UFC 148 Results: Champion or Not, Chael Sonnen Is PPV King

Chael Sonnen failed to win the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 148, but he should be applauded for his efforts.

Sonnen single-handedly drew mainstream attention to his rematch with Anderson Silva by his continuous trash talk. The fact that Sonnen dominated Silva in the first bout for four-and-a-half rounds only helped his cause, and he certainly made a strong case for dethroning Silva last Saturday night.

The attention surrounding this bout was so enormous that it forced the worldwide leaders at ESPN to pay attention and actually cover a UFC event. In fact, ESPN, who hardly ever tweets about MMA, tweeted about UFC 148 six times on the day of the fight, while SportsCenter tweeted about the event three times. 

So love him or hate him, you can't deny the fact that Sonnen has done a remarkable job of  generating excitement for his fights. Hype is what you make it, and Sonnen made it a cash cow. Heck, he brought more attention to the greatest fighter in MMA history, and that's something that Anderson Silva couldn't do himself.

Because of his lackluster performances against Thales Leites and Demian Maia and his language barrier, Silva lost interest from fans. Even though he's made a career of highlight-reel knockouts, fans weren't sure if he would come out and be sensational or if he would run and refuse to take chances.

But that's when UFC president Dana White received the greatest gift he's ever had—Chael P. Sonnen. The lead-up to UFC 117 was unlike anything UFC fans had ever seen before because of Sonnen's outlandish trash talk and promos.

For the first time ever, fans wanted to see Silva punish his opponent. Fans were actually interested in seeing Silva beat his opponent down, and in their rematch at UFC 148, everything was amplified. 

Sometimes, a villain is simply needed. Just ask Vince McMahon. Not to compare the UFC to the WWE, but drama is something that draws crowds. It gives fans more reason to anticipate a showdown, and Sonnen has become the UFC's best at selling a fight.

And though the fight wasn't as good as their first bout, calling it anticlimatic isn't exactly fair. Sonnen came out and dominated the first round, and after he whiffed on an uncharacteristic spinning elbow, Silva put the clamps on the challenger with a knee to the chest. 

Though Sonnen's rivalry with Silva may be over, his job in the middleweight division is far from finished. There are still plenty of interesting matchups for Sonnen in the division, and he's proven that he can sell a PPV by himself. 

Sonnen may never be a UFC title holder, but he will forever be a box office champion, a driving revenue for MMA. And quite frankly, that might be a greater feat.