Doggy Bag: Chasing Jose Aldo

How would UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva adapt to the takedown abilities of Chael Sonnen, should the two meet?
-- Tommy

Brian Knapp, associate editor: That Silva lacks the wrestling chops of other top middleweights is no great secret. Travis Lutter, Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson all took down the Brazilian, and they all lost, having fallen prey to his vast repertoire of offensive wizardry.

The question, I’d argue, is not how Silva will adapt to Sonnen’s takedowns but how Sonnen will adapt to everything that would be thrown at him in a matchup between the two. Outside of Henderson and 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, Sonnen has proven himself as the most efficient wrestler in the 185-pound division, but he has also been vulnerable to submissions and strikes in the past. Even in his defining effort against Marquardt at UFC 109, Sonnen came close to being submitted and survived some knees to the head en route to his takedowns. I’d venture to guess that if Silva connected as Marquardt did, Sonnen might not be so fortunate.

Still, he does present an interesting stylistic threat to Silva, because his strength, much as Henderson’s did, mirror’s the Brazilian’s one remaining weakness. Unfortunately for the quote-a-minute Oregonian, I cannot see him grinding out a five-round decision against Silva, and he certainly does not pose any kind of viable submission threat.

During the course of a five-round title bout, too many openings would be available to Silva, and he seems a lock to capitalize on one of them. Against one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, 25 minutes feels like an eternity.