Ufc 117

[Malibu Rapper]

I thought Chael would give Silva a hard time but not dominate him for 4 rounds the way he did. But Silva is a champion and really put himself into the all time elite by pulling off the victory.

Silva is reminiscent of Tyson by winning his fights before he even gets into the ring. That 2nd fight with Franklin you could see fear in Franklin's eyes. Chael had no such fear and took it to him and was ruthless in his attack. I think Anderson answered any questions about his chin, too. He was hit clean and hard several times and just stayed in there.

 

[TURBO2GO]

COMPLETE FIGHTER

 

[Mr Payne]

This is the first fight I've seen in awhile where I had better opinions of both fighters after than I did before!

Silva has a chin made of granite. Sonnen's conditioning is just incredible.

 

[SFDreamer]

Really enjoyed watching that fight. I definitely agree with Mr. Payne!

 

[Understudy]

Very enjoyable event from start to finish really. I couldn't believe that Chael didn't try to pass into half guard. He seemingly was able to pass with some ease in the 1st and didn't make any real efforts in the rounds following. I kept waiting to hear Lindland mention it to him as he was much more effective in his GnP from that position and less likely to get caught like he ultimately did. Too bad to see him dominate the entire fight and get caught near the end but it certainly made for some drama.

 

[NSXLVR]

Silva is amazing. He was getting pounded on like no other, and one mental lapse by sonnen and bam, he is tapping out.

I thought whoever trained sonnen and whoever his sparring partner was had him trained like no other. He was throwing combos that I have never seen before, as far as a structured pattern goes. Kudos to Sonnen for backing up every word he said, but even bigger kudos for Silva weathering the onslaught and taking advantage when it counted

my heart was beating the entire fight!

 

[hardcore-nsx]

Great fight, but I some how new Sonnen would get caught in the end. I really wanted Sonnen to win, I really cant stand Silva, his antics in the ring are embarrassing at times. So glad Sonnen pounded him for 20 minutes. Sonnen has nothing to be embarrassed about, he went head to head with one of the greatest fighters ever and had his way with him. The re-match will be even better..

 

[NSXLVR]

Great fight, but I some how new Sonnen would get caught in the end. I really wanted Sonnen to win, I really cant stand Silva, his antics in the ring are embarrassing at times. So glad Sonnen pounded him for 20 minutes. Sonnen has nothing to be embarrassed about, he went head to head with one of the greatest fighters ever and had his way with him. The re-match will be even better..

now that is the assessment that a lot of people are saying. I think anyone who believes Sonnen would have his way the next fight, is sincerely mistaken. I am truly interested to see how his mental toughness holds up. He was 2 minutes away from beating one of the greatest fighters ever, and he lost...most are saying oh he got lucky with the win. Am I the only one thinking, if anything that will refocus Anderson much more as he now knows how Sonnen's game plan towards him will be?

 

[TURBO2GO]

Silva will easily win the rematch. Sonnen had a great fight and silva was not well prepared. Sonnen had the better game plan. His inexperience at that level is what lost him the fight.

 

[Mr Payne]

Silva will easily win the rematch. Sonnen had a great fight and silva was not well prepared. Sonnen had the better game plan. His inexperience at that level is what lost him the fight.

Worse for Silva is that Sonnen basically gave everyone a legitimate gameplan in which to beat Silva.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Worse for Silva is that Sonnen basically gave everyone a legitimate gameplan in which to beat Silva.

Exactly.

 

[hardcore-nsx]

now that is the assessment that a lot of people are saying. I think anyone who believes Sonnen would have his way the next fight, is sincerely mistaken. I am truly interested to see how his mental toughness holds up. He was 2 minutes away from beating one of the greatest fighters ever, and he lost...most are saying oh he got lucky with the win. Am I the only one thinking, if anything that will refocus Anderson much more as he now knows how Sonnen's game plan towards him will be?

I dont think Silva was lucky at all. He's a true champion. Most champions shine when they need to and have the mental toughness to stay in it no matter how badly they are getting pounded. I really wanted to see Sonnen win, but ultimatley his inexpierence was the leading factor in this fight. I could almost see him giving up in the final minutes because he thought he had a win. Anderson noticed and took complete advantage of it, and did what he did best. Anderson is probably the most dangerous fighter in the league on his back and Sonnen should have respected that.

 

[fourringpilot]

I don't think wrestling is the key to beating Silva even though Anderson is not built for it. His lanky body is great for holds and fierce striking, but not wrestling. Remember, Hendo was tossing him around the whole 1st round until Anderson rocked him with some punches and choked him out in the 2nd. Everybody has know the blueprint to beat him for quite a while, but nobody can seem to do it.

Silva's BJJ is much better since his last loss to (can't remember name) Daiju? Even a great wrestler will have to grapple with him at some point. When they do Silva can always rely on his BJJ.

 

[jond]

I think Sonnen got relaxed right at the end the way he was sitting up. If he had kept his guard up he would have won, IMO.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

I would love to see a rematch. I think Silva probably did have a real rib injury. Also agree that wrestling him is the way to win. But does Sonnen deserve a rematch? For the fight fans I think yes. But he is not the champion and shouldn't have a rematch clause but this is White's UFC so anything can happen.

Only a champion can pull off a win like that, no luck at all. I was rooting for Sonnen because Silva's antics and arrogance was starting to put me off. I wasn't surprised when Anderson pulled it off though, I just felt so bad for Chael to kick ass so thoroughly and end up with a loss. Silva doesn't just have a granite chin, he's got some kinda super skin because I don't think he even bled. The fight reminded me a bit of CroCop vs Nogueira.

The fight I really want to see at this point is Silva vs Shogun. I don't want to see another Machida Shogun fight and Machida won't fight Silva. The winner of that fight is surely the P4P best. Their fighting styles will surely make for an exciting match because Shogun will take it to him the same way Chael did.

 

[Understudy]

I would love to see a rematch. I think Silva probably did have a real rib injury. Also agree that wrestling him is the way to win. But does Sonnen deserve a rematch? For the fight fans I think yes. But he is not the champion and shouldn't have a rematch clause but this is White's UFC so anything can happen.

Only a champion can pull off a win like that, no luck at all. I was rooting for Sonnen because Silva's antics and arrogance was starting to put me off. I wasn't surprised when Anderson pulled it off though, I just felt so bad for Chael to kick ass so thoroughly and end up with a loss. Silva doesn't just have a granite chin, he's got some kinda super skin because I don't think he even bled. The fight reminded me a bit of CroCop vs Nogueira.

The fight I really want to see at this point is Silva vs Shogun. I don't want to see another Machida Shogun fight and Machida won't fight Silva. The winner of that fight is surely the P4P best. Their fighting styles will surely make for an exciting match because Shogun will take it to him the same way Chael did.

Yeah, it definitely wasn't luck that Silva got the submission as it was skillfully done and just shows the importance of BJJ. I'm not sure it's totally accurate to say ONLY a champion can pull off a win like that, but it certainly goes a long way in defining a champion.

A Shogun/Silva fight would probably be entertaining but I'm not sure Shogun really would fare too well. While he has some good throws he's not a dominant wrestler the way Sonnen is and may have more difficulty controlling Anderson. Do you think any part of his game is really better than Silva? I don't think it is and while of course he'd still stand a very decent chance (I mean he's a multiple time champion for a reason) he just doesn't seem like the right type of fighter to beat Silva. Although he would pressure Silva similar to Chael.

Vitor may have an edge against Silva because of his hand speed but with a lengthy layoff who knows how much that will factor in. It's not like Silva doesn't have quick hands too and obviously sharp striking which is why it was strange to see Sonnen honestly get the better of him in most of their standing exchanges.

I really want to see the GSP/Silva fight now. I think GSP would have a very good chance to take the fight to Silva like Sonnen did and he has better sub defense. I'd say he could hang with Silva on the feet a bit, but would have to use his wrestling to last five rounds with Anderson. The big X factor is would his size and strength be an issue. Getting in on Anderson would be the first difficult part with his length but GSP's shot is tremendous. Size wise if he took time to put some extra muscle on I think his top control would be stifling to Anderson too. I really see GSP winning that fight and always thought he could beat Silva if he can put on enough size, especially now after seeing Sonnen against Silva.

If they do rematch Sonnen and Silva it could be highly entertaining for that to be the next TUF season. Can you imagine all those weeks of Sonnen talking trash and the fan interest after last Saturday's fight would be huge. It also would provide plenty of time for Anderson to recover before the actual fight takes place which wouldn't be until Spring '11 probably.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

I give the credit for Silva's win to Sonnen. If you look at his losses, this fight is like the blueprint of how he loses. He always get caught with some sort of submission (usually triangle) after getting too aggressive or sloppy.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

A Shogun/Silva fight would probably be entertaining but I'm not sure Shogun really would fare too well. While he has some good throws he's not a dominant wrestler the way Sonnen is and may have more difficulty controlling Anderson. Do you think any part of his game is really better than Silva? I don't think it is and while of course he'd still stand a very decent chance (I mean he's a multiple time champion for a reason) he just doesn't seem like the right type of fighter to beat Silva. Although he would pressure Silva similar to Chael.

This would be a great matchup because of styles. They are both high pressure standup fighters. Shogun's style is extremely aggressive and he's got good striking on all 4 corners, and devastating knees something Chael lacks. Overall, I think they are very close to being even fighters. I would give the edge to Shogun if his new knee surgery doesn't affect his cardio again.

Vitor may have an edge against Silva because of his hand speed but with a lengthy layoff who knows how much that will factor in. It's not like Silva doesn't have quick hands too and obviously sharp striking which is why it was strange to see Sonnen honestly get the better of him in most of their standing exchanges.

I'm not sure how much Vitor has left in him, he was one of the most overhyped fighters in the past but it was a different game back then and he hasn't had any really outstanding accomplishments.

I really want to see the GSP/Silva fight now. I think GSP would have a very good chance to take the fight to Silva like Sonnen did and he has better sub defense. I'd say he could hang with Silva on the feet a bit, but would have to use his wrestling to last five rounds with Anderson. The big X factor is would his size and strength be an issue. Getting in on Anderson would be the first difficult part with his length but GSP's shot is tremendous. Size wise if he took time to put some extra muscle on I think his top control would be stifling to Anderson too. I really see GSP winning that fight and always thought he could beat Silva if he can put on enough size, especially now after seeing Sonnen against Silva.

This is going to be a tough fight to make. First, GSP doesn't really want to move up weight, he likes beating up on little guys like BJ too much. Silva has too much power for him to deal with IMO. Being a great wrestler isn't always going to get you the win with Silva and Silva always seems to find a hole and land a big shot. GSP has never gotten hit with that kind of power not to mention GSP has not shown much striking power of his own. If Silva doesn't respect his power it will be target practice. It would be an interesting fight but I wouldn't give GSP much of a chance.

 

[fourringpilot]

GSP has never gotten hit with that kind of power not to mention GSP has not shown much striking power of his own. If Silva doesn't respect his power it will be target practice. It would be an interesting fight but I wouldn't give GSP much of a chance.

I completely agree. I am tired of everyone asking about GSP vs Silva. That is like the 911 tt vs NSX comparisons. Anderson is too big and powerful for GSP. Why not say "Let's see Anderson put on forty pounds and fight Lesnar."

GSP vs Silva would be a rating bonanza, but it would ruin GSP's legacy if Silva KO'd him in the first round.

 

[NSXLVR]

I completely agree. I am tired of everyone asking about GSP vs Silva. That is like the 911 tt vs NSX comparisons. Anderson is too big and powerful for GSP. Why not say "Let's see Anderson put on forty pounds and fight Lesnar."

GSP vs Silva would be a rating bonanza, but it would ruin GSP's legacy if Silva KO'd him in the first round.

LOL

how many times have we had this convo. It would be complete ufc suicide to have two of their BEST in GSP and Silva go into that fight. GSP is the white knight to UFC, and dana would be insane to let him go into the cage with Silva. I think GSP would get destroyed by Silva (and I'm a GSP fan...minus his underoo lineup :tongue

We all know the ratings would by far be one of the best, but sometimes, you just can't take the risk. I still wish they could've worked it out where Mike Tyson vs Kimbo Slice would've gotten it on, you wanna talk about crazy ratings!

 

[TURBO2GO]

Mike Tyson vs Kimbo Slice would've gotten it on, you wanna talk about crazy ratings!

Yub...

 

[baynsac]

I was there for the Fight live and I got lot more respect for Sonnen now, hrs a good fighter..

 

[TURBO2GO]

Honestly I didn't even know who Sonnen was before this fight. I had to look the dude up. I guess I don't follow fighting as much as I used to. I think A.Silva is at the peak of his career. I think Fedor is on the way down. Two of my favorite fighters. Yeah I know Silva is a clown... but man he is talented.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

Silva used to be my favorite fighter. I still like him a lot but lb/lb I think Jon Bones Jones is the best fighter out there and he's my current favorite (Shane Carwin being my sentimental fav). He's like a bigger, younger Anderson Silva. I liked him from the first fight I saw him in a couple of years ago and thought he will be light heavyweight champ someday.