AP The biggest rematch in the history of the UFC hasn’t even been scheduled yet. From the very second the first match ended, fans were ready for the rematch. No bigger underdog had ever dominated a seemingly unbeatable champion as long as Chael Sonnen had against Anderson Silva.
Sonnen lost, and everybody wanted to see if it was a fluke performance by Silva. An immediate rematch wasn’t possible, but a year later it’s still the most wanted fight by fans. Sonnen just needed one win to make his demands, and he got it over Brian Stann at UFC 136.
Post-fight, Joe Rogan asked him how happy he was with a smothering performance and submission win, to which he replied:
“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck. Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business, I’m calling you out, Silva, but we’re upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I will leave the UFC forever.”
Nobody sells a fight like Chael Sonnen these days. Some have grown tired of his trash talk, or think it’s fake and only to sell tickets. But there’s nobody that doesn’t want to see this fight more because of what he says.
UFC President Dana White said he’d be pretty stupid not to make that fight happen. He knows to give the fans what they want. And if it needed any more hyping, he gave some inside information:
“I don’t know if [Sonnen] hates Anderson Silva as much as he says he does, but Anderson Silva hates him. Anderson Silva hates this guy, hates him with a passion.”
There’s plenty of sportsmanship in MMA. They need a few Chael Sonnens to question their opponent’s manhood before a fight. They can still shake hands afterward.
Here’s how well Sonnen has built up this fight: had he lost to Stann, people would still have wanted to see a rematch with Silva more than any other middleweight championship fight. It made people who hate him root for him to see this rematch happen. And he’s only begun the trash talk. Just wait until the fight is on the UFC schedule.
***
Previously in The Beatdown …
***
Tim Gilmour is a sports reporter and author of the humor blog LetMeThinkForYou.com. His column appears on Monday. For more NBCSports.com MMA coverage, click here.
-
- staph1nfection - Oct 11, 2011 at 10:39 PM
-
Within the first 30 seconds of the Sonnen-Silva fight, I was completely certain something was wrong with Anderson. Then, once Sonnen began to get the better of the standup, my initial thought was 100% confirmed. A striker of Anderson’s caliber (who relies so heavily on speed and timing) does not simply wake up one day and get out-struck by a slow, plodding wrestler. Silva’s rib injury had an enormous impact on the fight, and I’ll be shocked if the rematch gets out of the second round.
-
- bobwsc - Oct 12, 2011 at 9:20 AM
-
unless his shoulder remains an issue. and Silva has a problem with wrestlers. while he should win the rematch, the won’t run through Sonnen like he has Belfort, Griffin, Franklin, etc.
-
- trbowman - Oct 12, 2011 at 12:04 AM
-
trbowman: ‘UFC, I’m calling you out. You suck’
-
- bobwsc - Oct 12, 2011 at 9:19 AM
-
Tim: when is MMAtalk getting added in? this site could give mmajunkie.com, yahoosports.com and sherdog a run for their money.
-
- bangthedrum22 - Oct 12, 2011 at 1:42 PM
-
didnt soonen got popped for roids shortly after this fight ??? This guy is pure hype …a healthy silve and an unroided up soonen = quick finish ..
-
- Tim_Gilmour - Oct 12, 2011 at 6:22 PM
-
Bob: I’m not really the guy to ask, but personally I’m hoping that happens in the near future. Makes sense to me.
-
- Dirty D Fo - Oct 12, 2011 at 8:51 PM
-
I ran an MMA site for a while (year or so) — Just didn’t have the big money behind me. Sonnen has a chance to beat Silva.. Any given fighter has a chance to win. Unless it’s boxing… Then the outcome has already been decided before they leave the locker room.
