Fourteen years ago at UFC 148, Anderson Silva defended his UFC Middleweight Championship against Chael Sonnen. Despite being taken down and threatened in Round 1, Silva came back in Round 2 with a barrage of strikes that dropped Sonnen and secured the finish.
Fourteen years ago on this date, Anderson Silva retained the UFC Middleweight Championship by stopping Chael Sonnen in the second round of their rematch at UFC 148, closing one of the sport's most heated rivalries.
Silva, nicknamed "The Spider," entered the fight as one of the most decorated champions in UFC history. The Brazilian southpaw stood six-foot-two with a 77-inch reach and carried a striking accuracy of 61 percent — a figure that underscored his reputation as a precise, devastating finisher. Now 51, Silva's career record stands at 34-11-0, a testament to a run that defined the middleweight division for over a decade.
Sonnen, the American wrestler from Team Quest, came in with a game plan built on pressure and takedowns. His career average of 3.81 takedowns per 15 minutes made him one of the most persistent grapplers in the division, and he put that to work early, taking Silva down and threatening in the first round. The Oregon native, now 49 and standing six-foot-one with a 73-inch reach, held a record of 29-15-1 across his career.
The second round, however, belonged entirely to Silva. The champion absorbed the early adversity and responded with a relentless barrage of strikes that dropped Sonnen and forced the stoppage, ending the rivalry on his own terms.
Why it matters
- Silva's finish demonstrated his ability to recover under pressure and counter-attack with precision, qualities that defined his championship reign.
- The result reaffirmed Silva's place as middleweight champion after Sonnen had come agonizingly close to the title in their first meeting.
- The contrast in styles — Sonnen's high-volume wrestling against Silva's surgical striking — produced one of the most memorable rematches in UFC history.
