OT - UFC 117
August 8th, 2010 at 10:40 AM ^
8 of his 11 losses came by way of a choke. He could have pulled a Silva and simply danced around the octagon but he wanted to enforce his will the entire fight, just as he said. I'm still in awe, can't wait for the rematch. This is a good thing for the 185 class.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:16 AM ^
It was incredible how Sonnen lost that fight, I couldn't believe it! I wanted Silva to lose, even layed some money down here in Vegas. I was pretty excited going into the 5th, knowing all he had to do was dance around and avoid any trouble. Yep, that didn't happen. Extreme disappointment then set in. Ah well, I got fairly hamboned after though.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:22 AM ^
winning that fight just goes to show how great he really is. To be dominated for almost the entire fight and still finding a way to win......unbelievable.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:27 AM ^
I watched it, the two fights before the main event had great finishes too.
I thought the Silva - Sonnen fight was kind of lame compared to the rest of the night. Sonnen just laid on him throwing little rabbit punches for 4.75 rounds. It was a bit boring and some how Sonnen was the one bleeding the whole time. I'm still waiting for GSP and Silva to meet half way between classes and fight.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
Made a ton of fans in this fight. Such a destruction before the end right there.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
UFC 117 was one of the better PPVs that the UFC has put on in awhile.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:49 PM ^
fight they showed was great.
I think there needs to be an immediate rematch of for Silva/Sonnen.
but 116 was awesome. Just great fights all the way around.
How can a MMA fighter not learn a simple triangle escape? Having practiced BJJ, day one you learn the triangle choke, day two you learn the escape. Really. That is really inexcusable.
Yep, 116 might have been the best UFC PPV I have seen.
Regardless, Sonnon DID try to escape, he just got caught in a heel hook/leg lock as well. Anderson Silva is the best MMA fighter in the world. Since you think the triangle choke is so simple to escape, let's see Silva put you in a triangle (with you knowing BJJ and how to escape and all) and see how easy it is to escape then.
He tapped to an arm bar out of the triangle because he tried to sit back down, which i have never seen before. Also, they were 24 minutes into a fight (soaking wet) and the initial triangle was not that tight. Unless you have done this before (which it is apparent you have not) you probably shouldn't comment. Last season in the TUF Tito made a guy who had just lost learn the escape so that it would never happen again. It should be an instinctive reaction from that position.
So first you say it was inexcuseable not to get out of the triangle choke, not you're saying he tapped out to an armbar. Ok...? I have yet to see it recorded as a tapout by armbar.
Tito taught someone on TUF how to get out of a triangle choke? Wow. Now they will never lose! I actually can't believe that I've never seen a triangle choke before since it's so easy to escape from!
BTW, your "you probably shouldn't comment" comment is quite humorous. #1 I wasn't the one bragging about my incredible BJJ skills over the internet. #2 I could pose the same statement to you. Unless you're not in a triangle choke by Anderson Silva, you probably shouldn't comment.
Chael Sonnen exposed Anderson Silva last night and showed how to beat him (and who will be able to in future). Silva had been getting by (and getting fans angry) dancing around against second tier "opponents" like Thales Leites, Demian Maia and Patrick Cote. Sonnen, an elite wrestler, took the fight to Silva and, had he just danced around the last few minutes or "layed and prayed" he would have easily taken a 50-45 decision across the board. He, rather stupidly, did not and got tapped to the same old choke that's been haunting him for most of his career.
The thing is, however, that most of Silva's "myth" is dead after that fight. Sure, you put Anderson Silva in there with guys who will stand and trade like Forrest Griffin or James Irvin then you get a highlight. In his eleven fights prior to Sonnen, Silva had been hit by strikes in the mid 200 range (total)...last evening he was hit by Chael Sonnen more than 300 times. Dan Henderson did what Sonnen did for one round but got cracked (the 39 year old Henderson not the fighter he was in his early 30's) early in the second. The younger but equally wrestling pedigreed Sonnen had clearly watched the Henderson fight.
So, where this all leads is to Georges St. Pierre...a wrestler in the class of Chael Sonnen (he was getting run for the Canadian Olympic wrestling team last year) who is better than Sonnen in the striking and better overall. It's pretty unlikely he gets caught with a triangle as well. I hope Sonnen gets his rematch (although Silva and his dirtbag manager Ed Soares will likely run as fast as they can from such a rematch) but when the time comes for Silva to fight GSP I'll be ready to lay lots of money on GSP.
You're Canadian.....you've made it clear that you hate Silva in past UFC posts.....nobody should listen to you until you can be objective about it.
Fact is Sonnen fought a perfect fight and STILL lost to a poorly performing Silva. Did he expose some of Silva's weaknesses? Obviously.....but claiming his "myth" is dead is stupid. Sonnen gets a ton of credit for coming in with the perfect gameplan, but he still couldn't win.
I am about equal fan GSP as I am Silva.....but your blatant homerism in constantly dissing Silva makes me want to see him beat GSP when/if they fight.
My Canadian birth certificate has nothing to do with the previous analysis; I'll stand by the fact that Sonnen unquestionably exposed the giant holes in Silva's game. Indeed, elite wrestlers who have a chin will continue to cause Silva a remarkable problem. As I said earlier, there was a reason he got Griffin/Irvin at 205 and not Rashad Evans or, god help him, Couture.
I found your comments about my thinking GSP beats Silva as homerism to be ridiculous. Give me some actual analysis and rationale why my point is wrong and I'll happily listen. The fact is, I am not much of a GSP fan; however, I respect his talents. The fact is that GSP is better than Sonnen and I don't see Silva at 35 getting any better against elite wrestlers.
I'll be interested to see Silva and his dirtbag manager duck Sonnen for the next year or so. After that he can duck GSP. Probably.
was the same as everyone else. For some reason Silva couldn't do as much with Sonnen as his previous opponents. Sonnen layed and prayed for 4.5 rounds. Get mad at me or call me what you want, but that boring ass wrestling shit gets on my last nerves and was sooo happy when he pulled that triangle to armbar transition.
I know this is mma and it involves everything, but I can't stand wrestlers who wanna go in and take it to the ground and not finish the fight (al lah GSP). The judges make it way to easy to win a round by just take downs alone. That's not what people pay for, they pay for exciting fights. Some of them try, but what the hell was Sonnen doing with those bullshit rabbit punches. That's not gonna end the fight, and he was happy to sit there and do it the whole fight.
That brings me to the whole GSP vs Silva fight. It would be all the hype everyone wants, but last night proves that GSP would do the same thing to Silva as Sonnen did. That probably gives him a lot more confidence that he could beat him now. Because before he was scared to death. I think if he decided to do the same as Sonnen, he would probably win. One, he has the best gameplan coach in the world with Greg Jackson and Two, he has way better wrestling skills than Sonnen and is quicker. But I would most def be rooting for Silva because I can't stand wrestlers. Lay & Pray = Lame Fights!
Sonnen layed and prayed for 4.5 rounds
If, by laying and praying, you mean beating Silva's ass. FightMetric had Sonnen outstriking Silva by only 320 to 64. Perhaps you missed Sonnen's knockdowns of Silva by strikes in the first round, also. Laying and praying...not so much.
I can't stand wrestlers who wanna go in and take it to the ground and not finish the fight (al lah GSP)
Of GSP's 20 wins, only 7 have come by way of decision. Among the guys he has finished...Penn, Serra, Hughes, Trigg, Sherk...couple Hall of Famers in there, just sayin'.
what the hell was Sonnen doing with those bullshit rabbit punches. That's not gonna end the fight, and he was happy to sit there and do it the whole fight
Again, FightMetric had Sonnen 66 of 128 head power shots while on the ground and 89 total significant strikes versus Silva 18 of 35 head power shots and 29 significant strikes overall. Sonnen did seem happy to dominate until he got in the same crappy positions he has gotten in before (see Filho, Paulo)
last night proves that GSP would do the same thing to Silva as Sonnen did. That probably gives him a lot more confidence that he could beat him now. Because before he was scared to death
I suspect GSP won't see Silva for at least a year given the time the Koscheck fight will take and a likely rematch with Jon Fitch next June or so...that said, I think GSP has for a long time known that he could put Silva on his back and finish him. I suspect it just the opposite of your analysis...GSP had to be supremely confident that his superior wrestling would allow him to easily control Silva and that all of Silva's antics and dancing around wouldn't help him much while he was looking up at GSP's ground and pound. Scared to death...heh!
I will agree with you that lay and pray does equal lame fights; all I saw last night was Sonnen swinging the hammer with Silva on the receiving end. Silva hit the Hail Mary at the end and Sonnen has been vulnerable to such submissions all his career. There is a reason, clearly, why Dana White and the UFC have been so reserved about potential GSP/Silva fights and why they have been so selective in terms of Silva's opponents at 205.
Your tagline is excellent. Hail to the victors!