Chael Sonnen dominated the UFC middle weight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 117, but in the last few minutes of the 5th round Anderson Silva submitted Chael Sonnen via triangle choke. Or did he? Many MMA fans online claim that the ref stopped the fight too early, or that Sonnen didn’t really tap. Well take a look at the submission Silva pulled off, sorry Sonnen fans. He did indeed tap.
[Source: upstandingcitizens.com]
Torey
1 year ago
I really don’t think chael would’ve tapped but fighters usually tap consecutively (multiple times) I think sonnen changed his mind Or that was by accident I would’ve waited a couple o seconds ref!
anonymous
1 year ago
What the casual observer fails to notice is that the danger was not in Anderson’s triangle but in the armbar. Sonnen had the right response to the triangle hooking his right leg underneath Silva’s arm prepare to pull out of it. However, he left his arm exposed for Silva to grab unto to do a an armbar from the triangle. So Sonnen was fucked either way. I still think the ref could’ve waited a for more seconds though.
Chad
1 year ago
Chael Sonnen did not tap out! If all of you would really look at the situation you would see that Chael was looking for or I should say “Feeling” for something to grab to establish a hold to help release the tension that Anderson Silva had on him. If you look Chael eyes they were closed so he couldn’t see anything to help him grab a hold of anything. That hand tap was more of a waving motion to help feel his way out of the triangle.
Indeed the ref. did stop the fight way to early!
Chad
1 year ago
Let me explain something a little more into detail….When a man/or woman can not use there eyes they feel with there hands. What looked like a tap really was just a feel for something to help him.
Chad
1 year ago
In the video replay it clearly looks like he was searching for his harm and missed, because he eventually locates his arm right at the time the ref came down to stop the fight!
michael joseph
1 year ago
Seriously? Too early? Maybe the ref should have waited until Silva broke Sonnens arm? The UFC refs are not there to try and figure out why he is tapping, only the he tapped because Chael was about to have a limb broken. We dont need any more controversy in MMA with Chale leaving with a broken arm after he already tapped. HE CLEARLY TAPPED, oh and by the way, can you show me where he once denied that he tapped? Bottom line is the only way Chael was getting out of that submission was by tap or some unnecessary injury. So whats the problem ?
Chad
1 year ago
Chael Sonnen is a class act and you would probably never hear him say that he didn’t tap other than what you saw him say in the ring to Josh Rosenthal (Ref) at the time when he stopped the fight. Chael is above arguing the FACT that he didn’t tap. He’ll just pick up pieces and move on to the next challenger. Then he’ll head back to the Spider and and suffocate him in his own web! But NO!! IT WAS NO TAP OUT!
Eli Andre
1 year ago
Tapped! End of the history…
itsonlyme
1 year ago
Look at Chaels interview. he said the reff woke him up afterword. Yes, he was still moving, but no blood was getting to his brain. Please, unless you’ve been put to sleep with a triangle don’t bother with you ignorant comments
verlow
1 year ago
Doesn’t really matter now. He tested positive for PED in urine collected prior to the fight. I wonder where he will put his big mouth now!
verlow
1 year ago
Oh! and there is more, ask a professional to apply a triangle lock on you and try to endure it. You will try to tap out, but who says you will be able to. Hell, u wont even see when the guy switches to am arm-bar. He will break your arm and you still wont tap out! There will be no time. The thing with these lock is you either tap-out while you can, or you tap-out at all…………
verlow
1 year ago
correction: “There will be no time. The thing with these locks is you either tap-out while you can, or you don’t tap-out at all…………”
Charles
1 year ago
If you saw the interview with sonnen… he said that when the ref was saying his name it was like when his mom would do when he was a kid. with that said Chael admits that he was clearly out. even if just for a split second. I’m a sonnen fan and have respect for the guy. He just got caught.
Shane
1 year ago
Actually if your chins tucked, or you position your arm and head right you can last in a triangle for awhile you don’t have to tap right away. The choke is a blood stop choke meaning your blocking off the sides of the neck with opponents own arm and your leg, if these are spaced in some way such as the arm giving some room for blood flow then the choke can last much longer. BUT when your arm is about to snap in half (due to the arm bar) you tap and try to grab your own arm to relieve some pressure that’s all Cheal did. He tapped and went to help his own arm until the ref would stop Silva from continuing knowing that in UFC if ref doesn’t call it you keep going so you don’t accidentally let someone out than have to continue the fight. ~An actual fighter