UFC 117: Silva Submits Sonnen, Dos Santos Beats Nelson

UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen took place on August 7, 2010, at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The UFC’s first Oakland event ended with Anderson Silva retaining his middleweight championship through a fifth-round submission of Chael Sonnen. Junior dos Santos, Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes and Clay Guida also won on a main card that paired established contenders with very different tests.

Video: the UFC’s official full fight of Anderson Silva versus Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.

Silva escapes with the championship

Sonnen made the champion defend for most of the contest. His pressure, takedowns and punches from top position repeatedly prevented Silva from settling into his familiar striking rhythm. Through four rounds, the challenger had built a commanding advantage and was closing in on a decision that would have changed the division. Silva needed a finish, and he found it while working from his back in the fifth.

Silva trapped Sonnen in a triangle and attacked the arm, forcing the submission at 3:10 of round five. The result was his seventh successful UFC middleweight title defense. It was a retention, not a return to a belt he had lost. Sonnen’s early success made the ending remarkable, but the finish also illustrated why leading on the scorecards never removes the submission threat in a five-round fight.

The contrast with Silva’s previous defense against Demian Maia at UFC 112 was striking. Oakland required him to solve an immediate competitive crisis. His late adjustment, rather than a comfortable lead, decided the championship bout. The event belongs among the clearest examples of a champion surviving prolonged adversity without surrendering the opportunity to finish.

Dos Santos and Fitch win difficult decisions

Junior dos Santos defeated Roy Nelson over three rounds. Dos Santos found openings with combinations and powerful strikes, while Nelson absorbed punishment and kept pursuing a way back into the bout. Nelson’s durability forced the Brazilian to work for the full fifteen minutes. The unanimous decision strengthened dos Santos’s position in a heavyweight division whose title picture had just changed at UFC 116, where Brock Lesnar submitted Shane Carwin.

Jon Fitch’s rematch with Thiago Alves produced another unanimous decision for Fitch. His wrestling and positional control again proved difficult for Alves to overcome. Alves had missed weight, weighing 171.5 pounds, so the contest proceeded at that catchweight. Fitch’s performance reinforced his standing among the leading welterweight contenders, though winning a contender matchup and actually receiving the next championship bout are separate developments.

Hughes finishes Almeida; Guida outlasts dos Anjos

Matt Hughes submitted Ricardo Almeida in the first round after hurting him on the feet and applying a tight front-headlock choke. Almeida went unconscious, making the finish a technical submission at 3:15. The method is recorded as an anaconda choke. Hughes’s ability to turn a striking opening into a decisive grappling finish gave the former welterweight champion one of the night’s most efficient performances.

Clay Guida defeated Rafael dos Anjos in the third round after sustained pressure and grappling. An injured jaw forced dos Anjos to tap at 1:51 of the third. The injury ending is classified as a TKO in Sherdog’s record, although the UFC archive describes the finish as a submission. Both descriptions refer to the same jaw-related stoppage; it should not be presented as a conventional choke or joint-lock victory.

The preliminary card

The six preliminary bouts offered both quick finishes and sustained control. Rick Story stopped Dustin Hazelett with punches, and Johny Hendricks finished Charlie Brenneman early in the second round. Stefan Struve recovered from a difficult opening round against Christian Morecraft to score a knockout just 22 seconds into round two. Phil Davis, Tim Boetsch and Dennis Hallman each won unanimous decisions, completing an eleven-fight event.

Complete UFC 117 results

Main card

• Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen — submission (triangle armbar), round 5, 3:10; retained the middleweight title.
• Jon Fitch def. Thiago Alves — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00; 171.5-pound catchweight.
• Clay Guida def. Rafael dos Anjos — TKO (jaw injury), round 3, 1:51.
• Matt Hughes def. Ricardo Almeida — technical submission (anaconda choke), round 1, 3:15.
• Junior dos Santos def. Roy Nelson — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Preliminary card

• Rick Story def. Dustin Hazelett — TKO (punches), round 2, 1:15.
• Phil Davis def. Rodney Wallace — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Johny Hendricks def. Charlie Brenneman — TKO (punches), round 2, 0:40.
• Tim Boetsch def. Todd Brown — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Stefan Struve def. Christian Morecraft — KO (punches), round 2, 0:22.
• Dennis Hallman def. Ben Saunders — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Sources

• UFC: Silva gets the last word.
• UFC Fitch and dos Santos win.
• UFC: Struve and Story win on the preliminary card.
• UFC: the promotion’s first Oakland event.
• Sherdog: complete UFC 117 fight record.

Article Tags

UFC 117, Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Junior dos Santos, UFC Results