Chael Sonnen discloses the one thing that cost him big in two previous bouts with Anderson Silva: " I thought you could just make him quit"
Chael Sonnen recently disclosed what he believes cost him his previous bouts against Anderson Silva when he challenged him for the UFC middleweight championship. They are scheduled to revisit their legendary rivalry in a boxing match this Saturday, which is being promoted as 'The Spider's' final bout in Brazil.
'The American Gangster' famously became a household name and UFC star when he showcased his trash talk in the buildup to their first encounter and then by taking the fight to the Brazilian. Despite the success he had against Silva, Sonnen was unable to defeat him and capture the middleweight championship.
During his appearance on today's episode of The MMA Hour, the former UFC competitor-turned-analyst recounted his legendary bouts against 'The Spider' and what it was like competing against him at his peak. Sonnen disclosed that he attempted to make Silva quit, which he admitted was a very costly mistake. He said:
"I've gone seven rounds with Anderson Silva and the problem that I had is thinking that I could make him quit. I thought he was just really good, he's dynamic and he moves really well, he's got these great setups, he's really tough and that's the part I didn't know. I thought you could just make him quit...I used a lot of energy trying to get him to wilt and I'm not gonna make that same mistake [again]."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below:
When did Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva fight in the UFC?
Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva fought on two occasions in the UFC and both were highly anticipated due to the animosity between them at the time.
Their first encounter took place in the main event of UFC 117, which saw 'The American Gangster' nearly pull off an upset and defeat 'The Spider'. In the fifth round, Silva found an opening and managed to submit Sonnen with a triangle choke to retain his middleweight championship.
Silva vs. Sonnen 1 is still held in high regard by fans and will be inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame later this month. 'The American Gangster' received another opportunity to challenge two years later, but was unsuccessful as the Brazilian earned a second-round TKO in what ended up being his final successful title defense.
Check out the UFC's announcement regarding Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1 being inducted into the Hall of Fame below: