Anderson Silva, love him or hate him, is one of the best fighters to ever set foot in the Octagon.
To some, he is in the top two pound-for-pound best. To others, he is the best fighter in the sport today.
It seems like ancient history when trying to remember the last time Anderson Silva was standing in the BLUE corner. He has dominated the UFC Middleweight division like none other has in any weight class. With each win, Silva sets records and builds his legacy of being one of the greatest of all time.
One glance at him, and you do not see a fighter. You see a skinny Brazilian man, with little to no scar tissue, who does not have the typical cauliflower ears many BJJ and wrestling fighters tend to have. But once in a cage, he turns into a phenomenal combatant.
His championship reign, winning streak, and record setting will be on the line once again come UFC RIO. He will be facing the strong contender, Yushin Okami. Okami is the last man to have a win over “The Spider”, but came at the disqualification of Silva when he knocked out Okami with an illegal upkick.
This is redemption time for Silva, and the stage is set for him. He will be fighting in his home country of Brazil, looking to avenge the blemish that his fight with Okami has left. But one must look at factors that affect a fighter’s situation during the fight.
By being in front of his home country, the pressure may be on Silva to perform. This may very well get him out of his element and cause openings for Okami to capitalize on. Also, his records are on the line, not to mention his belt.
Silva wants to build his legacy and remain undefeated, but each fight he wins is also an addition to the risk and what he can lose. A fighter who wins the belt after two fights and then loses it right after, does not hurt their legacy too significantly. If Silva loses to Okami, he will take a dramatic hit to his reputation.
Anderson is at a point where fans want to see him lose just because he is doing so well. It may be out of jealously, the fact he dominated well-liked fighters like Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, or because they have given in to Chael Sonnen’s jokes.
Whatever reason, the greater he becomes, the more people hate him. Yushin will look to shock the Middleweight division and be the one to end Silva’s reign.
The pressure is on Yushin Okami as well. He is on a three-fight winning streak, and it is finally his shot at the belt. He was in title contention against Rich Franklin in 2007, riding on a six-fight winning streak, but lost the decision. He followed with three wins before being stopped by Sonnen, and then gained three more wins. He has been clamoring for his shot, and due to Sonnen and Vitor Belfort, his shot has been pushed and postponed.
With the pressure of his first UFC title shot, he will try to prove to the world that he is the best Japanese fighter, as Dana White has stated. He will also be on Silva’s home turf, which can psychologically hinder a fighter.
His advantage will be his wrestling and the fact he has been training with Chael Sonnen, the only man to give a beating to the Champion and come the closest to taking his title.
The question is, will Yushin be fast enough to get Silva on the ground? Every fight starts standing, and this is where Silva is the most dangerous. If Yushin pushes the pace, he could eliminate the time Silva takes to figure out his opponent, setting himself up for a takedown. But once on the ground, will Yushin stay busy like Sonnen? Or will he take more risks in going for submissions?
Yushin is not one to recently go for submissions, but rather get TKOs or decision wins. This could be the problem for Okami since his normal striking will not work the same way.
Silva is only human, and makes mistakes, but one cannot deny that you cannot fully understand fighting Silva until you actually do. Okami has faced Silva before, but not the Silva we know today. The situational advantage that Okami has is that most of the pressure is on Anderson.
Also, if Okami loses, it just makes Silva look better, whereas if Anderson loses, he looks worse, and Okami looks incredible. The situation will be similar to when Fabricio Werdum fought Fedor Emelianenko.
One other factor is that Anderson is getting older. He may not show it a lot, but at 36, his MMA career is starting to come to an end. He may or may not be at his peak, or he may be on the down slope. But for a fighter like Silva, his descent will be more gradual.
Dana White said it well that Silva is fighting for his legacy, and Okami is fighting for respect. Okami, like the rest of the Middleweights, are fantastic fighters. The problem is that Anderson has been so dominant for so long, the rest of the division looks weak. If you were to remove Silva from the division tomorrow, the Middleweights would all look a lot better.
This is Silva’s legacy. By shutting down Yushin Okami, he will continue his march toward greatness, and stay on top of the rankings. If he loses and Georges St.Pierre wins his fight against Diaz, he may very well be bumped to second place. Whether this is justified or not, it will inevitably happen.
Regardless, you will see history be made at UFC RIO. Either Silva will once again expand his reign, or Okami will dethrone him and make “The Spider” keep his hand at his side.
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