One of the top BJJ practitioners in MMA is unquestionably Ronaldo Souza, a former Strikeforce middleweight title-holder with numerous awards on the mat from his days as a competitive submission-grappler. Likewise, one of the apex strikers in the sport is UFC 185-pound champion Anderson Silva. However, a major difference between the two is Silva’s ability to remain competitive in Souza’s discipline of choice while “Jacare” is light-years behind “The Spider” when it comes to stand-up.
Even Souza himself can’t help but be impressed by Silva’s jiu-jitsu, a point he recently made clear in an interview when asked about the UFC superstar’s chances against Chael Sonnen when the two face off for a second time later this year.
“I believe that if he’s in good shape no one can beat him, especially Sonnen,” said Souza to TATAME. “When he puts the gi on he does great. He can attack and defend himself well with no gi (too)…I believe that next time he won’t let Sonnen take him down. He has excellent takedown defense. Sonnen won’t even touch him.”
Sonnen nearly beat Silva in their initial encounter due to his ability to take the Brazilian down, controlling him from the top throughout until Silva’s BJJ saved the day at the end.
Silva Sick of the Sonnen Subject
The 31-4 Silva has six career wins by way of submission with 3X as many involving a strike-based stoppage.
Click to expand...
From Fighters.com