At 46-years-old, Anderson Silva put in an odds-shattering performance against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at an event dubbed “Tribute to the Kings” last Saturday. ‘The Spider’ bagged a controversial split decision win (75-77, 77-75, 77-75) after outworking his opponent for eight rounds.
Coming in as a heavy underdog, Silva had not competed in boxing since 2005 and had not won in the UFC since 2017. But by the end of the fight, he had outlanded Chavez Jr. 99-53 in total punches and 60-41 in power punches. ‘The Spider’ even showed glimpses of his trademark self by showboating during the bout, driving the audience wild.
According to Chael Sonnen, he was pleasantly surprised by the Brazilian legend’s performance. ‘The American Gangster’ also noted that Silva’s accomplishment was even more impressive given that he did it at an advanced stage in his career.
Watch the video below:
Chael Sonnen’s history with Anderson Silva
Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva was one of the most intense rivalries in UFC history. In the lead-up to their initial UFC 117 title fight, Sonnen kickstarted a grudge match after making several derogatory comments about Silva.
Come fight night, though, Chael Sonnen backed his words with action, dominating the champion for almost the entire fight. His efforts, however, were not enough to put ‘The Spider’ away, who found a way to steal the victory in the final round.
Anderson Silva pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the octagon, catching Sonnen in a triangle choke with only 110 seconds remaining in the fight. He made his opponent tap out to retain the UFC middleweight title.
Chael Sonnen earned his rematch two years later at UFC 148. But Silva ended the rivalry by earning a decisive TKO win over Sonnen to go 2-0 up against his challenger.
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