UFC 148: Chael Sonnen on second loss to Anderson Silva - "The better guy won tonight"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday night's UFC 148 main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen really didn't contain many surprises. Sonnen came out of the gate with a takedown after ducking under a punch, dominating the first frame with top position throughout.

Then, in the second, Silva's takedown defense went up a notch, and he was able to pick Sonnen apart before taking advantage of a mistake on Sonnen's part. Sonnen swung for a spinning back fist, and Silva appeared to land a slight trip as he did so, causing Sonnen to stumble to the mat. The Champion engaged with a knee to the midsection on the ground, and shortly thereafter he earned the stoppage.

It was nothing fans haven't seen from the UFC Middleweight Champion in the past, and the first round represented what was expected out of Sonnen for at least parts of the fight. Still, what Silva did in the second round represents why UFC President Dana White continues to hold him on high as the greatest mixed martial artist ever.

"When Anderson has gone in the past against strong wrestlers, like Dan Henderson, that's what the first round looked like – Chael got him," White said at the post-fight press conference (transcribed byMMAJunkie.com. "I said it before the fight and I'll say it again – Chael, not only does he talk a mean game, he goes in and fights, man. He said he wasn't afraid of Anderson Silva, and he went in and he fought Anderson Silva like he wasn't. Anderson Silva came out in the second round and did what he did."

"I said this before and I've said this again: He's the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts."

Though he had put his heart and soul into capturing the Championship, Sonnen will leave Vegas without the belt. However, the negativity and bad blood between the two will be left in Vegas as well, and Sonnen could only commend the "better man" for the win, while admitting he'll need to evaluate his performance later on.

"I thought it was very nice of him [to invite me to a barbecue]," Sonnen said. "It's very important when you lose a fight that you don't say things like, 'My opponent was better tonight.' The better guy wins every time. The better guy won tonight."

"You're always trying to work on your skills. But we're in the middle of the battle. There's some parts that felt really good, and some parts that really hurt – including the end. I'm always trying to find that good shot that can change the fight and start to wear a guy down and think twice, and I wasn't able to find it."

Penick's Analysis: Anderson Silva has proven himself time and time again, and with his 15th straight UFC win coming against his biggest rival to date, there's really nothing else he needs to prove in this sport to go down as the greatest we've yet seen. Jon Jones certainly wants to stake his claim as his career progresses, but he'll be the greatest of that next generation provided he continues on his path. Fedor Emelianenko holds the mantle for greatest heavyweight to date, but it's Silva who has been so immensely spectacular against a wide variety of opponents in the UFC. Yes, he's had his duds, and he's frustrated fans and the UFC in the past, but when he does things the way he did in the second round on Saturday night, it's unparalleled. Sonnen wasn't able to capture the magic of his first four rounds against Silva from 2010, and he couldn't adjust when Silva stuffed him early in the second. But that's as much on Silva changing things up as it is on Sonnen failing to get it done. This was another masterful round from the Champ, and though Sonnen fell way short this time around, he proved himself through two fights to be as worthy as any fighter to step across from Silva.

[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]