Chael Sonnen
Calls out Anderson Silva for Super Bowl Weekend rematch
The time on the sidelines didn’t seem to bother Chael Sonnen on bit.
In his most complete performance to date in the UFC, Sonnen dominated Brian Stann from the outset, taking him down early in the first and showing outstanding grappling and solid ground-and-pound. Sonnen worked to both mount and back mount in the first, threatening with a choke from the back that had Stann on the defensive.
Stann threw an ill-advised kick to start the second and Sonnen made him pay, taking him down again. While they were eventually stood up, Sonnen brought it right back to the canvas again, using his tremendous wrestling to control Stann on the mat. Sonnen transitioned well, setting up an arm triangle choke. Though Stann defended properly, he was forced to tap at, handing Sonnen his first submission since February 2007.
The Chael Sonnen of old returned after the bout, as he called out UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen said Silva sucks, then set the table for an epic rematch with “The Spider” next year. In addition to battling for the middleweight title, Sonnen stipulated that if he wins, Silva leaves the division, and if he loses, he’ll leave the UFC for ever.
Some will call it a little bit of professional wrestling, but in reality, it was just vintage Chael Sonnen.