Sonnen was clearly winning the fight by takedowns and being on top landing short punches but Silva was still managing to cut him up with elbow strikes from the bottom.
Heading into the fifth Silva was well behind on points and needed to finish the fight for any chance to win and hold onto his UFC title. Silva fired in a punching exchange and caught Sonnen from the ground yet again. Sonnen got careless and Anderson slipped a leg around his neck and sunk in a triangle choke. With the choke locked in, Silva transitioned to an armbar and Sonnen tapped out.
Sonnen had, no doubt, won every round up until that point and I had even given round 1 to Sonnen 10-8.
This is why Silva Anderson Silva is world champion – he showed the heart of a champion and the finishing skills that make him the best in the world. Sonnen proved that he actually deserved to be in the cage with the world's best fighter by never backing down and dominating the fight until the final submission.
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Anderson Silva pulls off submission To beat Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
UFC 117 Siliva Vs Sonnen - Results
Anderson Silva faced the toughest test of his UFC career to-date in Chael Sonnen. Sonnen, used his wrestling skills to dominate the champion. Silva was on shaky ground a few times when clearly rocked on the feet in punching exchanges – but managed to tap Sonnen out in the 5th round.
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Comments
Another fantastic fight card. Sonnen left openings everytime he brought Silva down, leaving an arm in there trying to strike. It was only a matter of time before Silva was going to lock in the triangle or armbar. Absolutely amazing main event!
By jmboydni@googmail.com on 07 Aug 2010