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Chael Sonnen has the potential to elevate or liquidate UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva's reign in the division. He can also turn the unpopular Silva into a big draw.
Sep 2, 2011 - No man has brought more out of Anderson Silva than Chael Sonnen.
Silva, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, is now by universal consensus both the best pound-for-pound Mixed Martial Artist of today, he's also the best ever.
Unfortunately his amazing abilities and incredible performances haven't translated into commercial success for Silva. He has stubbornly refused to become a draw for American fans. His last showing was yet another poor performance for the Brazilian champ. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer (subscription required), the event had less than 300,000 buys. That's down 15% from UFC 133 featuring a non-title bout as a headliner.
There's one exception to Silva's underperforming however, and that's when he's facing a credible threat who's also a compelling personality. It was true against Vitor Belfort, the Brazilian celebrity and decade-long UFC legend. Silva vs. Belfort. That fight sold over 700,00 pay-per-views and made Silva a household name in Brazil.
Unfortunately for business -- the fight business always loves a rematch -- Silva wiped the floor with Belfort and killed any interest in a rematch for the foreseeable future.
That leaves only one middle-weight contender who meets the criteria to make Silva a success for the UFC. That man is Chael Sonnen. Yes, the infamous convicted felon, money launderer, documented serial liar, and self-promoter par excellence.
Sonnen helped Silva sell over 650,000 pay-per-views last August at UFC 117. Even better he gave Silva the scare of his career. Though Silva would later claim a rib injury slowed him down that night, Sonnen looked like the completely dominant fighter for 4 and 1/2 rounds. Unfortunately for Sonnen, there are five rounds in a UFC championship fight and Silva tapped him out at the very end via triangle choke.
Not only did Sonnen tease out Silva's championship heart and will to a level no other opponent has done in years, he looked great in the process. He dominated Silva on the feet with crisp boxing that he quickly capitalized on for slick take downs. On the ground he stayed out of trouble for the most part while battering Silva like a steady rain on a parking lot.
That is until the very end when he got himself into a triangle choke/armbar combination that Silva was not about to let go. Things got worse for Chael from there. He failed a drug test after the fight for using Testosterone Replacement Therapy without proper clearance from the California State Athletic Commission and had to serve a year's suspension.
He dodged another bullet when he avoided jail time on a guilty plea to federal fraud and money laundering charges. So far the felony conviction hasn't prevented him from getting a license to fight.
He very nearly got himself suspended indefinitely by the CSAC for a variety of extremely dubious statments at a CSAC hearing, but a technicality in the state's laws forced the commission to end his suspension at the termination of the original one-year period.
That means Chael the Cheap Thrill is free and clear to fight. The UFC booked him with Brian Stann at UFC 136. It's highly likely that if Sonnen can beat Stann, he'll get his rematch with Silva.
That fight could either be the ugly end of Anderson Silva's title reign, or Silva's crowning achievement as a middleweight. If Sonnen wins, particularly if he dominates Silva again, it would mark the end of Silva's reign as champ and the best in the sport.
If Silva wins, he'll have banished the personal boogeyman that is Sonnen.
Either way the fight could be huge business for the UFC.
Here's hoping Chael Sonnen beats Brian Stann soundly so we can get on with the rematch that fans have wanted badly since last August.
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Chael Sonnen: The Man Who Could Make Or Break Anderson Silva
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Comments
I don’t think it’s fair to say that Anderson is unpopular. He’s not as popular as he could be, but that’s far from unpopular. To attribute the unusually low buy rate of UFC Rio to Anderson’s popularity while 20% of the US population was under hurricane watch is dubious. Personally, my power went out fifteen minutes before the event began, so that’s one buy the UFC didn’t get. Bars up and down the east coast canceled their plans to show the pay-per-view because they were anticipating huge losses if their power went out.
Also, Chael’s felony conviction did prevent him from getting a license for a few months, although they’ve reinstated him now.
by ninjapirategear on Sep 2, 2011 5:38 AM PDT reply actions
buy rates were down in California too
Certainly the hurricane hurt him, but the numbers are clear — Anderson Silva is not a major draw against anyone but the most compelling of opponents.
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by Nate Wilcox on Sep 2, 2011 5:55 AM PDT up reply actions
International shows typically draw less. And so few Americans were fighting on the card, it’s no surprise buy rates are down. That said, you’d hope that the most accomplished champion in UFC history would draw a couple more eye balls without a supporting cast.
by castleeb on Sep 2, 2011 6:15 AM PDT up reply actions
international shows draw less because of time zone problems...which did not exist in this case.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions
and the lack of a massive media push in the city that is hosting the evetn
I mean obviously there was a mega push in Brazil but there teh event was on free tv. but when you have the event in say Philly you get a lot of free local media usually that sells a huge amount of ppvs.
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by Nate Wilcox on Sep 4, 2011 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah
People, surprisingly, won’t pay to watch him destroy people. It’s kinda sad that someone of his skills hasn’t “caught on” in the US. Never would I have thought this card would have undersold UFC 132.
The Hurricane thing hurt, but it’s not like that would have added 300K buys.
by HaterSlayer on Sep 2, 2011 7:22 AM PDT up reply actions
Maybe King Mo was right, MMA fans are a bunch of idiots, lol!
"I think he doesn't accept punches very well. I don't know why." - JDS speaking of Brock Lesnar
by crizzy on Sep 2, 2011 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions
It's really not hard to figure out.
He’s a great fighter, maybe the best ever. But he rarely speaks English, and shows little to no interest embracing American fans. That won’t make you that popular in this country.
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by Chris Hines on Sep 13, 2011 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions
Hurricane definitely played a role. A lot of sports bars in my area cancelled showings at the last minute because of it. People were preparing for the hurricane rather than watching an event.
by cyke on Sep 2, 2011 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions
I dont get it.....
why this mans fights dont do better on PPV…Hes freakishly talented and almost always does something that leaves the MMA fans mouth agape…ppl are missing out on the Jordan of Mixed Martial Arts…
by RCWooden33 on Sep 2, 2011 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions
his talent is jordan-esque
his character and effort are not. Half the time he clowns and showboats instead of doing something interesting or respectable. He calls out irrelevant guys, denies the worthiness of elite challenges, shuns media contact, pretends not to speak English and is generally inaccessible and enigmatic in his answers. After seeing the difference in how he acts in Brazil, I’d say he seems to have contempt for American fans & media. …and I reciprocate his contempt.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions
it’s not contempt, there is a language barrier, that’s why ppl in the US can’t relate to him
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 11:28 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I don't think so
I’ve seen him talking with other fighters in English and even once doing a whole interview in English (when Soares wasn’t around) but I think the man just really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the American fans or want to even attempt to communicate with them. Why is it that Nog, JDS, and even Machida seem to go out of their way to do the best they can with English, but Silva, who speaks English fine with his friends feigns ignorance in public and talks through Soares rather than addressing the reporters or fans directly? He’s just being a prick.
"I'm tall, dark, and handsome...and you third world ugly!"
by Blackuraba on Sep 4, 2011 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
he speaks english fine? did you not see his post fight interview at UFC Rio? both JDS and Nog speak much better english than Andy. and if you want to question why he doesn’t learn it, who knows? that’s up to him, quite frankly he’s doing just fine with the amount of money he gets.
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 1:43 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I understood him fine after that fight. I think it's pretty obvious he can more than do an interview in English.
I imagine he could hold full conversations in English if he so chose. No one is asking him to write a book in English, just drop a few Q and A’s with English answers. He doesn’t want to, that’s fine, but the result is a lack of American fan fare. Though I don’t think he cares about that at all, as Blackuraba pointed out.
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by Chris Hines on Sep 13, 2011 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions
you're right
Silva is not a major draw. That’s why they always have to stack his cards with fan-favorites like Forrest or a second title fight. They know they can’t depend on Silva to draw a crowd, let alone please one. He’s been booed out of the arena more times than any other champ in UFC history…even Tito.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Silva vs Belfort sold more than Chael…
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 11:29 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
how is that relevant to what I said?
Belfort sold that card. Of course Belfort is a bigger draw than Chael. He’s “the phenom” a spectacular knockout artist that many people thought actually had a chance to dethrone Silva. Chael didn’t become popular till after he whupped Andy’s ass. Belfort was a 2 division champion before any of us ever heard of Anderson Silva or Chael Sonnen.
"I'm tall, dark, and handsome...and you third world ugly!"
by Blackuraba on Sep 4, 2011 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions
lol, Belfort is a bigger draw than Silva? tell me how much Belfort and Rich franklin sold?
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 1:45 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
belfort vs franklin
set Vitor up as a credible challenger to the champ.
IMO Belfort at 126 (700K buys) and Sonnen at 117 (650K buys) prove Anderson has become a draw in the US When and only when he has a credible challenger. too many people remember UFC 112 and Thales Leties and Cote to buy a ppv headlined by Anderson vs someone they think has no chance.
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by Nate Wilcox on Sep 4, 2011 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree, but I think he’s a bigger draw than Belfort overall
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 5, 2011 3:44 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I was wondering the same thing.
How badly did the hurricane hurt buyrates? I live on Long Island, so while we were in the hurricane’s path, the PPV was airing well before the hurricane itself was actually expected to hit us. Even so, I hit two different bars and both of them had signs up saying they weren’t airing the event.
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by alicks on Sep 2, 2011 6:15 AM PDT up reply actions
the hurricane definitely hit buy rates
but the buy rates were down in California too. Even without the hurricane UFC 134 would have done disappointing numbers, with the hurricane it did really poor numbers.
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by Nate Wilcox on Sep 2, 2011 6:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Have they published state-by-state buy rates? Is it also possible that people all over the country were watching hurricane coverage on CNN and TWC and that was affecting the buy rate? I think having Okami as an opponent hurt the PPV more than anything, but any UFC fan should have been excited for the entire card. Silva is certainly better-known among casual fans than Vitor or Chael, especially before they fought him, so unless UFC’s marketing team somehow dropped the ball on the Rio show, how could you attribute the buy rates for those events to Silva’s competitors?
And 300,000 buys is low for all but the crappiest UFC events. A show with a main event of Shogun and Forrest would draw more than that.
by ninjapirategear on Sep 2, 2011 7:08 AM PDT up reply actions
they never publish any of it
it’s just Meltzer’s fairly accurate educated guesses.
And yea everything in the world was closed early on Saturday and thousands of people were under evacuation – both mandatory and voluntary. It’s fine to acknowledge the hurricane in the comments section (this is to Nate), but not to mention that in the article itself is disingenuous. The most populous area of the country being smashed by a storm that knocked out power for 2million+ people is a huge damper on buys. Many tens of thousands, possibly six-figures worth. Putting the blame on Anderson is just not looking at the whole picture.
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by Cory Braiterman on Sep 2, 2011 7:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah it hurt
But it’s not like it would have “saved” the buys on here. Best case scenario 100,000 more people from that whole area would bought the PPV, but that would have still put it below 400K buys. This is a card that I’m sure they were expecting to have over 500K simply because it’s Anderson.
by HaterSlayer on Sep 2, 2011 7:47 AM PDT up reply actions
am i missing something?
340k + 100k = 440k.
Still not fantastic, but nowhere near the sky is falling that we’re reading in some places
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by Cory Braiterman on Sep 2, 2011 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions
you're right
i should’ve noted the hurricane in the original post but even if it had done 500K that would’ve been a let down. His last two shows did 650K and 700K.
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by Nate Wilcox on Sep 4, 2011 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Sonnen dominated him on the feet? He got in one good shot that caused Silva to stumble. Opening of round 4 silva drilled him with an elbow that sat him on his ass. Also Silva landed far more shots standing. I dont think Chael dominated him standing thats a little ridiculous. And Super Physically Enhanced Sonnen will not be the Sonnen we see in a rematch.
by Spider_Vemon on Sep 2, 2011 6:13 AM PDT reply actions
Totally. Anderson’s striking in that fight was still better. Chael was landing quick punches on the ground like he was button-mashing a video game. Look at Chael’s face during his interview with Steve Straka the day after the fight. Anderson’s face had no bruises or cuts that I can remember. If he did, they were small.
by ninjapirategear on Sep 2, 2011 7:01 AM PDT up reply actions
He doesn't bruise or cut easily, though
If Anderson were a slower, less technical fighter, I get the feeling we’d all be talking about his legendary chin at this point. Dude’s hard to hurt.
by Hummus5989 on Sep 2, 2011 7:22 AM PDT up reply actions
no doubt
Silva, BJ, and some other guys have really round smooth facial features that make them very hard to bruise or cut up. They also have ridiculous chins.
Conversely, some guys, especially a lot of white & latino guys, have really sharp eyebrow ridges and/or cheekbones that make them cut easily, plus their lighter skin makes their bruises look a lot worse.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Trying to gain anything from how a guy looks is ridiculous, Sonnen cuts easily that’s why he was bruised up. Silva got beat up just because he didn’t look doesn’t change he took a 23 minute ass whooping. And people can make all the excuses and justifications that they want but a rematch won’t look much different. Sonnen is taylor made to give Silva fits thanks to his world class wrestling and the fact that he doesn’t buy the hype.
by Raker on Sep 2, 2011 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
the hype is key
Anderson wins most of his matches before the opening bell. Guys are too intimidated by him to blitzkrieg him, and that give him plenty chance to feel out their timing. By the time they finally engage him, he can read them like a book and seems to know what they’re gonna do before they do. I think this is the most amazing skillset Anderson has, his amazing instinct for timing and his ability to play psychological warfare. Sonnen, by not being susceptible to the latter, attacked before Silva could feel him out, and thereby kept Silva off balance and guessing the entire fight.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m with you 99% of the time, the physical damage doesn’t normally tell the story. But in this case, there is a story in the damage. How many times must Chael have been hit hard for his face to be that deformed? Anderson is still human, as far as we know, and he didn’t have much swelling, especially considering that Chael landed a record number of strikes against him. If you put both guys next to each other and asked 1,000 people which one had the RECORD number of strikes landed on him, every single one of them would say Chael without a doubt, because he looked that bad. He wasn’t hurting Anderson when they were on the ground, he was just holding him down, and Anderson wasn’t wasting energy, and it allowed him to win the fight in the end.
by ninjapirategear on Sep 3, 2011 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions
what if you showed them the video of Silva being carried back to the locker room on his coaches' shoulders?
Chael put some ice on his face and headed to his after-party. Silva headed to the hospital. No question who did more damage. Chael busted his ass up! Just because Silva’s face doesn’t bruise or swell doesn’t mean he didn’t get his ass whooped.
"I'm tall, dark, and handsome...and you third world ugly!"
by Blackuraba on Sep 4, 2011 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions
the face is irrelevant
Silva couldn’t even walk back to the locker room on his own two legs.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Exactly superficial damage is irrelevant, SIlva took the beating of his life against Sonnen just because he didn’t look it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
by Raker on Sep 3, 2011 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Silva landed harder and better shots than Chael from his back too. He got quite a few hard elbows to Chael’s face. Chael’s GnP is the polar opposite of Jon Jones’.
"I think he doesn't accept punches very well. I don't know why." - JDS speaking of Brock Lesnar
by crizzy on Sep 2, 2011 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Chael doesn't enjoy a 12" reach advantage over his opponents
or have the ridiculously long legs to maintain his base with virtually no effort and free up his arms to strike without losing positional advantage.
"I'm tall, dark, and handsome...and you third world ugly!"
by Blackuraba on Sep 4, 2011 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions
It's concerning Silva isn't a major PPV draw
He’s been a champion for the majority of his UFC career and his performances are usually epic and unforgettable (excluding the fights that don’t need to be named). What more could he do?
I’m starting to think that North American casual fans will never get behind a foreign champion regardless of how talented he is. It’s possible this didn’t sell well because it was overseas but I’m not so sure.
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by Chad Raynard on Sep 2, 2011 6:15 AM PDT reply actions
It's pretty clear that Silva is a draw
when fans are convinced he’s facing a threat. But too many bought Silva vs Maia, Leites, Cote and don’t want to risk that again.
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by Nate Wilcox on Sep 2, 2011 6:32 AM PDT up reply actions
But why does the happen to Silva and not GSP?
People buy GSP fights regardless of who he’s fighting. No one really believes any of GSP’s opponents are going to challenge him (besides maybe Daley and Alves) yet he turns in great PPV numbers.
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by Chad Raynard on Sep 2, 2011 7:19 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
this happen*
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by Chad Raynard on Sep 2, 2011 7:20 AM PDT up reply actions
You make a good point.
additionally, GSP’s fights tend to be a bit boring. At this point of his career I pretty much expect a dominating 5 round decision. With Silva’s fights you’re always waiting for something spectacular. And GSP still does better numbers.
by jaileer on Sep 2, 2011 7:21 AM PDT up reply actions
GSP always give you what you pay for
5 rounds of domination. Not 3 rounds of clowning and 2 rounds of running away. Not 30 seconds of feints followed by 1 big kick. No drama, just a full 25 min of pure dominance.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Because a big reason GSP gets buys is because of nationalism
300-400K Canadians buy GSP PPVs solely because its GSP fighting. Brazil gets their fights free over the air.
by HaterSlayer on Sep 2, 2011 7:25 AM PDT up reply actions
This would make sense
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by Chad Raynard on Sep 2, 2011 7:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't disagree
but how then do you account for the 650k buys Silva drew for the Sonnen fight, or the 700k for the Belfort fight?
I think you’re right, i just think there are other factors.
by jaileer on Sep 2, 2011 7:31 AM PDT up reply actions
I wish we would get the fights for free, but we don’t. the only card we got free was the UFC Rio card, all the other cards are shown on a subscription channel.
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 12:06 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That's kinda ridiculous
does being foreign stop boxing fans from embracing pacquiao? No.
GSP is from a french Canadian, so while he is North American, he isn’t from the US. He’s popular as hell.
There are a lot of factors that are hurting Silva. Being foreign is pretty far down the list.
by jhf884 on Sep 2, 2011 6:52 AM PDT up reply actions
to be fair...
GSP is white and speaks English. Silva is black and he doesn’t speak English. Now before a bunch of white people get their panties in a bunch, my point is that a combination of the two things just scream “FOREIGNER!” Americans in general and MMA fans specifically are a bunch of jingoistic bastards.
U-S-A chant, anyone?
by jaileer on Sep 2, 2011 7:06 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t think that’s unique to Americans. They were chanting “BRA-ZIL!” pretty loudly at this card. Every British fighter gets huge support against any American on British cards. People just tend to like people that are like them.
by Hummus5989 on Sep 2, 2011 7:28 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree with you,
but those two factors (+ some others, like his stinker fights against Leites, Cote, and D.M., the lack of a true rival, his occasionally off-putting aloof behavior to the press, etc.) mean that it is more than him simply being a foreigner.
Him being a foreigner doesn’t help, but a lot more goes into it than just that.
(Also, I’ve never had anything against the “U-S-A” chant (or Canadians supporting GSP, or Brazilians supporting their own fighters, etc.). Supporting someone from your country is fine by me; less cool is boo’ing the foreigner.
by jhf884 on Sep 2, 2011 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think most Americans even know Silva is foreign
they see a black guy named Anderson, they just assume he’s Afro-American. Besides that, with the exception of Japanese fans, I think Americans are about the most non-nationalistic fans in MMA. Americans have such a mixed heritage themselves, and such an ideology of the self-made man, that they really don’t care where a guy comes from as long as he puts on great fights and has charisma. GSP, Shogun, Fedor, CroCop, Arlovski, were/are all very popular. I think Asian fighters struggle a bit more to get recognition, but certainly not Brazilian or black fighters.
by Blackuraba on Sep 3, 2011 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions
American fans being non-nationalists is just hilarious now… I’ll concede the fact that foreigners sometimes gets positive feedback, but overall they’re still nationalistic. difference lies with fans with broader knowledge within their communities, so it’s easier for foreigners to get support in the US. Wandy is a good example, ppl in the US know him more than say Forrest is known in Brazil. therefore Wandy may get support in the US while Forrest would get booed in Brazil in contrast. bu don’t act like the USA chants don’t exist.
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 12:17 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Boxing has a wider demographic
where as MMA is more middle class white men. Silva doesn’t speak english and doesn’t train in North America either. I don’t know if this is why Silva struggles to sell PPV’s but I think it’s possible.
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by Chad Raynard on Sep 2, 2011 7:16 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just a note on Pacquiao's popularity
Yes, boxing fans always embraced Pacquiao but America didn’t necessarily care about him until he truly became a house-hold name by defeating Oscar De La Hoya.
UFC 136 Edgar vs Maynard III is looking pretty good!
by VeeisAnimated on Sep 2, 2011 7:44 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Yeah,
but this shows that overly simplisitic explanations of popularity don’t fly. And eventually (probably sooner rather than later) MMA will have massively popular foreign stars as well.
Remember, Silva wasn’t even that big a star in Brazil (where he is from!) until after the Vitor Belfort fight—and Vitor isn’t nearly the star in America that he is in Brazil.
by jhf884 on Sep 2, 2011 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions
this is how I picture the rematch...
Round 1: Chael completely forgets everything he knows about MMA since he knows the last gameplan cannot be repeated, tries to set something up,…maybe clinches Silva after a couple of minutes and takes him to the ground for the entire round.
Round 2: Silva looks weird, blond pointy hair starts growing out of his skull and he starts uttering something the audience can’t hear…one second later Chael is dead and everything behind him has disappeared…that’s it, Silva wins by Kame Hame ha
by Gisele Federico Navarro Mendez on Sep 2, 2011 6:18 AM PDT reply actions
He has refused to learn English. He stubbornly refuses to move to the United States, learn English and Spanish so he can run for political office in Nevada, New York or California. He stubbornly refuses to sign UFC replica belts.
I don’t know. Every time I hear statements like that I just begin to wonder. WHAT?!? How does a fighter stubbornly refuses to become a star in the United States?
Yeah, everybody gets it. Sonnen is by and far the most compelling opponent for Silva . . . well outside Dan Henderson. Maybe some one needs to take Silva to the back of the room and tell him, save the knock outs for 4th or the 5th round. Fake a knock down or two. Or maybe he should hire Ogilvy & Mather?
UFC 136 Edgar vs Maynard III is looking pretty good!
by VeeisAnimated on Sep 2, 2011 6:21 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Sonnen is much more compelling than Henderson. Dan at 185 isn’t a pretty sight anymore.
by skeebop on Sep 2, 2011 6:28 AM PDT up reply actions
At this point at 185lbs. Sonnen is basically the only opponent that makes sense. There’s always Silva’s clone. He’s been joking about that for quite a while.
Maybe Shields? Maybe Hector Lombard? Jacare is not happening. Gegard is not going down to MW. GSP is not going up. It’s just Sonnen but Henderson will still be intriguing.
UFC 136 Edgar vs Maynard III is looking pretty good!
by VeeisAnimated on Sep 2, 2011 6:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Lombard is an interesting fight; but his stiffest test to date has probably been Alexander Shlmenko – that’s a giant leap up to Silva.
Shields is tempting, I just have a lot of trouble seeing him having success with his takedowns; he doesn’t set them up well enough.
by skeebop on Sep 2, 2011 8:57 AM PDT up reply actions
And he knows some english now
He spoke in english with Kenny Florian, right after the fight (eventhough he was in Brasil), and it is much easier to understand what he says than many USA-born.
Melvin Guillard comes to my mind now…
by Drakkulea on Sep 2, 2011 7:02 AM PDT up reply actions
The biggest loser....
….in the UFC on Fox deal is Anderson Silva. It just makes it that much more unlikely that he will have a chance to get on ‘Dancing with The Stars’, win it, and become a huge star.
by Reciprocity on Sep 2, 2011 6:50 AM PDT reply actions
A technicality?
What’s the difference between “a technicality” and “the rules”. The only reason there was any confusion at all was because CSAC didn’t know their own rules, and thus weren’t abiding by them.
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by Llewdor on Sep 2, 2011 8:25 AM PDT reply actions
damn
I can’t believe more people don’t want to watch Anderson… After Brock (who was my favorite fighter before I found out cannot take a punch), there isn’t anyone close to delivering as the Spider does… I always cannot wait to watch his next fight simply because there is no other fighter remotely clsoe to his skill level and his way of fighting….
But more people will buy GSP for a boring 5 round lay me fest? I don’t get it, I really don’t….
I guess the fact he doesn’t speak english good doesn’t help, but shit I am paying money to watch fights, not hear people talk on the microphone.
by Werbino on Sep 2, 2011 8:35 AM PDT reply actions
Its all those rabid wacky Canadians!
"I think he doesn't accept punches very well. I don't know why." - JDS speaking of Brock Lesnar
by crizzy on Sep 2, 2011 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Thats just silly...
I’d be curious to know how many PPV they sell ,in Canada, when GSP is fighting, compare to when hes not?
Also,GSP is more popular in the states than he is in Canada?Dana White said it many times.
GSP himself said it.IN Quebec,he can walk around quite anonymously.Not the case in Vegas,in LA,etc..
Hes also more popular in Brazil than in Canada,and he almost caused a riot in the Philippines!!!
So if GSP is such a good PPV draw,its clearly not based on his Canadians popularity.
by pklMMA on Sep 2, 2011 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, I heard in a forum here that he sells 300k ppvs in canada pretty much every event. Is that incorrect?
"I think he doesn't accept punches very well. I don't know why." - JDS speaking of Brock Lesnar
by crizzy on Sep 3, 2011 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions
if Sonnen beats Stann the way i think he will...
that post-fight interview is gonna be fucking awesome.
by Victor Rodriguez on Sep 2, 2011 9:55 AM PDT reply actions
O_o
alright all bias aside of what really went on in the last fight.I am totally down for seeing a rematch ……..only IF! anderson silva can use a PED , and chael sonnen fight clean and be tested every month during training leading up to the fight ….and when everything said and done we completely ignore the fact that anderson cheated : )
by sickmachine94 on Sep 2, 2011 11:31 AM PDT reply actions
Yeah it was the steroids that gave Sonnen superpowers to be able to hang in there with the mighty Anderson Silva. Seriously you Silva fans are hilarious, isn’t the guy who lost the fights and his fans supposed to be the ones making excuses?. Yet it’s the opposite every excuse under the sun has been made for why Silva got his ass dominated for 23 minutes and it’s all bs. You can continue to be under the delusion but when the rematch happens you’ll realise that Sonnen’s wrestling nothing else is Silva’s kryptonite but keep reaching.
by Raker on Sep 2, 2011 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Wasn’t it stated several times that the rumors about elevated levels or the ratio being too broad were just rumors? As far as I remember based on the last couple of articles based on the subject Sonnen’s mistake was lying and not disclosing his TRT in the proper manner.
"No man dies for what he knows to be true. Men die for what they want to be true, for what some terror in their hearts tells them is not true."
by killphil on Sep 3, 2011 6:19 AM PDT up reply actions
he was supposed to disclose his use of illegal substances due to medical reasons in order to be able to fight, which he did not, but the level of substances found in his system was very high, that hasn’t changed..
I call you, I talk to me - Anderson Silva
by Orcus on Sep 4, 2011 12:27 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Roids.
That is all.
It's time for football. GO BIG RED!!
by Brizzle T on Sep 2, 2011 1:05 PM PDT reply actions
Nate, could you
Tell me if he’s actually estimating the buyrate from sat/cable company data or if this is the estimate based on trending data?
Because the difference is considerable. e.g. Silva-Sonnen supposedly did over 1M buys according to trending data.
by SmackyBear on Sep 2, 2011 3:06 PM PDT reply actions
It’s an incredibly early buyrate estimate and sadly as much as I respect Meltzer he’s been off his game for the past year and a half with his reporting. To me I expet the final buyrate which was hurt big time by the hurricane to come in around 350k to 400k buys, taking any number this early in the process as fact is faulty on many counts.
by Raker on Sep 2, 2011 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Wtf?
Since when did Fedor’s history become non-existent?
I’ve never considered myself as a legend – just a simple man with heart.
by Chorongota on Sep 2, 2011 4:12 PM PDT reply actions
i'd like to see dave meltzer source that the ppv is trending 300000 buys.
Then i would trust it. To me it was a mega event that i would think did pretty well due to the promotion behind it
by Hellrazer on Sep 3, 2011 1:21 PM PDT reply actions
Make or Break Anderson Silva? ....seriously, what are you smoking?
Anderson Silva is the greatest fighter in the history of MMA (a history I’d imagine going back some thousands of years). And he doesn’t need a group of idiots attempting to “talk” him down to the level of much lesser fighters.
Never before in my life have I been so stunned by a fighter’s performance that I literally can NOT pass a single day without thinking about the man. After his fight with Okami, I was left in so much awe of his performance that I was nearly moved to tears for several days! And the fact that Anderson can have such a level talent and be so humble about it is just amazing. “I’m ready to fight” says Anderson. Sure you were buddy. If everyone in the world had your definition of ‘just’ being ready to fight who knows where the world would be?
Anderson Silva is indeed, as Jon Jones put it, a real-life and modern-day Bruce Lee. In fact, Anderson has done things in his fights that are even more impressive than Bruce Lee’s Hollywood cuts.
Any perceived lack of interest in Anderson’s fights only shows the supreme level of idiocy in the average mainstream UFC fan. Why do such fools even turn on the television? Silva is the greatest… and every living MMA fighter (worthy of having an opinion) knows this. And have said so. That includes GSP, Jon Jones, Roy Jones Jr., almost all of the Gracies, etc. etc.
And, speaking of Chael, Anderson clearly had a bad night on the day he fought Sonnen. Sonnen used steroids, etc. and even then could not finish an injured Silva. A healthy Silva would probably look something like round 4 but with a quick KO finish in either round 1 or 2. In fact, Silva landed one of the prettiest elbows I have ever seen in the first fight.
Racist Anderson-haters are so keen on seeing the greatest UFC champ of all time lose that they are calling on the return of an athletic fraud that uses steroids. It only shows where their level of thinking is. A fight with an uninjured Silva would have been completely different (as Anderson said). A monkey can put that together.
The UFC ‘cheerleader viewers’ that view Chael as some Messiah are just ridiculous. They remind me of drunks that wake up in the morning with a serious hangover then continue drinking some more. They are hopeless.
Who cares if these guys only want to see Anderson lose? Anderson shouldn’t even waste his time in MMA anymore. He’s already proven there. He should go into boxing (against Roy Jones Jr., etc.) where the pay will be higher. The average UFC fan isn’t even worthy of viewing his accomplishments.
by MME on Sep 3, 2011 7:04 PM PDT reply actions
Seriously, Dude, you need an intervention. I’m sure there are therapists somewhere that can help with this sort of thing.
As for Anderson being humble…to that I can only reply…..BWAAAAHAHAAHAA! You are definitely out of your freakin mind! Anderson is the most arrogant diva of a champ since Tito…and in some ways he’s worse than Tito was. That guy doesn’t have a micron of genuine humility in his whole body. And when he feigns humility, his cynicism is so transparent as to make it doubly insulting.
And people hating Anderson has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with him being an arrogant disrespectful punk who tries to pick his opponents, and acts like a clown humiliating guys like Maia who show class and heart against him even when they’re completely outmached!
"I'm tall, dark, and handsome...and you third world ugly!"
by Blackuraba on Sep 4, 2011 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
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