Anderson Silva retained his UFC middleweight title at UFC 148. After the fight, one question remained unanswered: Who can beat Anderson Silva? Silva, champion extraordinaire, has fought everyone in his path, from former champions to up-and-…
Anderson Silva retained his UFC middleweight title at UFC 148.
After the fight, one question remained unanswered: Who can beat Anderson Silva?
Silva, champion extraordinaire, has fought everyone in his path, from former champions to up-and-comers.
Silva is seemingly unstoppable. He’s knocked out opponents, makes them submit and has even embarrassed a few throughout his championship journey.
Silva remains undefeated in the Octagon, making it his personal playground. Proving there is no question that a fight against Silva should always be the main event, especially in the pay-per-view genre.
Now that Silva has once again demolished the middleweight division, many wonder who will take on Anderson Silva next.
Here are five guys we want to see Silva fight next.
Here’s the story. I was all set to take my latest trip into the Octagon on Sunday night, but a rain storm here in merry old England knocked out the satellite signal while I was recording the show. This meant that I had to wait to record the repea…
Here’s the story. I was all set to take my latest trip into the Octagon on Sunday night, but a rain storm here in merry old England knocked out the satellite signal while I was recording the show. This meant that I had to wait to record the repeat showing in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
So, after a slight delay, I can now bring you my thoughts on the return fight between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 147, originally shown this past weekend on ESPN here in Britain.
The broadcast began in the featherweight division as Yuri Alcantara took on Hacran Dias.
This was the proverbial game of two halves. While the striking game didn’t exactly set the world alight the ground game featured some great technical action.
Dias put in a dominating performance in that particular area, going for an arm triangle on a couple of occasions. Alcantara, for his part, showed some sound defensive work, almost getting the submission with an armbar at one point. It may not have been flashy but it was technically great.
With neither man able to get the finish, the judges were called into action as Dias took the unanimous decision.
It was up to heavyweight for the next fight as Fabricio Werdum faced Mike Russow.
Russow was almost booed out of the building before the fight began just because he wasn’t Brazilian. When the fight began, Werdum was on the front foot straight away.
We saw a brief clinch against the cage that came to nothing before Werdum took the fight to his American opponent, and as the first round passed it’s halfway point, Werdum connected with a right uppercut that sent Russow down. Werdum followed him down for a spot of ground and pound before the referee stepped in to give him the TKO win.
Then it was on to the first of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil finals, this one in the featherweight division as Godofredo Pepey went up against Rony Jason.
This historic fight proved to be a very interesting three-round affair. They began by swinging for the fences before Pepey pulled guard and took the fight to the ground.
The problem with this tactic was that when Pepey took the fight to the ground, he did very little from that position. His only offensive tactic was a kimura attempt.
It was a tactic that Pepey would try again later on, but this time Jason caught him and slammed him to the ground to begin his stellar stint.
As for the striking, although it was a little wild at times, it was also effective. Pepey was a little too effective at times, though, when he connected with a couple of kicks south of the border.
With no finish from either man, the judges were brought into the equation again as Jason took the unanimous decision.
Then it was on to the middleweight final as Cezar Ferreira faced Sergio Moraes.
The story of this fight was simple. It was the tale of the striker versus the brawler.
Ferreira’s striking was top notch, extremely technical in every sense. His punches were crisp and his somewhat spectacular kicks were more than effective.
On the opposite end of the scale you had Moraes, who spent most of the fight swinging for the fences and putting on an effective display in his own right.
It made for a fine three-round encounter. Both men had their moments as they put each other on the back foot on more than one occasion. It was a compelling show.
There was more work for the judges at the end of this one as Ferreira took the unanimous decision, although I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more of Moraes in the Octagon in the next couple of years.
The main event, a catch weight bout made at 190, saw Wanderlei Silva taking on Rich Franklin.
This was one of those intriguing fights off of which you can’t take your eyes. It may not have been filled with flashy action but technically it was great.
The first two rounds looked pretty even. Both fighters got in some good shots and combinations. The tide turned towards the end of the second, though, when Silva upped his game, rocking Franklin with a series of blows before sending him down with a big right.
Silva followed him in for the kill and unleashed a ground and pound barrage. Franklin was lucky to survive, and as the old saying goes, he was saved by the bell.
While Franklin went back to his good work at the beginning of the third, Silva looked visibly tired. It looked as if exertions at the end of the second had caught up with him, especially when Franklin began to pick him apart.
Franklin scored with the only takedown of the fight towards the end of the third, and like Silva five minutes before, he looked to take the win via ground and pound. But like Franklin, Silva managed to survive.
Franklin’s excellent striking continued into the fourth and the early stages of the fifth, but as the fight entered it’s final moments, Silva seemed to get a second wind and connected with a series of rights. Franklin fought back, a big left sending the Brazilian down as the fight ended.
So, with no knockouts in this fight, the judges were called into action once again as Franklin took the unanimous decision.
In conclusion—having been slightly disappointed with the UFC’s last show—their latest trip to Brazil certainly made up for that.
I really enjoyed this one. All of the fights were great, particularly the two Ultimate Fighter Brazil finals, and although those fighters put in stellar efforts, my fight of the night must go to the Silva/Franklin encounter. It was nice to see these two in the cage against each other again. Hopefully we’ll see them go up against their original opponents some time in the future.
Only one more thing left to do now, and that’s to give UFC 147 the big thumbs up.
Ahead of their UFC 147 encounter, PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva and erstwhile middleweight champion Rich Franklin came face-to-face in the same elevator and before you knew it… In combative sports such as MMA and boxing, the avoidance of your opponent…
Ahead of their UFC 147 encounter, PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva and erstwhile middleweight champion Rich Franklin came face-to-face in the same elevator and before you knew it…
In combative sports such as MMA and boxing, the avoidance of your opponent prior to engaging in what can only be termed as a war of attrition is and has always been par for the course.
The rationale behind this modus operandi is plain and simple—save for press junkets and promotions, the last thing a fighter wants to see is the guy they intend to decimate on fight night, especially in a closed vicinity and days before the event.
The training regime of a combatant more times than not is lonely and both mentally and physically taxing—they’re hurting, they miss their loved ones and something or someone is going to have pay for that pain when proceedings get underway.
With that in mind, the UFC has a policy of housing its fighters in the same hotel for several days leading up to a show.
That said, in the main event of UFC 147, “The Axe Murderer” and “Ace” were the consummate epitome of “wearing your heart on your sleeve” in a thrilling slugfest that garnered Fight of the Night honors. The two veterans of the sport knocked each other from pillar to post.
And albeit Franklin (29-6-1NC MMA, 14-5 UFC) took home the victory via unanimous decision, as was the case in their 2009 encounter, Silva (34-12-1-1NC MMA, 4-7 UFC) left the Octagon with his pride intact, knowing he’d given it his all and then some.
Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva are just shells of their former selves, but they proved at UFC 147 that they are still potent forces inside the octagon.Franklin used his precision strikes and constant movement to defeat Silva by unanimous decision, b…
Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva are just shells of their former selves, but they proved at UFC 147 that they are still potent forces inside the octagon.
Franklin used his precision strikes and constant movement to defeat Silva by unanimous decision, but the former Pride middleweight champion didn’t go down easy. He landed a couple thunderous blows throughout the fight, including a vicious right hand that found its home on Franklin’s chin in the second round.
Franklin was able to recover, though, keeping his hopes for another middleweight title alive.
There’s no obvious next step for the 37-year-old Franklin, who has repeatedly said that he wants one more title shot before he retires. There is currently a logjam behind the top two middleweights—Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen—with the likes of Vitor Belfort, Mark Munoz, Luke Rockhold, Hector Lombard, Chris Weidman and Alan Belcher all potentially standing in the way of Franklin’s goal.
Right now, the most likely opponents for his next fight appear to be Belcher and Belfort. Both are coming off impressive victories (Rousimar Palhares and Anthony Johnson, respectively) and don’t have their next fights scheduled.
Either fight would be intriguing, and a victory would put Franklin in prime position to face the winner of Silva-Sonnen for the middleweight crown.
Meanwhile, Silva is stuck in the UFC’s version of purgatory. He’s lost seven of his last 10 fights, and at 35 years old, he’s got no shot at climbing the ladder for another title shot.
That being said, the legendary Brazilian is still one of the most entertaining fighters in the sport. Three of his last five bouts have earned Fight of the Night honors, and he proved on Saturday that his powerful right hand is still one of the most dangerous weapons in MMA.
Some have called for Silva to retire, but if he wants to continue, there will certainly be a place for him in future UFC events.
Wanderlei Silva was once one of the biggest stars in UFC and will always be remembered as such, but after losing to Rich Franklin for a second time at UFC 147 on Saturday, it is now time for the Brazilian to retire from mixed martial arts.Six years ago…
Wanderlei Silva was once one of the biggest stars in UFC and will always be remembered as such, but after losing to Rich Franklin for a second time at UFC 147 on Saturday, it is now time for the Brazilian to retire from mixed martial arts.
Six years ago, the now-35-year-old Silva held a career record of 31-5-1 and was still on top of his game. Since that point, however, things have gone downhill for him.
Silva is just 3-7 over his past 10 fights and he simply isn’t the same dominant fighter that he was for so many years. Silva continues to hang in there and put forth great effort, but it isn’t getting the job done anymore.
Rich Franklin is a solid fighter in his own right, but he is 37 years old and somebody who Silva should be able to beat. Franklin has defeated him twice in convincing fashion, though, and he looks like the younger fighter when that isn’t the case.
Silva has been fighting since 1996 and has been in nearly 50 bouts, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he is starting to slow down. Silva has more tread on his tires than most UFC fighters ever have, and it seems to have taken its toll on him.
As tough as it may be for long-time fans of the sport to hear, ultimate fighting is a young man’s game. In one respect, Silva’s experience is an asset as it can help him in the Octagon, but if his body can’t put his knowledge to work, then it’s simply counterproductive at this point.
Most fans still view Silva as an all-time great, but if he continues to fight and lose, then his legacy figures to be tarnished.
Watching an athlete attempt to relive his past glory when he doesn’t have anything left in the tank is always a sad thing to see. It seems to happen often in UFC, but Silva needs to make sure that he doesn’t become one of those guys.
Silva used to be one of the most vicious and dangerous fighters in the sport, and that is how he should be remembered.
Perhaps older fans of the sport won’t forget Silva’s early accomplishments, but all newer fans have seen over the past few years is Silva losing. He likely isn’t viewed as a legitimate contender by anyone who has picked up UFC in the past five years, so he isn’t receiving his due credit.
I’m sure fighting is something that Silva loves to do and the paychecks must be nice as well, but there are more important things to consider.
Not only has his reputation been damaged, but he is putting himself in harm’s way now more than ever. MMA always has and always will be a dangerous sport, but Silva used to be the hunter. Now he is the hunted, however, and it puts him at a much greater risk to be injured.
Silva has already proven all he needs to prove in UFC, but I get the feeling that pride is what makes him continue fighting. Silva should hold his head up high and retire with dignity now, though, rather than continuing down his current path.
Not only is Silva’s won-lost record being damaged, but he could be harmed significantly on a physical level as well if he doesn’t do the smart thing and walk away.
Perhaps even more surprising than the amount of viewers who caught UFC 147 from home were those who actually attended the event live. If you recall, the UFC was giving out full refunds for the event to those who had purchased tickets prior to the aforementioned injury curse (something we later found out was simply in accordance with Brazilian law), which didn’t exactly lead us to believe that the event would draw in an astounding 16,643 fans. Now there’s some dedication that should be applauded.
Although we have yet to hear back on the PPV numbers from the event (which will likely be much, much lower than any in recent memory), it is great to hear, at least for the UFC, that an event as lackluster on paper as UFC 147 was can still reel in numbers as significant as those. But could you imagine how great UFC 147 would have been given the original lineup? It would be like if David Hasselhoff and Rammstein played a joint concert at a bratwurst and beer festival in Hamburg on Pfingstmontag, for Christ’s sake. This is just one of the many reasons we need to eliminate the UN, Potato Nation.
Here’s the story. I was all set to take my latest trip into the Octagon on Sunday night, but a rain storm here in merry old England knocked out the satellite signal while I was recording the show. This meant that I had to wait to record the repeat showing in the early hours of Tuesday morning.