For the second time in history, the sport of mixed martial arts is being contested in the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City.
On Saturday, Bellator MMA hosted one of their most stacked cards in the promotion’s history.
In the main event of Bellator: NYC, longtime rivals Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva squared off in a highly anticipated grudge match.
Sonnen landed a takedown immediately. He then began throwing ground-and-pound. Silva fought off his back, but couldn’t get Sonnen off of him. Eventually, Silva fought his way up to his feet. However, Sonnen engaged a clinch the moment Silva got up. Silva fought off of the cage and dropped Sonnen with a punch that landed on the back of Sonnen’s head. Silva jumped on top of Sonnen, but Sonnen got to his feet and shot for a takedown. Silva went for a guillotine, but Sonnen escaped. The round ended with Sonnen on top landing elbows to the side of Silva’s head.
Sonnen went for a flying knee to start the second round. Silva rocked Sonnen, but Sonnen then secured a takedown. Silva then went for a guillotine choke. Silva held onto the choke for an awkward amount of time. The referee eventually stepped in and stood the fighters up. On their feet, Sonnen immediately took Silva down. Sonnen then proceeded to land punches on the ground to finish the round.
Both fighters traded punches until Sonnen landed another takedown to start the final round. Sonnen focused more on his position this time instead of throwing strikes. Sonnen later secured full mount. The fight ended with Sonnen landing strikes on the ground.
Offical Result:
Chael Sonnen def. Wanderlei Silva by decision [30-26, 30-27, 30-27]
