Video: Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen fight to draw in bizarre boxing exhibition
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen had no intention of hurting each other when they stepped in the ring for a boxing match Saturday in Brazil.
In a combat sports trilogy bout between the pair, Silva and Sonnen lightly sparred for five, two-minute rounds of exhibition boxing in front of a private audience at Spaten Fight Night in Sao Paulo.
Both men did land some clean head shots, with Silva bloodying the nose of Sonnen toward the end of the fight, but there was never threat of a knockdown or knockout.
With no finish and no judges in place, the bout between UFC Hall of Famer and former longtime UFC middleweight champion Silva and Sonnen ended in a draw.
Check out some of the fight footage below:
FULL FIGHT VIDEO
Luta de comadres entre Anderson Silva e Chael Sonnen pic.twitter.com/k8OL6yYH4T
— O Corvo (@0C0RV0) June 16, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS
— Pissed Off Twood (@pissedofftwood) June 16, 2024
Anderson Silva e
Chael Sonnen e alguns dos seus ataques na luta de boxe pelo Spaten Fight Night, agora há pouco, em São Paulo.#FaixaCombate #SpatenFightNight pic.twitter.com/PigUrcEpHS
— MMA Melotto (@MMAmelotto) June 16, 2024
Strong ending to the round for Anderson Silva
#SpatenFightNight #Boxingpic.twitter.com/EcyVESZYVW
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 16, 2024
Chael Sonnen just tripped and fell
#SpatenFightNight #Boxingpic.twitter.com/0opLBFu8Pf
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 16, 2024
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen are back at it!
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) June 16, 2024
The final encounter between the storied rivals is now likely in the books.
Silva defeated Sonnen by fifth-round submission at UFC 117 in August 2010 to defend his UFC middleweight title in a bout that will be inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing later this month.
They would have a rematch at UFC 148 in July 2012, which Silva won by second-round TKO.
Despite the heated nature of their UFC feud, Silva, 48, and Sonnen, 47, went on to form a friendly relationship in the years since. That was on display in the aftermath of their boxing match as the pair embraced each other.