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It is time to hang them up, Chael.
After suffering his second loss to perennial middleweight champion and most dominant fighter in UFC history, Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen is a wandering dog in the UFC, left meandering through a division without a purpose.
In their rematch at UFC 148, Silva sent a message to Sonnen.
It went something like this: "You pin me for five round and cannot finish me, man. That's it. I say I break yo face, and now I break yo face. You will see!"
And we saw.
Sonnen grounded the champion during the first round of their rematch in what looked like an instant replay of their classic go-round at UFC 117.
The second round, however, was not drawn from the same script as their first encounter.
Sonnen, for reasons unknown to me, decided he should throw a spinning back fist at the greatest striker in UFC history. Silva easily dodged the technique, leaving Sonnen tumbling to the mat in an off-balance heap of soon-to-be challenger mush.
"The Spider" attacked with a ferocious knee to the body of his downed foe and proceeded to dominate like only he can. After getting back to his feet, Sonnen was again dropped by a seemingly glancing blow, and the fight was called two minutes into the second round.
Silva is the best, and Sonnen cannot beat him. That much is clear. He had almost 30 minutes of Octagon time with the champion, and he could not get the job done.
Sonnen has repeatedly said that if he cannot be the best, he will not even bother trying, and, as long as Silva is around, he cannot be the best at 185 lbs.
Adding to this, he is too big for welterweight and is frankly not skilled enough to compete against the wolves at light heavyweight.
The middleweight belt is Sonnen's lone chance at UFC gold, and he will not and cannot accomplish that goal.
If "Uncle Chael" wants his glory, he is going to have to find it in a different profession. He is the most hilarious and skillful trash talker in UFC history, and that makes all of his fights intriguing and noteworthy.
But, Sonnen wants to be the best. How are we to take someone seriously when we know he cannot accomplish his ultimate goal?
Sonnen gave Silva the fight of his life at UFC 117 and set up the most anticipated rematch and fight in UFC history. That is something to be proud of, and I think he is going to have to be content with that distinction.
He is at the peak of his popularity right now, so he might as well go out on a high note. His beef with Silva is settled (and it was cooked medium-rare I heard), and now is the time to get out with his honor restored.
Chael, I love ya and you genuinely cracked me up over the past few years, but be a man of your word and hang them up.
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