Anderson Silva has changed the landscape of MMA before, and at UFC 148, he vows to change it again.You’ve heard it by now. Silva’s tirade on the UFC 148 conference call is splattered on every website and blog that remotely covers MMA, and it’s been the…
Anderson Silva has changed the landscape of MMA before, and at UFC 148, he vows to change it again.
You’ve heard it by now. Silva’s tirade on the UFC 148 conference call is splattered on every website and blog that remotely covers MMA, and it’s been the talk of the MMA world.
But of all the physical threats Silva made to Chael Sonnen during that call, there was one quote that stood out. That quote reads: “What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is going to change the image of the sport.”
Instant reaction to that statement is naturally to question such an outlandish statement, but if you recall, he’s changed it before.
What’s the last highlight in the UFC’s opening package on every pay-per-view? It’s Silva’s front kick that he landed on Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. Ever since that moment, at least three front kicks are thrown every fight night.
So what could he possibly have in store for Sonnen? As Silva said himself, the games are over, so what could this statement mean if it’s not just a tactic to get inside Sonnen’s head?
Quite possibly, Silva has learned a new move that he’s ready to unveil to the world and demonstrate on his greatest adversary. It’s almost like he’s Batman ready to show off one of his new gadgets against a man who’s already pushed him to his physical limits.
And though the UFC playfully turned Silva and Sonnen into comic-book characters, buying Silva as a real-life superhero is just as believable as Steven Seagal inventing the front kick. Mastering it is, of course, what I meant by saying that.
It surely would explain Silva’s Matrix-like moves against Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 and his Super Saiyan-esque performance against Yushin Okami in his last bout.
Seriously, there’s no other fighter than Silva that would just stand there and lift his arm slowly while gauging his opponents eyes. It was the stare of death followed by an eventual short right hook that would send Okami to the canvas.
So with all of the memorable highlights that Silva has displayed for years inside of the Octagon, the possibilities are virtually endless for Silva to change the image of the sport yet again.
After watching every fight he’s had inside the Octagon, Silva pulling off a move that fans have never seen before really isn’t that far-fetched. It’s almost come to the point where it’s expected.
And after Silva has went on record to say he was going to change the image of the sport at UFC 148, expect the unexpected in the main event. Though it may be cliche, it’s the truth.
Don’t blink come fight time, because you just might miss a new revelation.
There’s something primal about sports. At the professional level, it’s a calling like no other.
Everything you hold dear—your pride, your passion, your self worth, your soul, is laid bare in front of an audience of thousands, even millions. Every…
There’s something primal about sports. At the professional level, it’s a calling like no other.
Everything you hold dear—your pride, your passion, your self worth, your soul, is laid bare in front of an audience of thousands, even millions. Every success, and every failure, is a public spectacle. You win and lose before your fellow man. There is no hiding in sports.
It breeds a viciousness, a desperate need to win at all costs. As George Orwell famously said, “it’s war minus the shooting.” And that was about soccer. Imagine if he had seen cage fighting.
No other athletes compete on such a primordial scale. Stripped to the waist, feet bare, it’s one man against another. The ultimate challenge.
Being a cage fighter is a different proposition than being an athlete in any other sport. While you might contend that every sport is a stand-in for war, in other competitions the battle is waged on a more metaphorical level.
Yes, LeBron and Durant battled for the title, waging war over whose team would be crowned champion. But what they really did was altogether different. They tried to put a round leather ball in a hoop. Nothing more, nothing less.
A fighter’s purpose is very clear: to turn off his foe’s brain by punch, kick, or choke. Or, barring that, twist his opponent’s limbs until he decides he can’t fight anymore. There is no purpose to it other than pain—punishment is a fighter’s life.
There is a violence inherent in mixed martial arts—I realize that seems obvious, but bear with me here. It’s this incredible level of physical violence that has created the culture that surrounds MMA.
To cloud the true nature of what they do, fighter’s glaze every moment of the pre-fight preparations in a haze of respect and courtesy. They say the “right” things about their opponent. They stress the sporting nature of the contest. And they dance far, far away from the most basic tenant of their sport—the fact that they have been training for eight weeks to put a serious hurting on their opponent.
They plan on beating the other guy up. Not beating him at a game. Punching him in the face. Ripping his arm to shreds. Choking him until he passes out. Simulating combat. Simulating death.
That’s what winning is in mixed martial arts. But typically, no one wants to say it. That’s what made the angry tirade of middleweight champion Anderson Silva during this week’s media conference call for UFC 148 so remarkable.
“I’m going to break every bone in his face and all of the teeth in his mouth,” the champion proclaimed. “…I’m going to break his arms, his legs and every one of his teeth.”
Opponent Chael Sonnen was not amused.
“Well, it was nice to see the real Anderson come through,” he told UFC Tonight. “The guy is a dirt bag, like I’ve told you for years. He made a lot of statements about breaking my teeth and bones, but it’s not like I’ve never been to the orthodontists before or had my jaw stapled.
“What he didn’t say was that he was going to break my spirit, or my will, and beat me for the belt. I don’t care if he breaks my jaw, or I need staples, I kind of expect it. I think he was one off from saying he would give me a knuckle-sandwich, I’m just glad the real Anderson came out.”
Silva’s sentiments were ugly. It was a truth normally left unspoken. And it certainly got people talking. Because fans and the press, deep inside, understand what the fight game is really about. We just can’t admit it, even to ourselves, because of what it might say about us as people, about us as a culture.
What we are going to see on July 7th isn’t just an athletic contest. It’s a fist-fight between two of the most capable men in the world. This isn’t a battle over a championship belt. It’s a fight for pride, respect and supremacy.
These two men are going to be locked in a steel cage. They will try their best to hurt each other. Not just to win, but to hurt each other physically.
Personally, I can’t wait to see it. And I don’t care what that says about me.
If you work in an office, you probably spend the first half-hour of your day drinking coffee, reading blogs, and lamenting the bad decisions you’ve made in your life that led you to this point. So make this morning a special one by watching the entire five-round battle between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, which went down back in August 2010 in Oakland.
Sonnen may have a tendency to “talkee too muchee,” as the Brazilians might say, but you have to give him credit — he came to fight that night. Sonnen showed no signs that he was psyched out by the aura of the Spider, and aggressively pursued the champ for all five rounds. When it was all over, Sonnen had out-struck Silva by a stunning 320-64. Unfortunately, the judges were not well-versed in the Stockton scoring system, and awarded the fight to the guy who didn’t get choked out at the end. Still, it was a hell of a fight — can the sequel possibly live up to the original?
After the jump: A fan-made ‘Silva vs. Sonnen 2‘ hype video from Bruthamuzone, which is pretty killer despite the use of Limp Bizkit.
If you work in an office, you probably spend the first half-hour of your day drinking coffee, reading blogs, and lamenting the bad decisions you’ve made in your life that led you to this point. So make this morning a special one by watching the entire five-round battle between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, which went down back in August 2010 in Oakland.
Sonnen may have a tendency to “talkee too muchee,” as the Brazilians might say, but you have to give him credit — he came to fight that night. Sonnen showed no signs that he was psyched out by the aura of the Spider, and aggressively pursued the champ for all five rounds. When it was all over, Sonnen had out-struck Silva by a stunning 320-64. Unfortunately, the judges were not well-versed in the Stockton scoring system, and awarded the fight to the guy who didn’t get choked out at the end. Still, it was a hell of a fight — can the sequel possibly live up to the original?
After the jump: A fan-made ‘Silva vs. Sonnen 2‘ hype video from Bruthamuzone, which is pretty killer despite the use of Limp Bizkit.
There’s a bloodbath on the horizon, and it’s set to play out in the main event of UFC 148 between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and his arch rival, the self-proclaimed “American Gangster” Chael Sonnen. Will the real An…
There’s a bloodbath on the horizon, and it’s set to play out in the main event of UFC 148 between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and his arch rival, the self-proclaimed “American Gangster” Chael Sonnen.
Will the real Anderson Silva stand up? Well, in a recent UFC 148 media conference call, he did more than assume a vertical position—he let rip with a verbal tirade that sent shock waves through the MMA world.
I’m going to break his face and every tooth in his mouth. I know he’s on the call listening to this and playtime is over. There’s no more talking from him. I’m going to beat him out of the UFC. I’m going to make him pay for everything he’s said about me, my family and my country. I’m going to beat him maybe like his parents should have to teach him some manners. I’ll teach him those manners myself.
No more sh** talking from him. Chael Sonnen’s going to get his ass kicked like he’s never gotten his ass kicked before. What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport, I’m sorry. I’m going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. This is going to be violent and I am sorry. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, that his arms are broken and his legs are broken. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that. He will need a plastic surgeon afterwards.
His message to Uncle Chael was simple: The Sonnen hype train is at an end, blood will be spilt, and there’ll be a whole lot of cussing and crying come fight night.
This isn’t the persona of a personable person we know Silva to be, this is ferocity unleashed—a man on a mission, a man intent on utter carnage and a man with a score to settle once and for all.
The erstwhile NCAA Division l standout has thrown everything at Silva including the kitchen sink just to get a reaction, and he finally got it.
However, he must now be ruminating that he’s got more than he bargained for—every action has a reaction.
Long story short: Sh** just got real for the Oregon native.
With that in mind, unbeknownst to the Brazilian, he subconsciously elevated and promoted the fight from a must-see to a bagarre on the scale of “where were you when President John F. Kennedy got shot?” It’s that kind of a fight—a throwdown that will go down in the annals of MMA and UFC history.
That said, in some quarters there’s the belief that Sonnen has finally accomplished what he set out to do in the first place: Get into Silva’s head and thus infuriate the champion.
Are they right? Absolutely—he’s fuming.
However, to assume a fighter of his caliber and standing will enter the Octagon overwhelmed by anger is a non-starter.
Silva was enraged when he fought Vitor Belfort, and some would say incensed at Yushin Okami for the disqualification he suffered in their first encounter. Nevertheless, he obliterated them both.
Furthermore, Silva has been there and done that—six years undefeated, 15-fight win streak and nine successful title defenses to the good.
“Anybody can become angry—that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
The aforementioned quote from Aristotle is within Silva’s power—he’ll take that anger and use it to his advantage, controlled aggression culminating into a bloodbath and Sonnen’s destructive demise.
UFC 148 is scheduled for July 7, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
One day after UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva threatened to break No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen’s teeth, arms and legs, “The Gangster from Oregon” has fired back (to the surprise of no one).”‘He says he’s going to knock out my teeth and break m…
One day after UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva threatened to break No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen’s teeth, arms and legs, “The Gangster from Oregon” has fired back (to the surprise of no one).
“‘He says he’s going to knock out my teeth and break my jaw and break my head and all this,'” Sonnen told ESPN. “‘He acts like I’ve never been to the orthodontist.'”
Sonnen, a 49-fight veteran, also made note that he has had his jaw set and his head stapled in the emergency room after grueling battles inside the cage.
As a matter fact, the former All-American collegiate wrestler expects nothing less on fight night.
“Who gives a damn? He can do all those things[,]” he added. “But one thing he didn’t say is that he’s going to beat me. One thing he didn’t say he’d break is my will. One thing he didn’t say he’d do is win this fight. We’ll be in the middle of a cage stupid; I’d expect you to do those things.”
Ever since it was announced he would battle Silva for UFC middleweight supremacy back at UFC 117, the Team Quest standout has taunted Silva every chance he’s gotten, holding nothing back.
Until Monday, “The Spider” essentially reserved comment and chose not to engage in the war of words with his American adversary.
Nevertheless, Sonnen says he doesn’t care that he finally got the champion to sling some mud, though it says something about his character.
“‘I don’t care where he’s at (mentally),’ Sonnen said. ‘There’s no gamesmanship or anything else. I simply don’t care where he’s at. I focus purely on myself.
“‘Anderson’s a (jerk) and he always has been,’ he said. ‘And it came out (Monday); that was nice to see.'”
Sonnen and Silva meet for the second time at UFC 148, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 7th.
Will Sonnen be able to finish what he started two years ago, or will Silva prove that he is a cut above the rest at 185 pounds?
Anderson Silva is arguably the best fighter in the world, and he has attained such a prestigious title from the countless memorable moments throughout his career. His striking is unorthodox, his demeanor is friendly, and his statistics are staggering. …
Anderson Silva is arguably the best fighter in the world, and he has attained such a prestigious title from the countless memorable moments throughout his career. His striking is unorthodox, his demeanor is friendly, and his statistics are staggering. He is a complete fighter, but one who has been something of a mystery in many ways.
When a fighter steps into the Octagon with “The Spider,” there has been a history of “medusa” moments, where fighters who are normally very challenging opponents end up freezing up and being made to look worse than they actually are. What mentally happens when the cage door shuts in his opponents continues to elude us, but sometimes the ambiguity comes from both corners.
Silva has proven he has skills and abilities that have made him successful, but he is not very outspoken when it comes to fight promotions or speaking ill of his opponents. He usually makes a few comments, including maybe a small jab at his opponent, but trash talking is not his style. His opponent at UFC 148, however, is the undisputed pound-for-pound king of trash talk.
Chael Sonnen proves his gift of gab, clever phrasing of jokes and overall absurdity is beyond measure, and just how much he is getting into Silva’s head is yet to be seen. In the first meeting, there was plenty of verbal attack aimed at Silva leading up to the fight. And the things Sonnen had promised were mostly delivered. Now we are on to Round 2, and this time the champ has shown to be a little unnerved by the whole situation.
After a media conference call, Silva made it very clear that he was going to issue Sonnen the beating of his life, one like he had never experienced before. Those are strong sentiments from a guy who is one of the friendliest personalities in MMA. Silva may have some tricks up his sleeve or may be quite confident in his takedown defense, but there is also the risk of Silva trying to clown Sonnen to try to embarrass him.
After the Demian Maia fight, Silva was scrutinized for his antics in the cage and for running around. While the reason for his behavior in that fight is still a mystery, we do know that the Maia fight was a unique case of Silva being angry with his opponent. After some pre-fight comments by Maia, Silva was eager to punish and embarrass the fellow Brazilian in the cage. He succeeded in his mission but also had to recoil some of it and ended up sharing in the embarrassment.
Now, with him facing Sonnen and expressing an aggressive tone unheard of from the champ before, we can only speculate how this will change Silva’s fighting style. Typically, he waits and analyzes his opponents, but Sonnen is the one man who hasn’t waited around for the results of a computer test. He charged at Silva and took the fight to him and was able to control and dominate the fight.
While Silva seemed rather complacent when on his back in the last fight, we may see a Silva who pushes his pace and works to keep things moving in his favor.
Silva, when focused and on his game, has shown no signs of stopping. Only in times of emotional challenge has he had subpar performances, and we can only wait to see how this rematch will be different. Many think it will go the same as before, and some think that it will be a COMPLETELY different fight. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground, but from the words expressed by both fighters, it will be a fight to remember.
If Silva comes out and is the fighter that got him to where he is today, Sonnen is in for a tough night. Sonnen’s mental edge, along with his wrestling, always stands a chance; however, we may end up seeing a motivated Anderson Silva that we have never seen before, ignited by the spark of Sonnen’s disrespectful words.
While a Maia repeat is far from likely, especially since Sonnen will engage the champ, we won’t know how aggressive Silva will come out. We have seen many times where emotions running high create a negative situation for a fighter, and Silva has never been put in more of an emotional spot than with Sonnen.
The only other variables to consider are the previous injury and the TRT. Everyone reading this will have a different opinion on what were the “facts,” but we can only take it for what the fighters tell us and choose whether to trust them or not. Maybe Silva did have a fractured rib, maybe he didn’t. Maybe Sonnen was only a little over the TRT limit, or maybe he was way over.
As long as Sonnen comes out clean and Silva goes in uninjured, there will be some sort of closure after the rematch.
Anderson Silva will have three different personas he can come out with in this fight. First, a cautious fighter or one who lets his emotions get the better of him. The second, the same old Silva who capitalizes on your mistakes but destroys you in a calm and collected manner. Or third, a brand new Silva who has rekindled the fire in him that is reminiscent of his rise to the top, or even greater.
Regardless which one we get, the fight will not be boring in the least. If both men keep to their words, this may be one of the greatest fights of all time.
Anderson Silva has changed the landscape of MMA before, and at UFC 148, he vows to change it again.