Chael Sonnen Suspended For Drug Use

Chael Sonnen could have been the UFC Middleweight Champion had he finished off Anderson Silva at UFC 117. He was so close... two minutes away from the UFC middleweight title but Silva spoiled it with a late triangle choke to force Sonnen to a tapout. All of the four and a half rounds of Sonnen domination ended with a quick submission move by the Brazilian champion.

Most fans believed that after walking the talk, Sonnen deserved another shot at the title. Dana White, who is not a huge fan of rematches, set a rematch between Sonnen and Silva in early 2011. This should have brought in more pay-per-view buys and more money to the table.

Unfortunately, Sonnen admitted to drug use during testing after his title match. He was found to have high levels of testosterone brought about by the intake of performance-enhancement drugs.

Sonnen has been suspended for at least one year and fined $2,500 by the CSAC. If we are to consider all other losses such as the opportunity to fight Silva next year and his loss of potential endorsement deals, Sonnen stands to lose probably more that can reach $1 million.

Too bad... Now either Vitor Belfort or Yushin Okami would have a shot at the title after their eliminator at UFC 122.

UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen

Tonight on UFC 117 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland CA, we finally get to see how trash talking Chael Sonnen walks the walk against UFC middleweight champion Anderson "the Spider" Silva. Weeks and days leading to the fight, Sonnen has talked more trash than Rampage Jackson and Rahsad Evans have combined. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be as interested in seeing Sonnen fight Silva.

For one, Silva has been far from exciting in his last few fights, even his boss Dana White was so embarrassed at his showing against Demian Maia in Dubai. Fans are also upset they feel they are not getting the entertainment they deserve. There is some truth in it as Silva has made some mockery of the game seeing that challengers are way below his skillset. On the other hand, Silva cannot engage with another fighter who is not willing to engage himself. How can a counter puncher like Silva counter punch when his opponents are just lying on their back waiting for Silva? Oh well, this could go on and on and we can still conclude that Silva bores us to death.

Now in comes Sonnen, an NCAA Division I wrestler with far less impressive MMA credentials. What he lacks in MMA skills and credentials, he compensates with his trash talk. In fact Sonnen has made things far more entertaining even before they step into the Octagon. No one would have cared about him and Silva before. Now people are curious with how Silva has taken all the trash talk and how Sonnen can back up all his blabber.

Depending on how it has affected Silva, I still see him winning in dominating fashion. I would prefer that he use his knees using his Muay Thai fighting style. He can choose to knock Sonnen out early or he can make it agonizingly painful like waht he did to Maia. What remains to be seen is if Sonnen can pull of an upset. He just might get lucky with a takedown or two and grind out a close decision. It is a long shot though. It's like throwing a basketball from backcourt for a three-point shot... in front of Kobe Bryant's outstretched arms.

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