Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen – UFC Hall of Fame fight
UFC today announced that the classic 2010 fight between middleweights Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s ‘Fight Wing’ as a part of the class of 2024. The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place as part of the 12th Annual UFC International Fight Week, on Thursday, June 27, at T-Mobile Arena, and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.
“The first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was incredible,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White. “This is the fight that made Anderson a star and showed the world that Chael could compete with anyone in the division. This incredible dogfight had everything you want in a five-round title fight, and it will be an honor to induct this fight into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.
As the main event of UFC 117: SILVA vs. SONNEN, which took place on August 7, 2010, at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., both Silva and Sonnen entered the event on winning streaks of 12 and three, respectively.
Anderson Silva entered the Octagon as UFC middleweight champion with a 28-4 record (11-0 UFC) that included wins over future UFC Hall of Famers Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin, and Dan Henderson (fight wing); former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton; former WEC middleweight champion Chris Leben; former WEC heavyweight champion James Irvin; former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt; and former Shooto welterweight champion Hayato Sakurai. Sonnen entered the match as the top-ranked middleweight contender with a 26-10-1 record (7-4 UFC / WEC) and previous wins over former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato Sobral, former WEC light heavyweight champion Jason Lambert, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho, and former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt.
Both athletes met at the center of the Octagon, exchanging punches and kicks to begin the first round. 52 seconds into the round, Chael Sonnen landed a straight left, stunning the champion and knocking him back to the cage. Sonnen began to pressure Silva, landing several additional punches and takedowns to control the pace of the fight. With 3:23 left in the first, Sonnen took Silva down and mounted him, controlling the action in half guard and landing punches from the top position. Sonnen would move into full guard with 1:45 remaining, staying on top of the champion through the end of the round. Sonnen secured 31 significant strikes in the round, more than any previous opponent landed against Silva in a full UFC fight.
Silva came out firing for the second round, landing several punches and kicks before being taken down by Chael Sonnen. Sonnen controlled the pace of the second round from the full mounted position, landing punches and elbows with Silva responding with shots from his back periodically. With 15 seconds left in the second, Silva would attempt a Kimura on the fence, with Sonnen countering from top position.
Both athletes raced to the center of the Octagon for round three, with Silva immediately landing an overhand right. Sonnen would advance and take Silva down 20 seconds into the round, continuing his dominance on the canvas. Sonnen would continue his ground assault on Silva, landing punches and elbows from the top position.
Anderson Silva opened the fourth round by taking control and landing a series of punches, kicks, and an elbow that stunned Sonnen. The two traded punches before Silva took Sonnen down 30 seconds into the round. Sonnen used his wrestling background to secure a reversal and take control via top position with four minutes remaining. Sonnen would control the fourth round via top control, consistently landing punches and elbows.
The fifth round opened with both athletes in the center of the Octagon, measuring each other up until Chael Sonnen landed an overhand left that knocked Silva down. Sonnen secured the top position and attempted to submit Silva via side choke 45 seconds into the round, but Silva evaded the effort. Sonnen continued to control the fight from the ground, consistently landing punches with Silva evading from the ground.
With 2:05 remaining in the fight, Silva began to land several punches from his back and slipped Sonnen into a triangle armbar, submitting Sonnen via TKO with 1:50 seconds remaining to retain the UFC middleweight title. Silva’s triangle armbar submission was only the second in UFC history, and in terms of time elapsed, was the second latest at that time. Silva’s submission came with a -60 significant strike differential and remains the greatest statistical comeback finish in UFC championship history.
Sonnen’s 320 strikes landed against Silva set a UFC record that ranks fourth today. Silva had only absorbed 166 total strikes in his previous 11 fights combined.
Silva’s win earned him his 12th consecutive UFC victory, breaking Royce Gracie’s UFC record for longest winning streak. The fight also won Fight of the Year honors during the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.Silva and Sonnen would each win their next two respective fights before meeting in a rematch in the main event of UFC 148: SILVA vs. SONNEN II. Anderson Silva would win their second meeting via second-round TKO.
