10 Legendary MMA Bouts Where Both Fighter's Careers Never Recovered

After Sonnen nearly dethroned Silva at UFC 117, there was plenty of buzz surrounding their 2012 rematch for the middleweight strap.

Despite a solid first round, Sonnen failed to recapture the magic he seemed to have in their first encounter. The former collegiate wrestler missed with an ill-advised spinning back fist. As a result, the champ was able to capitalize on the mistake and win the bout via second-round TKO.

The win made it abundantly clear that Silva was without question the best middleweight in the world. However, it was also arguably his last big win in the UFC. In his next bout, Silva would easily get past an overmatched Stephan Bonner, before running into a roadblock by the name of Chris Weidman. 'The Spider's' record after the second Sonnen fight stands at 2-6 (1).

While Sonnen wasn't able to defeat Silva, he showed the world that wrestling was 'The Spider's' kryptonite. It's worth noting that the man who handed Silva his first loss in the UFC was a wrestler.

Following UFC 148, Sonnen managed to talk his way into a title match with Jon Jones for the light heavyweight bout but was soundly beaten. The former title challenger's record after UFC 148 was 3-5 and the explosive takes downs that made him such a threat weren't as effective.

Following his loss to Lyoto Machida last June, Sonnen would officially retire from the sport.