Joe Schilling has been helping to prep Nick Diaz for his UFC 183 showdown with Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Through studying, the Brazilian and helping Diaz get ready, Schilling believes he has a good idea of Silva’s striking abilities.
Speaking to John Joe O’Regan of BloodyElbow.com, Schilling didn’t heap the praise MMA fans are used to hearing in regards to Silva’s striking.
“I think it would be embarrassing for him in there with me,” Schilling said. “The more I have studied Anderson Silva for this fight camp of Nick’s the more I think he is good at kickboxing for MMA but in a professional kickboxing fight he would get wasted.”
Schilling certainly has the background to provide a proper critique of Silva’s striking ability. The Brazilian has been widely panned as being among the best in MMA, combat sports fans have always debated how Silva would fare in striking-only sports.
Discussions of Silva engaging in a boxing match with Roy Jones Jr. were rumored, but ultimately nixed by Silva’s decision to sign a new contract with the UFC. That would’ve been an interesting match, even if it was just an exhibition, as Silva has a lot of similar traits to the former boxing star.
Schilling’s breakdown of Silva’s striking is nothing new of stars in combat sports discussing MMA fighters’ striking level.
James Toney, prior to his one and only UFC appearance, claimed that MMA wasn’t “a real sport.” In 2013, heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury told ESPN.com that MMA is rubbish and that he would take Cain Velasquez out. Dana White promptly invited Fury to step into the Octagon, but nothing ever came of the back-and-forth.
The criticism of the level of striking in MMA by boxers/kickboxers is ultimately an apples-to-oranges argument. While there is certainly some crossover between the two (Schilling told O’Regan that Chris Weidman wouldn’t look out of place and that Donald Cerrone would get murdered in glory), there are things that would work in one but not the other.
For example, kickboxers tend to stand more upright (not having to worry about a takedown), use a defensive shell more often (bigger gloves), and often choose to stand in front of one another instead of circling around. An example is Pat Barry claiming he used the wrong block for smaller gloves in his knockout loss to Cheick Kongo.
Despite Schilling’s critique, Silva will still be considered one of the greatest strikers in the MMA world. And considering that’s where Silva will remain, that’s likely all that matters to the future Hall of Famer.
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