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Without a doubt the UFC 117 Main Event last Saturday night was one of the greatest, if not the greatest title fights in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Chael Sonnen stepped into the Octagon to challenge the best fighter on the planet after a stacked card. This card had already seen Roy Nelson display his toughness and possibly expose a weakness in top ten heavyweight Junior Dos Santos in his cardio; also, UFC Hall of Famer and former Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes announced to the world he is still relevant today by choking out Brazilian jiu jitsu ace Ricardo Almeida. But none of that matched the main event.
After months and months of far-fetched statements from the challenger - statements ranging from Anderson Silva being a phony to Lance Armstrong giving himself cancer - Chael Sonnen had to face the man he had continually belittled. Sonnen undoubtedly won the first four rounds, thus causing many fans/writers to infer that he indeed had backed up all the pre-fight hype he so openly spoke. While Chael definitely deserves credit for winning the first four rounds and doing to the Spider what no-one else in the UFC had done, I feel the real point of emphasis has been vastly overlooked.
Anderson Silva came into the bout with Chael Sonnen last Saturday night with a rib injury and fought against doctors' advice. Along with most MMA fans in America, It was quite evident in the first round that something was not right with the Spider. He did not have the speed nor elusiveness he has become infamous for. After stating he had been advised by doctors to pull out of the fight and that the injury caused him to be unable to breathe properly, it explained to most of us why he looked so sluggish and slow.
Again, while Chael deserves a lot of respect for what he did, I think it is much more impressive to look at what Anderson did. Fighting with an injury that hampered his breathing and cardio, Anderson showed why he is the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. Anderson, not close to 100%, took EVERYTHING Chael Sonnen had and finished the fight. Chael Sonnen bent and bent Anderson, but never came close to breaking him. Anderson Silva was not a broken man, not even close.
Just as Fedor Emelianenko has shown in his career, Anderson Silva showed he can absolutely take a beating and still find a way to win. Anderson’s cast iron chin allowed him to take all Sonnen could throw at him, and his skill allowed him to finish the fight. With the talk of a rematch brewing in most MMA fans' minds, unfortunately we will have to wait at least until February of next year before that possibility can come to fruition. While my personal belief is that, if an unhealthy Silva can take all Sonnen had to give him and was still able to finish Sonnen, a healthy Silva will finish the fight much more decisively.
I believe Chael Sonnen definitely deserves some credit for winning those four rounds against Anderson. But I do believe the real “admiration” should be for what Silva did in fighting hurt, having breathing trouble, taking everything Sonnen had to offer and still finishing him. Without a doubt, Anderson Silva is not only the best pound for pound fighter on the planet but the best of all time.
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