Tag: chael sonnen

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UFC 148

Chael Sonnen is getting his wish, a rematch against the Middleweight King, Anderson Silva. It’s an understatement to say that Sonnen despises the current champ. And in every interview it’s seldom that he doesn’t mention how he feels about Anderson Silva.

With all the smack talking from Sonnen, it has finally struck a nerve with the always cool and calm champ. Silva has voiced some of his own smack talk as well. And at the weigh ins staredown Silva gave Sonnen an uncharacteristic shoulder bump that quickly caused both camps to jump in to prevent any further escalation. The tension in the air between both fighters was heavy and it only makes this fight more anticipating than ever.

In their last fight Sonnen dominated every minute of every round until the final round where Silva was able to slip in a triangle choke. As impressive as Sonnen was in that fight I don’t think he can replicate that performance. This is the first time we’ve seen an emotionally motivated Anderson Silva. And this motivation is just fuel to the fire that Sonnen is stoking. Expect Silva to keep the fight standing as he will try to KO Sonnen. But it’s likely that Sonnen will take the fight to the ground and in that case he’ll fall victim to another submission.

My Picks:

Anderson Silva beats Chael Sonnen
John Alessio beats Shane Roller
Chad Mendes beats Cody McKenzie
Mike Easton beats Ivan Menjivar
Rafaello Oliveira beats Yoislandy Izquierdo
Patrick Cote beats Cung Le
Forrest Griffin beats Tito Ortiz
Dong Hyun Kim beats Demian Maia
Constantinos Philippou beats Riki Fukuda
Gleison Tibau beats Habib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard beats Fabricio Camoes

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UFC 117

This will be the first time UFC has held an event in Oakland and it has a stacked card, at least for me it is. Headlining the event will be Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva defending his belt against big mouthed trash-talking Republican Chael Sonnen.  A lot of hype is being thrown into this fight thanks to Sonnen’s commentary, but the truth is Sonnen hasn’t faced a fighter like Silva, but Silva has faced wrestlers and ground fighters and won with ease.  I’m not saying Sonnen has no chance of winning, he just needs to bring a strategy that is much different than what he’s brought against his past opponents.

When Anderson Silva fought Travis Lutter Silva was put on his back and got a slight beating only if it was for a slight moment. Against Dan Henderson in the first round, Silva was taken down and held there for the majority of the period. Both those guys have great ground game, but was unable to finish Silva. As for Sonnen, he needs to take the fight to the ground, but unlike Henderson and Lutter he needs to finish. He needs to stay busy inflicting damage and work his top position and prevent Silva from escaping. On the feet is where it gets tricky. Anderson Silva’s striking is above and beyond Sonnen’s and he’ll have to find a way to take the fight to the ground. It’s likely that Sonnen will use the cage and his clinch to work for a takedown or a catching a kick from Silva, and anyone who’s anyone knows that being in the clinch with Anderson Silva is a quick way to see stars and birdies.

But the big question is on Anderson Silva whether he’s coming into the cage like he did against Demian Maia. Silva seems to not take a fight seriously when he knows he’s the better fighter. The Cote, Leites, and Maia fight were more than lackluster, it was an embarrassment for a Middleweight Champion. I don’t see Anderson Silva losing, but if he fools around in the cage like before I just hope Sonnen catches him and puts out. I’m a huge Anderson Silva fan, but his last fight made me lose a lot of respect for him.

My Picks:

Ben Saunders beats Dennis Hallman
Johny Hendricks beats Charlie Brenneman
Tim Boetsch beats Todd Brown
Phils Davis beats Rodney Wallace
Junoir Dos Santos beats Roy Nelson
Ricardo Almeida beats Matt Hughes
Clay Guida beats Rafael Dos Anjos
Thiago Silva beats Jon Fitch
Anderson Silva beats Chael Sonnen

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UFC 109

Two legends of MMA will be battling for the best old-guy-fighter moniker on Febuary 6th at UFC 109. Randy Couture, a 46-year old walking collie flower ear, is putting up his old-man status on the line against another aging pugilist brethren Mark Coleman. In the heydays of UFC Mark Coleman was a devastating beast. He’s considered the grandfather of ground and pound. His ability to take fighters down and turn them into a sack of mash potatoes showed that wrestling was as just as dangerous and necessary as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in mixed-martial arts. Standing in front of Coleman in the cage is the ‘Natural’. Randy Couture has been in crazy battles in the heavyweight and light heavyweight division winning titles in each of them during his career. What makes him such a dangerous fighter is that he is an analytical fighter that comes in with a great game plan that works.

This will be one of the few fights where I think Randy Couture is a favorite. Expect Couture to tire Coleman out by circling around the cage a couple of times and implement his dirty boxing. If history is any indication Mark Coleman should be gasping for air and his arms at his waist by the 3rd minute of the first round. Randy has one of the best cardio not for his age, but in the entire UFC roster. If Coleman is smart he would need to use his strength and wrestling to take down Couture and keep him on the ground as long as he can. And if the UFC is smart they should issue a stipulation for this match that the loser would retire and stays retired. Luckily for me I will be at this event in Las Vegas, thanks to my girlfriend getting me these tickets for my birthday. I should be at the weigh ins and autograph sessions and should be posting pictures on my blog when I can.

My Picks:

Randy Couture beats Mark Coleman
Nate Marquardt beats Chael Sonnen
Mike Swick beats Paulo Thiago
Demian Maia beats Dan Miller
Frank Trigg beats Matt Serra
Mac Danzig beats Justin Buchholz
Melvin Guillard beats Ronnys Torres
Rob Emerson beats Phillipe Nover
Brian Stann beats Phil Davis