Mission Accomplished: Chael's Silver Tongued Antics (Post-Fight Edition)

Some people will argue a loss is a loss, no matter what.  Fair, enough, but I've got to say, Chael Sonnen's loss was as close to a win as anyone could have asked for.  Sonnen dominated the UFC's "pound for pound" best fighter on the planet, for 23 minutes, rocking him in the first round, and beating on him every minute of the fight.  It's a shame (for Chael) that he didn't make it to victory, getting caught with a late hail mary submission from the wily champion.  He surely would have skyrocketed to the top of the UFC's most recognized fighters.  Don't fret though, Mr. Sonnen, you didn't get the gold, but you're set to get paid some serious cash, and will still be one of the mainstream's favorite identities. 

The mission wasn't as clear cut as the world might think.  In my mind, Chael's "mission" was to make the absolute best out of his title shot. All of Silva's most recent opponents have done next to nothing with the extra attention garnered by a title shot.  Sonnen stepped forward from the crowd, going for broke to get the most eyes on him as he possibly could.  The pay-per-view numbers aren't in yet, but it's safe to say that the numbers would be significantly lower had Chael went the route of Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, and Demian Maia.  

 Although he presented himself as one of the most confident fighters EVER, I fully believe Chael is a level headed guy, and he knew that Silva would be a hard fight.  Sonnen hinted at this in the post fight presser, saying that he expected more resistance from Silva on the ground.  He knew getting Silva to the floor was hardly even half the battle, the champion being notoriously dangerous off his back.  Sonnen will benefit greatly from Dana's constant stance that Silva is the best fighter in the world, because every major media outlet has heard it, time and time again.  Now, Sonnen is not just Silva's most recent victory, he's the underdog that came within minutes of defeating the champion 5 rounds to none.  He said it'd be a one sided pounding, and for all but a handful of moments in the fight, it was true.  The world doesn't care about Vitor Belfort fighting Anderson Silva now, they want to see a rematch.  An instant rematch will likely give Silva the biggest draw of his career, Sonnen gets another chance at doing the unthinkable, and we get more kayfabe from Sonnen.  So, don't feel too bad for Chael Sonnen, his career has been catapulted to a whole other level now.

Last night, although somber in defeat, Sonnen still couldn't hide his ambition.  After a lengthy question and answer between a Brazilian reporter and Anderson Silva, a pause came over the room, and Dana White looked at Chael, jokingly asking him for an interpretation.  Sonnen didn't miss a beat, saying that Silva wanted to do The Ultimate Fighter with Chael in an immediate rematch for the title.  The room laughed, and Matt Hughes awkwardly smiled at Sonnen.  I think it is safe to say no one in the room was against the idea.  

As of right now, nothing is certain, as is the norm in mixed martial arts.  I know not everyone is okay with the immediate rematch, but with grumblings of Zuffa wanting to give Vitor Belfort another fight before the title shot, I think it's highly bossible that we'll see TUF: USA vs. Brazil, coached by Chael and Anderson.  For Belfort, if I could pick any fight, I'd set him up against Chris Leben at the end of the year show in a number one contenders match.  That fight would be nuts, and if any fighter deserves a shot to step up to the top, Leben has earned it this year.  I'm still buzzing from the adrenaline burst last night's main event gave me.  It was truly one of the greatest moments in the sport's short history, and I heartily suggest that if you know anyone that's on the fence about the sport, you get them to watch UFC 117.

Photo via ufc.com