against a rugged, powerful striker and win. Ultimately, Pettis isn’t going to win a title with his wrestling, so I don’t expect him to employ the same kind of game plan against anyone. Let’s get him back in there against another striker.

Prediction:
Pettis faces Sam Stout

Stipe Miocic
You may or may not have seen the debut of Miocic, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound heavyweight who outlasted the always tough Joey Beltran during the prelims. Miocic looked good but not great against a guy who is among the UFC’s most durable heavyweights. But even though he has plenty of work to do, it was a positive first step.

Prediction:
He faces Mark Hunt

 

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UFC 136 Results: 5 Biggest Shocks from Entire Card in Houston

UFC 136 from Houston is in the books and it lived up to all the hype heading into Saturday night.It is usually hard for an event with such hype surrounding it to live up to the expectations and leave fans fully satisfied with the $44.95 they spent to o…

UFC 136 from Houston is in the books and it lived up to all the hype heading into Saturday night.

It is usually hard for an event with such hype surrounding it to live up to the expectations and leave fans fully satisfied with the $44.95 they spent to order it. But it seems to be one of the rare events that has people buzzing long into the next week.

What made this event so entertaining was the unexpected. There were several questions fight fans had coming into this event. How was Chael going to look? Could Florian get over the hump? Was Guillard the next big thing at lightweight? How would the Edgar-Maynad trilogy end? Would Anthony Pettis bounce back? Some of these questions were answered as expected and some were not. There were plenty of surprises on this card in the octagon, but what has people talking the most may be the action outside the cage.

 

What follows is a list of the five biggest surprises coming out of UFC 136.

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MMA Monday Headlines with UFC Girls Taking Sexy Photos of Themselves!

The new UFC 137 promo trailer featuring Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit is out. Anderson Silva manager, Ed Soares says Chael Sonnen “should be in jail; he shouldn’t be fighting” and is unsure when.

Rachelle Leah – this is her doing-chores-around-the-house outfit

The new UFC 137 promo trailer featuring Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit is out.

Anderson Silva manager, Ed Soares says Chael Sonnen “should be in jail; he shouldn’t be fighting” and is unsure when Anderson will be healed enough to fight.

Kenny Florian to take time off and assess what is next in his future after UFC 136 Featherweight title loss to Jose Aldo.

Bellator 55‘s Bantamweight Tournament set for Yuma, Arizona on October 22nd.

Brock Lesnar will appear in WWE 12 video game.

Enjoy the sexy UFC girls taking pictures of themselves for YOU because they know they’re hot: Rachelle Leah [above], Kenda Perez, and Arianny Celeste.