What Chael Sonnen’s positive steroid test could mean for the middleweight title picture
After a long time without a truly credible title challenger for Anderson Silva (from March 2008 to August 2010 to be precise), it seemed the Ultimate Fighting Championships finally had solved their middleweight
contender problem. In August, American wrestler Chael Sonnen took on Silva, and contrary to almost everybody’s expectations, he utterly dominated the champion for over four rounds before succumbing to a triangle armbar with just minutes passing before he was
champion.
Problem solved. The UFC could just book a rematch, perhaps for their New Year’s Eve card, and fans would tune in to see if Sonnen could finally accomplish what he was very close to earlier: dethroning the
reigning greatest mixed martial in the world. But that all went up in smoke with Monday’s official announcement that the fighter was popped for steroid use at a test given before his title match. With his suspension and now-tainted image putting away hopes
of an immediate title shot, what does this mean for the 185lb title, and who can step up?
Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort, Nate Marquardt
There are currently three men who seem best poised for a title shot.
Yushin Okami, the strong Japanese wrestler, is set to take on Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 122 in Germany in what was being seen as a title eliminator bout. One of them could step up to challenge
Silva.
Belfort was actually originally set to earn a title shot after his knock-out victory over Rich Franklin at UFC 103 in the first round. Fans pointed out he only had one victory in the UFC since returning,
and that was at a 195lb catchweight, meaning he’d never fought in the UFC at 185lb. Still the fight was booked until Silva hurt himself, then Belfort did the same before his UFC 112 bout. By then more relevant challengers had emerged and Belfort found himself
having lost his place in line. It would be simple to give him his title shot again, except he won’t have fought in well over a year.
Okami is actually the last man to have defeated the current champion, in another promotion in 2006, but that was by disqualification after Silva knocked him out with an illegal upkick. Okami is 9-2 in the
UFC, and after having been beaten by Sonnen at UFC 109 he strung together two impressive victories, one a destruction of Lucio Linhares and the other a workmanlike decision over Division I wrestler Mark Munoz.
If either one of these men could step up, then on the plus side, Nate Marquardt could take their places and keep the main event of UFC 122 afloat. Marquardt was in a title eliminator bout against Sonnen in
their fight, and has challenged for the belt in the past, losing to Silva at UFC 73. Best of all he’s never fought either Okami or Belfort, meaning if one of them ends up challenging for the title it would provide fans with a new match up of either Marquardt
vs Okami or Marquardt vs Belfort.
Either that or Marquardt could challenge directly for the title. It is true he’s only on a one-fight win streak, but he’s 4-1 in his last five, and all four wins have come by highlight-reel stoppage. Before
Sonnen upset him at UFC 109, he seemed well on his way to a title shot.
Wanderlei Silva?
This would admittedly be a long shot, but Silva is coming off of a big victory over Michael Bisping, and has the name power the UFC wants, and that fighters like Okami and Belfort match. Moreover, it would
be a battle of Silva’s pinpoint striking style and elusive movement against a man whose style is best embodied in his nickname, the “Axe Murderer.”
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