Author: Michael Cahill

Wanderlei Silva was one of the most dangerous mixed martial artists in the world. His frantic style in the cage combined with his unreal power earned him the nickname of “The Axe Murderer.”  But lately it seems that he only wants to do things based on how he will be perceived by the fans.

It’s no secret that Silva backed out of a proposed fight with Brian Stann at UFC 130 because Stann was going to be the fan favorite as a former U.S. Marine on Memorial Day weekend. And he wanted a fight with Leben because he is guaranteed to be the biggest star in the cage at the time, and the fans are going to cheer him like crazy because of who he is.

But if Silva has any aspirations of getting into contention in the middleweight division, he needs to stop focusing on how much he is going to be cheered and pay attention to what he does in the octagon.

The fans and the love that they have for Silva is the biggest reason that he still has a job in UFC, but that love should not dictate who he fights.

Silva is not entirely at fault here because UFC and Dana White have given him the freedom to pick and choose who he fights and when he fights.

We all love the way that he fights because he goes out there and just starts swinging. It’s practically a guarantee that whenever he fights there is going to be a knockout, whether it’s him getting knocked out or his opponent, it doesn’t matter.

That style is hurting him more than it is helping him as he approaches his 35^th birthday, but because his psyche is so frail, and he wants the fans to cheer him, he can’t help himself but to go in with all guns blazing.

It’s time that Silva got past his need to hear the fans stand up and cheer for him whenever he steps in the octagon. He needs to do what is best for his career and get victories while he still can. He doesn’t have a lot of time left, so he needs to make the most of it while he is still around. Fortunately, he is going up against a guy whose fighting style mirrors his own so he knows what to expect.

I think Leben will win this fight, but I want to see how Silva looks following his knee surgery and if he is more comfortable at 185 pounds.

Dong Hyun-Kim hasn’t been getting a lot of publicity from the media heading into his fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 132. It’s unusual that someone with a career record of 14-0 (4-0, 1 No Contest in UFC) would go flying under the radar, but that won’t be the case with one more victory.

In fact, Kim believes that with a victory over Condit he is ready for the big time.

“I’d like to fight GSP right after this fight, but I think that I’d probably have to fight one more fight,” Kim told MMAjunkie.com. “But I really don’t want to think anything past this fight.”

The welterweight division is starved for championship contenders right now because St-Pierre has rolled through everyone else. That’s part of the reason why Nick Diaz was brought in from Strikeforce to challenge for the title.

Kim has the pedigree and record to warrant championship consideration, though he does acknowledge that he will likely have to take on one more fight before he gets that shot. Plus, it’s not like he has been fighting a who’s who of top flight competition thus far. His best win is against either Amir Sadollah and or Nate Diaz.

If he keeps winning, certainly he will be in line for a title shot. But right now the resume isn’t exactly screaming title contender. There are undefeated records, like the one that Anderson Silva has in UFC (13-0, 11 via KO and submission, 9-0 in championship fights), and there are undefeated records, which is what Kim has right now.

It’s not Kim’s fault. All young fighters have to start out at the bottom of the barrel and work their way up to the top competition. He is moving up in competition, which is good, but he still has work to do before he gets to the top of the welterweight division.

While another fight is likely in store for Kim, UFC has to look wherever they can to find people who deserve a title shot, and Kim’s resume gets better and better with each fight. I mean if Condit is in line for a title fight with a win over Kim, Kim should at least be considered for a title shot if he defeats Condit on Saturday night.

Wanderlei Silva makes his much anticipated return to the octagon this Saturday night at UFC 132 against Chris Leben. This fight has all the makings of an old fashioned backlot brawl between two of the heaviest hitters in the middleweight division. But if Silva wants to avoid a sixth loss in eight fights, he may have to change up his style.

From Yahoo.com:

…Silva is beloved not only by mixed martial arts fans, but by UFC president Dana White as well for his showstopper style.

–snip—

Silva and Leben often infuriate their coaches by abandoning carefully prepared game plans just seconds into the fight and turning it into a wild brawl.

It’s great that Silva has a style that fits his personality so well, but this is a results driven sport, and in recent years the results haven’t been good. He was able to score a decision win in a lackluster performance against Michael Bisping.

He needs to stay away from just trying to stand and trade with his opponents because his power, which used to be his trademark, is not what it used to be. He has to bring a more diverse set of skills to compete in today’s MMA.

The one good thing for Silva at UFC 132 is that he is fighting an opponent very similar to him, so he will know what to expect right from the get go. But if he wants to walk away from the show with a win and at least get back into the title discussion, he has to work the clinch and prove that he can be more than a standup fighter.

It’s a vast departure from the way that Silva usually fights, but it is the only way that he will be able to hold onto the legacy that he created for himself in PRIDE.

Urijah Faber is one of the most recognizable stars in mixed martial arts. He was the face of WEC for the majority of that promotion’s run. He is a former WEC featherweight champion and one of the best fighters in the history of the sport. But at UFC 132 against Dominick Cruz, it is Faber that has more to prove.

“The California Kid” is not the fighter that he once was. Sure, he has won his last two fights, but when you dig deeper, you can see a man that has clearly lost a step or two. His record in his last seven fights is a mediocre 4-3. His striking isn’t as crisp as it once was. His ground game and submission skills look off.

Cruz, meanwhile, has evolved into one of the very best fighters in the world. He doesn’t finish a lot of fights, but he methodically dissecting his opponents each time he steps in the cage.

Faber is no longer the 27-year-old who rolled through the WEC featherweight division. He is a 32-year-old man trying to find the magic that made him a force to be reckoned with. 

Cruz has nothing to prove to anyone in this fight because no one really knows about him. He could stand in a lineup and most fans wouldn’t be able to tell him from me.

But Faber has everything on the line in this fight. He needs this win because the window of opportunity is closing sooner rather than later. He was a big fish in the little WEC pond for years, but in UFC he can become something even more. He has to have championship gold if he wants to be THE man.

This fight is the biggest in the respective careers of both these men. Cruz needs to win to escape the shadow of Faber from their days in WEC. Faber needs to win to prove that he can still compete with the best fighters in the world.

Dominick Cruz is one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. He has a career record of 17-1 and has been a champion in WEC and now in UFC. He has dominated the bantamweight division for the last three years. Yet somehow, someway he always manages to fly under the radar.

Cruz never got his just due in WEC because he was not a flashy fighter, though his style is one of the more unique ones that you will find in mixed martial arts. He didn’t have the boyish looks and personality that Urijah Faber, the biggest star in WEC and Cruz’s opponent at UFC 132, had.

Even as the two prepare to headline the first bantamweight championship fight in UFC history on Saturday night, Cruz is not getting the respect and credit from the fans that he so richly deserves.

From Yahoo.com:

No matter what happens in the cage Saturday, Cruz still has a long way to go to catch up to Faber in terms of notoriety. Faber was the face of the WEC and is already one of the UFC’s most popular fighters.

He’s in demand for personal appearances and interviews and he’s starring in commercials for several big companies. Cruz, by contrast, as well as by his own admission, is as anonymous as a UFC champion can be.

With this one victory, Cruz will not only avenge the only loss in his MMA career but will also make himself a household name to the majority of fans that have no idea what who he is.

Cruz has done more than enough to be in the discussion of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and after Saturday night everyone will know exactly who he is and what he is all about.

Cruz isn’t asking for anyone to give him respect because he knows when he takes care of business against Faber the respect and accolades will come.