Anderson Silva's boxing victory surprises Sonnen, who praises his former rival

A. Silva (left) and C. Sonnen (right) facing each other for their first meeting, in 2010. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube UFC

The victory of Anderson Silva about Julio César Chávez Jr. continues to give something to talk about in the world of martial arts. Out of the UFC since the end of 2020,'Spider' agreed to face a former boxing champion, under the rules of the 'noble art' and won in a split decision. The Brazilian's achievement was such that it drew praise from his biggest rival in MMA, Chael Sonnen.

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“I didn't think Anderson would have any chance against a guy from the second generation of a boxing family. I didn't think Anderson would have a chance until I watched the weigh-in. Then I thought: Chávez is a scared kitten.' Why would you ask a 44 year old man (46) to take up a sport that he has never played and you have been playing since the day he was born and you still ask him to lose weight? Unless you’re scared,” said Sonnen, on his YouTube channel. YouTube.

Viewing boxing as a completely different sport from MMA, Chael valued Anderson's victory. For the North American, testing himself in a new universe demands different attributes from the sport that the Brazilian has dominated for years.

“Usually when a guy gets older and slows down and is no longer in his prime, the last thing that guy is going to be good at is boxing. It's simply a very fast sport. It’s a lot about speed and timing, it’s a lot about reflex,” he admitted.

Silva's rival in the early 2010s, Sonnen continued to praise his former rival's performance. The 'American Gangster' highlighted the former UFC champion's age and refined technique in the face of a big name in the history of boxing.

“Anderson was great, not to mention the numbers were against him. Age, that's an important number that was against him. Weight. We cannot forget that this idiot, Julio Chávez, did not make weight,” he highlighted.

Finally, Sonnen criticized Junior, who had not played professionally since November 2020. According to the former UFC fighter, the loss to Anderson is embarrassing for the athlete.

“I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I would be embarrassed,” she signed off.

A two-time challenger for the UFC middleweight belt, Sonnen had one of the biggest rivalries in UFC history with Silva. In their first meeting, in 2010, the North American came close to shocking the world, when he dominated 'Spider' for almost five full rounds, but ended up finishing with just under two minutes left in the match.