While every fight in the UFC is a significant step for a fighter, the title fight is the mother-ship of them all. Chael Sonnen certainly made the most of it when he was given the chance to take the belt from Anderson Silva at UFC 117. But here’s the kicker- “Kale Sonen” as Dana would call him, had to take this fight without any prior notice!
Yes, you heard it right. The former UFC fighter on the Good Guy/ Bad Guy (not Fat Guy/Bad Guy as suggested by Islam) podcast uncovered the lesser-known detail to DC, mentioning how he got the unexpected call from the UFC President.
“I got a call I remember where on the freeway I was I look at my phone, I dont have it safe, he answers his phone, its almost like he’s keeping his voice down, he says, hey Kale its Dana and he said would you fight Anderson Silva? And I said yeah, I fight Anderson Silva he goes good because I just went on Sports center and announced it good luck kid and he hangs up his phone.”
And just like that, one of the greatest fights in the history of the sport took place with the president himself announcing it before even confirming it with the fighters themselves.
However, Sonnen was a real G for taking up the fight as such an opportunity was too good to be missed. The fight took place in 2012 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
It was a showstopper with Sonnen taking it to the champion, even knocking ‘The Spider’ down with a vicious left.
Silva entered the octagon with a record of 12 consecutive wins to take on ‘The American Gangster‘. Chael himself was on a 3-match winning streak.
While Silva was the absolute favorite to win the fight, Sonnen turned the tables, controlling the champion on the ground and outgunning him with heavy strikes to stun the crowd.
In fact, in round 1, Sonnen did more damage to Silva than any of his previous opponents, landing 31 significant strikes. The NCAA wrestler controlled the champion and imposed his will on him, regulating the pace with takedowns and ground impounds.
However, in R5, carelessness cost Sonnen the biggest upset in his career as Silva exploited the opportunity to catch him off guard with an arm triangle, submitting him with 1:50 seconds remaining on the clock.
Even though the two met again at UFC 148, Silva finished the fight with a TKO. However, Sonnen is getting another shot at redemption this coming June as the duo are slated to meet each other in the boxing ring for a rubber match.
Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen trilogy on June 15
Silva currently holds a 2-0 record over Sonnen. However, the American Gangster still believes that you can’t just lose a fight after beating on someone for 4 rounds, only for them to win a few seconds in the final round. The two even had a very ugly beef for the longest time, which seems to have been sorted now.
Silva had even invited Sonnen for his famous cookout. Regardless, it would appear that the duo are going to have another fight. And although the two veterans are well past their prime, Sonnen still has a shot at redemption.
He will get the opportunity to take on his rival in a boxing match at Spaten Fight Night on June 15.
As part of a major TV ad campaign, this will be Silva’s farewell fight. While other details like the schedules and venue are yet to be decided, the card is stacked with big names like Rodrigo Minatauro, Kyra Gracie Rafaela Silva, Bia Ferreria, Flavio Canto, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
