As the saying goes: “You can’t please everyone all the time,” so too comes the certainty that styles make fights, and if Anderson Silva knows anything about the sport, it’s how to spot a fight that could be a barnburner. While e…
As the saying goes: “You can’t please everyone all the time,” so too comes the certainty that styles make fights, and if Anderson Silva knows anything about the sport, it’s how to spot a fight that could be a barnburner.
While everyone has been screaming about Silva and his belief that fighting Chris Weidman isn’t really the best move for his career, they are being far too hasty in discounting Cung Le, the man Silva and his management said they were interested in for Silva’s next fight.
Truth be told, Cung Le is a very tough fight for Silva and could be the one to defeat the current pound-for-pound king in his supposed realm of greatest advantage: on the feet.
Weidman shouldn’t be discounted and I am not advocating any such thing, but July (the month Weidman has said he wants to fight Silva) is a long time to wait.
Le, on the other hand, is coming off a quick victory over Rich Franklin which in turn means he’s relatively healthy and available—two things Weidman is not.
Perhaps we would do well to try and look at things from Silva’s point of view, if such a thing is possible.
Silva has defeated dangerous fighters with a good (or great, depending on opinion) wrestling core, but he’s never faced a man who can claim with any kind of legitimacy to be his equal in a striking contest.
In facing a man like Le, Silva would be boldly going where he has never gone before; at this point in Silva’s career, after having done so much, it’s no surprise he wants to find the Frazier to his Ali, the Pacquiao to his Mayweather.
We often bemoan fighters for not seeking out serious challenges, but we should give credit to Silva for seeing the one challenge most have not, and in doing so recognizing that such a fight could end up being one of the greatest ever because of the danger.
In Cung Le, Silva could very well find his foil and more because Le is not only his equal in some areas, but his better…
Anderson Silva may not be interested in fighting Chris Weidman, but at the end of the day, it’s Dana White’s decision.During an appearance on FUEL TV’s “UFC Tonight,” the UFC President talked about the middleweight title picture and whether or not Weid…
Anderson Silva may not be interested in fighting Chris Weidman, but at the end of the day, it’s Dana White‘s decision.
During an appearance on FUEL TV’s “UFC Tonight,” the UFC President talked about the middleweight title picture and whether or not Weidman was being considered for the No. 1 Contender’s spot.
“I think [Weidman vs. Silva] is closer and more possible than people think. I actually thought that Weidman was going to be out a lot longer than he was because of his injury, but he’s healed up pretty well and is claiming he’ll be able to start training again in a couple of months.
So, we’re looking at a couple of different options right now, some options that we like, and Weidman is one of them.”
For months, Weidman has pleaded for an opportunity to challenge Silva, who is on an astonishing 18-fight win streak.
Despite his lack of notoriety, Weidman boasts an undefeated record, with his last pair of wins coming over top-10 opposition. He is still healing up from a shoulder injury, and the timetable for his return is set for July, which is the same time Silva is expected to compete again.
There really isn’t a single middleweight who stands out as a more deserving contender than Weidman.
Unfortunately, Silva’s camp doesn’t feel the same way.
Ed Soares, Silva’s manager, recently told CageFanatic.com that Weidman is a “phenomenal talent,” but he needs to wait until he’s had another fight or two to garner enough recognition for a title fight with Silva.
Instead of facing Weidman, Soares alluded to Silva possibly being interested in fighting former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le.
The news didn’t go over so well for Weidman, who also made an appearance on “UFC Tonight.” In a last desperate plea, he decided to up the ante in his proposal:
“Perfect world? [I’ll be back] July fourth weekend against Anderson Silva, I’ll grant him an immediate rematch at Madison Square Garden, New York City, in a monumental event.”
Perhaps the Silva camp has finally run out of excuses.
The race to grab the next shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight title has been a heated one. From promised title shots and failed opportunities to “The Spider’s” camp commenting on the most unlikely of match-ups—the story continues to take some c…
The race to grab the next shot at Anderson Silva‘s middleweight title has been a heated one. From promised title shots and failed opportunities to “The Spider’s” camp commenting on the most unlikely of match-ups—the story continues to take some curious turns.
One fighter who believes he has been downright overlooked in the process is undefeated rising star Chris Weidman.
The Long Island-native has been tearing his way through the ranks of the 185-pound weight class since entering the UFC fold less than two years ago. During that time, the 28-year-old has collected five-consecutive victories with his most recent coming in brutal fashion as he knocked out fellow contender Mark Munoz with a standing elbow strike at UFC on Fuel TV 4 in July.
Weidman appeared to be on the doorstep of a title shot against the UFC’s most dominant champion, until a shoulder injury forced him to the sidelines during his bout with Tim Boetsch at UFC 155. Nevertheless, in Weidman‘s absence a true No. 1 contender has failed to emerge and the position opposite the middleweight king is absent for the time being.
As the Ray Longo-product sets about his road back to the Octagon, his focus is not only set on dethroning Silva, but Weidman also has a specific date in mind.
“I want to make my return against Anderson Silva on 4th of July weekend,” Weidman told Bleacher Report. “The UFC always holds an event that weekend and what better fight to headline the card?”
While calling out Silva is nothing new to the fighters in the upper tier of the middleweight division, Weidman is confident in his approach. There is no hesitation in the way he talks about fighting the pound-for-pound great and believes he has the necessary skill set to do what no one in the past seven years has been able to accomplish.
“I think I match up very well with him,” Weidman said. “I think I match up with Silva better than other guys I’ve faced like Mark Munoz. I think I’d be too much for him once I got my hands on him. I feel like I am the best fighter in the world at my weight and all I want is the chance to prove it.
“I feel good where I am right now but I also know there is a lot of improvement ahead and I want to continue to develop in every part of my game. There is so much to work on. This sport is evolving, guys are getting better, and there are more athletes coming into MMA. You can’t just sit back and think you are good enough. It’s a personal challenge I put on myself to continue to get better.”
Over the past two years, the trend of fighters talking their way into big fights has become a hot topic throughout the sport. The process has created several scenarios where fighters who have battled their way to the top of the ranks are pushed aside for the more marketable name for a high profile bout. While Weidman doesn’t agree with how things have gone down in certain situations, he also understands the need to vocalize what you want in the increasingly competitive fight game.
“I wish it was an ‘old school’ system where No. 1 fights No. 2 and the process guaranteed a title shot,” Weidman said. “But it’s not that way anymore. This is an entertainment business and you have to be a little vocal. I couldn’t pull a ChaelSonnen even if I wanted to. But you have to be vocal about what you want and I don’t mind talking a little trash here and there. You have to have a voice. You can’t just fight and depend on that to make yourself relevant.”
As Weidman continues to campaign for the biggest fight of his career, his ambition is to make 2013 one for the history books. It is not only his intention to be the first man to defeat Silva under the UFC banner, but to then do it again in front of a crowd in his home state of New York. The battle to make MMA legal in “The Empire State” has been a well-documented process and Weidman is hoping to make it a reality before the year closes out.
“The ideal year for me would be a fight on the 4th of July against the best fighter of all-time Anderson Silva with a first or second round finish,” Weidman said. “Then the immediate rematch in November in Madison Square Garden. It would be a monumental event with the first UFC card held in New York and I main event against Anderson Silva. That would be a great year and I would carry that momentum into 2014.”
“MMA is illegal in my state and that is just the dumbest thing ever. It pisses me off to be honest. All of my fights before the UFC were in New Jersey and that basically became my home for fighting. I don’t like that. New York is my home and where I should be fighting. It doesn’t make sense to me that MMA isn’t there yet.”
Until his next bout is made official, Weidman will continue to hone his craft and ready himself for the next challenge that comes his way. Being on the sidelines hasn’t been easy, but Weidman‘s belief that the best is yet to come continues to motivate him on the road back to the Octagon.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Weidman said. “After all this I’m still the number one contender. All I want to is to get back in there and fight and it has been tough being on the sidelines. I want to be in there as much as possible and that is why I’ve taken so many short notice fights in the past. I want to keep fighting and fighting and when I got put on the shelf it sucked. But I believe everything happens for a reason and I’m not crying over it. It will be a good thing.
“I’ve been having fun with my career and the best is yet to come,” he added. “I know we are only going to live once and if I don’t enjoy this moment the opportunities are going to fly by. I’m having fun with the entire process and trying to enjoy it all and soak it up because I know I’ll be 45 someday and looking back and I don’t want to have any regrets. I don’t want there to be anything I didn’t take advantage of.”
Top UFC middleweight title contender Chris Weidman badly wants to fight Anderson SIlva for his title in July, even if “The Spider’s” camp wants to face Cung Le next. A frustrated Weidman went off on the situation in an interview with MMA Junkie ov…
Top UFC middleweight title contender Chris Weidman badly wants to fight Anderson SIlva for his title in July, even if “The Spider’s” camp wants to face Cung Le next.
A frustrated Weidman went off on the situation in an interview with MMA Junkie over the weekend:
‘It seems like he’s avoiding it at all costs at this point,’ Weidman said. ‘I’m a big, strong, young, athletic wrestler with good submissions. I think it’s a bad matchup for him, I think he knows that, and he’s making millions of dollars outside the cage being the undefeated UFC champion – untouchable. And if Chris Weidman, who a lot of people don’t know, goes in there and takes that away from him, it’s not good for him.’
Given Weidman‘s perfect 9-0 record and the fact that Silva’s dispensed the who’s who of the middleweight division (ChaelSonnen, YushinOkami and VitorBelfort are a few recent victims), Weidman vs. Silva makes sense.
Weidman has been on the shelf since a definitive knockout over fellow contender Mark Munoz in July. Since then, other fighters in the title hunt such as Alan Belcher, Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping have all lost.
“The All-American” was originally scheduled to fight Boetsch at UFC 155, but shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum nixed those plans, and Serra-Longo teammate Costa Philippou filled the void.
‘I really wanted that fight with Boetsch,’ Weidman stated. ‘I think it was a good time for me to shine, and it really just solidified the fact that I want Anderson Silva. But I think everything happens for a reason. Somehow, I’m back in this position of being No. 1 contender again with Bisping losing.’
Even though his title shot seems unlikely for the time being, Weidman has high hopes for his dream showdown with one of the sports’ pound-for-pound greats:
‘So I’m looking at July 4 weekend, Anderson Silva, and give him an immediate rematch in November at Madison Square Garden.’
Given that MMA is still not legalized in New York, the second part of Weidman‘s plans are a stretch at best, but an understandable scenario given that Weidman was born and raised in the “Big Apple.”
Silva last fought at UFC 153 in October, scoring a technical knockout over Stephan Bonnar in a one-sided light heavyweight contest.
The Brazilian last defended his middleweight strap at UFC 148 in July when he defeated Sonnen via TKO.
Will Silva vs. Weidman happen this year, or is this fight not in the cards before Anderson calls it a career?
Anderson Silva may be stalling, but the pound-for-pound king fears no man, not even Chris Weidman.For months, Weidman has pleaded his case for a UFC title shot, but every pitch has been swatted down by Silva’s camp.Ed Soares, Silva’s manager, crushed W…
Anderson Silva may be stalling, but the pound-for-pound king fears no man, not even Chris Weidman.
For months, Weidman has pleaded his case for a UFC title shot, but every pitch has been swatted down by Silva’s camp.
I think Chris Weidman, not to take anything away from who he is as a fighter, I think he’s a phenomenal fighter but I think I would like to see Anderson fight someone that’s a little bit more recognized.
I mean I don’t think Anderson has anything to gain from that fight other than beating a super tough, unknown guy. He’s a phenomenal talent and no disrespect to his fighting abilities, but we would like to fight somebody with a little more recognition and maybe Weidman is maybe a fight or two away.
In a sense, Silva has become a prize fighter.
After nearly seven years of dominance, his only interest lies in blockbuster fights, and Weidman has yet to develop a wide enough fanbase to be considered a marquee name.
It’s ludicrous to make sense of the situation. Every shred of common sense points to Weidman as the legitimate and most deserving contender. He boasts an undefeated professional record, with his last two wins coming over top-10 middleweight opposition.
On paper, he even poses more problems stylistically than Silva has ever seen in a middleweight matchup. Yet the bout isn’t taking place based off the mere premise of a popularity contest.
Weidman is certainly being dealt a bad hand in this entire ordeal, but he needs only a glance at UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks’ situation to see that he’s not alone.
Silva’s reluctance to accept a fight with Weidman should be looked at as a compliment. It’s rare to hear Soares sing another fighter’s praises. Weidman is truly an exceptional talent, and it doesn’t take an expert to notice his unique abilities.
Still, Soares‘ argument that Silva has nothing to gain from facing Weidman is rock solid. A loss of any kind is devastating, but how would a loss to a relatively unknown contender like Weidman play over in the public? What about a win?
The risks far outweigh the reward for Silva. A couple of more wins over quality opposition should really help Weidman gain ground in the public eye and finally earn that ever-elusive title shot. It has been proven that Silva always answers, if you knock on his door long enough.
The last time we saw Anderson Silva’s manager Ed Soares, he was telling Inside MMA — with a straight face! — that Michael Bisping would be a good option for Silva’s next middleweight title defense. After all, it’s Soares’s job to help his client get big fights that the fans want to see. (His response when Bas Rutten suggested that Anderson fight UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones: “AhhhhhhIdunno.”)
So now that Bisping has fallen short in yet another “win this one and you get a title shot” match, Soares finally has to accept the reality that Chris Weidman is the most worthy contender to Silva’s crown, right? Right? RIGHT? Well, if you believe that, then you simply don’t know the enigma that is Ed Soares. He’s got another Plan B in mind, and it’s about as left-field as matchmaking gets. Here’s what he told CageFanatic in an interview last week, as transcribed by MMAMania:
“(Silva’s next fight) is still up in the air man, we don’t know who that is. Unfortunately Bisping lost which was a big thing but I’m not too sure. I’m not too sure who could be next…we want to fight someone who has a little bit of a name, someone that has as big of a name as possible and that’s on a winning record or a winning run right now. Right now it seems like most of the guys with names have had losses very recently. So, when I think about it, like the only thing that comes to mind and I don’t even know if that would be a possible fight is, you know, like Cung Le is coming off of three wins or something like that [Ed. note: Yeah, or something like that.] where he’s got a little bit of a name, but I mean it’s really hard in that division because it’s so evenly matched all the opponents on any given day one of those guys can beat each other, so you know, once again whoever the UFC decided we’re in…
The last time we saw Anderson Silva’s manager Ed Soares, he was telling Inside MMA — with a straight face! — that Michael Bisping would be a good option for Silva’s next middleweight title defense. After all, it’s Soares’s job to help his client get big fights that the fans want to see. (His response when Bas Rutten suggested that Anderson fight UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones: “AhhhhhhIdunno.”)
So now that Bisping has fallen short in yet another “win this one and you get a title shot” match, Soares finally has to accept the reality that Chris Weidman is the most worthy contender to Silva’s crown, right? Right? RIGHT? Well, if you believe that, then you simply don’t know the enigma that is Ed Soares. He’s got another Plan B in mind, and it’s about as left-field as matchmaking gets. Here’s what he told CageFanatic in an interview last week, as transcribed by MMAMania:
“(Silva’s next fight) is still up in the air man, we don’t know who that is. Unfortunately Bisping lost which was a big thing but I’m not too sure. I’m not too sure who could be next…we want to fight someone who has a little bit of a name, someone that has as big of a name as possible and that’s on a winning record or a winning run right now. Right now it seems like most of the guys with names have had losses very recently. So, when I think about it, like the only thing that comes to mind and I don’t even know if that would be a possible fight is, you know, like Cung Le is coming off of three wins or something like that [Ed. note: Yeah, or something like that.] where he’s got a little bit of a name, but I mean it’s really hard in that division because it’s so evenly matched all the opponents on any given day one of those guys can beat each other, so you know, once again whoever the UFC decided we’re in…
Soares went on to reiterate the Silva camp’s old claim that Chris Weidman simply isn’t famous enough to fight Anderson Silva:
“I don’t think Anderson has anything to gain from that fight other than beating a super tough, unknown guy. He’s a phenomenal talent and no disrespect to his fighting abilities, but we would like to fight somebody with a little more recognition and maybe Weidman is maybe a fight or two away, you know what I mean? In hopefully building up that, you know, his following a little bit. What is there to gain from us to beat him? Really, I mean I ask you what is there for us to beat him? He’s going into that fight, most people, the general public are like ‘Oh Anderson is just fighting some guy named Weidman from New York, you know, he’s going to walk through him.’ So, if he doesn’t walk through him, there’s really nothing to gain other than another win and money in his pocket…Ask random people that watch the sport and ask them who Chris Weidman is and see what percentage will know who he is.”
To summarize: Cung Le is the best opponent for Anderson right now because hypothetically he would sell more pay-per-view buys than Chris Weidman, even though, come on, are you fucking serious Ed? You can’t even use the “nobody else asked for it” defense for this one, because Weidman wants this fight badly, and he’ll be ready to go by this spring. Luckily, Dana White has stepped in as the voice of reason:
“This is typical Anderson Silva-Ed Soares craziness. Every (expletive) time there’s a fight. He wants to fight (Demetrious) ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, then he wants to (expletive) fight this guy and that guy. This is always the same deal, it always happens. ‘I absolutely will not fight Chael Sonnen, he doesn’t deserve the title and I’m not doing this and I’m not doing that.’ This is what we do. We’re waiting on something, we’ll see if this pans out. When we’re ready to announce it, we’ll announce it. He will defend his title; it won’t be a super fight.”
It’s good to know that we’re not the only ones growing weary of Soares’s fun little “suggestions” for who Anderson Silva should beat the crap out of next. But not only are Soares and Jorge Guimaraes‘s public matchmaking attempts frustrating to those of us who want to see the best fight the best — removed from all financial motivations — they also do a disservice to Anderson Silva. When Silva’s managers constantly argue that Chris Weidman isn’t worthy of a title shot, many fans come to the same conclusion: That Silva is scared of Weidman, and is ducking him as a result. It might not be accurate, but it’s public perception nonetheless, and you can blame Soares and Guimaraes for that.
The problem with an MMA manager speaking on behalf of his client is that it’s inevitable that his own agenda will be incorporated into the message. And at times, Ed Soares has blatantly misrepresented Silva. But since Soares is the one speaking to the media most of the time, his message is the one that dominates. So here’s our decree: Anderson Silva’s managers should do all their dealings behind-the-scenes and off-camera, from now on. When Anderson wants to express something to the media, he should do it personally, through an interpreter, if necessary — one who will actually translate what he’s saying. Everything else is just noise.
The race to grab the next shot at 