After two years, the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rivalry is officially over.
After barely surviving against Sonnen at UFC 117 in August 2010, the UFC Middleweight Champion left no doubt on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Sonnen won the first round, but was unable to duplicate his performance in the second, making a fateful mistake that Silva promptly pounced on. Now, the question is, "What's next?"
Silva has defended his title a UFC-record 10 times, and his legacy as the best ever is growing more solid by the minute. However, if Sonnen proved anything over the last two years, it's that fans love the idea of someone who might have what it takes to beat the best in the world. Here are five fighters who could (and should) have a chance to give it a go.
Mark Munoz: The "Filipino Wrecking Machine" has a date with Chris Weidman on Wednesday night in San Jose, and if he wins, he'd have an excellent case as the new No. 1 contender to the middleweight crown. Moreover, Munoz has the potential to be a nightmare matchup for Silva. Like Sonnen, Munoz is a former NCAA Division I All-American Wrestler - the NCAA champion at 197 pounds in 2001, as a matter of fact - and while Silva was brilliant in his victory on Saturday night, Sonnen's dominant first round showed that "the Spider" remains susceptible to takedowns from elite-level wrestlers. However, while Sonnen's strikes from the top position served as more of an annoyance to Silva - both on Saturday and in their first fight at UFC 117 - Munoz throws bombs, and could have the potential to finish Silva from the top position. Munoz's lone loss at 185 pounds was a split decision to former No. 1 contender Yushin Okami two years ago, and he was poised for a shot at No. 1 contender status in January before he was forced to withdraw from a fight due to injury. He'll have his hands full on Wednesday night, but if he can hang the first loss on the previously undefeated Weidman, he should be the next challenger
Michael Bisping: "The Count" is currently on the shelf nursing an injury, but he's an interesting case. None of his 22 professional wins have come against an elite, main-event level fighter. His best wins are probably against an out-of-shape Jason "Mayhem" Miller at last year's The Ultimate Fighter 14 finale, and a controversial split decision over Matt Hamill at UFC 75, his last win as a light heavyweight. On the other hand, of the four men who've beaten him - Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen - three are former world champions, and the fourth is a two-time No. 1 contender who - if we're being honest - could easily have lost that decision to Bisping when they fought in Chicago in January.
So yes, Bisping doesn't quite have the credentials to step into the Octagon with Silva - at least, not yet -but "the Count" does have one other thing going for him - he's a fighter fans love to hate. Bisping is as despised outside the U.K. as he is beloved in it, and the thought of Silva front-kicking Bisping's head off of his shoulders is probably enough to get fans to shell out their hard-earned dollars for the pay-per-view. Bisping may need that one big win to propel him into the No. 1 contender's spot, but with the way Silva has run through challengers, he may get a title shot by sheer process of elimination.
Jake Shields: Shields makes his return to middleweight at UFC 150 against Ed Herman, and the return of the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion to the 185-pound division creates the possibility of an intriguing matchup with Silva. Shields' jiu-jitsu game under Cesar Gracie is strong enough that even Georges St-Pierre was reluctant to go to the mat when they met at UFC 129, and while he doesn't have the NCAA credentials of wrestlers like Munoz and Sonnen, he's certainly a top-level wrestler within the confines of MMA. If his reintroduction to the middleweight division is successful, expect him to find his way into a fight with Silva at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Hector Lombard: The former Bellator champ makes his UFC debut later this month at UFC 149 in Calgary, and there's already been talk of "Lightning" challenging Silva if he can get past Tim Boetsch. That's probably a bit fast - Bisping certainly thinks so - but the truth is that Lombard hasn't lost a fight since November 2006, picking up 24 victories and a draw during that span. Lombard is a fight finisher - of his 31 wins, 17 are by knockout/TKO and 7 are by submission - and while there's no clear reason to believe that he could beat Silva, expect him to get a chance to try.
Rashad Evans: The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has expressed interest in a drop to 185 if it involved a fight with Silva, and he's another guy who has the right combination of skills to be a bad matchup for the champ. Another decorated college wrestler with more punching power than Sonnen, Evans would certainly be an intriguing opponent for Silva if he's willing to drop to 185. Whether that will happen remains to be seen.
