Anderson Silva knees Chael Sonnen
Appeal not being filed, but Sonnen’s camp wants rematch
The apparent end to the bad blood between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen immediately following UFC 148 seems have been more of a misunderstanding between the two parties.
Just days after Silva defeated Sonnen via second round technical knockout and invited him to a barbecue, Sonnen’s camp has RSVP’d in a way. The Oregon native’s head trainer Scott McQuarry contacted the Nevada State Athletic Commission today in regards to filing a complaint against Silva, though his ultimate goal is a rematch.
Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report first reported the news.
The complaint against Silva would concern the knee he landed to the chest of Sonnen, which was ultimately the beginning of the end of the contest. Sonnen was on the ground, and the knee, upon first viewing, looked questionable, but referee Yves Lavigne considered it legal.
McQuarry thinks differently.
“We believe the knee that Anderson threw was illegal,” McQuarry told Bleacher Report. “And it did, in fact, connect with his face. Chael bit his tongue and needed eight stitches.”
McQuarry went on to say that Silva also violated several other rules during the fight, including grabbing the fence whilst kneeing Sonnen and grabbing hold of the challenger’s shorts on a couple of instances.
Lavigne did warn Silva during the fight for grabbing the shorts, but, apart from the verbal warning, no action was taken against the champion. Silva also was wiped down just before the fight after rubbing Vaseline on his chest.
After contacting the NSAC, McQuarry was informed that an appeal would almost certainly not change the result of the contest, leaving a change to no contest almost entirely out of the question.
Now, he is appealing to a different audience, urging the fans to make their voices heard. McQuarry hopes that Dana White will listen to appeals for a rematch, stating, “Chael is a great champion and deserves a fair fight.”
Check out our UFC 148 photo gallery to see Silva’s controversial strike