Sonnen is an extremely effective fighter (as shown by his last 3 performaces vs Silva, Marquardt & Okami), but he has never been too consistent, as shown by his 25-11-1 record and his losses to contender-level fighters like Maia and Filho within the last few years. Sonnen's record and lack of well-roundedness make him different to the perceived elite-level UFC champions such as GSP, Silva, Edgar, Cruz, Aldo, etc. But is it inconceivable that he could, at this stage of his career, become an established UFC title holder? :bbb
yea it is possible however i think chael is still the only person who is capable of beating anderson.
I believe Sonnen can and will beat Silva. Primarily because he believes he can do it. I believe it too.
No. Could he beat Silva? Yes. If he fought a perfect fight and Anderson was having a bad night, then it's entirely possible he could take him out. I seriously doubt this will happen, because it's pretty much exactly what happened last time and Anderson still put him away. Will he have a run of title defences? Maybe but most likely not. There's too many sharks at 185. If he got some favourable stylistic match ups (a la Stann, Marquardt) then he could certainly defend a few times. However, it's only a matter of time before he runs into a Maia, or a Palhares