UFC color commentator Joe Rogan disagrees with the notion put forth by UFC President Dana White that ex-longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva should return to the Octagon this year.
As a guest on SiriusXM’s Opie & Anthony Show, Rogan stated that the broken tibia and fibula “The Spider” sustained in his UFC 168 title bout with Chris Weidman are going to take a while to get back into fighting shape, per MMA Fighting.
[White] wants [Silva] to fight by the end of the year. Anderson wants to fight, too, but there’s a real danger of that thing breaking again. You’ve got to make sure that it’s completely healed up before you check it again. [Opponents] are going to do the exact same thing. Anybody who fights Anderson is going to practice checking kicks like a mother f*****.
Silva entered UFC 168 in hopes of avenging his lopsided UFC 162 loss to “The All-American,” the first time he had been knocked out in 38 professional contests.
Many fight aficionados attributed the July loss to excessive taunting and showboating by the legendary Brazilian striker, even though he had utilized the same tactics in multiple prior bouts.
After Weidman decisively won the first round of the December rematch, Silva began to briefly find his rhythm standing before shattering his left leg on Weidman‘s knee as he checked a leg kick.
Therefore, Weidman won via TKO and Silva had to be stretchered out of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to have the injured leg surgically repaired as soon as possible.
Prior the the back-to-back losses to the current middleweight champ, Silva had won 17 fights in a row, including 10 consecutive successful middleweight title defenses—a UFC record.
Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, has assured the fight community Silva will return and is eyeing ex-UFC welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre, who is on a self-imposed hiatus from the sport, as a possible return fight, per Sherdog.
Should Silva, who turns 39 years old in April, strive to make a return to the Octagon as soon as possible? Or are his best days inside the cage behind him now?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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