Sonnen crushes Stann, then vows to leave the UFC if he can?t beat Silva in rematch

Sonnen crushes Stann, then vows to leave the UFC if he can?t beat Silva in rematch

HOUSTON - There seemed nothing Chael Sonnen could do to top the performance he posted Saturday night against Brian Stann.

Then he stepped to the microphone.

After finishing Stann via arm-triangle choke in less than nine minutes, Sonnen stood in front of 16,ooo-plus at the Toyota Center and challenged UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva to what they call in the world of pro wrestling a "loser leaves town" match.

"Anderson Silva ... you absolutely suck!" Sonnen said. The victorious fighter then stepped away from the microphone for a little dramatic pause as Silva watched from the front row.

"Super Bowl weekend ... the biggest rematch in the history of the business. I'm calling you out, Silva. I beat you, you leave the division, you beat me, I will leave the UFC forever," said Sonnen.

That was it. Short and simple, but epic. Sonnen walked right out the cage.

[Related: Edgar puts thrilling cap on UFC 136 with TKO win over Maynard]

Sonnen is no stranger controversy. This was his first fight back after a bizarre saga involving the California State Athletic Commission and testing for performance enhancing drugs.

Before Sonnen took on Silva last August at UFC 117, he disclosed that he was taking testosterone because of a deficiency in his system. After several hearings during an appeal process, Sonnen wound up serving a lengthy suspension.

In many ways, it overshadowed what happened that night in Oakland, but Sonnen hasn't forgot. He dominated the nearly unbeatable Silva for 23-plus minutes before blowing it late and falling victim to a submission.

The storm has been brewing for more than a year and Sonnen has been talking major trash about the champion to anyone who would put a microphone in front of him. Sonnen went as far as calling the Stann fight "the first defense of his middleweight title."

[Related: Aldo defends featherweight title against game Florian]

There's was certainly a lot of pressure on Sonnen, but it didn't show. Stann is a dangerous striker, but his grappling has always been a weak point. Sonnen went right after his opponent's Achilles' heel and dumped him to the mat early the first. He kept him down for the rest of the round and mounted him several times.

In the second, it took just six seconds for Sonnen to get Stann to the mat. He grinded on Stann with elbows and punches. The crowd starting booing, and for some odd reason referee Keri Hatley put the fighters back on their feet with 2:22 left.

It didn't help Stann. Just 20 seconds later, Sonnen lifted him off the ground and slammed him back down. With 1:27 left, Sonnen slapped on the arm-triangle choke. Stann held out for a while, but had to tap, giving the victory to Sonnen at the 3:51 mark of the second.

Sonnen crushes Stann, then vows to leave the UFC if he can?t beat Silva in rematch

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Sonnen-crushes-Stann-then-vows-to-leave-the-UFC?urn=mma-wp7973

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MMA Marketplace: Shawn Tompkins memorial shirts

It's the same shirt Joe Rogan wore to weigh-ins for Ultimate Fight Night 25. You can pick up this limited edition shirt for $17.99.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-Shawn-Tompkins-memorial-shirts?urn=mma-wp8155

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/09/jose-aldo-and-kenny-florian-discuss-ufc-136-title-fight-and-what%e2%80%99s-next

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/07/jose-aldo-%e2%80%9cthis-is-the-moment-of-truth-%e2%80%9d

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/06/gil-martinez-blog-gray-maynard-is-bringing-the-belt-back-to-vegas

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Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/10/13/michael-bisping-believes-he-is-next-in-line-for-a-shot-at-anderson-silva/

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/12/ufc-ppvs-return-to-1000-pm-est-starting-with-final-event-of-2011

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Why NBA legend Charles Barkley loves MMA

Why NBA legend Charles Barkley loves MMA

Once driven underground, MMA is a sport that has grown into a billion-dollar industry with fans of all backgrounds. Cagewriter will take a closer look at why certain fans love it so much, starting with Hall-of-Fame basketball player and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley.

Barkley, who had a 16-year career in the NBA, told Cagewriter that he is most impressed with fighters' condition.

"You can't get in there messin' around. It takes a special person to handle that," Barkley said. "They are the best-conditioned jocks in the world. It's always a chess match. You see the guys who are better boxers, and then you see the guys who want to grapple. That's always the interesting part of MMA."

He was in Houston for UFC 136, and was particularly impressed by Frankie Edgar and Chael Sonnen's performances.

"I think the fights this weekend were the best ones I went to personally. I've probably been to about 20, and have gotten another 20 on pay-per-view. The fights were exciting. Sonnen, how we went after Silva after the match, that was awesome. Also, Frankie Edgar, he was impressive."

"That's the second time you thought he was going to lose, and he just showed amazing heart. The other night, I thought, 'Oh, he's in trouble.' Then he came back and won. It was impressive how well he handled the adversity. He's tough as hell."

He didn't hesitate when asked his favorite fighter. Barkley picked a fellow big man.

"Frank Mir. I've always liked his personality. I've seen him fight probably five or six times, and I like the way he carries himself."

Why NBA legend Charles Barkley loves MMADeciding on a favorite fight wasn't as easy. He mentioned how he likes seeing UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, then mentioned Georges St. Pierre's win over Thiago Alves at UFC 100.

"There's something that happened in the fight that I could understand as a jock. He blew out his groin, and he's telling the trainer, and the trainer said, 'I don't have time for that [expletive],' and he came back to kick the guy's ass. It was just so cool. You blew out your groin, and your trainer says no. I don't have time for that. You gotta get back out there this round. That's the beauty of playing sports. You just have to do that sometimes when you don't feel right."

Barkley said that he had plenty of instances in his playing career when he had to play through pain, so he could sympathize with GSP.

Though Barkley was in a few tussles when playing for the 76ers, Suns and Rockets, he has no interest in getting in the Octagon. When asked if he ever thought about fighting, he gave a clear response.

"Never."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Why-NBA-legend-Charles-Barkley-loves-MMA?urn=mma-wp8111

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Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/10/14/upset-alert-why-lyoto-machida-will-beat-jon-jones/

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