Silva vs. Sonnen Results: Was UFC 148 Sonnen's Last Shot at a UFC Crown?

After dominating Anderson Silva for nearly six full rounds between their two fights, Chael Sonnen came up short in his second shot at the UFC middleweight title at last night's UFC 148.

At 35-years-of-age, "the American Gangster" has likely fought in his last championship MMA bout—at least while "the Spider" is still the 185-pound king.  

After almost defeating Silva at UFC 117, Sonnen's legal situation prevented an immediate rematch. So Sonnen was forced to fight his way back up the contender ladder.

Losing definitively via a brutal technical knockout at last night's fight, Sonnen does not have a strong case for a third showdown, making it almost impossible for him to make a serious climb back up to the top.

The middleweight crown isn't the only piece of UFC hardware that Sonnen will find trouble in winning. A former light heavyweight who once fought for the WEC crown, Sonnen could make the jump back up to 205 pounds.

However, the talent pool is so deep in the light heavyweight division and champ Jon Jones' reign doesn't look like it will be ending anytime soon.

Sonnen's last hope at capturing a piece of UFC gold is if Silva decides to retire or move up to 205 himself. Both options are entirely possible, but may not happen for a while, a bad sign for Sonnen if he wants to make one last run.

There's no doubt that "the American Gangster" will continue to entertain fans as a member of the UFC's roster, but his time as a title challenger has just about past.

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