Sonnen finishes Rua in Round 1

ESPN

 

Ed Mulholland for ESPNAfter finishing Mauricio Rua in the first round, Chael Sonnen called Wanderlei Silva.

BOSTON -- Chael Sonnen is considered the best trash talker in the fight business. But he proved Saturday night at TD Garden that there is much more to him than harsh words.

Sonnen silenced his critics with an impressive first-round submission of former UFC light heavyweight champion Maurico 'Shogun' Rua. The finish came at the 4:47 mark, when Sonnen applied a guillotine choke that forced Rua to tap.

From the opening horn, Sonnen took control of the fight – using his superior wrestling to take Rua to the ground. Sonnen then punches Rua repeatedly before shifting to the submission hold.

"I'm the man of the hour too sweet to be sour," said Sonnen after improving to 29-13-1. "Wanderlei Silva, in three months, [it's] you and the bad guy."

Sonnen has been targeting Silva for several months. He has taunted Silva relentlessly during that time, but the Brazilian has seemed unreceptive to accept. That might have changed with Sonnen's performance against Rua.

If that fight can't be made Sonnen might shift his attention back to former middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Despite being a former 205-pound titleholder, Rua (21-8) has struggled to find consistency inside the Octagon. He has lost two fights in a row and is only 2-5 since losing his title to Jones in March 2011.