Vinny Magalhaes Believes Chael Sonnen Can Pull Off A “Moral Victory” Against Andre Galvao
After some back-and-forth drama with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) and a failed attempt to be replaced, former multiple time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is all set to hit the mats tonight when he meets world champion Andre Galvao in the main event of Metamoris 4.
Galvao is arguably the best BJJ guy currently in the game. A 3rd degree black belt under grappling legend Fernando Augusto, he’s a two-time jiu-jitsu world champion and two-time ADCC gold medalist.
To be blunt, Sonnen will have his work cut out for him.
Not many people have faith in “The American Gangster” but longtime training partner and fellow Metamoris 4 competitor Vinny Magalhaes thinks Sonnen has what it takes to go the distance with Galvao:
“Chael is physically stronger and heavier, and he has great takedowns. If he manages to keep the match where he wants, he can go the distance and get a draw,” Magalhaes told MMAFighting.com. “It’s not a win for Chael, but it would be a bad result for Andre. He’s one of the bets grapplers in the world, if not the best, and he couldn’t submit Chael.”
“Andre has the obligation to win,” he continued. “Chael only competed once in grappling, I believe at ADCC 2001 or 2003, and that’s it. He has pretty good history in wrestling, but nothing in jiu-jitsu. A draw with a guy like Andre is not a win for Chael, but it’s a loss for Andre.”
The fellow BJJ world champion and ADCC winner, meets Keenan Cornelius at tonight’s event where he comes in as the slight favorite. Galvao is as much as a -1500 favorite to beat Sonnen but Magalhaes believes he has what it takes to pull off “a moral victory”:
“If Andre takes him down, that’s a big problem,” he said. “If Andre gets him on his back, everybody knows the result. It’s going to be tough for Andre to get him down, though, and Chael can take him down and control from the top without getting himself in trouble. It would be tough to submit Andre, but I believe Chael can pull off a moral victory.”
How do you think “The Gangster From West Linn Oregon” will get on?
