No appeal for Sonnen
Associated Press
Chael Sonnen will not appeal his second-round TKO loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 148 last Saturday in Las Vegas. Sonnen’s coach Scott McQuarry was hoping to secure a rematch by appealing to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, according to reports Monday. The major point of contention was a knee landed by the champion after Sonnen lost his balance while attempting a spinning-back elbow. It appeared to be an illegal knee to a grounded opponent at first glance, but replays showed the point of Silva’s knee connecting with Sonnen’s sternum for a legal blow.
“The referee’s judgment is what stands,” Sonnen told Fuel TV on Tuesday. “I trust in that, and it works both ways. The referee makes the decision, and that is the decision. We live with it. We would never go and appeal. A decision is a decision. Part of competing is you have to know how to lose. It’s real easy to win, but you have to know how to lose. You have to man up, swallow it and walk out.”
Silva, who was in deep trouble from a first-round takedown that kept him exposed to tight punches and elbows with his back on the canvas, rallied in the second round to record a technical-knockout victory at MGM Grand.
After failing to repeat a takedown of the elusive, six-year champion, Sonnen (28-12-1) missed a spinning hit and tumbled to the mat.
Silva (30-4) seized his opportunity, charging with Sonnen’s back pressed to the cage and delivering a hard right knee to the challenger’s chest.
Clearly stunned by the blow, Sonnen was left prone as Silva struck him with seven right-handed punches to the face, prompting referee Yves Lavigne to rush in and stop the fight at 1:55 of the second round.
“He got me with a good knee,” Sonnen said following the fight. “After that, I’m going to have to look at the tape.”
Brazil’s Silva, who rallied from losing the first four rounds of their August 2010 fight in Oakland to win via fifth-round submission, has now won 16 consecutive UFC fights.
The victory also helped conclude a bitter verbal war with Sonnen, who has called Silva a “phony” and insulted the champion’s home country and wife, cracking that he’d like Silva’s wife to barbecue him a medium-rare steak in victory.
Because that didn’t happen Saturday, Silva invited Sonnen to join him in the middle of the octagon after the fight, asking his countrymen in attendance to “show Chael we have manners … I want everyone to applaud Chael.”
Silva then said, “If you’d like to have a barbecue at my house, I’d love to have you over.”
Sonnen said he was “very grateful for the chance” to fight Silva again, adding he was impressed by the performance: “Returning champion, man.”
Sonnen said he will take his time before deciding the next step in his career after his second defeat to the champion.
“I don’t think any athlete should even begin to talk (about retirement) or even think like that until you let 30 days go by,” Sonnen said. “In anything in life, you don’t want to make decision based on emotion. You have very big highs and very big lows in this sport. You don’t want to make any drastic decisions. I think it’s an insult to the fans when guys just say ‘I retired,’ when they really mean, ‘I will see everybody in 18 months, because I am coming back.’ When I get to that point in my career, I will make the statement and I’ll never look back.”
QUICK JAB: MMA action returns to the Blaisdell Arena Saturday as current Canadian champion Elmer Waterhen defends his title against Niko Vitale at Powerhouse MMA’s King of the Cage: Ali‘is event. Also on the fight card is newly crowned flyweight division champion Frank Baca, who will defend his title for the first time against Russell Doane. With 21 bouts scheduled, there’s more than enough to keep MMA fight fans satisfied. Doors open at 1 p.m., amateur bouts start at 2 and pro card fights follow at 5. Tickets can be purchased online at kingofthecage.com or at ticketmaster.com.
