Chael Sonnen: 'I broke Anderson Silva at UFC 148, but he still came back and destroyed me'

Why does Chael Sonnen have "so much respect" for Anderson Silva?

Probably because "The Spider," who stopped the middleweight number one contender in the second round of their UFC 148 title fight back on July 7, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, was able to do something to him that no one has ever done before.

That's according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, who told The Jim Rome Show about a private conversation he had with Sonnen following the "Silva vs. Sonnen 2" press conference on the heels of last weekend's pay-per-view event at the MGM Grand.

Here's what he said:



"This is what Chael Sonnen said to me after the fight. He didn't say it at the press conference, but he said it to me. He said, 'I have so much respect for this guy, Dana. I've been competing in combat sports since I was seven years old. In that first round, when I was on top of him, hittin' him with those big elbows, I felt him break. I broke him in that first round. He came back in the second round and destroyed me. I've never seen anybody do that, ever.'"

This is the second time in his career that Silva has endured punishment from Sonnen, only to come back and secure a finish. The first came at UFC 117 back in August 2010, when the Brazilian pulled off a fifth-round submission to retain his title.

But his win at UFC 148 did not come without controversy.

Aside from an extra helping of Vaseline and a few tugs of the trunks, a knee to the breadbasket prompted some members of the fight community, along with a select few from the Sonnen camp, to cry foul and demand an immediate rematch.

Those efforts, at least for now, appear to be fruitless.

If we take Sonnen's post-fight comments to Dana, including the ones he made here, then it sounds like the "American Gangster" knows he was soundly defeated and will return to the 185-pound rank and file empty handed.

http://www.mmamania.com/2012/7/10/3148671/chael-sonnen-anderson-silva-ufc-148-dana-white-jim-rome

Chael still seems to forget that it is a 5 round fight, what you did in the first round doesn't matter, you didn't finish him with those big elbows, you didn't hurt him, and you didn't break him, I wanted Chael to win but walking into the fight with the exact same strategy as the last one, and adding a spinning backfist of doom, does not a Champion make.

i think he was giving silva props actually, not taking a shot this time around

Ed Soares, who has his his drama-filled moments with Sonnen himself. He feels that Sonnen went too far in his comments leading up to the much-anticipated rematch, but says that when the cameras were off, Sonnen is a good guy and he actually likes him as a person.

Make the jump to see what Soares told Sherdog Radio:

Quote :

"I've always thought Chael was a good guy. I just thought that he crossed the line. Chael is a good person. Chael, when the cameras are off, he's a good guy. He's a solid guy. I like Chael. I always have, but I'll tell you, whether he was just hyping [the fight] or not, there were times when he would start pissing me off and I had nothing to do with it. To hear Chael talk about Anderson's wife that way and talk about Brazil ... to talk about any nation and any other culture that way, I don't see the benefit for it, I really don't see the benefit for it. I do think he crossed the line. I don't think Chael's a bad person. I think Chael was just trying to do what he could to try to promote the fight and make this fight as big as possible, but I think that he did cross the line. I'll say it now and I've said it before, no one ever paid attention to Chael Sonnen. No one ever paid attention to him. Unfortunately his style of fighting's not exciting to watch. The only time people started paying attention to him was when he started talking about Anderson. Once he struck that nerve and saw that it worked, I think he just took it to another level."

Soares also talked about the chin-checking incident that occurred at the pre-fight weigh-ins in which Silva got a little too close to his opponent:

Quote :

"Keith Kizer had a talk with us after the fight. He pulled us to the side and kind of talked to Anderson about what happened. Everybody that knows Anderson knows that that was a little bit out of character. Sometimes emotions get to people. I'm not saying I 100-percent agree with what he did, but I mean, come on, man. People can't forget that the guy was talking about his wife, talking about his country, talking about all that. At that point in time it's like two wrongs don't make a right, but it happens. It's a fight."

Munoz also revealed that Chael Sonnen offered to help pay for his surgery to assist his unfortunate circumstance:

Quote :

"Yes, that is very true. And for everyone that hates Chael Sonnen, Chael Sonnen is actually a guy that is a very compassionate person. He actually extended his hand to me and he goes, 'If you need any financial help, I will help you out. I know how much this fight meant to you and I will help you out.' That speaks volumes about him man, it really does. I was like, 'Man thank you Chael, I really appreciate that and if I really do need it, I will ask for it, but I am good.' Despite what people may think about him, he is actually a really good person."