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UFC 148 Preview: The American Gangster, Chael Sonnen, Discusses His ‘Tough’ Life

Whether you like him or not, it can not be denied that Chael Sonnen is one of the funniest characters there are in the world of sport. His trash-talking skills are comparable to that of the greats: Muhammad Ali, Kevin Garnett and Terrell Owens to name …

Chael Sonnen has swagger and no-one in the sport of MMA can come close to his standards. Pretty bold statements from myself, but Sonnen has a history of living up to expectations and then exceeding them.

Just ask Anderson Silva.

UFC 148 is set to be one of the greatest spectacles in the history of MMA, where we will witness Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva lock horns for a second time in one of the biggest rematches in history.

And this time, it’s personal.

This is a match-up that fans have wanted to see since the first time the two met, back in UFC 117. It is here that Sonnen showed the world what he’s made of. It is here that Silva’s aura of invincibility was heavily damaged.

Amidst various controversies, Sonnen went on to prove that he’s a top contender with wins over Michael Bisping and Brian Stann. Whilst Silva racked up wins over Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami. This left no doubt as to who the top contenders in the division were and after almost two years of insults and taunts from both parties —one party being A LOT more involved in the dishing out of insults than the other—Silva and Sonnen will meet again.

This isn’t a fight that really needs a lot of promotion because this is a fight that fans want to see. I’d even go as far as to say that no promos were needed to hype this fight up because of all the questions that will be answered as a result of this fight taking place: Did TRT really do that much to improve Sonnen’s performance the first time the two met? Has Silva learnt from his mistakes from the first time? What’s next for Sonnen if he loses? What’s next for the winner? Who is the best fighter in the middleweight division?

It is safe to say that lot of questions will be answered after this fight.

UFC 148 is also a chance for Silva to redeem himself after UFC 117, where Sonnen dominated the champ in devastating fashion. Sonnen exposed Silva’s take-down defence and put Silva on his back for longer than all of Silva’s opponents in the UFC had done, combined.

Sonnen even managed to out-strike the man that many believe to be the most accurate, and even the greatest striker in the game. Redemption for Silva is a huge factor going forwards for this fight and will be an ‘X-Factor’ for Silva in this fight.

But remember, Sonnen is out to prove to the world that Silva potentially ‘got lucky’ the first time they met. Sonnen has one of the best work ethics in the UFC and is one tough customer in the Octagon.

The legitimacy of a rib-injury suffered by Silva before UFC 117 has been highly debated as to whether or not it can be blamed for Silva’s poor performance. As a result, Sonnen will be out to prove that he can beat a healthy Silva.

Now, I know I said promos weren’t needed to hype this fight up, but I’ve got a real gem for you. Personally, I think that Sonnen is using satire here when talking about his ‘rough’ upbringing. But then again, it’s Chael P. Sonnen. There’s always a chance he is being serious.

I won’t ruin it for you. Just sit back and enjoy the ‘Chael Sonnen Show’.

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Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2: Previews, Odds and Predictions for UFC 148

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. The most anticipated rematch in MMA history is almost upon us. The questions that followed UFC 117 are about to be put to bed when the two elite middleweights step in to the cage Saturday night. What was to be a stadium…

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. The most anticipated rematch in MMA history is almost upon us.

The questions that followed UFC 117 are about to be put to bed when the two elite middleweights step in to the cage Saturday night.

What was to be a stadium show in Brazil for UFC 147 changed in to a week-long spectacle in Las Vegas for the holiday week. The UFC 148 card lost Rich Franklin and the Bantamweight Championship, but the card remains strong with a six-fight main card.

Patrick Cote returns to the UFC to replace Rich Franklin against Cung Le, and Forrest Griffin looks to settle the score against Tito Ortiz (who will enter the UFC Hall of Fame earlier in the day) in their third and final fight. Other bouts on the main card features contenders in their respective divisions looking to add to their win total.

The pre-fight press conference between Silva and Sonnen was electric, and as the International Fight Week moves along with the UFC Fan Expo, the electricity will continue to build.

As the title indicates, I will supply you with previews, odds and predictions.

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Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II: Closer Look at Chael’s Triangle-Armbar Loss

Chael Sonnen won’t win his rematch against Anderson Silva on the feet. He will need to take the fight down to the ground and control the fight there. After training for two weeks with Vinny Magalhaes in Oregon and watching film of the first fight…

Chael Sonnen won’t win his rematch against Anderson Silva on the feet. He will need to take the fight down to the ground and control the fight there.

After training for two weeks with Vinny Magalhaes in Oregon and watching film of the first fight, Sonnen should have made necessary adjustments to his ground game.

There has been a growing discussion surrounding whether or not Sonnen can avoid being submitted and what his options are on the ground.

Sonnen recently sat down with Jon Anik on Fuel TV’s UFC Ultimate Insider to analyze the first fight with Silva.

Of note, it’s interesting to hear that the choke was so deep that Sonnen didn’t know where he was, with the following brief dialogue between Sonnen and the referee:

I remember asking the referee when it was done, ‘What happened?’ He said ‘You tapped,’ and I simply said, ‘I believe you.’ I didn’t even know where I was. He had [the triangle choke] so tight. This is such a nice technique. I would love to catch somebody in that myself. It’s very devastating once you’re put in it.

The “Gracie breakdown” of Silva’s submission shows that Sonnen did his homework and was prepared, but he still had a quick mental lapse that Silva capitalized on:

Ryron and Rener Gracie noted Silva’s wrist control before he locked in the triangle, and they also discussed what Sonnen did right and wrong prior to tapping out.

Will Silva be able to finish the fight on the feet, or will he have to defend off his back again? If he’s on his back, will Sonnen be able to defend any submission attempts while landing strikes—and maybe even trying for a submission himself?

We’ll find out on Saturday night when both men face off during one of the most anticipated UFC fights of the year.

Follow @MHatamoto

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UFC 148 Fight Card: Can UFC 148 Top UFC 100 in PPV Buys?

UFC 148 is set to feature the best MMA fighter in the world squaring off against his biggest rival when Anderson Silva meets Chael Sonnen for a second time.The title fight is set to be the biggest rematch in UFC history and could make or brea…

Fans have been on the edge of their seats in anticipation for the two men to step in the Octagon on July 7 and UFC President Dana White is expecting some good numbers in PPV buys.

Actually, great numbers would be a better way to describe White’s forecast.

“There’s no doubt that we expect over one million buys here. We expect UFC 100 numbers,” White said during the UFC 148 conference call (via mmamania.com).

Although PPV sales will be up from the recent numbers we’ve seen this year from UFC PPVs, White is out of his mind if he’s expecting UFC 148 to draw like UFC 100.

There are a number of differences in the card that separate UFC 100 from UFC 148.

The first being the easiest to point out, UFC 100 was the 100th PPV put on by the promotion. It was a spectacle on it’s own despite who was on the card. Much like UFC 129 and UFC 134 (or UFC Rio if you prefer), the event became much more than a night of MMA fights.

UFC 148 does have a special feel to it, due to the rivalry between Silva and Sonnen, but that pales in comparison to the feeling fans had about UFC 100.

I know some may not grasp the comparison, but UFC 100 had a Wrestlemania-type feel where fans knew they would be getting entertainment for the entire night. Fans watching UFC 148 would likely rather fast forward until the main event.

That brings me to the next area of comparison, the card lineups.

At UFC 100 Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir met in a climatic rematch that settled their heated rivalry. Much in the way Silva and Sonnen have grown to despise each other, that could be said of Lesnar and Mir.

However, there is one glaring difference between the intense rivalries.

Lesnar and Mir are both heavyweight fighters, while Silva and Sonnen are middleweights. Americans, in particular, always have had a soft spot in its heart for heavyweight clashes. A carry over from the glory days of boxing, it’s clear MMA fans love their heavyweight battles as well.

Moving on from the main event, the co-main events are completely different as well. At UFC 100 Georges St. Pierre defended his belt against Thiago Alves. GSP is widely considered the top PPV draw in the UFC and Alves is a pretty popular fighter in his own right.

In the UFC 148 co-main event, Tito Ortiz bids farewell by taking on Forrest Griffin in a rubber match. Although the first two fights have been entertaining to watch, this isn’t what one would call a true co-main event. Both men are popular fighters with the fans but with little interest in this fight, it’s not even close to matching a GSP-Alves fight.

Already you can see the drawing power UFC 100 has compared to UFC 148. UFC 100 featured the top two PPV draws in the company (Lesnar, GSP) along with a trash talker of it’s own (Mir). UFC 100 also has something UFC 148 doesn’t; reality television.

In the weeks leading up to UFC 100, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping spent weeks opposing each other as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter: USA vs. UK. The show validated Bisping’s place as one of the most despised men in the UFC and the fact he was fighting the prototypical American in Henderson only increased the need for fans to see the Brit get dropped.

Henderson vs. Bisping was the third big fight of the evening at UFC 100, while Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote fills that role for UFC 148. Is there anyone who can say with a sane mind that they are as excited for Le-Cote as they were for Hendo-Bisping?

Didn’t think so.

UFC 148 will be a good day for PPV buys and will likely be the event in 2012 for the promotion. At the very least it will hold fans over until the fall when a series of title defenses by Junior dos Santos, Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, Carlos Condit and GSP are set to take place.

Very few UFC PPV’s have cracked the one million mark and I don’t see UFC 148 being one of those. It will do good numbers, due to Sonnen and Silva’s rivalry, but doesn’t have much else to build upon it for fans to drop hard earned money to see.

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