Anderson Silva (right) file photo | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Chael Sonnen will have at least one believer on his side when he enters the Octagon to challenge middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 on Aug. 7 in Oakland, Calif.
Ryan Jensen, who recently inked a deal to fight “The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner Court McGee at UFC 121 in October, said Sonnen has the goods to take out the divisional king.
“I'm saying it right now, I think Chael takes this fight,” Jensen told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show recently. “I never trained with Anderson Silva, but I trained with Chael and he's mentally more focused than I've ever seen him. Any time that we were in the training room and he wanted to take someone down if he got upset with them or he was focused, there was no one stopping him. Heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight -- didn't matter who it was. Chael never gets pissed. He's a cool and calm dude. If someone ever pissed him off, maybe they were sparring too hard or they turned it into a fight, he would destroy him and there was nothing you could do. That feeling sucks and I think Anderson Silva, if he doesn't catch him in the first two or three minutes with something, it's going to be a long night for that dude.”
Jensen also complimented Sonnen’s abilities to hype a bout.
He’s (always been) quick-witted,” said Jensen. “He's a mental giant. He's very articulate. He knows what he's doing when he's talking. When he's talking smack it's not that he's doing it for a front. He believes it now. That's where I believe he's going to come in and destroy Anderson Silva.”