UFC 148: Anderson Silva Stops Chael Sonnen in Heated Rematch
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II took place on July 7, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anderson Silva stopped Chael Sonnen in the second round to retain the UFC middleweight championship and settle one of the promotion’s fiercest rivalries. Forrest Griffin defeated Tito Ortiz in their trilogy bout, Cung Le outpointed Patrick Côté, Demian Maia won his welterweight debut, and Chad Mendes returned to the win column with a quick body-shot finish.
Event video: UFC 148.
Silva turns the rematch in round two
Sonnen had dominated most of their first fight at UFC 117 before Silva submitted him late in the fifth round. In the rematch, Sonnen again imposed his wrestling immediately, taking Silva down and controlling most of the opening five minutes.
The second round changed everything. Silva defended Sonnen’s takedown attempts and forced the fight to remain standing. Sonnen then missed a spinning backfist and fell near the fence. Silva drove a knee into his body and followed with punches until the referee stopped the contest at 1:55.
The TKO gave Silva his tenth consecutive successful UFC middleweight title defense and extended his unbeaten UFC run. It also earned Knockout of the Night honors.
Griffin wins the Ortiz trilogy
Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz met for a third time after splitting their first two bouts. Ortiz scored takedowns and dropped Griffin in the third round, but Griffin’s higher striking volume carried him through the fight. All three judges scored it 29–28 for Griffin.
The bout was promoted as Ortiz’s retirement fight at the time, and the rivalry’s final chapter earned Fight of the Night. Ortiz would later return to professional competition, so the event is best described as his announced UFC farewell rather than the last fight of his career.
Le, Maia, Mendes, and Easton fill out the main card
Cung Le earned his first UFC victory by unanimous decision over Patrick Côté, using kicks, movement, and timely takedowns to control the three rounds. Demian Maia’s welterweight debut ended after only 47 seconds when Dong Hyun Kim suffered an injury during a takedown sequence, giving Maia a TKO victory.
Chad Mendes stopped Cody McKenzie at 31 seconds of the first round after a punch to the body folded McKenzie near the fence. Mike Easton defeated Ivan Menjivar by unanimous decision, 30–27, 30–27, and 29–28.
Nurmagomedov stays unbeaten on the preliminary card
Melvin Guillard broke a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over Fabricio Camoes. Khabib Nurmagomedov moved to 18–0 with a unanimous decision over Gleison Tibau, receiving 30–27 scores from all three judges despite a competitive, difficult-to-score fight.
Costa Philippou defeated Riki Fukuda by unanimous decision, Shane Roller outpointed John Alessio, and Rafaello Oliveira defeated Yoislandy Izquierdo. Every preliminary bout reached the scorecards.
Complete UFC 148 results
Main card
- Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen — TKO (knee to the body and punches); round 2, 1:55. Silva retained the UFC middleweight championship.
- Forrest Griffin def. Tito Ortiz — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Cung Le def. Patrick Côté — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Demian Maia def. Dong Hyun Kim — TKO (injury); round 1, 0:47.
- Chad Mendes def. Cody McKenzie — TKO (body punch); round 1, 0:31.
- Mike Easton def. Ivan Menjivar — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Preliminary card
- Melvin Guillard def. Fabricio Camoes — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Gleison Tibau — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Costa Philippou def. Riki Fukuda — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Shane Roller def. John Alessio — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Rafaello Oliveira def. Yoislandy Izquierdo — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
UFC 148 delivered the definitive ending to Silva and Sonnen’s rivalry while also closing the Ortiz–Griffin trilogy and adding another early UFC victory to Nurmagomedov’s unbeaten run. Explore more of our MMA coverage.
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UFC 148, UFC Results, MMA History, Anderson Silva Stops Chael Sonnen in Heated Rematch
