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BACIOR: Why Anderson Silva's verbal tirade could be a good sign for Chael Sonnen at UFC 148
Jun 25, 2012 - 6:35:47 PM BACIOR: Why Anderson Silva's verbal tirade could be a good sign for Chael Sonnen at UFC 148

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By: Mike Bacior, MMATorch Contributor

Why do fighters "talk trash?" At first glance, it seems that pissing off the man who is about to walk into the cage opposite you and attempt to knock you out is not a good idea. It could motivate them to train harder, fight harder, and come out more violently. Fighters are not stupid, though; there are several positives to trash talking an opponent.

First of all, it can help sell a fight, which can put money into your pockets and earn you the favor of Dana White in the UFC. From a sporting perspective, trash talking can throw your opponent off his game, changing their focus from doing anything to win to doing anything to hurt or embarrass the trash talker.

It is obvious that Chael Sonnen has the skills to compete with Anderson Silva; this is undeniable as Sonnen pushed Silva further in their first fight than anyone else has in Silva's UFC career. Silva was able to pull out a victory by using his Jiu-Jitsu skills and focusing on the task at hand, snatching a triangle-armbar in the fifth round, which he saw as his last chance to win.

Coming into the rematch, Silva has come out and said regarding Sonnen, "I'm going to make sure every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broken, his legs are broken." Silva did not say, "I am going to do absolutely everything I can to win this fight," or "There is no way I will lose." Instead, his focus seems to be on hurting and embarrassing Chael Sonnen.

This is a sport, and the distinct weakness of Chael Sonnen has always been submission defense. Anderson Silva does not sound like a man content to simply end this fight with a chokehold. He sounds like a man who wants to physically hurt Chael Sonnen, to completely annihilate him, and this strategy could prove costly.

Reckless striking attacks leave fighters open to takedowns, and if Anderson Silva is coming out looking to throw big strikes throughout the fight he could find himself on his back for the majority of the bout once again. This is not the ideal route to victory for Silva as Sonnen has likely drilled submission defense continuously since the loss. Why make things any easier on one of the best wrestlers in MMA? Anderson Silva needs to do what he does best, stay patient, try to control the rhythm of the fight, and wait for his opportunity to go for the finish. Sonnen is a legit middleweight contender, so Silva should not want to provide him with any advantages.

If one fighter is coming in looking to do anything to win, and one is purely looking to hurt their opponent, the fighter looking to win will usually come out with a victory. If Anderson Silva is to win this fight, he needs to come in with a game plan, stay focused, and do anything he can to obtain a victory. If Chael's trash talking has truly gotten into his head and he cannot do these things, there is a big chance that UFC fans could have a new champion at 185.

[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]