The Brazilian has looked to be seemingly unstoppable in the middleweight division.
It’s getting to the point now where it seems almost disadvantageous to keep him in the 185-pound class, just based on the merit of his dominating performances in the division. Should he remain, what challenges await for him?
Outside of a blockbuster rematch with rival Chael Sonnen, which looks to soon be on the horizon, what else is left?
A rematch with former UFC champion Vitor Belfort could be intriguing, though it’s a bout that looks to be a long ways away considering the outcome of their first outing, which resulted in Silva performing an incredible front kick KO over the proverbial knockout artist in Belfort.
His fellow countryman was the victim of the highlight reel finish from his former teammate, though Silva has since gone on to perform just as impressively in his next outing when he bested Yushin Okami this August.
As it stands, Okami was the last person to defeat the Brazilian, albeit by disqualification some years ago. Silva made quick work of the Japanese star, stopping him in the second by a flashy TKO finish—being the only man in the organization to stop the hard nosed wrestler inside the Octagon.
Now, Silva has few viable challengers left in the division, so why not make another run in the light heavyweight class? Few battles looked to be ahead for Silva, though the Brazilian took it upon himself to disparage rumors of immediate retirement, by stating that he foresees himself in the sport for at least another seven years competing professionally.
A bevy of possibilities are now available for Silva, most notably at 205-pounds where he has looked equally as destructive. In first outing at light heavyweight, Silva first took on the heavy handed James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 14, besting him in just 61-seconds with an impressive knockout finish.
Next, Silva took on his toughest challenge at 205 when he met with former champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in August of 2009. Silva knocked down The Ultimate Fighter season one winner on three occasions, with the latter coming by way of an embarrassing backpedaling jab which sent Griffin crashing to the canvas in disarray.
Pending on the next line of bouts that are set in stone for Silva in the near future, he has shown little indication that he wouldn’t be as equally impressive at light heavyweight than he has been as a consistent middleweight, where he has since become the undisputed pound-for-pound best.
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