UFC 136 was certainly a memorable night for the MMA giant. Not only were the fights exciting, and the main event having a come-from-behind knockout, but Chael Sonnen was on the undercard.Just as he always has, Sonnen was able to impress most with his g…
UFC 136 was certainly a memorable night for the MMA giant. Not only were the fights exciting, and the main event having a come-from-behind knockout, but Chael Sonnen was on the undercard.
Just as he always has, Sonnen was able to impress most with his gift of gab. He was also able to impress in the cage as he swarmed the All-American Brian Stann, and got the victory by choke in the second round.
Still, the most impressive feat of the night had to be how he single-handedly trounced Dan Henderson, Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller without even having to be in the same state as them.
When the fight was over, Sonnen immediately called out Silva in his usual over-the-top manner and left the cage.
The next day articles exploded all over the Internet claiming that Sonnen had once again channeled the WWE, and cut a first-class promo. Others tried to focus more on his dominant win and his impressive handling of the former military hero and WEC light heavyweight champion.
No matter what they talked about, though, almost all articles had the same notion.
Before the fight, Dana White had stated that Dan Henderson was in the running to get a rematch with Anderson Silva.
Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller were also coaches on this season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and both were probably in the running as well. Bisping because he is an international star who can sell pay-per-views, and Miller because of his MTV show “Bully Beatdown” and crazy personality.
Not to mention the fact that their rivalry would buildup to a fight on free TV during “The Ultimate Fighter” finale. If they had a decent scrap, one of them might have gotten a title shot.
After the fight, and more importantly, the post-fight interview, Dana White changed his mind and said that he would be foolish not to let that fight happen.
A dominant victory put Sonnen into the minds of every fan and journalist that was at that event or watching it live, but it was the two sentences he uttered after it was all said and done that got him his rematch.
And with it he was able to beat three different middleweights for the right to face Anderson Silva without having to even step in the cage with them.
Some say that actions are louder than words.
Saturday night, Chael Sonnen turned it the other way around.
When you sit atop the mountain, not just the divisional mountain of mixed martial arts, but the whole damn thing, you are bound to draw the jealousy and undivided attention of more than a few critics and potential opponents.Potential opponents meaning …
When you sit atop the mountain, not just the divisional mountain of mixed martial arts, but the whole damn thing, you are bound to draw the jealousy and undivided attention of more than a few critics and potential opponents.
Potential opponents meaning those you have yet to face, as well as those you have already laid to waste wanting another chance. There will always be guys who wish it was still ’82. They know with a second chance if Dana White would put them in, there is no doubt in their mind they would take state.
When your name is Anderson Silva, being the greatest active fighter in the sport pound-for-pound, not to mention one of the best ever, criticism and jealousy is par for the course.
Nowhere was that more apparent lately than this past weekend at UFC 136 after Chael Sonnen put on a stellar performance over a lethal Brian Stann to become the man many consider the favorite to challenge Anderson Silva next for his title. Unless you live under a rock on Mars you know this is Sonnen’s second quest towards the UFC middleweight strap.
Sonnen laid down the gauntlet telling the world and “The Spider” alike, “Anderson Silva…YOU SUCK!” He proceeded to call out Silva, stating if Sonnen won Silva would leave the division, and if Silva won that Sonnen would leave the UFC forever.
As is to be expected with Sonnen, the buck certainly did not stop there, with him later going on to directly insult not just the fighter he wishes to face but his family as well, specifically Silva’s wife. This has created quite a buzz in the MMA community and drawn the fire of Anderson Silva’s manager Ed Soares.
Soares sat down with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA and went into detail about both his respect for Sonnen, and frustration with Sonnen’s coloring outside the lines when it comes to fight promotion.
Soares first talked about his thoughts on Sonnen’s relentless trash talk and the difference between promotion and disrespect.
The Black House manager explained, “I don’t know if people listen to what he says, they hear it, but I don’t know if they listen. Hey man, he has a mouth, he has a right to say what he can, he has that right to say what he wants to say.”
Soares discussed the line he feels Sonnen crossed. “I find some of the things, whether he is marketing a fight or not, I feel some of the things he says are disrespectful. You shouldn’t go and talk about other people’s families. If you want to talk about Anderson, talk trash about his training, his coaches, talk trash about me, that’s fine.”
According to Soares that’s where the leeway ends. “But when you start talking about slapping his wife on the ass and having her cook him a steak, I just find that disrespectful.”
Even as classless as he sees the comments, he was sure to explain this is business. “I really don’t think Chael Sonnen is a bad guy. He has always been real respectful to me. Once in awhile in he tends to talk a little trash. But I really don’t take that too seriously. But I just think he starts crossing the line when he talks about his Anderson Silva’s wife.”
“Insulting an individual when it pertains to that individual, that can help promote a fight.” Soares said, “But I don’t see where he should be talking about Anderson’s wife or Anderson’s kids. Which he didn’t talk about his kids but who knows, maybe that is next. There are no boundaries with Chael.”
When asked if he sees this as a tactic on Chael’s part to ride Silva’s momentum, Soares decisively stated, “I can guarantee you that. Who ever listened to a word Chael Sonnen had to say before the Silva fight? The only reason he talks about Anderson Silva is because that is the only time people will pay any attention to what he has to say. When he doesn’t talk about Silva no one will listen.”
Soares added, “He has figured out that by talking about Anderson Silva that people are going to hear what he has to say. That is his only vehicle really. Other than talking trash, he never really has too many interesting things to say.”
Sonnen calling out Silva in such a Sonnenesque brash and in your face style did not surprise many analysts or fans. He clearly feels that regardless of a loss to Silva, and his questionable testing issues, that he is the rightful heir to the number one contender’s position in the UFC middleweight division, if not the throne itself.
Does Ed Soares agree? “I don’t. I mean he had an incredible performance against Brian Stann. But what you have to ask yourself is, Chael Sonnen was in his most dominant position over Silva for four and a half rounds. What happened?”
“If you can’t finish someone after four and a half rounds and you’re in your most dominant position, you deserve to lose as far as I’m concerned.” Soares stated. “Let Anderson be in his most dominant position for half a round, and I guarantee you you’re going to get finished.”
Sonnen may be the number one topic on the Anderson Silva hype train but there is also the return to the UFC of Dan Henderson. The first UFC fighter to ever pose even an ounce of trouble for Silva before he went on to lose by submission to the pound-for-pound king.
When asked if a fight with Hendo was also on the radar or a concern aside from Sonnen, Soares lit up and emphatically explained why Anderson Silva is worried about nothing more than Anderson Silva. The question clearly struck a nerve.
“To be honest, Anderson Silva is not worried about anything! Anderson is not ducking anybody! It’s funny, guys get their ass kicked by Anderson Silva and all of a sudden they want another shot. And when he feels they don’t deserve it, now he’s ducking them. Ducking them, how could he be ducking them?”
He spoke directly to the men who feel they deserve another shot at that which has already eluded them. ‘Listen, Dan Henderson, you were tapping out at the end of the second round. Chael Sonnen, you had a great performance but guess what? You tapped out at the end of the fifth round. The bottom line is you can say what you want about giving you another shot.'”
To hear Soares tell it, they don’t prefer any particular fighter, their fate is in the hands of the UFC brass. “When Dana White and the UFC want to make that fight happen, we will make that fight happen. We don’t pick our fights. We don’t ever tell the UFC we want to fight this guy or we want to fight that guy. None of our guys have ever chosen any of our fights. The UFC picks them and whatever they say, we take it.”
Soares clearly takes issues with the some of the criticism that is directed at his champion. “That kind of stuff irritates me when they say we are trying to hand pick guys for Anderson. Anderson Silva has fought every top middleweight in the world for the past five years and beaten them. Then he moved up to light heavyweight and knocked guys out in the first round.”
In closing he made the clearest statement he could make regarding the man who draws so much fire for his perceived faults when quite clearly it is his success that truly attracts the attention.
“Anderson has had fourteen fights in the UFC and only two have gone to decision. So I think people are just crazy saying that stuff.”
Enough said, end of discussion, es todo. When you put it like that, it is hard to argue with any rational sense of the truth.
UFC 137 will feature two heavyweights on two-fight losing streaks, as Mirko Cro Cop will be facing Roy Nelson. Mirko Cro Cop is on the tail end of his career, and many fans want to see him retire without taking any more injury. He’s been kn…
UFC 137 will feature two heavyweights on two-fight losing streaks, as Mirko Cro Cop will be facing Roy Nelson. Mirko Cro Cop is on the tail end of his career, and many fans want to see him retire without taking any more injury. He’s been knocked out three times in the UFC.
Roy Nelson entered the UFC with two straight knockout wins, but then quickly lost two lopsided unanimous decisions. His OK skill set is largely hindered by his poor athleticism, and he has suffered against strong competition because of it.
Both fighters need to win this fight, and both will leave it all in the cage. Will Cro Cop win and vindicate himself of his past UFC losses, or will Roy Nelson end the storied career of Cro Cop in violent fashion? Only one fighter can be victorious.
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!
Since Frankie Edgar’s dramatic win over Gray Maynard at UFC 136, there has been further speculation regarding the potential move of Strikeforce Lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez.Melendez has been vocal about switching to the UFC and UFC President …
Since Frankie Edgar’s dramatic win over Gray Maynard at UFC 136, there has been further speculation regarding the potential move of Strikeforce Lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez.
Melendez has been vocal about switching to the UFC and UFC President Dana White is also remaining active in attempting to acquire his services. Of course, once the deal is done, Melendez said it only seems fitting to get an opportunity to challenge for the UFC lightweight title.
“The UFC title is the best belt,” Melendez said during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “I want that belt and I want it as soon as possible.”
Although his current crop of competition pales in comparison to the UFC’s talent, Melendez said he believes he has earned a chance to face Edgar. Melendez praised Edgar’s win last weekend and believes a future bout against him is inevitable, but “El Nino” still has an obligation to fight in Strikeforce and fulfill his contract.
Melendez spoke on his upcoming bout against Jorge Masvidal, who he will face in December.
“He’s the first guy in line. I think he’s the No. 1 contender, as of now, in Strikeforce, and as of now I have to focus on that guy,” he said.
Melendez’s resume is impressive as he holds notable wins over competitors like Clay Guida and Shinya Aoki. But despite all of his accomplishments, Melendez feels frustrated at the fact that he is not given the same recognition as other fighters simply because he competes in Strikeforce.
“A lot of people don’t recognize me as a great fighter because I haven’t beaten any UFC guys,” he said.
Melendez is one of the many talents the UFC has yet to acquire from Strikeforce. The idea of seeing the Strikeforce champion competing inside the Octagon seems very likely, considering UFC has already acquired Nick Diaz, Alistair Overeem, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, and most recently, Dan Henderson.
Filed under: UFC, NewsDespite two pay-per-view caliber matchups, the UFC 136 Prelims show on Spike TV Saturday drew an unusually small audience of only 1.0 million viewers and a household rating of 0.8.
Despite two pay-per-view caliber matchups, the UFC 136 Prelims show on Spike TV Saturday drew an unusually small audience of only 1.0 million viewers and a household rating of 0.8.
The viewership for the UFC 136 prelims show is the lowest for a live prelim show on Spike TV and surpasses only the two preliminary shows aired on ION.
As a lead-in to the UFC 136 pay-per-view, the UFC offered popular ex-WEC champ Anthony Pettis taking on power puncher Jeremy Stephens and former title challenger Demian Maia facing off against former Sengoku champ Jorge Santiago.
The preliminary bouts series was coming off a strong performance from the Sept. 24 UFC 135 undercard show, which drew an average of 1.6 million viewers and an average 1.0 household rating. The live fights for the UFC 135 undercard featured Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley and Tim Boetsch vs. Nick Ring.
The next UFC Prelims card, for UFC 137 on Oct. 29, is expected to feature Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver and Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski.
UFC 136 was certainly a memorable night for the MMA giant. Not only were the fights exciting, and the main event having a come-from-behind knockout, but Chael Sonnen was on the undercard.
Despite two pay-per-view caliber matchups, the