Fight week has arrived for the UFC 148 fight card, which goes down on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In just a few short days, Anderson Silva will step into the Octagon to defend his UFC Middleweight Championship against Chael Sonnen, in a reprise of their epic five-round battle at UFC 117 in the summer of 2010. As part of the buildup to Saturday's highly anticipated fight, the UFC has made the first Silva-Sonnen encounter available for free, giving an opportunity to study the first fight and determine what it can tell us about the rematch on Saturday (video below).
Sonnen defied the pundits in the early stages of the first round by looking to strike with Silva, one of the greatest knockout artists the sport of mixed martial arts has ever seen. Even more surprising than the strategy, however, was its effectiveness, as Sonnen was able to land some hard punches on the champion, inducing Silva to attempt a takedown. Sonnen worked back to his feet quickly, though, and showed his own wrestling prowess by taking down "the Spider." From there, Sonnen used his top control and ground-and-pound attack to inflict more damage on Silva than he'd taken in years.
Silva came out more aggressive in the second round, but an ill-timed kick allowed Sonnen to score another takedown. Silva struck with some elbows from the bottom, but Sonnen remained in control, as chants in the crowd turned from "SILVA" to "U-S-A!" Silva looked to keep Sonnen locked up and avoid more strikes like what he endured in the first round, but Sonnen used unorthodox techniques to keep inflicting damage, boxing the champion's ears and using his shoulder to drive Silva's head into the mat. Those techniques eventually gave way to more traditional ground-and-pound, as Sonnen kept busy, even while doing limited damage. Silva made a series of submission attempts, looking for a triangle choke, a kimura and a heel hook, but Sonnen was able to stay out of danger.
The third round saw Silva come out swinging again, but Sonnen showed a good chin to absorb the Spider's strikes, and then scored a takedown. Silva looked for another kimura, but Sonnen kept back control, driving knees into Silva's rear end to keep inflicting punishment. Sonnen continued to punish with arm punches, then found himself in Silva's guard, where he continued to punish the champion with arms to the head and body for the remainder of the round.
Silva showed huge signs of life in the fourth round, striking with aggression in the opening seconds, then sprawling on Sonnen's takedown attempt and winding up on top. Sonnen, however, was able to use his All-American wrestling background from the University of Oregon to reverse position on Silva and get on top in the champion's guard. Silva looked for an armbar throughout the remainder of the round, but Sonnen continued to inflict punishment.
The final round looked to be much of the same, as Silva lost his footing avoiding a Sonnen punch and the challenger moved in on top. Sonnen briefly looked for an arm triangle choke, but settled into Silva's guard and resumed his ground-and-pound assault. Sonnen postured up and laid into the Spider with punches and hammer fists. Silva, however, showed he wasn't done, punching from the bottom and using the distraction to lock in a triangle choke. Sonnen was forced to tap out, and Silva retained his title with an epic come-from-behind victory.
So, what can we learn from the five-round classic?
For starters, there's the fact that Sonnen's striking has to be respected. Maybe he had the element of surprise going for him, but he was able to hold his own with the champion long enough to allow him to implement his wrestling-based gameplan. That was probably the biggest surprise of the fight, as Sonnen's wrestling was expected to be a tough challenge for Silva all along.
Second, if Sonnen is able to implement the same game plan he used so successfully against Silva the first time, he should use more of the unorthodox offense that he employed in the second round of the first fight. That combination of ear-boxing and shoulder strikes may not have looked especially impressive, but it inflicted punishment, and it denies Silva the opportunity to work for submissions from the bottom. That kind of offense - the shoulder strikes in particular - was a key part of Clay Guida's win over Anthony Pettis last year, and it should play a bigger role in Sonnen's ground game on Saturday.
Finally, while Sonnen expects to be booed on Saturday - and rightfully so, given the champion's popularity and Sonnen's propensity for running his mouth - he can turn the crowd in his favor with the successful implementation of his gameplan. As beloved as Silva is for his talent - and deservedly so - a man who can beat the legendary champion will be given his due praise.
Now, the question is, can Sonnen do it? We'll find out on Saturday.
