After one of the finest performances of his career, Antonio “Big Foot” Silva may be very close to a rematch with the last man to ragdoll him, current champion Cain Velasquez.
At the UFC 156 post-fight press conference, Dana White spoke (via mma weekly) about the idea of a Velasquez vs. Silva rematch based on the strength of Silva’s victory over Alistair Overeem.
“He [Silva] and Cain Velasquez just fought recently, but I’m telling you, the way he looked in this fight, what he did to Alistair, maybe we do this fight again.”
How Silva’s name got thrown right back into the title mix is a bit puzzling, honestly. Obviously, his upset win over Alistair Overeem has turned many heads and should give Silva some long overdue vindication as a true fighter of note in the division.
Being caught up in the moment is fine, but styles make fights and if we learned anything from the first meeting between Silva and Velasquez, it’s that Silva simply isn’t ready for the takedown game of the champ, in any way, shape or form.
The fighting styles of Overeem and Velasquez are different from head to toe. In defeating Overeem, Silva still didn’t show us he has any answers for the takedown-heavy game of the current Heavyweight Division title-holder.
Silva spending time on his back against Overeem didn’t help prove otherwise.
Of course, White is allowed to wave the Silva flag and get caught up in the moment; he may be the UFC president, but he’s also a fan. Silva’s upset victory was a feel-good moment for the Brazilian and his fans that had to contend with talk based on the notion he only made it into the UFC because he beat Fedor Emalianenko.
But, in a rematch between Velasquez and Silva, the fight is once again going to be fought on the floor. That’s a location where Velasquez is far too superior for a rematch to be considered with any real legitimacy.
This really wouldn’t be a consideration worth writing about in normal circumstances. Silva would have to win at least a few more fights to be considered for a title shot against the champ.
But given the recent trend of fights being made by White to capitalize on any momentum available, we could very well see Silva contending for the belt against Cain Velasquez in the Brazilian’s next fight.
Overeem was in truth fully expected to win last night’s fight and give the heavyweight division another meaningful title bout, but now the division has once again been thinned out to the point of transparency.
There’s Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and then everyone else, somewhere below.
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