Despite the fact that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have wrestled in several matches on television over the last few months, I refuse to complain about it. They always give us different moves, different spots and different finishes. Essentially, they never …
Despite the fact that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have wrestled in several matches on television over the last few months, I refuse to complain about it.
They always give us different moves, different spots and different finishes. Essentially, they never give us the same match twice.
And last Monday was no exception.
During the mixed tag team Match on Monday Night Raw, CM Punk attempted to deliver a spinning backfist to Bryan, but Punk missed and tumbled to the mat. Bryan immediately followed up with a running knee.
On the surface, this is not a big deal.
However, several MMA enthusiasts, including J. Jones of CagePotato.com, have noticed that the sequence was nearly identical to the spinning backfist that Chael Sonnen unsuccessfully used against Anderson Silva at UFC 148. Sonnen missed, tumbled to the mat and received a big knee from Silva. Sonnen went on to lose the match by TKO.
A comparison between the two matches can be seen here.
CM Punk has spoken publicly about his love for MMA and having a friendship with a few MMA fighters, including Chael Sonnen.
So it is very likely that the spot was no mere coincidence and it was intentionally planned, perhaps as both a spoof and a compliment to his MMA buddy.
Of course, Punk has already used MMA-based techniques in the past, such as the Anaconda Vise, a choke submission from the pages of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Sonnen was an NCAA Division I All-American when he competed in amateur wrestling for the University of Oregon. Also, his interviews are very similar to full-blown wrestling promos. Therefore, many are beseeching for a WWE appearance by the UFC star. However, he has recently expressed his loyalty to Dana White and his promotion.
UFC 148 definitely lived up to the hype, and was easily one of the most exciting MMA events this year. Now that the fights have come to a conclusion, the UFC has to decide what’s.
UFC 148 definitely lived up to the hype, and was easily one of the most exciting MMA events this year. Now that the fights have come to a conclusion, the UFC has to decide what’s next for the fighters. For those who were defeated, just how far did they get knocked down the ranking ladder? For those victorious, how much closer does this bring them to a fight for the title? Is there anyone who will not be returning to the octagon? These are just some a few of the questions that are being asked after UFC 148.
Mike Easton and Ivan Menjivar had a three round back and forth fight that saw Easton getting his hand raised. After the performance that Easton showcased, his next opponent should be a top ten contender. Eddie Wineland or Michael McDonald would most likely be the best choice to ensure another exciting striking war. Menjivar was the underdog, but still displayed a commendable performance. A perfect opponent for Menjivar to face next is Scott Jorgensen. Both are coming off a loss, but are still considered to be two high-level fighters in the division.
Chad Mendes’ quick finish of Cody McKenzie just shows how bizarre this match up was. Mendes should have been matched with someone of a much higher ranking, especially seeing his last fight was against Jose Aldo for the lightweight title. Mendes should fight Ricardo Llams next, but if it ends up being someone talented like Charles Oliveria, then that would still be justifiable opponent. Who knows who KcKenzie’s next opponent will be, but clearly it shouldn’t be an elite contender. He’s just not ready for that yet, and his fight with Mendes is proof of that.
In a stunning upset, Demian Maia make quick work of Dong Hyun Kim, proving that he is a force to be reckoned with at welterweight. Many people speculated that the weight cut would hurt his performance, but it actually helped it, and made him much faster. Whether or not the fight was stopped due to an injury received by Kim is irrelevant. Maia got Kim right where he wanted him and unleashed a fury of punches, the referee would’ve had to step in regardless. After taking out a fighter as good as Kim like it was child‘s play, Joe Silva should give Maia a fighter either in the top ten or just outside the top ten. Diego Sanchez would be ideal if he doesn’t decide to return to lightweight. However, it would be understandable if Maia were to pull a fighter like Jake Ellenberger.
After Cung Le’s performance over Patrick Cote, people are realizing that maybe they were to quick to turn on him. After all, he was out striking Wanderlei Silva for the majority of their fight, and scored multiple knock downs. Not to mention, Patrick Cote was cut from the UFC in 2010, after three consecutive losses. The only reason he was brought back was to fill a spot when Rich Franklin was pulled from the bout. Since being cut from the UFC, Cote had fought less talented competition and just isn’t on Le’s striking level. Joe Silva should match up Le and Costa Philippou seeing they both won their last fight, and fought on the same card. If the UFC grants Cote another fight, a rematch with Chris Leben is one that fans would go crazy for. Leben’s suspension will end in November, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Fight of the night award winners, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz had a very controversial decision in the eyes of the crowd. However, most MMA website agree with the decision that Griffin won the first two rounds. What was more shocking was Griffin running out of the octagon before the official decision came out, and then later taking
Joe Rogan’s microphone to interview Ortiz himself. Griffin later apologized for his actions and simply stated he wasn’t thinking and wish he could take it all back. Ortiz officially retired after the fight, and was inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame. Griffin was asked if he had planned to retire as well, but Griffin stated that he definitely had a few more fights in him. Many have suggested a rematch with Rampage Jackson or Stephan Bonnar for Griffin’s next fight, which are most likely the most interesting fights for the fans.
Chael Sonnen made round one of his rematch with Anderson Silva look like a reenactment of their first encounter. After securing a takedown just seconds into the fight, Sonnen was able to control Silva on the ground and land over seventy strikes, while taking zero. What was more impressive, was Sonnen passing Silva’s guard and achieving the mount position, instead of being content with staying in Silva’s full guard like in their first fight. However Silva turned things around in round two. He was able to keep the fight standing and avoid the takedown attempts of Sonnen. The most important strike Silva was able to dodge was a spinning back fist that when missed, threw Sonnen off balance and caused him to tumble to the mat. Once Sonnen was down, Silva seized his opportunity to pressure Sonnen with a plethora of strikes. Once Silva took control, it was the beginning of the end for Sonnen, and the referee eventually had to step in. As far as who is next for Silva, there aren’t many options to go with. If Mark Munoz beats Chris Weidman, it would most likely make Munoz the number one contender. However, if Weidman is victorious, the UFC may wait to see how the fight between Hector Lombard and Tim Boetsch plays out. As for Chael Sonnen, A fight with Vitor Belfort would be a bout fans would like to see due to the added tension with neither fighter being to fond of the other. However, before that fight can happen, Sonnen needs to decide whether or not he will continue fighting. He said he would like to take some time before making a final decision, but the majority of the fans are confident that we will see the American gangster come back to the octagon.
Forrest Griffin has emerged as the fighter taking home the biggest salary after UFC 148, which took place in Las Vegas this past weekend. (H/T MMA weekly) The Nevada State Athletic Commission released the salary information for each fighter, which show…
Forrest Griffin has emerged as the fighter taking home the biggest salary after UFC 148, which took place in Las Vegas this past weekend. (H/T MMA weekly)
The Nevada State Athletic Commission released the salary information for each fighter, which showed Griffin netting $275,000 compared to only $200,000 taken home by champion Anderson Silva, who also headlined the main event.
Griffin’s total represents a $125,000 purse, a $75,000 win bonus and a $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
Griffin’s opponent, Tito Ortiz, who also received the Fight of the Night bonus, took home $250,000.
None of the revealed salaries represent the considerable unreported post fight bonuses and pay-per-view bonuses that the headline fighters will have received.
In other news, Griffin was one of 11 fighters to receive a medical suspension after sustaining injuries at the event (H/T MMAjunkie). He’s out until August 22 due to a possible jaw injury. Headliner Chael Sonnen is also out until August 7 for a nasal laceration, as is Cung Le, suspended for a laceration over his eye.
UFC 148, which featured the second showdown between middleweight champ Silva and Sonnen, has been touted as the biggest UFC event in the promotions history. It is said to have broken all records in live gate receipts, estimated at $7 million, with a crowd of 15,016 in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Pay-per-view numbers are not released by the UFC, but president Dana White said the event was set to break every television buy record one day before the event.
Two-time UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared on FUEL TV as part of the broadcast team during the UFC on FUEL TV: Munoz vs. Weidman weigh-ins. After losing to his main Octagon adversary, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva,…
Two-time UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared on FUEL TV as part of the broadcast team during the UFC on FUEL TV: Munoz vs. Weidman weigh-ins.
After losing to his main Octagon adversary, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, for a second time at UFC 148, there were a lot of questions to be asked of “The American Gangster.”
To Chael’s credit, he had a lot of answers. First off, the West Linn, Ore. native discussed the spinning back fist, which was the beginning of the end for him on Saturday (transcription via MMA Mania).
You know, I really wish that I knew and I don’t know. Listen, in fairness, had that landed, we’d all be talking about what a wonderful spinning punch it was. It didn’t, I fell down like a doofus, and I gotta live with it.
Despite Sonnen’s head trainer at Team Quest, Scott McQuarry, talking about appealing the loss largely due to Silva executing a questionable knee strike when Sonnen was seated against the cage, Chael said that will not happen under his watch.
Well, listen. The knee really hurt. All those shots hurt. But here’s the reality—we don’t do instant replay in this sport, and we shouldn’t. It comes down to a judgement call, and wherever the referee says the knee landed, officially, that’s where the knee landed. That’s an excellent official, as they all are. He made his call, and that’s the way it goes, and I will never complain or look back.
Chael added that “the referee’s judgment is what stands” and “you gotta know how to lose…sometimes you gotta man up, swallow it and walk out.”
Another one of Sonnen’s coaches, Neil Melanson, recently said he wouldn’t be surprised if the two-time All-American collegiate wrestler hung up the gloves.
While Sonnen didn’t rule out retirement completely, he said it would be at least a month before he made a definitive decision.
I don’t think any athlete should begin to talk like that or think about that until you let about 30 days go by. In anything in life, you don’t wanna make a decision based on emotion. You have highs and very big lows in this sport. You don’t wanna make any drastic decisions. I think that it’s also an insult to the fans when guys like to come out and say, ‘I’m retired!’ When what they really mean is, ‘I’ll see everybody in 18 months, because I’m coming back.’ I don’t wanna do that. But when I get to that point in my career, I’ll make a statement, and I’ll never look back.
A recent example of a premature retirement is when former lightweight/welterweight champion BJ Pennannounced he was done fighting after losing to Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
“Well, listen. I tried to go to the WWE. It’s in Vegas, on the 16th of this month, but I was leaving Vegas. I’d love to go to WWE. I’d love to get my popcorn. I’d cheer on CM Punk, but I go back to my promoter, Dana White, at the end of the night.”
Does this mark the end of the notorious Chael P. Sonnen persona or will “Uncle Chael” be back to his old ways as soon as he is booked against another rival such as Wanderlei Silva or Vitor Belfort?
Chael Sonnen is quite the polarizing figure in MMA. Igniting both a chorus of boos and a roomful of applause at the same time, Sonnen is a name that always elicits a response from MMA fans. That was never more true than during the epic UFC 148 event.So…
Chael Sonnen is quite the polarizing figure in MMA. Igniting both a chorus of boos and a roomful of applause at the same time, Sonnen is a name that always elicits a response from MMA fans. That was never more true than during the epic UFC 148 event.
Sonnen spent the past two years verbally beating UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva through the media. Up until a week prior to the event, Silva remained relatively quiet. In the UFC 148 conference call, Silva exploded on Sonnen with verbal threats.
The response from Silva only heightened the anticipation for his climatic rematch with his rival. The main event at UFC 148 lived up to the hype as Sonnen dominated the champion for the entire five minutes of the opening round.
The second round is where everything seemed to change. Like an episode of The Twilight Zone, Sonnen just didn’t seem himself. A failed takedown attempt lead to the wrestler being forced to strike with the champion.
One spinning back fist whiff later and Sonnen found himself sitting on his rear end, looking up at his adversary walking over to deliver a devastating knee. The image of Sonnen sitting in the cage while Silva strolled over to him is literally worth 1,000 words.
After such a dominating first round, where did it all go wrong for Sonnen?
It wasn’t the spinning back fist, the legal/illegal knee, the grease, the shorts grabbing or any other moves that caused Sonnen to lose. It was the man himself.
Sonnen had effectively moved past the disastrous end to his bout at UFC 117 with a solid win over Brian Stann and showed some toughness by overcoming a slow start against Michael Bisping back in January.
With all the confidence in the world, Sonnen seemed destined to learn from his mistakes and capture the UFC title that had eluded him in 2010. But once again, a disaster ensued in what should’ve been a moment of triumph.
Just take a look at Sonnen’s performance at UFC 148. The challenger stormed into Silva and immediately secured a takedown. The ground fighting that followed seemed a bit odd.
Silva seemed almost content to lay there and hold on, waiting for a stand up from the referee. There was a moment where it seemed he practically dared Sonnen to take a submission attempt while offering little resistance from the bottom.
Sonnen was even able to secure the mount position with little over a minute left in the round. Instead of sitting up to rain down power punches and possibly secure a first round stoppage, Sonnen just lay there. The challenger had already maneuvered into the most dominant position.
Perhaps the recent quotes from Dana White give a little insight as to why Sonnen may have chose to hold on instead of attack.
“In that first round, when I was on top of him, and I was hitting him with those big elbows, I felt him break. I broke him in that first round. He came back in that second round and destroyed me. I’ve never seen anybody do that ever.” (BleacherReport.com)
How do you “break” someone and then let them come back like that? How can you secure the full mount with a minute left and do virtually no damage? Why attempt a spinning back fist?
It’s clear that something isn’t right in Sonnen’s head. I don’t mean with his “Chael P. Sonnen” persona but with Sonnen the athlete. A monumental collapse like Sonnen had against Silva rests with the challenger himself.
Silva didn’t win that fight; Sonnen lost it.
Guys like Luke Rockhold and others may point to Silva grabbing Sonnen’s shorts or greasing as to why Sonnen lost, but they’re sadly mistaken.
Sonnen lost that fight before ever stepping into the Octagon.
Once again, the curtain was pulled back and we saw that he was just as human as you or I, despite his best attempts to convince us otherwise. Once again we witnessed his mystique fade into oblivion with every gloved fist to the face. For a moment, it appeared as if he had been fooling us this whole time. He had to have been. I mean, how can a guy be so unbelievably amazing in the Octagon and do what no other before him has ever come close to doing, and still come up short again?
Now that the cameras have stopped rolling, Chael P. Sonnen finds himself at a crossroads in life, a time when decisions like changing weight classes or changing careers — decisions of great consequence — have to be made, or so it would seem. Some have tossed around the idea of retirement for the thirty-five year old southpaw. Need I remind you that Sonnen is the one that said, “You cannot ‘retire’ from a sport unless you win a world championship. You only quit.”? Even after two title shots against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Sonnen is still a lot like my second favorite type of bra: strapless. Add that to the poetic role reversal of Silva making a quip about having his wife fix him a steak after the fight — that twist of the knife, delivered with a champion’s smile — and you can better see how dejected the American Gangster is feeling after his performance at UFC 148.
Maybe you, like many others, think the former politician should change weight classes or go take his shtick to WWE. It’s absurd to think he would move down to 170lbs. given the reported 20+ pounds he had to cut the day before the weigh-ins. Similarly, a move to the 205lb. division isn’t exactly any less of a career suicide than propositioning Dana White to ‘Free CagePotato’ in a hotel lobby. But that WWE idea seems totally legit, right? WWE thinks so too, even if there are others who would advise against it.
(Try as he might, Chael just couldn’t figure what dish to bring to a Brazilian BBQ.)
Once again, the curtain was pulled back and we saw that he was just as human as you or I, despite his best attempts to convince us otherwise. Once again we witnessed his mystique fade into oblivion with every gloved fist to the face. For a moment, it appeared as if he had been fooling us this whole time. He had to have been. I mean, how can a guy be so unbelievably amazing in the Octagon and do what no other before him has ever come close to doing, and still come up short again?
Now that the cameras have stopped rolling, Chael P. Sonnen finds himself at a crossroads in life, a time when decisions like changing weight classes or changing careers — decisions of great consequence — have to be made, or so it would seem. Some have tossed around the idea of retirement for the thirty-five year old southpaw. Need I remind you that Sonnen is the one that said, “You cannot ‘retire’ from a sport unless you win a world championship. You only quit.”? Even after two title shots against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Sonnen is still a lot like my second favorite type of bra: strapless. Add that to the poetic role reversal of Silva making a quip about having his wife fix him a steak after the fight — that twist of the knife, delivered with a champion’s smile — and you can better see how dejected the American Gangster is feeling after his performance at UFC 148.
Maybe you, like many others, think the former politician should change weight classes or go take his shtick to WWE. It’s absurd to think he would move down to 170lbs. given the reported 20+ pounds he had to cut the day before the weigh-ins. Similarly, a move to the 205lb. division isn’t exactly any less of a career suicide than propositioning Dana White to ‘Free CagePotato’ in a hotel lobby. But that WWE idea seems totally legit, right? WWE thinks so too, even if there are others who would advise against it.
I’m not saying that I wouldn’t tune in to watch Sonnen on Raw, if only to see how he’d respond when he’s encouraged to let his character become his identity, and everything he says is scripted. (Oh wait.) But the thing you’ve got to realize is that there is a world of difference between being a wrestler and being a ‘rassler, and if you need an explanation then you probably love drinking cheap pop and don’t mind being called Mark even if it’s not your name. Sure, Sonnen can cut a promo that would make “Rowdy” Roddy Piper proud, has a familiarity with performance enhancing injections, and a silo full of charisma, but he’s a competitor at heart. With a successful pizza restaurant lining his pockets, he doesn’t need to strap on a pair of tights and trade figure-four leg-locks with CM Punk — especially when he’s a pugilist, a fist-fighter, a gangster from the mean streets of Oregon. When you need a sports entertainer, go call up Brock Lesnar. When you need a cage fighter, you call Chael Sonnen.
What then, does Sonnen do now if he can’t beat the champion, but he’s better than everyone in his weight class? Do you give him another rematch? That’s what he’d like to see happen, but that idea has been nixed by the Baldfather himself. Death threats notwithstanding, it’s far more probable that “The Bad Guy” will eventually find himself in a soccer stadium in Rio standing across the cage from the likes of Vitor Belfort, whom Sonnen’s mother just absolutely loves, or Wanderlei Silva, whom Rex absolutely loves. Given the stuff he’s said about them, I’m sure both of these Brazilians would be more than happy to be Sonnen’s next dance partner.
So you see, nothing is really going to change. Chael Sonnen will keep doing what he’s been doing for years…and so will we. He’ll get a phone call from Joe Silva with a name and a date. He’ll sign that contract and, should he get the itch, relentlessly talk trash about his opponent until the point of insanity. All of the major radio hosts will get a heaping pile of witty one-liners, memorable quotes, and sound bytes that will live on forever, like the one about Nogueira trying to feed the bus a carrot.
On the appointed night, as soon as his music hits those speakers, he’ll make that walk and do his job. As for you and I, we’ll eat it up — every last minute of it — and we’ll throw down our money and buy the next card he’s on because we can’t help but want to see him try to back up his outrageous claims. We’ll continue to turn a blind eye to Sonnen’s slightly less-than-honest material and laugh at the absurdity and hilariousness of it all, enabling him to stick with the gimmick that’s brought him so far already.
When the time comes, Sonnen will play his part. What else would he do with himself? An athlete can quit, but a performer will always find his way back to the spotlight.
Despite the fact that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have wrestled in several matches on television over the last few months, I refuse to complain about it.
