Asking Chael Sonnen a question is a lot like interviewing Jekyll and Hyde.Part Chael Sonnen and part Chael P. Sonnen, Sonnen has established a split personality with Chael P. , giving media members solid gold soundbites.And while it provides great ente…
Asking Chael Sonnen a question is a lot like interviewing Jekyll and Hyde.
Part Chael Sonnen and part Chael P. Sonnen, Sonnen has established a split personality with Chael P. , giving media members solid gold soundbites.
And while it provides great entertainment, sometimes you’d rather hear Sonnen’s true “voice of reason.” Without any hype nor marketing techniques, it’d be nice to hear real talk from a real man heading into his bout against Anderson Silva at UFC 148.
With that in mind, these are the questions fans would love to ask Sonnen.
Spinning back elbows, flying knees and side kicks to the leg, Jon Jones’ arsenal of strikes is amazingly diverse considering that just five years ago, the reigning light-heavyweight champ wasn’t even a professional fighter yet.Jones’ otherworldly athle…
Spinning back elbows, flying knees and side kicks to the leg, Jon Jones’ arsenal of strikes is amazingly diverse considering that just five years ago, the reigning light-heavyweight champ wasn’t even a professional fighter yet.
Jones’ otherworldly athleticism and ability to react to his opponents’ body language in creative ways are intangibles that few fighters can replicate.
As Jones continues into his prime, it’s scary to think of what else this kid can come up with.
Most UFC press conferences are made up of the same scenario. We in the media ask questions, the fans ask questions, and then the fighters involved do a contrived face-off for the media.Today’s July 3 Silva/Sonnen press conference? It was entirely diffe…
Most UFC press conferences are made up of the same scenario. We in the media ask questions, the fans ask questions, and then the fighters involved do a contrived face-off for the media.
Today’s July 3 Silva/Sonnen press conference? It was entirely different.
For starters, there was the location. These things are usually held at the venue of the event. But this fight week—dubbed “International Fight Week 2012″—is different. It’s the UFC’s new version of WWE’s WrestleMania, the biggest fight week of the year.
And this year’s version is built around the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen in what will likely be the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view event of the entire year.
The very reason for all of that hype was on full display at today’s press conference. In spades. Sonnen continued his verbal assaults of the past two years, but Silva—reminiscent of last week’s media conference call—didn’t hold anything back either.
It was a different Silva than most are used to seeing at these things. Sure, there was a smile every once in awhile, but for the most part, Silva’s face was a reflection of the anger he’s finally allowing to bubble to the surface. He again accused Sonnen of being a cheater and a criminal, and when asked for a prediction on the fight by a fan in the crowd, he said that he would finish Sonnen in the first round.
And then came the face-off. (Video here from the good folks at MMAFighting, via Bloody Elbow.)
Sonnen assumed his normal fighting pose, but Silva walked purposefully, directly into his chest. His continually flexed hands and feet suggested the Spider was incredibly close to attacking his nemesis right there on stage, but Dana White and his bodyguard stepped in.
Silva planted a kiss on Sonnen’s cheek and whispered something in his ear. Brazilian reporters said that Silva told Sonnen “you’re gonna die,” and watching the events unfold on stage, I couldn’t help but believe that he’s speaking the truth. Or, at least what he thinks is the truth.
Sonnen was escorted from the stage by security, but Silva never took his eyes off his American challenger. As Sonnen left the room, Silva stood on the edge of the stairs—his eyes focused on his foe, his hands flexing and his body language clearly suggesting that he’s ready to deliver a punishment the likes of which we’ve never seen.
That’s a scary thing. We may not know how Saturday’s fight will ultimately play out, but we do know one thing: Anderson Silva is out for blood, and he’s out for revenge. UFC 148, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Chael Sonnen is inherently brilliant. No matter what you think of the man, you can’t deny that his antics have been the most successful attention-gathering ploys in the history of the UFC. Sonnen’s first fight with Anderson Silva was the most…
Chael Sonnen is inherently brilliant.
No matter what you think of the man, you can’t deny that his antics have been the most successful attention-gathering ploys in the history of the UFC.
Sonnen’s first fight with Anderson Silva was the most anticipated middleweight title fight in UFC history almost entirely due to the fact that Sonnen hyped the hell out of the fight with trash talk and pro wrestling-like promos.
Now, his rematch with Silva is reaching epic proportions of promotion by the UFC, and amazement by the fans.
This fight will be huge, bigger than huge, enormous, titanic—BIG.
Not bad for a UFC washout, right?
You read it properly, Sonnen was a UFC washout. He first fought for the UFC in 2005, went 1-2 in the promotion and was subsequently released.
Afterwards, he fought in Bodog to no fanfare, and why would there be? He was just another wannabe who couldn’t make it in the big leagues and that was all he was ever going to be, or so it seemed.
Sonnen eventually made his way to the Zuffa-owned WEC, where he was given a WEC middlweight title shot against Paulo Filho but lost by armbar. Again, who would think this guy would become a figure of legendary proportions?
Filho and Sonnen fought again but this time not for the WEC middleweight title: Filho failed to make weight for the contest which meant that the title wasn’t up for grabs. Sonnen won a decision victory in one of the most bizarre fights to ever take place under the Zuffa umbrella.
His victory earned him a place in the UFC, where he was matched up with Demian Maia and was flattened in just over two minutes, losing via submission for the seventh time in his career.
Things began to change after this fight. Sonnen put together three impressive victories over solid competitors in Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt. It was after the Marquardt victory that fans really started to pay attention to Sonnen.
Why did they pay attention?
Because he had been talking—a lot, specifically after his fight with Marquardt where he was involved in a post-fight media scrum where he said numerous provocative statements.
And then the floodgates opened.
Sonnen kept piling on the trash talk, and piling on the trash talk and piling on the trash talk until his looming fight was Silva was bigger than anything in the MMA world at the time.
But it wasn’t just hype. When the fight took place, Sonnen beat Silva from pillar to post for the majority of the fight before succumbing to a triangle-armbar late in the fifth round.
Unfortunately for Sonnen, his performance was mired by testing positive for elevated testosterone levels.
Nevertheless, his aura persisted through his suspension and when he returned it was to much clamor. He continued his typical assault against Silva whilst dispatching the high-level middleweights Brian Stann and Michael Bisping.
Silva vs. Sonnen II was set up after Sonnen’s victories and after Silva defended his belt against Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami.
There is a little less trash talk this time around, but that doesn’t make the fight any less anticipated because what’s said has already been said. Now it’s time to put up or shut up, time to find out who the better man is.
No matter who wins, Chael Sonnen has secured a place in UFC history through his antics.
Sonnen went from an unknown who was 1-2 in the UFC to a man who’s fighting for the UFC Middleweight Championship against arguably the greatest fighter of all time in the match of the year, if not the match of the decade—all through clever marketing and his own wits.
What fighter in the UFC can claim to be more brilliant than that?
Expect those fireworks not just on July 4th but also on July 7th, when Anderson Silva will defend his UFC Middleweight Title against Chael Sonnen. “Silva vs. Sonnen 2” rematch, one of the most anticipated fights of the year, is only five da…
Expect those fireworks not just on July 4th but also on July 7th, when Anderson Silva will defend his UFC Middleweight Title against Chael Sonnen.
“Silva vs. Sonnen 2” rematch, one of the most anticipated fights of the year, is only five days away.
The anticipation stems from their last confrontation, which ended with Silva forcing Sonnen to submit to a triangle chokehold.
Sonnen controlled the fight for four rounds and he’s been begging for the rematch ever since that night.
Now, Sonnen will get his.
But the outspoken No. 1 contender might have gone too far with his taunts at Silva. The UFC Middleweight Champion has more to prove, and he will come Saturday.
Here are 10 reasons why Anderson Silva will destroy Chael Sonnen.
By now you have likely heard, or better yet seen, what went down at today’s UFC 148 pre-fight press conference featuring Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Silva one again pulled from his bag of theatrics by aggressively body shoving Sonnen when th…
By now you have likely heard, or better yet seen, what went down at today’s UFC 148 pre-fight press conference featuring Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Silva one again pulled from his bag of theatrics by aggressively body shoving Sonnen when they met for a face-off photo. Sonnen stood his ground and the two eventually had to be separated by UFC president Dana White.
They say a photo is worth a thousand words and the one that most caught this eye was the above photo taken of Chael as he was waiting to square off with Anderson. To be fair, it is a terribly unflattering shot and it is easy to catch a guy looking awkward and/or scared in a single frame.
So make what you will of the photo. None of us are experts in body language so there is probably little to be gained from reading into the snapshot too much, but it certainly makes for interesting fodder.
Be sure to do yourself a favor and catch the official weigh-ins which will be taking place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas this Friday at 7pm EST and streaming live here at Bleacher Report.
Most UFC press conferences are made up of the same scenario. We in the media ask questions, the fans ask questions, and then the fighters involved do a contrived face-off for the media.