The “Bieber Fever” continues for Anderson Silva.The UFC middleweight champion appeared on a Brazilian TV show over the weekend to show off his lip-synching and dancing skills to a couple of hits from teenage pop star Justin Bieber.This isn’t the first …
The UFC middleweight champion appeared on a Brazilian TV show over the weekend to show off his lip-synching and dancing skills to a couple of hits from teenage pop star Justin Bieber.
This isn’t the first time Silva and The Biebs have been linked.
He beats up world-class fighters, sings for Burger King commercials and dances onstage in front of thousands of people.
When his UFC contract is up, “The Spider” may want to consider Dancing with the Stars. He has shown the ability to hold his own with the best of celebrities on the dance floor.
Currently recovering from a shoulder injury, Silva will be out of MMA action for the rest of 2011. He could return in early 2012 against longtime nemesis Chael Sonnen.
If he wants the UFC title, Carlos Condit has to finish Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137.The last nine decisions have gone the welterweight champion’s way, and Condit doesn’t want to be the 10th.”I’m always looking for the finish. Georges is very good at wi…
If he wants the UFC title, Carlos Condit has to finish Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137.
The last nine decisions have gone the welterweight champion’s way, and Condit doesn’t want to be the 10th.
“I’m always looking for the finish. Georges is very good at winning rounds and dictating the pace of the fight. I feel like, if it goes to a decision, I’d probably be on the losing end of the scorecards,” Condit said in an appearance on Inside MMA.
While he has come under harsh criticism for failing to finish fights, St-Pierre has been masterful in picking apart some of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen. He is a true gamesman in every sense of the word, and he approaches all of his fights with a chess-like mentality.
Condit will likely be overmatched in the wrestling department, but what he lacks in takedown defense, he makes up for with a tremendously underrated guard game.
This is a tough fight for St-Pierre in the sense that Condit has the ability to withstand massive amounts of punishment for five rounds and still pose a threat. This has all the makings for a grueling fight that could present a few scary moments for the champ.
Can Condit get the job done?
He certainly possesses the skill set to upset St-Pierre, but it’ll be an uphill climb.
Another interesting story heading into this fight is how St-Pierre will look without Greg Jackson in his corner.
Condit is also a member of Jackson’s MMA, and as a coach and mentor to both fighters, Jackson hasn’t prepared either of them for the clash on October 29.
Is Anderson Silva ducking Chael Sonnen?Former Olympic Silver medalist Matt Lindland believes so.MMAHQ caught up with the former UFC middleweight title contender to get his take on the proposed Super Bowl weekend bout.”Haha. Anderson will try to find a …
Former Olympic Silver medalist Matt Lindland believes so.
MMAHQ caught up with the former UFC middleweight title contender to get his take on the proposed Super Bowl weekend bout.
“Haha. Anderson will try to find a way to weasel out of that fight. I don’t know what his contractual obligations are as far as who he has to fight as a champion, but they’re already laying the ground work,” said Lindland.
“His manager Ed Soares is already making excuses for Anderson to not take that fight, so yeah, I think they’re going to try to weasel out of it. I don’t know what his obligations are contractually with the UFC, but his obligations to the fans are that he needs to take that fight.”
Sonnen took Silva to hell and back at UFC 117. The proposed “People’s champ” dominated “The Spider” for four-and-a-half rounds before giving up a triangle in the winding minutes of the fifth round.
Since the loss, Sonnen has been champing at the bit for a rematch. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for over a year with medical suspensions and legal problems.
He returned at UFC 136, where he dominated rising middleweight contender Brian Stann.
Immediately after the win, Sonnen challenged Silva to a rematch for the UFC title. There hasn’t been any word from Silva’s side as far as accepting the challenge.
“Everyone of the fans know that Chael’s the number one contender and the guy that has a chance of beating him, can beat him and exposed his weaknesses in [the UFC 117 fight]. The fans want to see that fight, and Anderson owes the fans that fight,” Lindland said.
People may not like what Sonnen has to say, but he proved that he matches up extremely well with Silva. He isn’t afraid to get after the champion and test his takedown defense.
UFC President Dana White has already hinted at the Silva and Sonnen rematch being on deck. The only thing hampering the fight is an injured shoulder Silva has been nursing since his UFC 134 win over Yushin Okami.
Despite being Strikeforce champion, Gilbert Melendez remains on the outside looking into the lightweight division.The Cesar Gracie student is slated to lock horns with Jorge Masvidal on the December 17 Strikeforce card.While Masvidal poses a legitimate…
Despite being Strikeforce champion, Gilbert Melendez remains on the outside looking into the lightweight division.
The Cesar Gracie student is slated to lock horns with Jorge Masvidal on the December 17 Strikeforce card.
While Masvidal poses a legitimate threat, Melendez understands the importance of facing and defeating UFC caliber opposition to climb the MMA ranks.
“That’s the goal, at the end of the day, to be number one in the world,” Melendez told MMAWeekly.
“The long-term goal––No. 1 in the world. The only way you’re going to be No. 1 in this game—completely, undoubtedly—is if you’re fighting on that big stage and you have that UFC crown. I have beat the Dream champ. I beat the Strikeforce champ. I’ve beat every other thing out there. Now, it’s one more title to get.”
Melendez is currently riding a five-fight win streak and coming off back-to-back successful title defenses over Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Despite being overshadowed in the spotlight by top UFC lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, “El Nino” has been around the sport much longer. Whether at 145 pounds or 155 pounds, Melendez has long been considered one of the best fighters in the world.
At the post-fight press conference for UFC 136, UFC President Dana White stated that he believed Edgar was the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world behind Anderson Silva.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker respectfully disagreed in an interview with MMAWeekly. He believes Melendez is the best lightweight in the world, and when given the opportunity, the Strikeforce champion will prove it.
“It’s definitely debatable. I was the number one 145-pounder in the world a long time ago, before a lot of people even knew about it. I went up to 155, and I’ve become top three in the world there, debatably number one,” said Melendez.
“I’m up there pound-for-pound as well, and Frankie is very well deserving of being a pound-for-pound guy, but until he goes to 145 pounds and takes care of business, I don’t know how he’s going to be a pound-for-pound. I’ve done it in two weight classes. I’m on my second weight class.”
The primary reasoning behind Edgar skyrocketing up the pound-for-pound ranks is due to him being undersized at lightweight. In an interview with ESPN, Mark Henry, Edgar’s boxing coach, stated that UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz typically outweighs Edgar on fight night.
Still, Melendez has actually competed in multiple weight classes in his career, while Edgar has remained at 155 pounds.
A case could easily be made for both fighters. Melendez has the argument for multiple weight classes, but Edgar has defeated the higher quality opposition.
“I think I am No. 1, but I’m sick of saying it. I just want to prove it. I don’t want to say it no more. I just want to prove it, but Frankie is amazing dude. If someone has Frankie as number one and says ‘Gilbert, you’re crazy,’ then I got no room to debate,” Melendez said.
If given the opportunity to face Edgar for the UFC title, would “El Nino” have an answer for the champ?
“I’m not going to blow the whistle on myself right now, but my whole goal would be to force Frankie to fight me in the pocket, force anyone to fight me in the pocket. I love fighting in the pocket. The fans love it, and it’s the real part of fighting,” said Melendez.
Anderson Silva is on the clock.The UFC middleweight champion has been given 24 hours to accept Chael Sonnen’s proposal for a rematch on Super Bowl weekend with much more than UFC gold at stake.”Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck,” Sonnen told Joe Roga…
The UFC middleweight champion has been given 24 hours to accept Chael Sonnen’s proposal for a rematch on Super Bowl weekend with much more than UFC gold at stake.
“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck,” Sonnen told Joe Rogan after defeating Brian Stann at UFC 136. “Super Bowl weekend…the biggest rematch in the history of the sport. I’m calling you out, Silva. It’s time to up the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. I lose, I will leave the UFC forever.”
Since the challenge, Silva has remained relatively quiet. His manager, Ed Soares, has gone on record to call Sonnen “delusional” and suggested that he “take a number and get to the back of the line.”
At the UFC post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White stated that Sonnen was likely Silva’s next opponent.
There have been rumblings within Silva’s camp of a shoulder injury that could keep him out of action for the early part of 2012.
“Anderson, you’ve got 24 hours to accept my offer. I suggest you take it; my next one won’t be quite so nice,” Sonnen tweeted on Saturday.
Sonnen has already taken verbal jabs at Silva, his wife and the entire country of Brazil. What could possibly be next?
Chael Sonnen’s routine of taunting Anderson Silva and calling himself the “People’s Champ” is growing old with Ed Soares.Since being submitted by Silva in August 2010 at UFC 117 in Oakland, Sonnen has thrown countless verbal jabs at the UFC middleweigh…
Chael Sonnen’s routine of taunting Anderson Silva and calling himself the “People’s Champ” is growing old with Ed Soares.
Since being submitted by Silva in August 2010 at UFC 117 in Oakland, Sonnen has thrown countless verbal jabs at the UFC middleweight champion.
For the most part, Silva has remained quiet in an attempt to avoid useless back and forth banter. He feels there’s nothing left to prove. Sonnen’s name is already in his win column—why is he still talking?
While Silva may have walked away with the victory, Sonnen feels like Silva didn’t actually win the fight, which is understandable considering the Oregon native dominated the proposed pound-for-pound king for four-and-a-half rounds.
“In some parallel universe, you can hit a man 300 times, he wraps his legs around your head for eight seconds, and they call him the winner,” Sonnen said in the post-fight press conference at UFC 136.
“On the streets of Westland, Ore., that is not the rules. I am the middleweight champion. I defended my championship tonight for the first time, and I am willing to give Anderson a shot at the true belt, the linear belt, the people’s belt from the best damn middleweight there’s ever been.”
After over a year hiatus, Sonnen was successful in his UFC return against rising contender Brian Stann. He put on a wrestling clinic and submitted the former U.S. Marine in the second round with an arm-triangle choke.
Immediately after the fight, Sonnen called out Silva for a rematch for the middleweight title.
“Well, I think Chael’s delusional man,” Silva’s manager Soares stated in an appearance on InsideMMA. “What is he talking about? At the end of the day, he tapped, he quit, he gave up. Take a number and get to the back of the line man. You had your opportunity.”
The “Bieber Fever” continues for Anderson Silva.