(See how the stats stacked up in the first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 117) The ‘good guy vs. bad guy’ motif sells tickets. Marvel’s The Avengers is the latest example of such. Humans just can’t seem to get enough of the ‘…
(See how the stats stacked up in the first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 117)
The ‘good guy vs. bad guy’ motif sells tickets. Marvel’s The Avengersis the latest example of such. Humans just can’t seem to get enough of the ‘good vs. evil’ stuff; it is all but wired into us. So when it comes to sanctioned fisticuffs, ‘hero vs. a villain’ makes a whole lot of sense (along with dollars and cents) when you can get those two worlds to collide.
In today’s increasingly post post-modern world though, stock characters are becoming harder to delineate. At least that appears to be the case when looking at some of the biggest MMA fights of all time.
Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones: who was the hero and who was the hated on? Things may have slanted toward Evans being the fan favorite, as haters tended to have more vitriol in their veins for Jones, but ‘Suga” has never been someone the masses were all that sweet on.
What about when Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn re-matched a few years back? While GSP seems to be the clear choice for the role of the protagonist – leaving Penn as the antagonist with angst – both men receive their fair share of both love and hate mail.
What seems to sell the most is when there are equal parts love and loathing for both combatants — think Yankees vs. Red Sox. The Lakers vs. the Heat in this years NBA Finals would have killed.
And so that brings us full circle, if you’ll allow it, to Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen.
Who is the white knight and who is the dragon? Perhaps, they are both dark knights.
In a recent poll ran on the UFC page of Bleacher Report, we asked y’all “who are you rooting for?” The results were decidedly divided. Straight down the middle. After 5,000 votes, it was statistical dead heat with Chael winning by a margin of less than 2% (50.8% to 49.2%).
It is hard to know what to make of the data. Clearly there is no fan favorite in this fight. What would be much more interesting, perhaps, is knowing what makes a Sonnen fan tick versus a Silva fan tock.
I’m left thinking about the movie The Departed where, after awhile, you can’t make heads from tails when separating the good guy from the bad guy. Maybe that is what we are left with when looking at Silva vs. Sonnen too?
Reigning middleweight champ Anderson Silva is usually one of the more respectful mixed martial artists, however, on today’s UFC 148 media call, Silva went off on his long-time antagonist, Chael Sonnen.Infuriated by two years of verbal jabbing fro…
Reigning middleweight champ Anderson Silva is usually one of the more respectful mixed martial artists, however, on today’s UFC 148 media call, Silva went off on his long-time antagonist, Chael Sonnen.
Infuriated by two years of verbal jabbing from Sonnen, Silva took the opportunity to sound a warning to the man who came within two minutes of taking his title in August 2010.
“I’m going to break his face and every tooth in his mouth,” Silva said through his interpreter and manager Ed Soares. “I know he’s on the call listening to this and playtime is over. There’s no more talking from him. I’m going to beat him out of the UFC. I’m going to make him pay for everything he’s said about me, my family and my country. I’m going to beat him maybe like his parents should have to teach him some manners. I’ll teach him those manners myself.
“No more sh** talking from him. Chael Sonnen’s going to get his ass kicked like he’s never gotten his ass kicked before. What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport, I’m sorry. I’m going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. This is going to be violent and I am sorry. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, that his arms are broken and his legs are broken. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that. He will need a plastic surgeon afterwards.”
Sonnen was disconnected from the call but later said:
“People can’t understand why I’m not getting caught up on the hype of Anderson Silva, but he can’t take the magazine covers and press stories into the Octagon with him. He’s just a man with two arms, two legs—and I’m going to beat him on July 7 because I want it more than he does. I don’t need anything in my life—but I have to have that belt. Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve worked for and sacrificed—everything I have in life—I would give it all away to be the UFC champion for just one night.”
Dana White seemed a bit taken aback but almost amused by what went down:
I’ve promoted every Anderson Silva fight since he’s been in the UFC in 2006, and I’ve never heard him talk even remotely like this. He is usually so respectful and doesn’t say anything negative or disrespectful. I’ve never heard Anderson talk like this once—and I’ve never heard Chael be so sincere about how bad he wants to win this fight and what it means to him to be the UFC world champion.”
Silva has certainly upped the ante tenfold. Will Sonnen have a response or will he fly under the radar and let his wrestling do the talking on July 7?
You’d expect nothing less than for Sonnen to fire back with something nothing short of brilliant—and absurd—so hopefully he will deliver nothing short of gold in the remaining week and a half before their epic clash. Stay tuned!
Anderson Silva is still considered by the majority of fans to be the pound-for-pound best fighter in mixed martial arts while Jon Jones is considered to be both the present and future of this sport.So, if they ever fought, who ya got? The St…
Anderson Silva is still considered by the majority of fans to be the pound-for-pound best fighter in mixed martial arts while Jon Jones is considered to be both the present and future of this sport.
So, if they ever fought, who ya got?
The Stand-Up Game
There is no denying Silva is the most dangerous and versatile striker currently competing inside the cage. If a fight with “The Spider” stays standing, it’s not a matter if if but when he will finish his foe off with lethality. If Silva vs. Jones were to collide in a K-1 fight, where it stays upright, it’s likely most would side with Silva.
That might be selling Jones a bit short, though.
His Muay Thai is actually quite good. From his clinch work to kicks, Jones is dangerous on his feet. He possesses that ridiculous 84-inch reach which puts everyone he faces at a genetic disadvantage. When he starts throwing flying knees, spinning elbows and whatever else he wants…all of it has the potential to deliver tipping point damage.
But those types of flashy moves could certainly backfire against the pinpoint attack of Silva. Jones would likely be pensive against Silva like he was against Lyoto Machida at UFC 140. Machida was able to tag “Bones” with a solid shot but was ultimately unable to capitalize before getting chocked lifeless in the second round.
In the end, Jones would not want to get into a fire fight with Silva; rather use everything in his stand up arsenal to keep Silva in check and look for his opening to take the fight to ground.
Ground Fight
If Jones got Silva to the ground, and was on top, he would certainly be in his element. If Chael Sonnen was able to take down and lay on top of Silva for four-and-a-half rounds then imagine what Jones could do with a reach which allows him to wing his elbows over and around his opponents with bad intentions (think Brandon Vera’s broken orbital bone).
While Jones is not fully marinated on the ground, it is hard to imagine Silva being able to submit Jones due to Bones’ combination of length and physicality. The most likely scenario would seem to be Silva struggling to keep Jones at bay. Anything is possible, though as Silva is a cagey BJJ black belt.
Intangibles
Jones is young, incredibly athletic and seems to have an air of inevitability about him. He is like Luke Skywalker, or Neo in the Matrix, coming into their own. Silva, on the other hand, is wise beyond his years—a Yoda or Morpheus if you will. Time is not on his side, though and you wonder when his body will finally betray him.
Jones is still progressing, Silva has not visibly started his decline.
So How Does It End?
If Silva can keep the fight standing long enough, it certainly favors him ending it by T(KO) and if Jones can keep it on the ground, he likely ends it by T(KO). And, either could in theory end things via submission with Silva pulling it off with some sort of favorable position while Jones doing so based on an opening after accumulated damage.
Unfortunately, this fight is unlikely to happen and fans will be left to pine over what could have been while pundits can only speculate on what the outcome might have been. While it will never satiate us, it will keep our mouths watering for years to come and beyond.
Carlos Condit recently captured the always-maligned “interim” belt by edging out Nick Diaz at UFC 143 while Jake Ellenberger survived the third round of his fight with Diego Sanchez to remain a contender. Those two fought a little over a year and a hal…
Carlos Condit recently captured the always-maligned “interim” belt by edging out Nick Diaz at UFC 143 while Jake Ellenberger survived the third round of his fight with Diego Sanchez to remain a contender.
Those two fought a little over a year and a half ago in a closely contested three-round war of attrition with Condit winning by split decision. They are the top two combatants in the welterweight division outside of current champ Georges St-Pierre, who has not seen the inside of the Octagon in almost a year.
And neither man has a chance of beating GSP upon his return—well, maybe a punchers chance. No, the only one who can beat the French Canadian is himself. Either due to the injury that may keep him from returning to his former self—although his recovery is supposedly going great—or by way of any mental lapses.
Condit and Ellenberger are both very well rounded fighters—so saying they only have a puncher’s chance is not meant as an insult to either—St-Pierre is merely a better stand up fighter and wrestler than both. He can keep the fight upright and pick either apart or, if need be, take things to the ground and grind them out.
(Granted, Ellenberger is a great wrestler and would be much harder to take down, but if Sanchez can get “The Juggernaut” to the ground and beat on him, imagine what the champ could do.)
GSP is quite simplythe most well-rounded fighter in the sport. His only real flaw is that he fights “safe” due to possibly still being scarred from the brutal beating he took from Matt Serra back at UFC 69.
So if you are optimistic that someone will give GSP a run for his money, don’t be. He is unstoppable unless he gets in his own way—or if Condit is able to “Dan Hardy” him or Ellenberger is able to “Jake Shields” him.
Ronald Reagan said “while I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.”For most fans of mixed martial arts, while they too muse the past, really, hope lies beyond the horizon.2012 promises some epic fights, which includ…
Ronald Reagan said “while I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.”
For most fans of mixed martial arts, while they too muse the past, really, hope lies beyond the horizon.
2012 promises some epic fights, which include the long-anticipated Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch along with a grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem also promises to be a doozy.
But what about beyond the horizon, behind the sun? Will there be any fights of cataclysmic proportion? Let’s look way to far into the future to see if 2013 will be a stud or dud when it comes to marquee fights.
Starting at the top and working our way down the divisions:
Heavyweight
It has been confirmed that Junior dos Santos will defend his heavyweight belt against Alistair Overeem at UFC 146, Memorial Day weekend. Both are coming off resounding shellackings of their respective opponents—Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar—and the winner will certainly be regarded as bona fide champ.
So who would the winner face?
It appears Velasquez vs. Frank Mir is signed, although no date has been rumored. Given how porous the heavyweight division is, it’s all but a given the winner would be the No. 1 contender. And, barring any unforeseen circumstances, a title fight between the dos Santos-Overeem winner and the Velasquez-Mir would happen before the end of 2012.
So what title fights lay beyond the horizon of 2012?
Perhaps Fabrico Werdum makes a run? It’s possible that undefeated Strikeforce fighter Daniel Cormier gets by Josh Barnett, if those two ever face off in the Grand Prix finale, and enters the Octagon a force to be reckoned with. Beyond that, the heavyweight division doesn’t have much to offer, so it may come down to Jones Jones moving up in weight to see how he can hang with the heaviest hitters.
Light Heavyweight
Speaking of Jon Jones, does anyone pose a threat to him at 205? He made former champs Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida look like chump change next to his hundred-dollar bill.
Up next is another former champ, Rashad Evans. Assuming Jones licks “Suga,” he will get a face one last former champ in the form of Dan Henderson. That fight would most likely take place before the end of 2012, laying waist to the division in the process.
With Phil Davis having to get back in line, there is little waiting in the wings for Jones, save maybe Alexander Gustafsson if he gets by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Like the heavyweight division, the dearth of competition in the lighter version is is receding in a hurry. Given that, it is highly unlikely the UFC would allow Jones to move up in weight.
Middleweight
2012 will give us the much-anticipated rematch between Silva and Sonnen. If Sonnen wins, it certainly shakes up the division and perhaps Sonnen vs. somebody other than Silva can sell. If Silva defends his belt, up next would be…
And there in lies the problem—there are no legitimate contenders left at 185 unless Michael Bisping can pick up a win while waiting and they stick him in.
Another option is to put the Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva winner into a title fight, which very well may be what is in store for the winning coach of TUF Brazil. That fight would certainly sell well down in Brazil and be enough to headline. But that fight would happen in 2012, leaving 2013 wide open.
Welterweight
Georges St-Pierre is coming back to a division he hardly recognizes, and with Nick Diaz stuffed out of the title picture for the foreseeable future and possibly not coming back, there are no big-money fights for GSP.
Carlos Condit, Jake Ellenburger and Johny Hendricks are all waiting in the wings, with the latter two being likely 2013 opponents. A title fight with Carlos Condit should happen by end of ’12. Hopefully, whoever is waiting for GSP in 2013 will have build up enough cache to help carry a big fight.
Lightweight and Lighter
Beyond welterweight, nothing south of it has never really labeled as marquee other than fights that had BJ Penn starting in them. That is no knock against Frankie Edgar, who is not only one of the best and most exciting fighters in the UFC, but also someone who could be very marketable based on in personality.
Featherweight champ Jose Aldo is essentially a no-name outside of hardcore fans, and while Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber is all but guaranteed to produce fireworks at UFC 148, it is just not something that is going to get people talking, again, beyond the hardcore fanbase. And that is about as big as it gets for a lighter weight fight.
The fight game will always struggle to build up and maintain enough big-name fighters to feed us a steady stream of high-level fights. It’s an ebb-and-flow business.
Growing up, I always waited for the music industry to simply run out of good songs, figuring at some point there would be no more good lyrics, beats, etc. (and maybe that has in large part come to pass). But the hits kept coming and so it shall be with MMA.
The UFC must continue to refine how they go about promoting their fighters in order to make them household names…it’s encouraging to see them ahead of the curve with social media.
Individual sports do not have the same built-in advantages as team sports. Alumni will always root for their alma mater and cities usually rally behind their professional teams. Individuals come and go within team sports, but the teams, for the most part, remain the same and provide built in stability.
In MMA—like boxing, tennis and golf—individuals matter much more and often carry the sport. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal and Tiger Wood vs. the field can single handily prop up their respective sports or push them to a new level, and when they fade into the sunset, leave things are always colder in their absence.
With the UFC on FOX, the future has never looked sunnier for the sport of mixed martial arts. But stars have carried this sport in large part. From Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz to Brock Lesnar taking the sport to a new atmosphere, transcendent names simply matter.
Dana White once said “If you take four street corners, and on one they are playing baseball, on another they are playing basketball and on the other, street hockey, on the fourth corner, a fight breaks out..where does the crowd go? They all go to the fight.”
While that is certainly true, you have to give the lion’s share of the credit for the crowd going to the fight to visceral nature it “breaking out.” In MMA, fights do not “break out;” rather, matches are made far in advance. It much easier to capture the attention of a crowd when a brawl happens impromptu. It is like being a spectator of a car wreck…which, in fact, do happen in NASCAR and other car-related sports.
So what marque fights will happen in 2013? Your Nostradamus “edumacated” guesses are as good as anyone’s. Plan on some big fights finding their way onto the docket, but don’t be shocked if there is less than meets the eye.
It would seem everyone has something to say about Nick Diaz and his botched drug test, though perhaps no one more weighty than Lorenzo Fertitta, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The billionaire businessman fielded questions Thursday night fro…
It would seem everyone has something to say about Nick Diaz and his botched drug test, though perhaps no one more weighty than Lorenzo Fertitta, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The billionaire businessman fielded questions Thursday night from some of his Twitter followers.
In responses to various questions, Fertitta wrote, “He will be back… really like the kid just needs to get it together. I’m a sap for real fighters.”
Billionaires are the new high priests in our hyper-capitalistic society. The casual tweets of Fertitta understate that if you are really good at something—heaven forbid, great—then moral turpitude is more easily forgiven. If Diaz was but a serviceable fighter, would we be having this conversation?
Beyond the notion that people with natural gifts get away with more, it affirms getting through life is in large part about deposits and withdrawals—Diaz has given much more than his shenanigans have taken away—and people are willing to forgive or look past if they have a vested reason, purely financial or otherwise.
Often, it is when people are remorseful that they are most easily forgiven. In this situation though, Diaz apologizing would ultimately be sickening to the senses. Americans, despite our ever-expanding litany of legalese designed to provide law and order, are rabble-rousers by our very nature. Diaz offers a tangible example of that in a relatively benign form.
You just can’t help but like something about the ornery kid who refuses to color within the lines, and while you are correcting him on the surface, you’re smiling at least a little on the inside.
Just like Fertitta, we all have a little bit of sap within us for something real, be it damaged or not.
