Well, the way I see it, Sonnen lost, Silva won! If he held the shorts, ok, but it wasnt called, they wiped him down, and they fought! If Sonnen was still on his feet when the knee hit him its legal, even if he is crouched, hes still on his feet, which I think he was! As for early stoppage, Sonnen endured at least a dozen unanswered hits, and was getting pumbled pretty good when the ref stopped the fight.
In my opinion, all Sonnen can do is ground n pound, which he owned the first round, but Silva had more poise and more control right off the bat in the second.
Silva wasnt even stunned in the first round, he was calm, collected, not even winded, and bounced right up at the buzzer. If you listen to his corner, they said "Ok, you let him have that round for his fans, now lets really get this started" I think he may have played with him in the first round, just to build up some emotion.
Silva is probably the smartest fighter in MMA, which to his advantage makes him seemingly untouchable! All Sonnen has is ground, which against someone like Silva after watching and learning is easily defended!
Im not nuthugging anyone, but as a boxer, and someone who traines in BJJ and Mui Tai, I just feel Silva is a much better fighter in all aspects!