Sonnen finally gives Anderson Silva some credit
Sonnen has even relaxed his stance on Silva – though make no mistake, a win over Stann and a possible…
Sonnen has even relaxed his stance on Silva – though make no mistake, a win over Stann and a possible rematch with his old nemesis would likely see him return to the Sonnen of old.
Sonnen said Silva has to be respected – but he still believes he’s better than the champion, who beat Yushin Okami last month, whom Sonnen helped train for the title fight.
“It’s getting harder and harder to deny he should be shown that appreciation,” Sonnen said. “He ducked Okami for years, but he did finally get in there and he made it look easy. So I think you’ve got to look at that. If you’re asking if I’d ever concede that Anderson’s better than me, no. I would refer you to the tape (of our fight). I think he and I are vastly different and that I could come down a lot and still be ahead of him. I also think he ducks and dodges opponents constantly, but his wins and losses speak for themselves. The fact of the matter, whether I like to admit this or not, is he’s done a better job than anybody, done a better job than me, and he is the champion.
“It doesn’t mean I’m going to quit poking my finger in his chest, but at some point I think fairness needs to kick in, too, and you need to look at what he’s done and tip your hat to him a little bit.”
What Sonnen hopes for more than anything is a win over Stann, and a chance to let that finger poking start up once again.