Silva vs. Sonnen 2: 5 Things We Learned About Silva

Following his destruction of Chael Sonnen at UFC 148, Anderson Silva can officially be considered the best fighter of all time.

Coming into his historic bout with the greatest trash talker ever, there were many questions surrounding Silva and the type of legacy he would endure.

And even though you may consider yourself one of those people that thought Sonnen never stood a chance, I'm sure the first round was a little scary.

Here are five crucial things we learned about Silva and aspects to his career that we can finally put to rest.

He Can Handle His Emotions

We've never seen Anderson Silva get emotional about a fight.

That's not to say he hasn't had pre-fight emotions before, but we as fans have never witnessed it with our own eyes.

That's until his scheduled rematch with Chael Sonnen came about.

Taunted by Sonnen's comments about his wife, his country and his manhood, Silva was seemingly pushed into a corner.

And if anyone knows anything about spiders, it's that they don't like to be cornered.

Due in part to mostly his disgust for Sonnen and partially his nerves, Silva showed fans another level to his dominance.

Weigh-in shoulder thrusts, press conference threats about teeth smashing and limb breaking, unorthodox interviews and a post-fight BBQ invitation all culminated into a big "I told you so" middle finger to Sonnen.

His Guard Is Unworldly

It was impressive to witness Anderson Silva's resolve at UFC 148 when he was pinned under Chael Sonnen for the majority of the first round.

It looked as if the things that happened in their first bout were going to happen again.

Not for nothing, but that was Sonnen's best chance of winning—pinning Silva down, raining bombs and hoping one connects.

Unfortunately for the challenger, Silva's guard never looked better.

In the four minutes that Sonnen had Silva glued to the mat in the first round, roughly two worthy punches got through.

For Sonnen, it simply didn't go as planned.  It didn't resemble the first fight at all. 

Whether due in part to Silva actually being "healthy", it was a defensive clinic nonetheless.  I guess long limbs and world-class jiu-jitsu really do count for something against an elite wrestler.

He Gets Nervous

Like a poker player at a World Series table, Anderson Silva never looks nervous before his fights.

His bravado usually counters any doubts he has, culminating into the glorious knockouts and techniques we've seen him pull off.

But this time around, against a polarizing figure like Chael Sonnen, Silva looked somewhat reserved.

Not necessarily during the fight because we all know what happened with that, but more so before it.

Have you ever seen Silva sit idly by when Bruce Buffer screams his name (greatest introduction ever by the way)?

Have you ever seen his kids crying after the fight and hugging Silva for minutes on end?

No and no.  It may be nothing of our concern, but it sort of puts you at ease to know that even the greatest fighter of all time gets nervous.

Sonnen Was Just Another Fighter

Time and time again we've seen Anderson Silva make middleweight title contenders look like playground bullies at their best.

But this time around, against a guy who had already beaten him down for 23 minutes in their previous showdown, Chael Sonnen was suppose to be different.

He was suppose to be the guy who finally ended Silva's reign as the greatest champion in UFC history.

He was suppose to wrestle Silva down, ground and pound him, make him bleed and back up every ill-willed thing he ever said about him in the media.

However, as talent would have it, none of that came true.  Silva was the one who came out on top and Silva was the one who made Sonnen look like just another fighter.

He's the GOAT

No not a real goat, more like the greatest of all time.

To be honest with you, I feel borderline ashamed to sit here and say Anderson Silva is finally the best fighter in the history of the sport.

I feel like that's a disservice to everything he has done in the UFC.

The fact of the matter is that Silva was always this good.  His first bout against Chael Sonnen may not have looked the part, but the decision surely did.

And if his revenge match against the biggest villain in UFC history proved anything, it's that Silva's age, emotional boundaries, physical prowess and overall ability should never be questioned again.

He's the Michael Jordan of MMA.  The Jerry Rice of counter-striking.  The Anderson Silva of champions.

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