Did Anderson Silva Silence Chael Sonnen?; UFC 117 Results

What experts would have dubbed one of UFC’s least intriguing title fights became an anticipated main event due to the excessive, articulate pre-fight trash talking of Chael Sonnen. While few oddsmakers gave him a shot of beating Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117, his quoteworthy comments made this a battle many wanted to experience.

But for as successful as the hype was, it led to the overlooking of an important detail–Chael Sonnen’s acclaimed wrestling ability aligned directly with Anderson Silva’s historically-weak takedown defense. Whether it would be enough to defeat Silva remained to be seen, but it at least provided a scenario within which Sonnen would have a legitimate shot of claiming the title.

Did he capture the belt? Or did the notoriously-quiet but technically-unrivaled Silva respond to Sonnen’s trash-talking with a beatdown in the ring. Other fights included Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves and Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson in a heavyweight title contender bout. Full results follow:

Dennis Hallman b. Ben Saunders via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Stefan Struve b. Christian Morecraft via TKO (punches) at :22 of Round One
Tim Boetsch b. Todd Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Johny Hendricks def. Charlie Brenneman via TKO (punches) at :40 of Round Two
Phil Davis b. Rodney Wallace via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Rick Story def. Dustin Hazelett via TKO (punches) at 1:15 of Round Two

Junior Dos Santos b. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Matt Hughes b. Ricardo Almeida via submission (modified arm triangle/guillotine) at 3:15 of Round One
Clay Guida b. Rafael dos Anjos via submission (tapout due to shoulder pressure on injured jaw) at 1:51 of Round Three
Jon Fitch b. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Anderson Silva b. Chael Sonnen via submission (triangle) at 3:10 of Round Five