Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen are two of MMA’s most polarizing figures for the exact same reason: the things they say. And they’re also two of the best middleweight fighters in the world because of what they do in the cage; it makes for a compelling matchup both in words and in fisticuffs.
Bisping’s brashness, honesty and British accent make it easy for American MMA fans to dislike him for no real good reason. A winner of the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Bisping was a small light heavyweight who managed to hang with the best in the division. With a victory over onetime Top 10 fighter Matt Hamill, and a close split decision loss to current #2 ranked Rashad Evans, one could argue that Bisping would’ve been in nearly the same spot in that division as this one had he never left. On a current four fight winning streak, Bisping is by far the best fighter to have come out of the United Kingdom so far. He’s the UFC’s face for the UK.
Sonnen’s trash talk is legendary for the relative youth of MMA as a sport and up there with some of the great trash talkers in combat sports history. He was always on the verge of being a top middleweight in his second stint in the UFC, always losing to top guys but beating everyone he should’ve. That changed with a dominant win over Nate Marquardt, giving him a title shot against Anderson Silva and a stretch that would define his career. Trash talking the champion to unprecedented levels, Sonnen would back up every word with a 23 minute thrashing of the champion that would end with Silva pulling off one of the most improbable submissions of his career.
It was the finest hour of both men and now Sonnen is one win away from another chance at wresting Anderson Silva’s crown away from him. All that stands in the way from what’ll be the biggest rematch in recent MMA history in a soccer stadium in Brazil is 15 minutes in a cage with Bisping in Chicago’s United Center. And it won’t be an easy task.
Bisping’s style is a variant on the “sprawl and brawl” tactics of Chuck Liddell and Mirko Filipovic. He doesn’t have the power they do to finish a fight with a single strike so he buries guys in volume. Bisping’s cardio when it comes to striking is remarkable; he may not be throwing power shots every time but what he can maintain a solid volume and have his last punch in the third round be as crisp and powerful as his first punch in the first round. He’s a remarkable technical striker with his hands and is solid with his kicks. He has solid submission skills but hasn’t submitted anyone was before his stint in the UFC against Ross Pointon; Bisping finishes fights with strikes or goes to decision on a fairly regular enough basis now that the odds of a submission victory aren’t as high as either a decision or TKO.
Sonnen has a radically different style in that his first, second and third options are takedowns into top control. Bisping has yet to face a wrestler with a similar grinding style as Sonnen; the closest was Matt Hamill and he chose to stand and trade for large portions of that fight. Every wrestler has a different way of using their wrestling and Sonnen’s is a relentless, aggressive style of getting the fight to the ground at all costs. He has the best wrestling in MMA in application however; he doesn’t quite have the credentials as some but he uses his wrestling better than anyone in the sport.
Sonnen’s game plan once there is to get his opponent to the ground and unleash a nonstop wave of strikes and submission attempts. He is absolutely relentless with it as well; he doesn’t stop to trade or do just enough to grind out a round like some wrestling based fighters. No matter what position his opponent tries on the bottom Sonnen will still on the attack.
It’s also what gets him into trouble as he opens himself up for submission losses on a regular basis. His losses that way are a who’s who of tough submission specialists though; there’s no shame to have been submitted by Forrest Griffin, Jeremy Horn, Paulo Filho, Demian Maia and Silva amongst others. And that’ll be Bisping’s best chance at winning the fight when it goes to the ground; he has to bait Sonnen into giving up position and capitalize on it. Bisping is going to be taken down multiple times during this fight; his takedown defense is good but guys with less pedigree and skill than Sonnen have gotten the Brit down onto the mat on his back before. The key will be to maximize the time spent on his feet with Sonnen before the Oregon native gets him down to the mat.
Sonnen works most of his takedowns out of a Greco-Roman clinch a la Randy Couture. He has a more refined version of the one Couture used in that regard, actually, and Sonnen uses it for takedowns more than he does to land strikes like Couture did. Sonnen has good footwork and head movement befitting someone who has put in considerable time in a boxing ring; Sonnen has had several pro boxing fights on his record and it shows. He may not throw a lot of punches but he has enough power to make Bisping leery of going for a big overhand or a hook. Sonnen did wobble Anderson Silva with a handful of strikes during that fight and Silva has a better chin than Bisping does.
Bisping needs to make this more of a kickboxing match and use his footwork and reach to keep Sonnen at a distance for as long as possible. The more the fight is on its feet the more Bisping can dominate the wrestler with his strikes. Watch for him to use versions of the Butterfly guard to keep Sonnen’s weight off him and hit quick sweeps while on his back to get back to his feet. If Bisping can’t initiate a scramble and make Sonnen over commit to something he’s going to lose this fight in decisive manner.
Sonnen has to merely continue doing what he’s been doing as of late; take his opponent down and use his top control game to control the fight. He postures up more aggressively than anyone in MMA and whether or not Bisping can make him be too aggressive on the ground is the key; Bisping could pull off a submission on his back or initiate a scramble to get back to his feet if Sonnen gets too reckless. The fight is going to come down to the fighter that can impose their game on the other because everything else is fairly the same.
He and Bisping both push a brutal pace in very different ways. Bisping strikes at a high a volume and has almost a “death by a thousand paper cuts” type of style and Sonnen goes for takedowns with a similar abandon. Bisping’s chin is fairly strong and Sonnen doesn’t have the one punch kill shot his former teammate Dan Henderson does; Henderson’s right hand knockout of Bisping most likely won’t be happening from Sonnen. If Bisping can keep the majority of the fight on their feet, using scrambles and escapes to minimize Sonnen’s wrestling game then he’ll be the next middleweight championship contender. If Sonnen can keep Bisping on his back and avoid getting submitted, the rematch with Silva in Brazil in a soccer stadium is on.
The Pick – Sonnen by Split Decision
