As soon as news broke this evening that Stephan Bonnar and Anderson Silva are going to headline UFC 153, Twitter turned into a horrific comedy show.
MMA fans and media tore apart the decision to have Silva fight Bonnar. To the average fan, it makes no sense. To the hardcore fan it makes no sense. Heck, it doesn’t make sense to anybody.
Our own Jonathan Snowden had a pretty good analogy pertaining to this fight:
Next Week: New England Patriots vs. Fresno State#If the UFC ran Pro Football
— Jonathan Snowden (@mmaencyclopedia) September 13, 2012
Anybody who posted something positive about Bonnar‘s chances were merely doing so in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. Let’s face it, he doesn’t have a chance. Not now, not five years ago, never.
Look, I’m happy for Bonnar getting this opportunity. He will forever be linked with Forrest Griffin for producing one of the most iconic images in the history of the UFC. But this fight is so lopsided that I wouldn’t be surprised if Silva took up a different hobby to focus on between now and October 13.
Then another post caught my eye:
So what happens if Belfort beats Jones and Bonnar beats Silva?
— AJ Discianni (@SeeMeDaggie) September 13, 2012
Hypothetical questions can either be a headache or something intriguing to think about. The best answer I had for this was:
@seemedaggie Dana White cashes out and gets the hell outta there!
— Joe Chacon (@JoeChacon) September 13, 2012
So what would happen if Belfort beat Jones and Bonnar beat Silva? Would fans recognize the fact that Belfort is better than Jones? Would Silva instantly lose the legacy he has fought all these years for? And how about Bonnar? He might declare himself to be the greatest of all-time with a win over Silva.
2012 has been one of (if not the worst) years for the UFC during the ZUFFA era. Prolific injuries and a canceled event have already alienated some fans and the promotion has been unable to capitalize off of the surge in momentum they had after announcing the FOX deal.
If the unthinkable happens and these two huge underdogs win their fights, would it continue to send the UFC in a tailspin or would it somehow be beneficial for the promotion?
The UFC needs a sense of stability reattached to the brand. Belfort beating Jones and Bonnar beating Silva would not help those efforts.
Joe Chacon is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.
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