Anderson Silva knocked out Chael Sonnen in the main event at UFC 148 and proved that he is still the best fighter in the world, but now he needs to decide who will be his next opponent.
The Silva vs. Sonnen fight was billed as the biggest bout in UFC history. Silva did not pay much attention to the hype and ended the Sonnen’s challenge just 1:55 into the second round.
The 37-year-old Brazilian destroyed the top contender and now a new crop will vie for his title.
Here are the three fighters who Silva should consider for his next fight.
Mark Muñoz
After Sonnen’s defeat, Muñoz must be considered the top contender in the middleweight class.
The 34-year-old is 12-2 in his career and is set to go against Chris Weidman on July 11. Barring an upset, Muñoz will emerge from that fight as the consensus No. 2 in the middleweight class.
“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” is known for his ground-and-pound skills, which is an ideal strategy to use against Silva. No fighter in the world is quick enough to withstand Silva’s striking ability, so the ground game is an opponent’s only hope.
When Spider gets in the cage again, it should be against Muñoz.
Michael Bisping
Bisping lost his most recent fight to Sonnen, otherwise he likely would have fought Silva in UFC 148.
Silva, Sonnen, Muñoz and Bisping make up the top-tier of middleweight fighters and the 33-year-old Brit would be a worthy opponent. Going into UFC 148, these were the top four fighters, in the order listed, according to Sherdog.
It is difficult to imagine Silva losing to either Muñoz or Bisping, but these two offer the best competition in the weight class.
Bisping is a seasoned fighter and he could at least put up a better fight than Sonnen did in his second crack at Silva.
Jon Jones
Jones is a light heavyweight, but he is the only fighter alive who has the skills to defeat Silva.
This fight may just be a fan’s fantasy, but ESPN’s Chuck Mindenhall outlines the reason why it could and should happen.
The UFC has hinted of a mega-event in January, possibly at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The greatest MMA champion in history could be available, along with the greatest phenom the sport has seen. The fact that they are both fighting in the UFC right now, that they’re greatness and timetables can intersect — well, that should be reason enough for the fans to get behind it.
Silva is 37, so their timetables will not intersect for much longer. There is only one truly worthy opponent for Silva in MMA fighting today. If both Silva and Jones want the undisputed title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, they must get in the cage against each other.
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