UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva retained his division title by destroying 185-pound number one contender Yushin Okami at the UFC 134: "Rio" pay-per-view event from the HSBC Arena back on Aug. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
And injured his shoulder in the process.
That means the Brazilian, who was forced to finish his training camp on pain medication, will be riding the pine until 2012 while rehabilitating it.
Chael Sonnen (via PaulLazenby.com), not surprisingly, was unsympathetic:
"I don't think that treatment for Anderson's problems is prohibited by the UFC, even right before a match. Some medications are limited, as you know, but Anderson is in a state of medical legitimacy because I don't think that Midol is prohibited, nor are chocolate or Gerard Butler movies. I have never personally had to deal with his sort of condition, but I feel for him and I really want to see what his top fighting form actually is, since we apparently haven't seen it yet. I can't remember the last time that he didn't say he was hurt for a match, and it's starting to alienate the fight fans. So he should take care of himself when he's suffering, or else the public will be stuck with the same unengaging fights and lackluster victories until he either dies or finally hits menopause."
"The Spider," widely-considered one of the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artists on the planet, looked practically invincible during his incredible championship run inside the Octagon -- until Sonnen almost knocked him from his perch at UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" back in 2010.
Almost.
The trash-talking ex-Realtor dished out four rounds of punishment and was minutes away from a monstrous upset in the fifth and final frame before a careless guard attack left him strangled inside a triangle choke.
Nevertheless, Sonnen got a lot closer to the Brazilian's gold than anyone else in his division, prompting UFC fans to call for a second go-round should Brian Stann falter in his quest to become the next contender at UFC 136 on Oct. 8.
Prior to his suspension and other legal troubles, Sonnen was penciled in for an immediate rematch against Silva earlier this year. But Vitor Belfort -- who the Oregon wrestler describes as "one of the scariest guys in the company" -- was plugged in as a replacement and was finished in less than four minutes.
If Sonnen can defeat his "other" friend, Stann, later this fall, it could be near impossible for the promotion to deny him a title shot. The heat, rivalry and potential pay-per-view (PPV) revenue that the pair can generate in a rematch is just too much to withstand.
But can UFC fans handle another helping of Sonnen's relentless trash talk? And do you believe he can replicate his performance from the first fight -- sans triangle choke?
What say you?