Anderson Silva has had his share of detractors and doubters in the days since narrowly escaping with a fifth-round submission win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. Fellow mixed martial arts legend Randy Couture is not among those ready to write off the middlewight king, but in a recent conference call for Couture’s upcoming UFC 118 bout with boxer-turned-mixed martial artist James Toney, Couture did offer a critique of Silva’s game.
Couture, who has captured five different titles in two different weight classes, says that Silva’s recent performances have illustrated a more conservative fighter than the world is accustomed to seeing.
“I think Anderson needs to look at the spirit in which he’s competing,” he said. “It appears to me that he’s been doing his best not to lose. Instead of doing what he did early on and competing to win, and taking guys out, he’s doing enough now to get by, be successful and keep winning.”