On at the present time in MMA, Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva had some of the thrilling title matches in UFC in historical past. In the primary occasion of UFC 117. August 7, 2010, stay from Oakland, California, a future UFC Corridor of Fame struggle would go down within the historical past books.
UFC 117 – August 7, 2010
Chael Sonnen was not fairly but referred to as a smooth-talking trash-talker at the moment. This title struggle, the leadup, is what put him on the map as somebody that followers must hearken to. The US-born Sonnen was a standout wrestler and a great WEC middleweight champion. After a small win streak within the UFC’s middleweight division, he earned a crack at ‘The Spider.’
Making a case for being an all-time nice MMA fighter ‘The Spider’ Anderson Silva was trying untouchable at the moment. With an unbelievable Spherical 1 KO in 2006, he earned the UFC middleweight title, smashing the nostril of then-champion Wealthy Franklin. The Brazil-born Silva would defend his title in six bouts, successful a complete of ten UFC fights main as much as UFC 117, eight by means of knockout.
Anderson Silva was among the many greats on the high of the pound-for-pound checklist, competing with names corresponding to Georges St-Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, BJ Penn, and Jose Aldo.
West Linn Oregon’s Sonnen knew it was going to be a protracted and painful evening for him at UFC 117. Talking forward of time to the media, he stated:
“He’s very sharp in that, he’s so skinny and lengthy. His elbows are sharp. His knees are sharp. His fists are sharp. And he’s going to harm – he’s going to harm me actually unhealthy on August seventh. However I’m assured that I can take care of the ache, stroll by means of it, go to the hospital that evening and depart with the championship belt anyway.”
The trash discuss from Sonnen would turn into iconic. He delivered unforgettable strains corresponding to:
“He’s acquired a black belt beneath the Nogueiras. I believe a black belt beneath the Nogueiras is saying, like, ‘I acquired a free toy in my Glad Meal.’ I don’t actually perceive what the large deal is. One among ’em’s a punching bag, and the opposite one I simply ignore; he’s actually irrelevant.”
This was the primary assembly of what would turn into an unbelievable rivalry that will escalate and outline each males’s MMA careers.
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
Anderson Silva had no concern dispatching wrestlers earlier than. He stopped two-division PRIDE FC champion Dan Henderson and made it look straightforward. World champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grapplers corresponding to Thales Leites, Travis Lutter, and Demian Maia, may scarcely contact ‘The Spider.’ So why would UFC 117 be any totally different? This was the query main into the middleweight title struggle.
Then, shockingly, Chael Sonnen took Anderson Silva down and saved him down. From there, he attacked with punches. Subsequent, Sonnen did it once more, and once more. One thing that nobody had been in a position to do earlier than in opposition to the untouchable Brazilian champion. Sonnen had earned practically 20 minutes of management time in whole.
It wasn’t simply the wrestling; Sonnen was out-striking Anderson Silva on the toes as properly. With an overhand he made the champion stumble – the primary time it occurred within the UFC. With a flip, Sonnen simply dodged the identical knockout counter Silva had stopped James Irvin in the next weight class with. Sonnen didn’t fall for any of Silva’s tips and made him pay for it each single time.
Main into the fifth and remaining spherical it was a easy struggle to guage. Sonnen had dominated in all 4 rounds, even capturing a few of them 10-8. Once more, within the fifth spherical, Sonnen took him down and landed punches. Total, the US-born challenger was out-landing the champion 3-1 so far within the struggle. This was the worst beating of Anderson Silva’s profession.
However Anderson Silva had the grit that befits a champion. Regardless of dropping all of the prior rounds and getting our-struck, ‘The Spider’ was decided to win. With a triangle choke, Silva pressured the faucet from Sonnen and retained his UFC middleweight title with a come-from-behind stunning victory. One of many biggest comebacks within the historical past of the game.
On the submission, Sonnen would mirror years later:
“I did lose observe of the rounds. I didn’t actually know the place I used to be and he hadn’t hit me that many instances, however each time [Anderson Silva] hit me, it affected me. So between all the chaos that goes on, (I) misplaced observe of the rounds and it was a choke – it wasn’t an armbar – that made me faucet. I didn’t actually know the place I used to be. … It’s one in all this stuff that, if you begin to exit, even when it’s for half a second, it might be 5 minutes.”
However on the time, Sonnen made headlines together with his traditional line:
“That was a misunderstanding of the principles and the way in which I believed it labored was that in case you tapped, you misplaced that spherical. So I believed what they might do is they might go to a judges’ choice and so they go 4 rounds to 1 and we go residence and I be the brand new champion. And if anybody had defined to me that it stopped the bout in its entirety, I wouldn’t have tapped.”
UFC 117
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen would rematch years later in a blockbuster title struggle, with Silva defending his title by TKO. They two additionally met in an exhibition boxing match.
Additionally featured on UFC 117 was a top-ranked welterweight matchup with Jon Fitch defeating Thiago Alves. Widespread fighter Clay Guida earned a TKO win over future champion Rafael dos Anjos. UFC legend Matt Hughes would earn his remaining profession victory by defeating Ricardo Almeida through submission. And a surging Junior dos Santos would proceed his assault on the UFC heavyweight division by defeating TUF winner and IFL Champion Roy Nelson. UFC 117 was actually one to recollect.
