Chael Sonnen's favorite UFC moment of the year involves old rival Anderson Silva

Chael Sonnen has had a few legendary fights in his MMA career but perhaps none more than his bout with Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in 2010.

It is widely believed that Sonnen got the closest to defeating Anderson Silva in his prime as he used his superior wrestling to ground ‘The Spider’ for almost the entire duration of the fight. Silva, though, proved his mettle and submitted Sonnen via a Triangle Armbar in the 5th round.

Therefore, it was not very surprising when Sonnen revealed that Anderson Silva’s exit from the UFC was one of his UFC moments of 2020.

Brace yourselves... Thank you Anderson Silva. pic.twitter.com/j0rSxOE3ak

— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) December 24, 2020

Sonnen was speaking with Ariel Helwani and shared his thoughts on his favorite moments of 2020. Sonnen said:

"The exit of Anderson Silva, watching that play out. They tell you that a picture is worth a thousand words but you only realize that once you get older. He goes to the back where Michael Bisping a former opponent of his is interviewing him, Anderson Silva pulls up a chair, he sits down, he does not have a t-shirt on and he is heartbroken. And we can't help but feel for some of our heroes when they feel as they left us or they left themselves short-changed”

After a stellar career, Anderson Silva exited UFC in October 2020 after suffering a fourth-round TKO loss at the hands of Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 12.

Anderson Silva’s stellar UFC career

Anderson Silva’s career in UFC is nothing short of legendary. While Silva has exited UFC, he has not declared his retirement from MMA. There has been a lot of speculation about his future, including a boxing bout with Roy Jones Jr.

Roy Jones in talks to fight Anderson Silva, while also eyeing Mike Tyson rematch https://t.co/cXGMxl51Ys

— The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) December 23, 2020

The Brazilian holds the record for longest win streak in the UFC (16), most finishes in UFC title fights (9), longest unbroken title reign in UFC history (2457 days) among many others.

'The Spider' also holds the record for most knockout of the night bonuses (7) in the history of UFC, which is a part of his 14 post-fight bonus wins.

Anderson Silva’s achievments may quite possibly be never replicated in UFC.