UFC: Evans vs Davis – or The Chael Sonnen Show

 

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By ErinT, 28 Jan 2012 ErinT is a Roar Rookie

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 Chael Sonnen, MMA, UFC

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We are not even one month down in 2012 and the UFC on Fox hype continues to show no sign in slowing down, with the UFC on Fox 2 (Evans vs Davis) event taking place over this weekend (shown on One HD Sunday, noon AESDT).

This card continues on from the Junior Dos Santos (14-1) vs. Cain Velasquez (9-1) heavyweight title fight shown last November and features names that we are more accustomed to seeing on PPV numbered cards.

For the UFC, their mission is to become as popular, and as profitable, as current North American mainstream sports like the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball or Ice Hockey.

The UFC on Fox deal does just that – it exposes a far greater audience who previously were either unaware, or unable to view the PPV.

For fans, we are now getting spoiled for events as we back up week after week for another entertaining card which we spend a good part of the next week dissecting – now free. This weekend will be no different.

In what could be a main event in itself, we see self-proclaimed middleweight champion Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) in a title contender’s bout with Englishman Michael Bisping (22-3).

Bisping shouldn’t be a stranger to Aussie MMA fans; he competed in the previous two Sydney cards, UFC 110 and 127, and promoted both fights with outspoken and somewhat controversial behaviour. For Bisping, he has certainly met his match in the war of words with Sonnen.

Chael Sonnen is a man of many faces, an ex-realtor as well as an ex-politician; he has not been one to shy away from controversy, with court cases being brought against him in regards to money laundering as well as a six month suspension from the Californian Athletic Commission.

Sonnen allegedly recorded higher than normal testosterone levels, indicating use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), found in his system after his title fight against Anderson Silva (31-4) in August 2010 which was reported as the result of treating a medical condition.

None of these past events stops Sonnen, also as referred to as the “American Gangster”, from talking his mind and is always the businessman for the promotion; dropping the name of the fight, the channel and the time it starts adding that it is the “Chael Sonnen Show”.

The entertainment continued at today’s UFC on Fox 2 press conference with the American middleweight turning up with a replica UFC championship belt and placing it at the table, much to the amusement of everyone in attendance.

The banter continued between Sonnen and Bisping throughout the press conference, with Sonnen sure that champion Silva will not fight him for the title and Bisping certain that he will get the title shot.

For the fight itself, we can expect fireworks, not only as a result from the personalities, but from the different fight styles.

Sonnen is at home on the ground as he is an ex-collage wrestler and silver medallist in the 2000 Greco-Roman World University Championships.

His recent fight against the highly respected and equally tough Brian Stann (11-4) showed that Sonnen wasn’t fazed by his loss to Anderson Silva on the ground, submitting Stann at 3:51 of round 2 back in October 2011.

Bisping however hasn’t had a submission victory in over six years, relying more on his stand up game and putting in a strong performance against fellow TUF coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller at the TUF Finale December 2010.

While Sonnen himself has said that he doesn’t use a game plan, the fight on Saturday should be played out on the ground and we should expect to see Sonnen vs Silva for a rematch later this year.