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ESPN2 MMA Live: UFC 117 Preview
Anderson Silva joins the show, as he readies for a return at UFC 117 against Chael Sonnen. Also, a preview of the rest of Saturday's card and highlights from UFC on Versus 2. Roy Nelson checks in before the biggest fight of his career.
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Primer: UFC 117
By: Jake Rossen
Anderson Silva (right) file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Dana White was the best car salesman on the lot. Until Chael Sonnen came along.
White used his enthusiasm, a powerlifting hobby and a razor-run head to transform himself into perhaps the most effective and polished show barker in the history of prizefighting. You can argue Don King did it better, but he was more cartoon than man: White, with his million-plus Twitter followers, has cultivated the persona of the promoter-next-door. He’ll shake your hand, give you tickets, and tell you when he thought a fight stunk. His recognition means that he often does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to hyping a bout -- handy when a sizable portion of your talent doesn’t speak English.
But White looks positively meek next to Sonnen, the unlikely middleweight contender who has seized the opportunity of a title shot by going on a verbal rampage against both opponent Anderson Silva and people who have absolutely nothing to do with him. (Lance Armstrong was a recent victim.) Some if it is clever, some of it is completely nonsensical, all of it is at maximum volume. People are aware of Sonnen, and they’re aware of the fight.
This is good, since people are plenty aware of Silva -- specifically, how much his bizarre performance against Demian Maia at UFC 112 in April stunk. The UFC needed a challenger who was going to convince audiences that Silva wouldn’t be allowed to dance and have his fun. If Sonnen has managed to do that, it’s an achievement on par with actually beating him. But when was the last time a company needed to promote the idea that a champion would -- swear to God, we mean it this time -- actually fight? Read more -
Machida: Anderson Would Have a ‘Great Chance’ Against Shogun
By: Marcelo Alonso
Lyoto Machida gives his thoughts on a fantasy matchup between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
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Werdum vs. Anderson: The Paintball Diaries
By: Marcelo Alonso
Fabricio Werdum (left) and Anderson Silva take in a game of paintball: Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog.com
Two weeks after Fabricio Werdum defeated Fedor Emelianenko inside Strikeforce, he faced another one of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters -- Anderson Silva. This time, however, the stage was a paintball arena.
“It was an amazing day,” Werdum told Sherdog.com. “We divided our teams into two groups. Unfortunately, my team had just five members and Silva’s team had 10, so it wasn’t a fair fight.”
According to the light-hearted Werdum, the playing field was uneven on several levels. He vowed revenge once Silva finishes his business with Chael Sonnen in the UFC 117 main event on Aug. 7. Read more -
Jensen Quick Quote: Sonnen Will Take It
By: Lutfi Sariahmed
Anderson Silva (right) file photo | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Chael Sonnen will have at least one believer on his side when he enters the Octagon to challenge middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 on Aug. 7 in Oakland, Calif.
Ryan Jensen, who recently inked a deal to fight “The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner Court McGee at UFC 121 in October, said Sonnen has the goods to take out the divisional king.
“I'm saying it right now, I think Chael takes this fight,” Jensen told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show recently. “I never trained with Anderson Silva, but I trained with Chael and he's mentally more focused than I've ever seen him. Any time that we were in the training room and he wanted to take someone down if he got upset with them or he was focused, there was no one stopping him. Heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight -- didn't matter who it was. Chael never gets pissed. He's a cool and calm dude. If someone ever pissed him off, maybe they were sparring too hard or they turned it into a fight, he would destroy him and there was nothing you could do. That feeling sucks and I think Anderson Silva, if he doesn't catch him in the first two or three minutes with something, it's going to be a long night for that dude.”
Jensen also complimented Sonnen’s abilities to hype a bout.
He’s (always been) quick-witted,” said Jensen. “He's a mental giant. He's very articulate. He knows what he's doing when he's talking. When he's talking smack it's not that he's doing it for a front. He believes it now. That's where I believe he's going to come in and destroy Anderson Silva.” Read more -
Anderson: Sonnen's Trash Talk 'Idiotic'
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Chael Sonnen, Professional Antagonist
By: Jake Rossen
Chael Sonnen file photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Anderson Silva speaks very little English. While this would normally be a promotional headache, the UFC is fortunate in that Chael Sonnen does enough talking for the both of them.
Sonnen has worked his way into a title shot against Silva a little less than a month from now, and he’s going for the hard sell. There were the barbs against Silva (“a fraud”), against Silva’s Black House gym credentials (“a Crackerjack award”), and against Silva’s manager, Ed Soares (“world’s most famous interpreter”). Antonio Rogerio Nogueira responded, complaining that Sonnen is “not even a real challenger” for the belt. Sonnen read this. He didn’t like it.
Regarding Nogueira, he wrote to Sherdog.com July 7, “You [Nogueira] are one sharp dude.... about as sharp as a bag of wet mice. Do yourself a favor, won't you? Have your mouthpiece permanently installed in your mouth so you can't speak at all. Have them feed you with a tube like a coma patient. You're not doing Anderson any good, and you're sinking your own ship, too. You say I'm not qualified to fight Anderson...which means that the UFC brain trust, that thinks I am, and who also are your bosses, are idiots. And that Ed Soares, Anderson's manager, and your manager too, doesn't know what he's doing. Smooth, guy. Very smooth…If you lose a few (you looked like Roy Nelson in a Frankenstein mask for that Brilz fight, which you lost, buddyboy), we can scrap in the fall.”
It’s hard to detect sincerity in Sonnen or any other athlete who understands that the best promotional push is the one they give themselves. Maybe it’s all a put-on, or maybe he believes enough of it to keep chipping away. At this point, I’d put the odds of him getting a hug after the fight about on par with getting a free trip to Brazil. But if this guy’s pension plan doesn’t involve a talk show, it should. Read more -
White: Silva vs. St. Pierre Still an Option
By: Jake Rossen
There are times when I feel the UFC has their business as organized and premeditated as possible, and then there are times when they seem to completely miss the point.
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Case evidence: Dana White’s comments to MMAJunkie.com regarding a possible Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre “superfight,” something White says he’s “shocked” that fans keep demanding. -
PVT: The Consecration of Chute Boxe
By: Gleidson Venga
Determination, aggressiveness, skill and technique. Combining these ingredients to create the perfect recipe for his team, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knocked out the champion Lyoto Machida, winning the most coveted belt in the world of MMA. With the same strategy for success, Anderson Silva, a former training partner of “Shogun,” won the 185-pound UFC belt has not been seriously tested since.
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There is no doubt that the greatest merit of Rua and Anderson resides in their individual talents and efforts of coaches and staff who train them daily, but it’s no coincidence that their roots were sowed in the history of Chute Boxe. And it was seeking to understand this “Chute Boxe factor” that we decided to do a cover story this month. With the help of ex-fighters and coaches of the team, we tried to understand what lies behind the determination, aggression and unwavering psychology of the once untouchable team.
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Quick Quote: Lindland on Why Sonnen Will Beat Anderson Silva
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
On Monday’s Savage Dog Show, Matt Lindland said teammate Chael Sonnen is the man to take out UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva:
“I just think that he’s got the style. … I think he adheres to a similar philosophy as I do: try not to get hit and put the guy in an adverse position and control the top position and dominate positions and then do damage. I really, truly believe that Chael can get those dominant positions on Anderson. When he grabs a hold of Chael’s head like he did against Rich Franklin, I don’t think Chael’s going to stand there and let him put knees and punches and elbows to him. I think he’s going to put him on his back if they get in that close. He’s not going to give him space to bring those strikes in.”
Lindland added that Sonnen has always been the type of fighter who could beat anyone, but now he’s mentally focused:
“Now his head’s in the right place. He’s fighting as if he believes in himself. That’s really what matters.” Read more
