So here we are—three days later, and I finally had the opportunity to watch UFC 117.
What can I say?
It was an awesome event—particularly the fight between UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson “the Spider” Silva, and Chael Sonnen.
Just incredible.
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Despite eventually getting submitted in the fifth and final round, Sonnen absolutely dominated the man that is commonly referred to as the best pound-for-pound champion in the entire world. And he did it for four straight rounds.
Never before in the history of the UFC Octagon, had Silva ever been beaten up and controlled so badly. My hat is sincerely off to Chael Sonnen for putting fourth such an amazing effort against a very notable martial artist.
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Sonnen: The Positives
In round one, Chael Sonnen surprised many fight fans by immediately “rocking” the Champion and then by doing an excellent job of establishing the upper hand. I liked how Sonnen gained the advantage with his striking and then controlled the remainder of the fight with a fast-paced combination of pedigree wrestling and effective ground-and-pound striking.
Sonnen stayed very busy throughout the fight by applying constant pressure on Silva and if not for the slight fatigue suffered in the fifth and final round, we would all likely be looking at a brand new champion right now.
At the very least, Sonnen proved (to me) that he is an excellent fighter.
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Sonnen: The Negatives
Give a tonne of credit to Silva for staying conscious after getting hit by so many flushed punches to the jaw that should have probably knocked him out cold—except that they didn’t.
I’m not challenging Sonnen’s power, but it would seem that his striking skills could still use a little more work. I only say that because after dominating any man the way that he did (particularly when you consider that Silva had a rib injury in addition to his problems) it is less than impressive that Sonnen failed to put Silva away.
Sonnen had the perfect chance but he simply could not capitalize. He has no one to blame but himself.
Off topic for a second—did you see that amazing submission by Matt Hughes? And even more amazing was that Ricardo Almeida absolutely refused to tap out. He would have sooner gone to sleep, than quit. There was just too much at stake to even consider giving up.
Back on topic—Sonnen tapped.
If you are that close to pulling off one of the greatest upsets in combat history, not to mention one of the greatest performances of your career, then do not let your mind quit before your body has the chance.
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Silva: The Positives
I always knew that Anderson Silva was a great fighter. His lighting quick reflexes and agility have always appeared to be abnormally superior to anyone else who has ever stepped into the Octagon against him.
Even much bigger fighters such as Forrest Griffin and James Irvin, were made to look ridiculous at the hands of Silva.
One thing that did surprise me however (thanks mainly to Silva’s usual offensive dominance) was that Silva also happens to be a very tough individual.
Silva absorbed everything that Sonnen threw at him and yet he still managed to have some spring in his step at the start of every round.
His “never say die” attitude and obvious belief in his abilities, proved that Silva absolutely possesses the true heart of a warrior—the right “mindset” indeed.
The heart of a Champion.
No offence to Sonnen, but Silva definitely out-classed him on this particular evening.
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Silva: The Negatives
The negatives for Silva seem pretty obvious. He needs to train with the best wrestlers in the world if he plans on competing against the best wrestlers in the world.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the “blueprint” has been laid down on how to beat Silva, but you can bet that more and more world-class wrestlers are going to be stepping up to the plate for an opportunity to dethrone the King.
Silva is a true martial artist having studied a lifetime of judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, tae kwon do, boxing, and capoeira.
After that fight against Sonnen, I see no reason why Silva would be opposed to learning a little American wrestling to add to his already impressive repertoire.
This was a great fight by both men, but let’s hope that this victory by Silva silences Sonnen’s unsportsmanlike behaviour—at least, for a little while.
Now bring on Vitor Belfort.
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These are my opinions. If you don’t like them…I have others. Please check them out at www.mrjamesryan.com
Carried Out Fight Gear was founded in 2009 by a group of Ex-fighters who realized that the true essence of a warrior was being lost by some people giving up. The Carried Out mindset of “One Way Out—Carried Out” signifies that a fighter will never surrender, and will fight to the very end. Leaving everything he/she has in the ring, on the mat, or in the cage.
ONE WAY OUT…CARRIED OUT!
Fantastic article. Well written throughout. Good recap of the fight in an organized manner. Keep up the great work!
Always a great read James! Silva definitely needs some wrestling in his arsenal, especially now that Sonnen exposed his seemingly only weakness.
In the post fight press conference, Sonnen was asked if he knew how much time was left in the fight. He said something along the lines of, “It’s a fist fight. A lot of people like to talk about strategy and blah blah blah, but it’s a fist fight.” I think that’s one of the things that separates the good fighters from the elite fighters. The elite ones seem to be able to focus on the strategy and don’t get as lost in the “fist fight” part of it as much.