"[Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen] is the biggest everything in UFC history. It's the biggest rivalry, the biggest fight. We broke every record as far as the business goes that we've ever had this weekend…. This one was pretty decisive. He's beat him twice. It's not like this is the rubber match. He beat him twice. He beat him. Chael is in a position that most guys are -- when you go on a run at the title, and you lost two times, back at the end of the line."
-- The trainer for Chael Sonnen might want to rethink that grassroots initiative he kicked off earlier today to get his fighter another fight with Anderson Silva, who he suggested was "cheating" en route to a second round technical knockout in the UFC 148 main event. That's because Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White is sending Sonnen to the back of the Middleweight championship contender line, which is right where Rich Franklin ended up after two losses to "The Spider." Franklin is the same man who Sonnen has frequently referred to as "just a math teacher" in his quest to cheapen Silva's accomplishments, and competition, during his dominant reign atop the 185-pound division. Funny how that works. It's academic, really. Franklin was essentially forced out of the weight class because of his two losses -- there was no sense in keeping him around and possibly knocking off potential contenders if he himself was never going to get a third fight with the Brazilian. Indeed, he went back up to Light Heavyweight and took a few catchweight fights, but has never really been settled in one place for an extended period of time since the Silva losses. Will Sonnen suffer the same fate? Possibly. However, he does know how to sell big money fights, as well as performed admirably against Silva before getting finished on both occassions. That's more than Franklin can say, but even still, Sonnen will apparently be forced to climb back up the mountain. And there's no telling if he's interested doing that at 35-years-old, and there is also no telling if Silva will still be there if he does.
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