UFC 117 MMA event was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. All five bouts featured Brazilian fighters versus Americans.
Silva pulled off the great escape and defeated Sonnen via submission (triangle choke) at 3:10 of round 5 to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship. This was only one of three fights in UFC history to end in the 5th round.
He was behind on all three scorecards before locking Sonnen’s arm into the submission hold with 1:50 remaining in the fight. It was Silva’s seventh title defense of the belt he has held for nearly four years.
A beaming Dana White said: “The fight that happened tonight is the stuff that makes legends. This guy got roughed up and beat up for almost five full rounds but finds a way to win.”
Sonnen said: “I’m devastated. At the end of the day you either get your hand raised or you don’t. I can’t sugarcoat it. I’m heart broken.”
Bonus awards of $60,000: Fight of the Night – Silver vs Sonnen; Knockout of the Night – Stefen Struve; Submission of the Night – Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes.
Heavyweight bout: Dos Santos defeated Nelson via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).
Welterweight bout: Hughes defeated Almeida via technical submission (anaconda choke) at 3:15 of round 1.
Lightweight bout: Guida defeated dos Anjos via submission (broken jaw) at 1:51 of round 3.
Catchweight bout: Fitch defeated Alves via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
Check out the press conference video below: