As a promotional tactic, this couldn’t have been stronger, but what some might be overlooking is also what a brilliant strategy this was to beat Anderson Silva.  Although Chael is a strong fighter who matches up well against Silva, it was obvious that Chael’s trash talk got into Anderson Silva’s head for their first fight.  Because of that, I figured Anderson Silva would be more relaxed in a rematch since the fighting would be the only thing he’d have to focus on, since the same insults probably wouldn’t have the same effect as before.  But when Chael Sonnen threw down the gauntlet with those stipulations, it changed the game and immediately put Silva on edge.

First of all, Silva has to accept these stips, or he’ll look like as much of a pussy as a RAW babyface, so it already throws him off.  It also shows that Chael still has no fear of Anderson, despite actually being finished by Anderson in their first fight, which Silva was probably hoping for.

If it was a simple, “Loser Leaves Division”, it could be seen as Chael looking ahead since he already offered to fill in against Rashad Evans earlier this year, giving himself an out to lose.  But by putting his UFC career on the line, Anderson sees that Chael means business (because there is no career out of the UFC anymore) and has no intentions of losing.  Meaning either he will not hold back in his fury, or if he has a clear points lead, will secure the win, rather than making himself vulnerable by going for a finish when he doesn’t have to, like the first fight. 

If it was “Loser Leaves UFC” for both guys, that might sell the show, but it wouldn’t be smart for Chael as Silva would be just as motivated to win as him.  But for it to be Silva merely leaving the weight class, it gives Silva an out.  After all what more does Silva have to prove as middleweight champion?  He beat everyone in the division for years, including Chael Sonnen.  The light heavyweight division offers him a new challenge, which he’s already dipped into with Griffin & Irvin, and with all the talk of Jon Jones, he has a new goal to reinvigorate his career.  What Chael did was plant a seed in Silva’s head that it’s ok to lose.  The only thing Silva could do to diffuse Sonnen’s heat would be to say he’s moving to light heavyweight even if he wins, but even that might reveal his insecurities about beating Sonnen.

I’m not saying it’s an easy win for Chael all of a sudden, but he is definitely in Anderson’s head as much, if not more so than the first fight.  I don’t know how long Chael took to calculate his challenge, but it was the smartest possible challenge he could make to hurt Silva mentally.  This promo/angle really distinguished MMA from wrestling, in that it not only sold buys like wrestling, but also increased his chances of winning in a legitimate fighting contest.

Steve Te Tai ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )  

Hi Dave,
 
Working out of town this weekend but caught UFC at a Boston Pizza.
Bar was dead. I counted 33 people in the bar watching.
 
I gave the show a definite Thumbs Up
 
Best Fight: Leonard Garcia vs Nan Phan
Worst Fight: Demian Maia vs Jorge Santiago
Best KO: Frankie Edgar
Best Sub" Joe Lauzon
 
JEREMY STEPHENS VS. ANTHONY PETTIS
 
I picked Stephens going into the fight. Stephens had the right game
plan of taking Pettis down but couldn't do much when he got him there.
Pettis didn't show too much "Showtime" here but he did deserve the
decision. If Stephens could have gotten Pettis down on those judo
throws or done more damage the times he got him down he would have
taken this. Pettis grabbed the cage twice stopping two Stephans
takedowns which could have changed this outcome.
 
JORGE SANTIAGO VS. DEMIAN MAIA
 
Wasn't much to this fight. Maia couldn't do much on the ground where
he should have had superiority.
 
NAM PHAN VS. LEONARD GARCIA
Fight of the night in my eyes, slightly edging out Edgar vs Maynard.
 
BRIAN STANN VS. CHAEL SONNEN
 
Sonnen looked great here. Smart game plan staying away from Stann's
power and totally controlled him on the ground. Beautiful setup for
the finish. If he is steroid free for this fight the Silva rematch
could be interesting. Speaking of...after that promo (and the build we
know is coming), if that fight doesn't do more than a million buys I
would be shocked. Getting re-licensed in California will become a very
interesting issue going forward. This would sellout the 100,000
attendance soccer stadium in Brazil for sure but I cant see them
running that Superbowl weekend. And would Sonnen get out of Brazil
alive if he won...or lost?  Will Silva accept the terms? If Sonnen
loses will he come back under a mask as the Dirty Yellow Dog or the
Midnight Rider? If he comes back under a mask and wins the title, will
Dana White ask him to unmask as UFC cannot have a masked world
champion? Will he then refuse and give back the title to protect his
identity and people will still know he is the uncrowned world
champion? Will Silva then demand he be reinstated to get revenge and
put up his wife in the tiebreaker? The possibilities are endless. Why
can't a WWE or TNA angle have this much excitement?
 
JOSE ALDO VS. KENNY FLORIAN
Again, Jose looks human and not as dominant as in the past. Is it the
calibre of opponent he faced in WEC? I still don't think Florian
should have received  a title shot after only one victory in that
weight class. Also's leg kicks were brutal. I was hoping to see Aldo
knock Kenflo out but alas was disappointed.
 
FRANKIE EDGAR VS. GRAY MAYNARD
OMG! Flashbacks of their last fight. Edgar is all heart and proved why
he is the champion here. Maynard looked so much bigger and in a
totally different weight class. This was an amazing comeback and a
great KO to end the night.
 
On a TNA note...I am loving the build they are giving to Bobby Roode
and his title fight. Just hope they don't screw it up like everything
else they have done as of late. The vignettes of Roode have been a
real good build to make this a special fight. I have said for a long
time that Roode will be world champ as he has the it factor. Great in
the ring, on the mic, and has great charisma. My wish....give Roode
the title and let him keep it for one year, yes at least one year.
None of this weekly title switch bullshit to try to pop ratings or
parity booking. Build the title around him to mean something. Don't
have James Storm turn on him for at least 1 year. Do you hear me TNA,
1 year! Don't have him turn on him the night he wins the title or the
following week on Impact. Have him be the AA enforcer type role but
have him drop very subtle verbal and physical hints for a year
building to their eventual feud, it will make it mean so much more and
make the feud more memorable. When he finally turns he can reference
back to all the subtle hints that were done the previous year leading
up to the turn. Storm has done a great job for so long in tags in both
AMW & BM and being in the singles spotlight the last two weeks has
really made him shine with the great match vs Angle and now the one vs
Roode. Let's make wrestling matter again.
 
Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians and enjoy the rest of
your weekend to all other readers.
 
Grant Zwarych