BOSTON -- In case you forgot, Chael Sonnen can still fight.
After losing consecutive title fights in two weight classes, West Linn, Oregon's most famous resident needed a win if he was going to remain relevant.
Sonnen got that victory with a dominant performance against former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night at TD Garden on Saturday. He won via guillotine choke at 4:47 of the first round.
"I'm the man of the hour, too sweet to be sour," said Sonnen (28-13-1), launching into a rap made famous by pro wrestler "Superstar" Billy Graham.
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Using his wrestling to score an effortless takedown, Sonnen got Rua to the ground and kept him there the bulk of the round. Rua defended well on the ground, though, and got back to his feet.
That figured to play to Shogun's strong point, but instead, Sonnen got a standing guillotine, took it to the ground, and cinched it tight, leading Rua to tap.
Sonnen has now won seven consecutive non-title fights. It was his first light heavyweight win in the UFC since defeating Trevor Prangley at Ultimate Fight Night 4 in 2006.
Of course, Sonnen had already announced a drop back to middleweight before the bout, so he had some words for Wanderlei Silva in his post-fight intereview.
"Wanderlei Silva, six feet tall 205 pounds," said Sonnen. But til I met you, I didn't know they can stack crap that high."
Rua (21-8) has now dropped two straight and three of his past four.