UFC 117

[Guest Frank Botch]

So everyone here thinks that Silva was destroyed for the whole fight? I mean I fully admit the first round was horrible, and maybe a 10-8, but in every other round Anderson was throwing stuff from his back, going for subs and avoided any real damage. Sonnen looked much worse coming out for the fifth round. He definitely would've got the decision but I don't think he demolished Silva. I've only seen the sub once but it looked pretty tight to me. I'm extremely biased though.

 

Amazingly useful fact: this was only the third UFC fight to end in the fifth round. Use that informatiuon wisely.

[Guest Dusty Finish]

Along with Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung, the main was the greatest thing in MMA in 2010 to date- Sonnen handspringing out of guard in the first, sweeping Silva a minute into the fourth... and the ending was Ghana's last minute missed penalty level heartbreak. Makes you wonder if Hendo could've done the business second time around.

 

Sonnen has always been a grade-A shit talker, but it's taken a string of wins against top opposition equalling contention for casual observers to take notice of what he's saying. The finish was actually, in it's own way, pretty hilarious- Sonnen has long bad-mouthed BJJ; the number of times he's been subbed now (Horn, Babalu, Filho, Maia, Silva) makes him look a bit of an idiot.

 

A rematch is certainly in order, I think. Although massive questions coming out of this fight (and, indeed, the last two years) are: has Silva's peak now come and gone, and is his heart in it anymore? Saturday made me do a complete 180 on the prospect of Silva-GSP: I now believe GSP can win. Everywhere Sonnen worked Silva, GSP is stronger, and transitions more effectively. Fitch, Belfort & pals can wait- if they are ever going to do the superfight, now is the time.

 

Lesnar will have a big supporter against Velasquez in Junior Dos Santos. Watching BL's reaction to getting clipped standing by Carwin would make him a preferable target to the Hispanic cyborg who kept walking through shots from a better technical striker in Kongo. Roy Nelson is still awesome.....

 

.... as is Stefan Struve. In 4-5 years, when the kid has properly filled out, he'll be a contender.

 

117 made two cracking UFCs in a row, after a few 'meh' outings .

[Guest The Beltster]

If they had a rematch, I'd fully expect Sonnen to get knocked out in the 2nd round. He simply fought the fight of his life...and lost. People need to remember that. He has never looked that good, and Silva has never looked that bad...and Sonnen still lost. On his best day, he wasnt good enough to beat Silva on his worse. Thats a fact, end of story.

 

I agree, Silva doesnt look like his heart is in it anymore, but he is still winning fights. Says alot about him.

[DC 536]

If they had a rematch, I'd fully expect Sonnen to get knocked out in the 2nd round. He simply fought the fight of his life...and lost. People need to remember that. He has never looked that good, and Silva has never looked that bad...and Sonnen still lost. On his best day, he wasnt good enough to beat Silva on his worse. Thats a fact, end of story.

 

I agree, Silva doesnt look like his heart is in it anymore, but he is still winning fights. Says alot about him.

I read a great summation on the fight and the difference in Sonnen and Silva. Sonnen had the advantage in the fight for 23mins and couldn't get the win, while, at the death, Anderson had the advantage for only 10secs and managed to put his opponent away.

 

I think that tells its own story.

[Guest John Hancock]

Is Silva's English good enough for him to be a coach though?

[Guest The Beltster]

He speaks pretty much perfect English.

[Guest John Hancock]

Really? I've only ever really heard him talk through a translator, and, in an interview with Ariel Helwani, his manager (the grey bearded guy) said he had English lessons part of Silva's training regime.

[Guest The Beltster]

Nah he can speak English just fine, he is just really weird in that he doesnt do it and when he does he acts like he is struggling. I've seen him have a conversation with Sly Stallone and he's fluent. The guy just dicks around about it, I dont know why. He started speaking pretty good English back in around 2006/7 and since then has gotten better and better, he speaks it without any problems. Maybe he feels uncomfortable or shy about it in public, I dont know.

[Guest John Hancock]

Huh, fair enough then. If that's the case, consider me on the "TUF: Silva/Sonnen" band wagon.

[Guest The Beltster]

He will still make sure he has his translator on TUF if he coaches, no doubt. This is the best example of him speaking English directly to the camera you will probably find, and he looks like he struggles etc but near the end you see he no longer waits for his guy to translate and he understands and answers fine. When he was caught talking to Stallone he was fluent as hell but I cant find that video.

 

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[Guest Rikidozan]

Anderson Silva and Ed Soares are a great heel team, if the UFC does an immediate rematch, it'll beat the first buyrate no doubt. If they hold off and do TUF with Silva/Sonnen, that thing will be the highest rated season yet (aside from the Griffin/Bonnar finale). I doubt Silva/Sonnen II will beat UFC 100 buys, but it'll do around 1.3 million i'd guess. Dana White will book the rematch right away though, that's for sure. It's true that Belfort/Silva wouldn't come close to Silva/Sonnen, but that's an unfair comparison.

[Guest The Cork]

No way on this earth will UFC 117 do 1.3m buys.

[Guest Sparrow]

No way on this earth will UFC 117 do 1.3m buys.

 

I don't know, all Sonnen talking could have hyped it up pretty well. I know I would have payed to have seen his arse handed to him (If it was not free over here :lol)

[Guest Rikidozan]

UFC 117 looks to have done around 1 million, that's what the early trending evidence is. Silva/Sonnen II could do 1.3 with a great build like the first fight. Throw-in a stint as TUF coaches and it's a lock for 1.3 million.

[DC 536]

No way on this earth will UFC 117 do 1.3m buys.

Who said it would?

[Guest Rikidozan]

In regards to the outcome of a rematch, I'd think Silva would fair much better, as he appearently sustained a rib injury not long before the first fight. Silva clearly didn't take Sonnen as seriously as he should have, otherwise he's have stuffed Sonnen's takedowns. That's the problem with Silva; his arrogance in believing the hype around him. He's probably the best pound-for-pound, but when you start believing it, you turn into what Slva has turned into.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Anderson is out until the Spring with a rib injury. Sonnen has said that he doesn't want to wait that long to fight so a Belfort/Sonnen fight with the winner facing Silva looks like a good option to me. There's also been some trash talk between Bisping/Sonnen with Bisping tweeting this after 117:

 

"Im gonna beat Akiyama then beat sonnen, he cant do that to me. come on ya salesman!!! *** u can't hold me down fag!"

 

Sonnen came back with this:

 

"Well you know I'll tell ya if Michael Bisping ever adresses me in public again I'll bury him where he stands"

 

Yeah Sonnen won that exchange, dude is cool with me as long as he's not insulting my favourite fighter...

[Guest Rikidozan]

Dana White should hold off and wait and do TUF with Silva and Sonnen, that'll build to around 1.3 million buys, perhaps more. MMA is a bussiness, why do anything to jeopardise a guarenteed huge payday? Either way, an immediate rematch is a must, you cannot risk ruining a potential big-money rematch by having any of the two guys involved fight other opponents before the rematch.

[DC 536]

Dana White should hold off and wait and do TUF with Silva and Sonnen, that'll build to around 1.3 million buys, perhaps more. MMA is a bussiness, why do anything to jeopardise a guarenteed huge payday? Either way, an immediate rematch is a must, you cannot risk ruining a potential big-money rematch by having any of the two guys involved fight other opponents before the rematch.

Silva is injured and needs to take time off to heal, which has been said more than once in the thread already. Mind you, I forgot that you don't actually read anything anyone else posts. ;)

[Guest Rikidozan]

Wow...that's totally uncalled for.

 

My point is, TUF with Silva and Sonnen won't begin until later this year, or early next year. Keep up ;)