Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen Fight to Draw in Exhibition Boxing Match of UFC Icons

Doric SamJune 16, 2024

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Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen went the distance in the main event of Spaten Fight Night on Saturday in Silva’s birthplace of Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the exhibition finishing in a draw.

By most accounts, however, Silva would have likely come out as the winner had it been officially scored.

The exhibition boxing match was promoted as the “grand finale” of Silva’s legendary combat sports career which included 46 MMA fights and six boxing contests. However, he clarified during an appearance on The MMA Hour earlier this week that he was not retiring and it was simply his last fight in Brazil.

It was announced last month that the longtime UFC rivals would face each other in a five-round exhibition match with a catchweight of 216 pounds and 14-ounce gloves. The result of the fight didn’t count toward either of their professional records.

Silva and Sonnen fought twice in the UFC and produced one of the most memorable rivalries in the company’s history. Silva held the middleweight title and was in the midst of a 16-fight win streak when Sonnen first established himself as the top contender for the belt in 2010. The brash, outspoken Oregon native didn’t hold back his trash talk toward the champion, and he backed it up on the night of the fight.

For 23 minutes of the UFC 117 main event, Sonnen dominated Silva in a one-sided affair that had many believing they were about to see the biggest upset of all time. However, Silva locked in a triangle choke off his back with less than two minutes remaining in the fifth round to retain his belt. The fight is set to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame during the company’s International Fight Week later this month.

Silva and Sonnen met again two years later at UFC 147, and this time the champion left no doubt, scoring a second-round TKO victory.

Since retiring from the UFC in 2020, Silva competed in three professional boxing matches, defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz in 2021 but losing to Jake Paul in 2022. Sonnen, a former collegiate wrestler, has never boxed professionally.

Saturday’s match was an appropriate end to their rivalry, and Silva can happily ride off after appearing to defeat Sonnen yet again.