UFC this Saturday, think Sonnen has a chance?

Jstas

I'm actually more interested in Hughes v. Almeida and Fitch v. Alves.

I hope that bucket of lard Nelson gets trashed by dos Santos.

jflail2

Silva's gonna blow Sonnen out of the water. I don't like him much anymore, but his Muay Thai is NASTY...

concealer404

I'd like to see Sonnen win, and i think he's got as much chance as most, really...

But i don't see it happening.

I'm rooting for hughes, and i hope Fitch stomps a mudhole in Alves's face. I don't think that's too much to ask of Fitch, either.


I'm going to have to take the counterpoint on Nelson vs. Dos Santos. I'm rooting for Nelson, just because it's hilarious watching him fight, and i love watching him surprise people. The last few knockouts he's had were just nasty.

Disc Jockey

Technically, sure he's got a chance. Realistically, no way does Silva lose this fight. 1st round KO.

concealer404

I hope Hughes sticks around long enough so i can see him and Fitch go at it. I do think that Fitch would screw him up pretty bad, but arguably two of the best welterweight wrestlers in UFC history going to town would be awesome to watch.

Fitch and Chris Lytle would be interesting, too.

zippty2001

i got beer Olympics starting and noon. if we don't pass out. the fight after that at the goose nest i like ol nelson but i think he will lose its all in the walk out music thats how i pick the winers and losers lol

Toxis

Well Silva was told that he has to perform this fight or he's out of the UFC. His last few title fights have been some of the most boring fights but once he isn't defending the belt, he is a phenom to watch. So I feel sorry for Sonnen as I think Silva will make a point with him... and that point is "Don't step in my ring."

Knucklehead

Gotta love the pre-fight talk.....

http://www.ufc.com/media/Silva-Sonnen-press-conference-117

sucks2beme

It's the UFC, anyone has a chance. In the big fight, both guys have
what it takes to finish it with one punch. Sonnen could win it,
But I'd say most likely not.

I really have to want Big Country to lose. He just doesn't look or act
the part to be a UFC fighter. At least guys like Tank Abbott always
were looking to take your head off. If you aren't buff, at least be an
animal.

66chevyIISS

Silva will win by way of running around and avoiding the fight while taunting his opponent.

Toxis

if you're referencing the Neo like fight he had with Forrest, that was a thing of beauty. Talk about showing what a Pride fighter can do in the UFC... if they can adapt to the cage instead of the ring.

shawn474

Sonnen might just be what Silva needed. A young gun talking lots of trash to a guy who has admittedly underperformed in his last few fights. Silva, despite his recent outings, is a BAD man. He has ruled his weight class for well over a year and seemed unbeatable even in his lackluster performances.

Personally, I don't see the intrigue in hughes anymore. He is a well respected guy who is well past his prime (much like liddell). Couture vs. James Toney is just laughable. I am actually looking forward to the BJ Penn / Edgar fight on the 28th. I am a Penn fan and can't afford two of these fights in one month!!!!:D

Disc Jockey

shawn474 wrote: »

Personally, I don't see the intrigue in hughes anymore. He is a well respected guy who is well past his prime (much like liddell).

In the last 6 years, he's only lost to 2 fighters (GSP twice and Alves) plus he beat both Royce and Renzo and Almeida is Gracie trained so I'd say there's plenty of intrigue. Almeida is probably the favorite here but not by much.

66chevyIISS

Toxis wrote: »

if you're referencing the Neo like fight he had with Forrest, that was a thing of beauty. Talk about showing what a Pride fighter can do in the UFC... if they can adapt to the cage instead of the ring.

No, I'm refering to his last fight against Demian Maia where he mocked him for a couple rounds then wouldn't engage him for the last 2 rounds and just ran around.

mantis

What a fantastic card, I watched it now 2x's and I want to watch it again. Every single fight was amazing less Big Country's fight but it wasn't bad.

Bobsama

66chevyIISS wrote: »

No, I'm refering to his last fight against Demian Maia where he mocked him for a couple rounds then wouldn't engage him for the last 2 rounds and just ran around.

Silva is a smart fighter. If he can coax a few extra moves out, he'll sure as hell do that. I seem him as more a "warrior of old"--he gives out very few of his moves in a fight. Information is valuable, first-hand information more-so than second-hand. Now then, Silva won the fight during the 5th round when he submitted Sonnen. I didn't see the fight (no PPV), unfortunately.

ohskigod

****spoiler*****








there better be a rematch or I will have no respect for Silva. My god, he got frikkin mugged by Sonnen until he pulled that triangle from what seemed to be the depths of his arse.

I could never believe Silva could be so dominated......and he was. Win, schmin.....Sonnen brought it, and straight up beat the ever loving **** out of Silva.

Silva better takes things seriously and get back to work man, ther eare people out there that can beat him......and I am hoping he learned that in that fight. If that was a three round fight, Silva would not have just lost.......he would have lost spectacularly.

Jstas

ohskigod wrote: »

****spoiler*****








there better be a rematch or I will have no respect for Silva. My god, he got frikkin mugged by Sonnen until he pulled that triangle from what seemed to be the depths of his arse.

I could never believe Silva could be so dominated......and he was. Win, schmin.....Sonnen brought it, and straight up beat the ever loving **** out of Silva.

Silva better takes things seriously and get back to work man, ther eare people out there that can beat him......and I am hoping he learned that in that fight. If that was a three round fight, Silva would not have just lost.......he would have lost spectacularly.

The thing about that fight, I don't think Sonnen tapped. The look on his face and the way he was shouting at the officials after Rosenthal called it, I think he was off balance and trying to grab his hold back to weasel out of the triangle. It looked like a tap but Sonnen did not look like he was hurting, just struggling. Even Silva had a look of surprise when the fight was called and they were both still fighting.

The end of that fight looked really odd to me. Not like it can go back and get changed now but I agree. Silva needs to give Sonnen a rematch. Sonnen beat Silva's **** like a drum.


On other notes, Nelson needs to lose some weight. I understand his idea there but he was done before the end of the first round. It's honestly hurting him. It was ok in the other organizations he was fighting in but the competition in the UFC, especially after the aquisition of PRIDE, is tops in the game right now. He's not going to compete unless he can go the distance, win or lose. He was impressive hanging in for the whole fight. dos Santos is not a dude you want to try to stand and bang with.

I couldn't believe the Hughes v. Almeida fight was over so fast. I was torn. The two of them are tops on my list of favorite fighters. It's no knock against Ricardo at all. He's a great fighter. I'm just thinking that Matt Hughes honestly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame when he can legitimately beat a guy as good as Ricardo that quickly. It'd be neat to see a rematch.

And Clay Guida. What can I say? I get tired just watching him! He always puts on a good fight. Even when he loses.

I was so happy to see Sonnen drill Silva in to the mat over and over again. Silva's good but he doesn't cut weight for that class. Sonnen cuts a bunch of weight and you could see the size difference. Silva was small compared to Sonnen and it showed in how easy Sonnen could take him down and honestly how well he could take Silva's punches.

Maybe Silva will wake up now and realize that he's not invulnerable and he does have to work just like everybody else. At this point though, if I were Dana, I'd move Silva up a weight class so he has to bulk up and make him still defend his current title so he has to cut weight for each title defense. I'd give him an easy win and tell Sonnen to start working on training some more 'cause the UFC in December, he's getting a rematch with Silva for another title shot...Merry Christmas! No matter the outcome, after the rematch, I would throw every wrestler in the higher weight class I could at Silva and just enjoy watching him get turned in to a bloody pulp and rubbed in to the mat fight after fight after fight. See how good Silva is then. Maybe that will knock the chip off his shoulder?

Or is that too evil and sadistic?

concealer404

Damn. I'll be honest and say that i've never been a big fan of Sonnen, for whatever reason, but that was just outright BRUTAL.

He's definitely not the same fighter he was a few years ago. That was ridiculous.

I didn't get to see the Fitch/Alves fight. How was that? I know Fitch won, as was expected.

ohskigod

concealer404 wrote: »

Damn. I'll be honest and say that i've never been a big fan of Sonnen, for whatever reason, but that was just outright BRUTAL.

He's definitely not the same fighter he was a few years ago. That was ridiculous.

I didn't get to see the Fitch/Alves fight. How was that? I know Fitch won, as was expected.

Fitch smothered Alves like a blanket for the most part and won, was a little boring (typical Fitch) but you always respect how he executes his plan and gets the job done. of course, GSP will have his way with him as if they were snuggling in a limo after Prom night.



as far as Sonnen goes, the man has a PhD in smack talk. man that guy can talk him some ****. He backed it up though, loss be damned he backed it up hard.

concealer404

Gotcha. I actually like watching Fitch, though... he's got this weird borderline mentally unbalanced sadistic feel about him when he's fighting. No quit in him.

I have a weird feeling the GSP's reign is coming to an end in the next few months, though. Or a hope, that is.

I would REALLY like to see GSP go up to middleweight, for no good reason other than it would be good entertainment.

ShinAce

Jstas wrote: »

Maybe Silva will wake up now and realize that he's not invulnerable and he does have to work just like everybody else. At this point though, if I were Dana, I'd move Silva up a weight class so he has to bulk up and make him still defend his current title so he has to cut weight for each title defense. I'd give him an easy win and tell Sonnen to start working on training some more 'cause the UFC in December, he's getting a rematch with Silva for another title shot...Merry Christmas! No matter the outcome, after the rematch, I would throw every wrestler in the higher weight class I could at Silva and just enjoy watching him get turned in to a bloody pulp and rubbed in to the mat fight after fight after fight. See how good Silva is then. Maybe that will knock the chip off his shoulder?

Or is that too evil and sadistic?

Didn't Silva fight Irvin and Griffin about a year ago in light heavyweight? Didn't he win both fights by TKO?

Jstas

ShinAce wrote: »

Didn't Silva fight Irvin and Griffin about a year ago in light heavyweight? Didn't he win both fights by TKO?

I don't remember Irvin but he did knock Forrest out. He got the spaghetti legs and collapsed but the floor woke him up and the ref ended up stopping it after Silva jumped on him. I thought Forrest would have done better but he took the fight after recovery from surgery and even Dana said he wasn't 100% but Forrest wanted it.

Thing is about Silva is he does well against strikers and he can hold off a ground game but he can't overcome it. He knows BJJ but he doesn't think BJJ. His counters and his moves are very textbook and he lets many opportunities to gain an advantage in a fight slip by. It has to be clear cut and telegraphed for him to make the BJJ move. Hell, it took Sonnen getting tired and slipping up for him to get the triangle even though there multiple arm bar achances, a couple chances for a Kimora and even a crucifix and Sonnen got out of all of them rather easily. But it honestly looked like Sonnen was going to get out of the triangle before he supposedly tapped.

But Sonnen is a wrestler and Silva doesn't do well against that. He doesn't do well against unorthodox methods either. Like Randy Couture would have his way with Silva and Silva would just get frustrated and roll his eyes because Randy would push him up against the fence and dirty box with the jabs and elbows. Silva doesn't like it when someone fights in a way that isn't what he thinks is a fight. Sonnen did it to him, Henderson did it to him and there are others that will do it to him still. Especially since it's been shown that he can't handle a wrestler. Sonnen was the litmus test. He's matured but he's not as good as a guy like Dan Henderson. Dan had Silva beat. He was setting him up for the rocketship of a hook he has and slipped up. Silva capitalized on it with a rear-naked choke and the look on Henderson's face was "I can't believe I let this happen."

If Silva jumps up a weight class, that's populated with outstanding wrestlers that would love the chance to grind the "best pound for pound fighter in MMA today" in to the mat until only his momma would recognize him.

Jstas

ohskigod wrote: »

Fitch smothered Alves like a blanket for the most part and won, was a little boring (typical Fitch) but you always respect how he executes his plan and gets the job done. of course, GSP will have his way with him as if they were snuggling in a limo after Prom night.



as far as Sonnen goes, the man has a PhD in smack talk. man that guy can talk him some ****. He backed it up though, loss be damned he backed it up hard.

I LOVE watching Fitch! Dude looks like he's gonna eat somebody's face every time he gets in the octagon! I love his fighting style and even though he's a ground game guy and loves the struggling grind, he has some of the best cardio in the biz. He can struggle for 5 straight rounds and still stand up and bang for the last few seconds. I had a feeling he was going to beat Alves.

Besides, Fitch already fought St. Pierre to a decision and Georges said it was one of the hardest fights he ever had. No matter how many times he managed to get away, Fitch never stopped coming and he never got gassed. He was as strong at the end as he was at the start whether he was on his back or in Georges' guard. St. Pierre won because of his striking. But that was back in like UFC 87 or 88 or something. Fitch is a much better fighter now. I would love to see Fitch v. St. Pierre.



And Sonnen and his smack talk! Man, dude looks like a Geometry teacher. He's totally non-threatening and I think that's hi greatest strength. Even Dana White has said that everyone, at one point, as underestimated Sonnen. He looks like a college prep kid or the guy next door. But the thing is, the guy was an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, a two-time National Greco-Roman champion, an Olympic wrestler and top top it all off, aside from PRIDE, you name the sanctioning body and the weigh class he fought in and he's beaten every other champion in his weight class except Silva. And honestly, even though he lost in a dubious end, he beat the hell out of Silva. Sonnen is the real deal and he's still ranked number 2 behind only Silva.

Funny thing is, his "regular job", he's a real estate agent.

ShinAce

I'm going to go on the record and say Anderson 'the spider' Silva rocks!

I don't think his talents are truly recognized.

He can dodge(standing) like nobody's business.

He can deliver his strikes accurately.

He is a master of the clinch.

He is patient and looks for openings. It's his health and reputation that are on the line. If every fight looked like Bubba coming out swinging blindly on both sides, I wouldn't watch UFC.

He can take a hit, and wake up so quick you wonder if he was dazed or baiting out.

He's the only fighter I've seen use his legs to crush the opponents ribs when stuck in guard. Most fighters are trying to block the shots coming towards the face and looking for an armbar opportunity. Taking one or two in the face so that the opponent can't breathe is brilliant!

He puts his arms down and sticks his face out to taunt. If the other fighter doesn't like it, he can punch Silva in the face. Oh that's right, it's a bait out.

He's one of the most humble fighters I've seen.

He'll stop striking when he's knocked his opponent out, instead of swinging while looking at the ref. He's an honorable fighter who isn't trying to make plastic surgeons rich.

And, he's defended his title, what, 7 times?

You might think he's entertaining anymore, but he has nothing to prove. If you don't like him, find a better fighter!

Dana answers to shareholders, not to true fighters with the proper spirit.

Say what you will, but in every other sport, we change the rules to level the field. We don't cut the players because they can't be beaten.

ohskigod

ShinAce wrote: »

You might think he's entertaining anymore, but he has nothing to prove. If you don't like him, find a better fighter!



.

Dude, did you see the fight? the words Silva has "nothing to prove" just do not ring after the @ss raping he took at the hands of Sonnen for 4 1/2 rounds. I wont take away the fact he won by triangle choke that was yes skill but also pure **** luck that door openned. that door opened only because Sonnen finally got a tired after pounding Silva repeatedly for 20+ minutes.

I'll say this, Silva can take a beating. but he has something to prove, like maybe next time not let Sonnen make him his **** for so much time.

Seriously, he walked away with the win, but I will not consider him the honerable fighter you think he is if there isnt a rematch soon.

Jstas

ShinAce wrote: »

I'm going to go on the record and say Anderson 'the spider' Silva rocks!

I don't think his talents are truly recognized.

He can dodge(standing) like nobody's business.

He can deliver his strikes accurately.

He is a master of the clinch.

He is patient and looks for openings. It's his health and reputation that are on the line. If every fight looked like Bubba coming out swinging blindly on both sides, I wouldn't watch UFC.

He can take a hit, and wake up so quick you wonder if he was dazed or baiting out.

He's the only fighter I've seen use his legs to crush the opponents ribs when stuck in guard. Most fighters are trying to block the shots coming towards the face and looking for an armbar opportunity. Taking one or two in the face so that the opponent can't breathe is brilliant!

He puts his arms down and sticks his face out to taunt. If the other fighter doesn't like it, he can punch Silva in the face. Oh that's right, it's a bait out.

He's one of the most humble fighters I've seen.

He'll stop striking when he's knocked his opponent out, instead of swinging while looking at the ref. He's an honorable fighter who isn't trying to make plastic surgeons rich.

And, he's defended his title, what, 7 times?

You might think he's entertaining anymore, but he has nothing to prove. If you don't like him, find a better fighter!

Dana answers to shareholders, not to true fighters with the proper spirit.

Say what you will, but in every other sport, we change the rules to level the field. We don't cut the players because they can't be beaten.

You're on crack.

Want a better fighter? Let him move up a weight class. Then we can watch Shogun show everybody how "great" and "humble" Silva actually is. If not Shogun, give him to Belfort and let Belfort show him what striking is all about. He can stick his face out to Belfort and he'll lose teeth. If he plays any shenanigans with Shogun, he will capitalize and crush him.

Better yet, let him get embarrassed by the likes of Matt Hughes or Georges St. Pierre.

Silva isn't humble. He's a an arrogant ****. Just the fact that he would even contemplate acting in such an unsportsman-like way is testament to his immaturity and narcissism. Yes, he's a skilled fighter but I think far too many people give him far too much credit. He has severe weak spots. He's a BJJ black belt trained under Ant

shawn474

Sonnen beat the bejezus out if Silva, but I give Silva a lot of credit. To be able to absorb that much punishment for basically five rounds, keep your composure and lock that submission is impressive. Sonnen tapped - he would have been protesting a lot more if he didn't. I think Sonnen is an absolute animal, but his smack talk and demeanor before the fight was not my cup of tea. To Silva's credit, the guy has not lost in the UFC. Ugly or not, he wins.

Hughes surprised me a bit. He is in great shape for his age and took down a very tough fighter. I don't know how much longer he can keep it up, but he will be in the hall of fame. He doesn't seem to fight nearly as much as the rest of the roster.

ShinAce

Jstas wrote: »

You're on crack.

Want a better fighter? Let him move up a weight class. Then we can watch Shogun show everybody how "great" and "humble" Silva actually is. If not Shogun, give him to Belfort and let Belfort show him what striking is all about. He can stick his face out to Belfort and he'll lose teeth. If he plays any shenanigans with Shogun, he will capitalize and crush him.

Better yet, let him get embarrassed by the likes of Matt Hughes or Georges St. Pierre.

Silva isn't humble. He's a an arrogant ****. Just the fact that he would even contemplate acting in such an unsportsman-like way is testament to his immaturity and narcissism. Yes, he's a skilled fighter but I think far too many people give him far too much credit. He has severe weak spots. He's a BJJ black belt trained under Ant

sucks2beme

ShinAce wrote: »

why did Dana step down from his fight with Ortiz? It's because it's about sensationalism.

If it wasn't for Dana White, there would be NO UFC. He pulled it back from
the brink of collapse. I think spitting on his shirt would result in some
unscheduled dental work.

Jstas

ShinAce wrote: »

You're a hypocrit! You get upset when people call you names and now look at yourself, resorting to calling me a crackhead. For shame.

:rolleyes:

That's a bit of stretch there, champ. You're quickly working towards a spot on the bozo list though.

ShinAce wrote: »

He has fought in the light heavyweight class. Why don't they cut weight and challenge him for his belt?

Why don't they cut weight? 'Cause Andersen Silva is not in the same class and if you knew anything about cutting weight, dropping that much weight is hazardous to your health. Look at Alves I think it was. He was .5 pounds over the weight limit for his class and he took a 20% hit on purse for the fight. He cuts to a dangerous amount and he just couldn't get that last half of a pound but wanted the fight. It's also likely why he seemed so out of it and no on his game for the fight. It's easier to gain weight than it is to drop it.

ShinAce wrote: »

Why talk about GSP? He's even lighter than Silva?

Because GSP has said multiple times that he would be interested in going up a weight class if the conditions were right. He's also said that Silva does not impress him. The weight class above GSP, that would be Silva's weight class.

ShinAce wrote: »

Are you trying to say that Silva has no takedown defence? I have him listed up there with GSP, Hughes, and Penn.

I'm glad you're doing odds and spreads now but obviously you didn't read my post. A takedown defense is not the only skill in BJJ. Silva has a good takedown defense but, it's pedestrian and textbook BJJ. Sonnen was coming at him in ways that he didn't know how to handle. Within 30 seconds of the start of rounds 2-5, Sonnen had Silva on his back and pounding his face with bombs. Silva has a takedown defense but through that entire fight, I saw it effective only once.

ShinAce wrote: »

He doesn't need guard in the clinch. He's too busy rearranging facial features with his knees. It's the other guy that's defending.

Again, I really don't know what fights you are watching. Silva is good in the clinch but no where near as dominant as you give him credit for. You want to see dominant in the clinch, Randy Couture.

ShinAce wrote: »

Let's just say I would shake Anderson Silva's hand without any hesitation. I might use my other hand to defend myself, but that's just me.

AWWWWW! Isn't that sweet?

ShinAce wrote: »

Dana White? I might spit on his shirt, but he's got to do what he's got to do. If UFC was really about the fighters and the fights, why did Dana step down from his fight with Ortiz? It's because it's about sensationalism.

Hmmmm....what does that have to do anything? Dana White runs the organization. He's the final say on all talent. He doesn't decide outcomes so he can be as opinionated and biased as he pleases. Just like any other job, the boss is the boss. You don't get to challenge the boss or insult the boss or try to embarrass the boss in public without incurring some sort of disciplinary action.