Silva vs. Sonnen 2: Brazilian Has Nothing to Gain from Potential Third Fight

Anderson Silva defeated Chael Sonnen on Saturday night during UFC 148 for the second and what should be the final time.

There is absolutely no reason Silva should accept a third match against the American fighter, as there is nothing left for the Brazilian to gain.

Despite Sonnen undisputedly winning the first round of the weekend’s battle and the first four rounds of the 2010 bout between the two fighters, the fact remains that he lost and proved he’s no match for Silva.

While no one should doubt that Sonnen is the No. 2 middleweight in the world, there is a clear gap between himself and the No. 1 spot that Silva holds. Sonnen has had two chances to bridge that chasm, but he failed in each attempt.

Back at UFC 117 in August of 2010, Sonnen left himself vulnerable to a triangle armbar and submitted in the fifth round. He didn’t last nearly as long in 2012, missing a spinning blow that left him open to attack.

The Spider capitalized with some savage blows that forced referee Yves Lavigne to award the fight to the Brazilian on account of a technical knockout.

Anderson Silva, at the age of 37, is widely considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists in history and has successfully defended his middleweight title 10 times so far.

If he wants to further cement his status as a UFC legend, it’s not going to be by once again fighting an opponent he has proven to be superior against. He’s got to go against some young, promising contenders or just retire on top.

Silva vs. Sonnen 2 proved everything we already knew about these two fighters, and a third bout would just be pointless.