Silva vs. Sonnen: Expect Anderson Silva to Breeze to Victory in One-Sided Match

The most anticipated UFC fight of 2012 will fail to live up to its lofty expectations.

On Saturday, when Anderson Silva (31-4) takes on Chael Sonnen (27-11-1) at UFC 148 for the middleweight championship, he’ll do so knowing that steroids were a factor in their first match.

Back in 2010, Sonnen was the clear victor in their fight for the first four rounds, but succumbed to a vicious submission in the final round.

After the match, Sonnen tested positive for steroids, something that naturally infuriated Silva. Nobody knows for sure how much it affected Sonnen’s performance, but there is no question he dominated for well over four rounds. Now Silva is taking this fight extremely seriously to show the world he is the better fighter once and for all.

You don’t want to mess with an angry and focused Silva.

Since 2010, Silva has really honed his submission skills. He beat wrestling specialist Dan Henderson with his jiu-jitsu skills. He destroyed Travis Lutter with elbows to the head. He has become the premier all-around fighters in the sport and can handle any sort of style thrown his way.

Already one of the best standup fighters, it’s hard to find any sort of flaw in Silva’s repertoire at this point.

Sonnen is susceptible to mental errors, which has led to way too many submission losses (eight of 11). You don’t want to make a mental mistake against the ultra-cerebral Silva. Sonnen will try and win this fight on the ground, but it’s hard to see him stymieing Silva for too long.

He hasn’t shown the progress of Silva since their last battle, and you have to wonder how much of an impact steroids had on his career before getting busted. He simply doesn’t have the power to keep up with Silva anymore. If he stays on his feet, this fight could be over in the blink of an eye.

Assuming he takes it to the ground, I still like the quickness and agility of Silva. He’ll coax Sonnen into an error that will ultimately lead to defeat.

Age is not a factor considering Silva is 37 and Sonnen is 35. The motivational edge and flying fists and feet of Silva will eventually make this a fight that will be over by the third round.

In a fight between two battle-tested veterans, the decisive edge goes to Silva.

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