Tag: UFC 148

Randy Couture: ‘Anderson Didn’t Really Win; He Got His Ass Whooped by Chael’

Randy Couture believes Anderson Silva has to make serious adjustments to overcome Chael Sonnen in the rematch.In an interview with MMAFighting.com, the UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champ broke down the highly anticipated UFC 148 main event…

Randy Couture believes Anderson Silva has to make serious adjustments to overcome Chael Sonnen in the rematch.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com, the UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champ broke down the highly anticipated UFC 148 main event.

According to Couture, the winner of the first fight is generally under the most pressure in determining what new game plan his opponent is going to come up with. Oddly enough, the pressure of anticipation lies squarely on Sonnen’s shoulders in the rematch.

In the first bout, he dominated Silva for four-and-a-half rounds before giving up a submission late in the fifth. Silva will obviously look to change things up in hopes of the second fight playing out differently. What does this mean for Sonnen?

Couture weighs in:

It’s almost like [Sonnen] has a disconnect, he loses faith or confidence in himself, and he kind of lets up, and a guy finds a way to get him in trouble…I think his win over [Nate Marquardt] gave him a particular confidence to carry him through that I don’t think he had before that. I thought that was the turning point.

It’s hard to say in the Anderson fight if that little bit of doubt creeped back in his mind in the end there, if he got so close and kind of thought to himself, ‘Man, am I really going to win this,’ and kind of let up. We’ve always seen Chael, where against [Paulo Filho], he came back and stuck to it and managed to win. I think that’s what we’re going see this time.

Sonnen has been submitted eight times in his professional career, and half of those losses came by triangle choke.

If taken down, Silva will be looking to once again exploit holes in Sonnen’s submission defense. It’ll be up to “Uncle Chael” to make the necessary adjustments and be prepared to deal with whatever new wrinkles Silva shows on July 7.

“It’s kind of odd,” said Couture. “Normally, I would say that the onus is on the guy who won the first fight to anticipate the changes the loser is going to make and get the same outcome.”

Couture continues:

If you look, I know in my own performances, Chuck [Liddell] made adjustments the second time, which was hard to predict what those adjustments were going to be and how do I then be prepared?…It’s guess work. So, it’s harder for the guy that won in the second fight.

But if you look at Anderson and Chael, Anderson won by triangle choke with two minutes left. He didn’t really win the fight. He got his ass whooped—literally—for four-plus rounds. So, it’s almost like, even though Chael needs to make some adjustments and obviously figure out how to stop a triangle, but it’s almost like he was the guy that won. He wants it to go the same minus the triangle.

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UFC 148: Silva-Sonnen II and the 6 Most Anticipated Fights of the Summer

With UFC 148 now only a week away, hosting the most anticipated rematch in the history of MMA in Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen II, there’s plenty to talk about in the world of caged combat.Fans are enthusiastically looking forward to this one, but …

With UFC 148 now only a week away, hosting the most anticipated rematch in the history of MMA in Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen II, there’s plenty to talk about in the world of caged combat.

Fans are enthusiastically looking forward to this one, but they’re not overlooking several other big fights happening this summer.

Here are some of the biggest fights to look forward to.

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UFC 148: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen ‘It’s Personal’ Trailer

The hype train for UFC 148 continues to move full speed ahead. The UFC has released another trailer for the July 7 event, headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II.The trailer focuses on how Sonnen has taunted the champion, and how Silva responde…

The hype train for UFC 148 continues to move full speed ahead. The UFC has released another trailer for the July 7 event, headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II.

The trailer focuses on how Sonnen has taunted the champion, and how Silva responded with an epic rant earlier this week on a conference call.

It has been just under two years since Sonnen and Silva met in the Octagon at UFC 117, where the challenger controlled the action for roughly 23 minutes before succumbing to a triangle choke. 

“The American Gangster” is convinced he has all the tools necessary to defeat Silva this time around, while Silva believes that Sonnen will not be able to walk out of the cage under his own power after their second encounter. 

Whatever the final outcome may be, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will play host to one of the biggest UFC fights of all time in just over a week’s time. 

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Classic Fight: Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson @ UFC 82 [FULL VIDEO]

(Props: UFCAndersonTheSpider via IronForgesIron)

Following up our presentation of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1, here’s the other UFC fight where Anderson Silva looked less-than-invincible, at least momentarily. This was Silva’s third middleweight title defense, back at UFC 82 in March 2008, and Dan Henderson dominated the opening round, taking Silva down about two minutes into the fight and grinding down on him with punches for the rest of the frame. Henderson also puts a good deal of effort into covering Silva’s mouth and nose with his hand, a cheap breathing-obstruction trick that occasionally bleeds into gouging/fish-hooking territory. (Side note: Skip to the 14:07 mark, and you’ll see the rough draft of the front kick that Silva used to dummy up Vitor Belfort.)

Silva got even in the second round, brawling a bit with Hendo before letting his precision striking take over. At the 21:16 mark, Silva nails Henderson with a knee, kick, and punches that the challenger is never able to recover from. Silva gets on top of Henderson and works his jiu-jitsu until he sinks a particularly nasty rear-naked choke. After the fight, Silva takes a moment to explain that Henderson was good, but he’s no Rich Franklin. A real…class act? Anyway, the Ohio fans loved it.

After the jump: Silva’s UFC 134 title defense against Yushin Okami, which also ended violently in the second round.


(Props: UFCAndersonTheSpider via IronForgesIron)

Following up our presentation of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1, here’s the other UFC fight where Anderson Silva looked less-than-invincible, at least momentarily. This was Silva’s third middleweight title defense, back at UFC 82 in March 2008, and Dan Henderson dominated the opening round, taking Silva down about two minutes into the fight and grinding down on him with punches for the rest of the frame. Henderson also puts a good deal of effort into covering Silva’s mouth and nose with his hand, a cheap breathing-obstruction trick that occasionally bleeds into gouging/fish-hooking territory. (Side note: Skip to the 14:07 mark, and you’ll see the rough draft of the front kick that Silva used to dummy up Vitor Belfort.)

Silva got even in the second round, brawling a bit with Hendo before letting his precision striking take over. At the 21:16 mark, Silva nails Henderson with a knee, kick, and punches that the challenger is never able to recover from. Silva gets on top of Henderson and works his jiu-jitsu until he sinks a particularly nasty rear-naked choke. After the fight, Silva takes a moment to explain that Henderson was good, but he’s no Rich Franklin. A real…class act? Anyway, the Ohio fans loved it.

After the jump: Silva’s UFC 134 title defense against Yushin Okami, which also ended violently in the second round.

Silva vs. Sonnen: Will UFC 148 Be the End of Chael Sonnen, Win or Lose?

UFC 148 might be Chael Sonnen’s end as a superstar, even if he manages to beat Anderson Silva. Sure, a victory over Silva will be a boon to Sonnen’s career and will make him that much more respected as fighter.But, the ostentatious, silver-tongued…

UFC 148 might be Chael Sonnen’s end as a superstar, even if he manages to beat Anderson Silva. 

Sure, a victory over Silva will be a boon to Sonnen’s career and will make him that much more respected as fighter.

But, the ostentatious, silver-tongued, pro-wrestler-esque Sonnen will be a casualty of UFC 148. 

Let’s imagine that he wins. Great, right?

He’ll be the champ and he’ll cut a funny little promo after his victory calling out Bisping or Lombard or whoever. 

That’ll be fun to watch. But what about when he’s given dozens and dozens of promos, fight after fight after fight?

The act will eventually wear thin—if it hasn’t already. Stealing from wrestling promos and flinging absurd insults—he fed the bus a carrot—is only entertaining for so long before it starts to get old and fans become desensitized, bored and annoyed. 

Once fans start reacting this way, Sonnen will have three options:

1. Scale back the drama and become more “real,” so as not to cheapen the UFC product and to get fans to stop rolling their eyes

2. Just keep doing what he’s doing and hope it can attract new fans—and that current fans don’t lose patience with it. 

3. Act even more outlandish to shock those who are desensitized in an attempt to mimic the early success and buzz of his gimmick. 

Each one of these options has perils.

If Sonnen goes the first route, he’ll risk becoming a placid, “boring” character who fans couldn’t care less about—he’ll lose his star power.

If he goes the second route, fans will just tune out and start ignoring him.

And, if he goes the third route, his gimmicks and trashtalking will become so preposterous and extravagant that he’ll alienate fans—and perhaps even draw the ire of UFC president Dana White.

And the PR hazards above are assuming that Sonnen wins the fight.

Could you imagine what happens if he loses? That’ll be the second time he talked a tremendous game but failed to wrest the title from Silva’s grasp.

If this happens, it won’t take long for fans to turn on Sonnen and regard him as one of the biggest jokes in UFC history. 

Thus, UFC 148 will be Chael Sonnen’s end as a personality. He’ll either win and, ultimately, be forced to abandon his gimmick—which is what made him so famous in the first place.

Or, he’ll lose and be ridiculed for as long as MMA lives.

 

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UFC 148: Chael Sonnen’s Identity Is in Huge Jeopardy

Chael Sonnen holds three areas of expertise: fighting, ruffling feathers and contriving controversy. Of these skills, ruffling feathers is most interwoven with his persona. Since 2010, the Oregonian has antagonized the Zen right out of Anderson Silva, …

Chael Sonnen holds three areas of expertise: fighting, ruffling feathers and contriving controversy. Of these skills, ruffling feathers is most interwoven with his persona.

Since 2010, the Oregonian has antagonized the Zen right out of Anderson Silva, prompting Silva to burst out in hostility for the first time in his UFC career.

Chael expects us to think of him: “Oh that loony guy, talking to Anderson that way. He’s sure got a backbone. I like his moxie.”

The clever wrestler has brewed a formula for creating fandom that many have fallen for. Good for him.

Unfortunately for Sonnen, he’s forged a reputation that is extremely volatile.

Chael Sonnen is a volcano of machismo and swagger, but chooses to spew magma at merely a few targets—mostly Brazilians.  

Fans endorse Sonnen because he didn’t let Silva bulldoze him and because he fires brazen words at the deified champ without relent. But Sonnen’s words will be rendered empty if “The Spider” breaks him, and perhaps so will the joker himself.

Before he unleashed that barrage of mockery upon Silva in 2010, Chael Sonnen was another faceless flea, destined to be entangled in the web of “The Spider.” But his trash talk earned him clout as a sort of heroic jester.  He backed his trash talk—sort of—which garnered him respect.

Because talk is so important to Sonnen, his image will shrivel if he doesn’t pound the champ. He’ll tumble out of immediate relevancy with a loss, and so too will his words.

 

Today, he’s soaking in the spotlight. Chael savors every moment as his words echo throughout the MMA landscape. But if he’s thoroughly bested come July 7, he’ll be 0-2 against Silva—Sonnen’s primary fuel for sustenance will have invalidated him.

The jokes that stratified Sonnen will be stripped of their zest and relevance, and only zealots will continue to heed him.  

Chael Sonnen has forged himself though belittling Anderson Silva and his comrades. If Sonnen loses, perhaps his image will need to be rebuilt, lest his fans grow weary of his hollow, unbacked talk.  

But hey, if he wins, Sonnen will become a hyperbolic, legendary American badass. Either way, I can’t wait to see the drama unfold.  

 

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