Filed under: UFCOf the Joneses, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is much more interested in the boxing great as an opponent than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.
Silva has made it clear it’s his dream to fight his idol Roy Jones Jr….
Of the Joneses, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is much more interested in the boxing great as an opponent than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.
Silva has made it clear it’s his dream to fight his idol Roy Jones Jr. and at 36 with “maybe five more years” in the MMA game, Silva still has the desire to box the 42-year-old Jones Jr.
“Maybe finish my contract for UFC, finish my fights in MMA, I’ll go,” Silva said Monday on The MMA Hour. “This is my goal for my career. It’s my dream — is to fight Roy Jones and boxing.”
Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFC, News”Like Water,” the documentary film about UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, is like martial arts itself, a focus on journey as much as destination. The film follows Silva during arguably the most turbulent …
“Like Water,” the documentary film about UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, is like martial arts itself, a focus on journey as much as destination. The film follows Silva during arguably the most turbulent time of his fighting life, from just after his baffling performance against Demian Maia last April through his career-defining moment in a fifth-round comeback win against Chael Sonnen four months later.
The film, which just had its world premiere at the renowned Tribeca Film Festival, is a step forward not only for Silva, but for mixed martial arts, which too often depends on manufactured drama as a selling point for its main events. Director Pablo Croce strips away any pretense and gives a three-dimensional look at the human side of one of MMA’s signature athletes. In a sport that is often depicted as cartoonish or dismissed as a B-level fad by surface-grazing mainstream media, it is one of the first layered, mature examinations of a top fighter and his world. For some, it might come as a revelation that fighters are real people with real lives.
Central to the drama is Silva as a family man. For the Sonnen camp, he left Brazil for two months to live in Los Angeles and train with Team Black House. To do that, he leaves behind his family — his wife, three sons and two daughters — and spends much of the time pining for them. At one point before the Sonnen fight, he is asked what his goal is. “To come back home in one piece,” he says without hesitation. For a champion at the top of his game, in the midst of a record title run, it’s a candid admission, one rooted in his love of family, noting that to them, winning or losing is not important. “To them, I will always be champion,” he says.
Earlier in the year, many MMA fans were sent into an excited “OMG you guys” frenzy, when UFC top dog Dana White conceded that a bout between welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and middleweight king Anderson Silva would likely happen. Yes, there were a few little hurdles on the horizon, namely dudes like Jake Shields […]
Earlier in the year, many MMA fans were sent into an excited “OMG you guys” frenzy, when UFC top dog Dana White conceded that a bout between welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and middleweight king Anderson Silva would likely happen. Yes, there were a few little hurdles on the horizon, namely dudes like Jake Shields and Yushin Okami (although only recently did the UFC confirm Okami wasn’t going to get effed over), but things were looking golden for the much ballyhooed bout.
While discussion about the super fight certainly hasn’t disappeared, it’s kind of cooled, as the realities of what is entailed to put the fight together have set in. So, is GSP still thinking about doing this? Provided he prevails over the terrifying ground game of Shields later this month? Nate Marquardt recently told ESPN UK yes.
“I don’t know if [St. Pierre] is planning on moving up but I definitely know he’s considering fighting Anderson. I think that’s a great fight and I think he has the perfect style to beat a guy like Silva.”
Cool beans. Marquardt also revealed in the interview that it was actually Georges who got him thinking about dropping to welterweight. Of course, Marquardt is making the cut and will fight Anthony Johnson in June, which naturally, has already led to a round of ‘will you fight your teammate’ questions. Marquardt responded “I’m not thinking about it and if it’s ever an issue I’ll deal with it then.”
To bet on GSP vs. Shields, or any other tilts at UFC 129, head here.
Aside from a couple of nasty, ‘and that’s a wrap’ stoppage wins, it’s safe to say that Yushin Okami has struggled to entertain most fans with his grinding style. Like it or not, the guy is damn effective, and if he gets ahold of Anderson Silva for a prolonged time at UFC Rio, the living […]
Aside from a couple of nasty, ‘and that’s a wrap’ stoppage wins, it’s safe to say that Yushin Okami has struggled to entertain most fans with his grinding style. Like it or not, the guy is damn effective, and if he gets ahold of Anderson Silva for a prolonged time at UFC Rio, the living highlight reel may not be so thrilling.
How the action will unfold aside, the good news is that it’s looking like the pre-fight road to Silva vs. Okami II is not going to be completely void of drama. While Okami isn’t exactly known for the smack talk, he is the last dude to defeat Silva, and the renowned Brazilian champ apparently is still a wee bit irked about that fact. In a recent interview with the LA Times (thanks to ESPN U.K. for the heads up), Silva talked about his DQ loss to Okami in 2006, and offered this:
“I was a little surprised with his reaction to that [upkick],” Silva said in the LA Times. “Do I think he could have continued? I do think he could have continued. But he had the rules in his favour. I did an illegal kick and he chose that it was better not to continue.”… “I respect everybody and have a history in the sport and I believe people need to respect me. When they cross that line of respect is when they don’t really understand what happens.”
Huh. Is someone calling somebody a coward? The article also mentions that apparently Silva referred to Okami in the past as a “samurai without honor”…now that’s gotta hurt. See, this Silva vs. Okami II bout is shaping up just fine.
Filed under: UFCThe UFC 134 fight card will feature Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami during the UFC’s return to Brazil on Aug. 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Silva (28-4), who will be aiming for his ninth consecutive middleweight title defense…
The UFC 134 fight card will feature Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami during the UFC’s return to Brazil on Aug. 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Silva (28-4), who will be aiming for his ninth consecutive middleweight title defense, is facing the last opponent to have defeated him. Back in January 2006, Silva suffered a loss by disqualification for knocking out Okami with an illegal upkick. Okami (26-5) will enter his first UFC title bout coming off a victory over Nate Marquardt.
UFC: Rio marks the first time the promotion has held an event in Brazil since 1998. Check out the current lineup below.
Many throughout the MMA world were a buzz with the prospect of Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva II going down this summer, but as we’ve documented here with as little effort as possible, Wandy is now fighting Chris Leben. So, where does that leave Vitor? One would think that the UFC is looking to get […]
Many throughout the MMA world were a buzz with the prospect of Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva II going down this summer, but as we’ve documented here with as little effort as possible, Wandy is now fighting Chris Leben. So, where does that leave Vitor? One would think that the UFC is looking to get the machine-gun like striker a bout lined up for its upcoming, August 27th card in Brazil, as Belfort is kind of a big deal there in case you didn’t know. (See Belfort vs. Silva 1 regarding striking metaphor…) Speaking to Tatame Magazine, Belfort updated the publication with the following, regarding where the UFC big wigs apparently are in terms of his schedule / opponent.
“Lorenzo (Fertitta) called me and said he’s trying to find me an opponent, but it’s hard to do it. Wanderlei (Silva) challenged me and then started talking thing on the internet, so I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I’m ready, my dream is to fight at UFC Rio. I believe the fighters found out that I’m hungrier than ever to fight”.
Yes, you would think Belfort’s gotta be ‘starving’ in terms of throwing down again, as despite all the fanfare that surrounded his UFC return in 2009, he’s only fought once since blasting through Rich Franklin at UFC 103. Of course, his last bout in February against Anderson Silva, didn’t exactly go as planned. It will be interesting to see, though, who the UFC tries to line him up against. Will it go with a striker that will stand and trade with Belfort? Or will they go the wrestler route and run the risk of a smother fest?
Of the Joneses, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is much more interested in the boxing great as an opponent than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.
“Like Water,” the documentary film about UFC middleweight champion 
