On January 28th the UFC returns to the FOX network for its first broadcast since Velasques vs. Dos Santos. Scheduled for the co-main event, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping are set to battle it out in what is currently the most important fight in the Middleweight division. The winner will have earned a title shot against Anderson Silva while the loser will once again go back to the drawing board. So who is more likely to rise to the occasion and take the victory? Tactical Advantages breaks it down.

Chael Sonnen
Aside from Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen may very well be the most feared fighter in the Middleweight division. When he steps inside the octagon there is no secret as to what his game plan is going to be. Bulldoze his way through his opponent’s strikes and take them to the ground. Sonnen currently trains at Team Quest with fighters like Dan Henderson, Matt Lindland, Mike Pierce and Yushin Okami. He holds a professional record of 27-11-1.

Undoubtedly Chael Sonnen is best known for his freight train like take-downs and his ability to dominate on the ground. His iron jaw allows his to plow forward until he gets his hands on his opponents. Even Anderson Silva was taken to task by Sonnen’s methods before getting a last minute submission twenty-three minutes into the fight.

Though he usually uses them to set up his take-downs, Sonnen does have heavy hands and has knocked people out with them in the past. Seven of his wins have come by (T)KO.

When he inevitably gets his opponents to the ground it is almost impossible for them to get back to their feet. Being submitted by Sonnen is definitely a possibility but opponents are more likely to feel the ware and tare of his tireless work ethic. As he proved against Anderson Silva, Sonnen is more than capable of going the distance without slowing down.

Going into this fight I think we can expect the Chael Sonnen we are all familiar with. Expect him to take Bisping to the ground and grind him out. Because Bisping is capable of submitting people I suspect Sonnen will do his best to simply maintain a dominant position and stay busy enough to avoid a separation by the ref.


Michael Bisping
Much like Chael Sonnen, fans for the most part have a love/hate relationship with Michael Bisping. Britain’s most popular fighter definitely has a way with words and often times, wears his emotions on his sleeve. Training at the Wolfslayer Accademy, Bisping spends his days sparring with the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Cheik kongo. His record currently stands at 23-3-0.

Bisping is a very well rounded fighter but perhaps he is best known for his striking. He has fairly technical boxing and is able to mix it up well with his Muay Thai. Fourteen of his twenty-three wins come by (T)KO as an indication of this ability. Against Sonnen, Bisping will have a two inch reach advantage to aid him in this area of the fight as well.

Though he has submitted opponents in the past, Bisping’s ground game since joining the UFC has been used primarily as a means to get back to his feet. When fighting Chael however, he may wish to utilize it a little more and possibly pursue a submission. In the past Chael has proven to be vulnerable to submissions as eight of his eleven losses have come in this manner.

Michael is a master at executing game plans when his emotions don’t get the better of him. It will be interesting to see what exactly his game plan will be when fighting Chael Sonnen. Though he is the superior striker and possesses the reach advantage, I strongly suspect it will be a non-factor in this fight. I believe if Bisping is going to walk away the victor he will have to find away to do it on the ground via submission.

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