(It’s the fight *business*, okay? It’s not the fight let’s-be-best-friends-and-attend-the-Paranormal-Activity-4-premiere-together-and-share-a-large-Sprite-and-“accidentally”-brush-hands-during-the-scary-parts.)
Could Anderson Silva be shifting his stance on a potential superfight with Jon Jones? In a new interview with SporTV, the Spider actually makes that match sound like a possibility for the first time, but only under specific circumstances — namely, if Jones accepts the fight first, and the fight is held at a catchweight, and his middleweight belt isn’t on the line. Still, that’s progress, right? Here’s Silva’s quote:
“People are talking about [a Silva/Jones superfight] so much that… I don’t have this ambition, this (fight) doesn’t motivate me, especially since they have other athletes in my team, such as Lil’ Nog, Maldonado, Feijao, Caldeirao (Wagner Prado), that are in his weight class. My weight class is 185, my belt is of that weight class. But people are talking so much about this, and we are employees of the UFC.
Of course, I could be saying that I don’t want it, but what if he goes out and accepts the money Dana is proposing for him to fight? It will be hard (not to accept it). It’s not the money that motivates me to fight, I fight because I like it. So, I don’t know. I wouldn’t like (to fight him). But if it’s going to happen, it would have to be at a catchweight. The belt shouldn’t be at play. I already have mine and I don’t want a belt to be left at the side.”
(It’s the fight *business*, okay? It’s not the fight let’s-be-best-friends-and-attend-the-Paranormal-Activity-4-premiere-together-and-share-a-large-Sprite-and-”accidentally”-brush-hands-during-the-scary-parts.)
Could Anderson Silva be shifting his stance on a potential superfight with Jon Jones? In a new interview with SporTV, the Spider actually makes that match sound like a possibility for the first time, but only under specific circumstances — namely, if Jones accepts the fight first, and the fight is held at a catchweight, and his middleweight belt isn’t on the line. Still, that’s progress, right? Here’s Silva’s quote:
“People are talking about [a Silva/Jones superfight] so much that… I don’t have this ambition, this (fight) doesn’t motivate me, especially since they have other athletes in my team, such as Lil’ Nog, Maldonado, Feijao, Caldeirao (Wagner Prado), that are in his weight class. My weight class is 185, my belt is of that weight class. But people are talking so much about this, and we are employees of the UFC.
Of course, I could be saying that I don’t want it, but what if he goes out and accepts the money Dana is proposing for him to fight? It will be hard (not to accept it). It’s not the money that motivates me to fight, I fight because I like it. So, I don’t know. I wouldn’t like (to fight him). But if it’s going to happen, it would have to be at a catchweight. The belt shouldn’t be at play. I already have mine and I don’t want a belt to be left at the side.”
Jon Jones has been in this situation before, but on the other side of the equation. He and former training partner Rashad Evans originally vowed to not fight each other, until Jones switched his stance and stated that he would fight Rashad if that’s what the UFC absolutely wanted from him — which put Rashad in an awkward position. Now, Jones knows how Sugar felt. If Silva says he’d at least entertain the idea of fighting Jones, then Jones has to do the same or risk accusations of bitchassness. And that’s how superfights get made, folks.
Still, I think the biggest stumbling block to putting this fight together will be the catchweight that Silva mentioned. Since neither man wants to put his belt on the line for the match, it’ll have to take place somewhere between 185 and 205 pounds. And Jones — a future heavyweight who already cuts a lot of weight to make 205 — might not be interested in wringing out his body any further.
Meanwhile, Silva continues to blatantly duck Chris Weidman: “I don’t have any intention of fighting with [Weidman]. I still think he has a lot to do in the UFC. I am in a comfortable position and I am no longer a child, I am 37 years old, he’s a kid that is starting. Obviously, this might happen, but, I have two fights on my contract and I think one of them will be with St. Pierre and I don’t really have an intention in fighting with [Weidman] because I’m not a fool. I’m already an oldie, you know?”
At the end of the day, money is the greatest motivator in the fight business. And after a year marked by a conspicuous lack of blockbuster title fights, you can bet that the UFC will make any investment necessary to keep the Jones vs. Silva dream alive.
Judging from this new article on SporTV, Anderson Silva‘s current hiatus from fighting is exactly what we thought it was — a way to avoid title defenses against low-profile contenders and hold out for something big. Namely, a superfight against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Here’s what the Spider had to say about the fight he wants more than anything (translation via BloodyElbow):
“Regardless of who wins, even if St. Pierre loses, a fight with me can happen. A fight like this is above anything else. St. Pierre is one of the greatest of the UFC. Right now, a fight with Condit is meaningless.”
“Meaningless”! That’s heel-talk, brother! GSP was recently medically cleared to take on interim champ Carlos Condit at UFC 154 (November 17th, Montreal), and even if the Canadian legend loses that fight, it’s safe to assume that fans would still turn out in droves to see St. Pierre fight Anderson Silva sometime next year.
Here’s my only problem: If Silva is putting off middleweight title defenses against deserving contenders in order to wait for a potential match against GSP — which could be held at a catchweight below 185 pounds — shouldn’t Silva relinquish his middleweight title to do so? I’m not going to hate on Andy for making the last fights of his career count, but his pursuit of big paydays shouldn’t put an entire division on hold, right? Dana White might need to step in and regulate, or else we could eventually be looking at another ridiculous interim champion situation, and nobody wants that.
Judging from this new article on SporTV, Anderson Silva‘s current hiatus from fighting is exactly what we thought it was — a way to avoid title defenses against low-profile contenders and hold out for something big. Namely, a superfight against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Here’s what the Spider had to say about the fight he wants more than anything (translation via BloodyElbow):
“Regardless of who wins, even if St. Pierre loses, a fight with me can happen. A fight like this is above anything else. St. Pierre is one of the greatest of the UFC. Right now, a fight with Condit is meaningless.”
“Meaningless”! That’s heel-talk, brother! GSP was recently medically cleared to take on interim champ Carlos Condit at UFC 154 (November 17th, Montreal), and even if the Canadian legend loses that fight, it’s safe to assume that fans would still turn out in droves to see St. Pierre fight Anderson Silva sometime next year.
Here’s my only problem: If Silva is putting off middleweight title defenses against deserving contenders in order to wait for a potential match against GSP — which could be held at a catchweight below 185 pounds — shouldn’t Silva relinquish his middleweight title to do so? I’m not going to hate on Andy for making the last fights of his career count, but his pursuit of big paydays shouldn’t put an entire division on hold, right? Dana White might need to step in and regulate, or else we could eventually be looking at another ridiculous interim champion situation, and nobody wants that.
There’s just one small problem. As Cyborg told host Ariel Helwani, cutting to Rousey’s weight class of 135 pounds would be a physical impossibility for the Brazilian banger, who’s currently walking around at a lean 160. But maybe Ronda could meet her halfway? As Cyborg explained:
“I really wanna fight Ronda. I really want to. She says bad things about me. I never say bad things about my opponent. I want to do my best in the Octagon, and if she says she wants to fight me, she can come to my weight or at 140…She started at 145. And she’s running to 135. She’s running to not fight me. And after, she speaks a lot of s— about me. I want to fight her soon. I’m very excited to fight her. And when we’re in the Octagon, we’ll see if she says anything. And if she says anything, I can punch her.”
There’s just one small problem. As Cyborg told host Ariel Helwani, cutting to Rousey’s weight class of 135 pounds would be a physical impossibility for the Brazilian banger, who’s currently walking around at a lean 160. But maybe Ronda could meet her halfway? As Cyborg explained:
“I really wanna fight Ronda. I really want to. She says bad things about me. I never say bad things about my opponent. I want to do my best in the Octagon, and if she says she wants to fight me, she can come to my weight or at 140…She started at 145. And she’s running to 135. She’s running to not fight me. And after, she speaks a lot of s— about me. I want to fight her soon. I’m very excited to fight her. And when we’re in the Octagon, we’ll see if she says anything. And if she says anything, I can punch her.”
Well, I don’t know about this “running” business — 135 pounds is clearly Rousey’s ideal weight class, and swelling back up to fight a 160-pound Cyborg puts Ronda at an obvious disadvantage. Still, Dana White recently said that Rousey is the one woman he could see fighting in the UFC sometime in the future, and she’d need a high-profile dance partner. So who cares if the fight is held at a 140-pound catchweight, and who cares if there’s a belt on the line? Ronda vs. Cyborg needs to be booked, just for it’s potential to promote women’s MMA, and when it happens, it should be on a UFC pay-per-view. Breaking the gender barrier could be just what the UFC needs to pull out of its rut. Make it happen, Zuffa.
I have purchased pay per views from the Ultimate Fighting Championship since 1994, where I was welcomed to the sport with Pat Smith turning the face of Scott Morris into a Manwich at UFC 2: No Way Out. It was like heroin after that – I was addicted. Since then, I estimate that I have shelled out well over $5000 on PPVs alone, much less another sizeable chunk of change on tickets to live events and the obligatory UFC merchandise (who can live without the life-sized GSP cardboard cut-out – NOT ME).
Throughout that time I have been an advocate of MMA to the uninformed masses that I’ve encountered at watering holes across this great land. For every, “That UFC shit is just a legalized bar fight” comment, I would swoop in like Dogwelder to defend the UFC and its competitors. It was almost a grass roots effort by the early UFC supporters to educate the ignorant and let them know that this is a real sport filled with unbelievably talented athletes. The edification continues today as many intelligent fans try to shun the perceived stigma that we are a bunch of tatted-up dudes wearing flat-billed TAPOUT hats and driving small-penis-compensating monster trucks while applying ring worm ointment to our wounds.
Then there was the figure-head, the fearless leader that was taking all the media scrutiny head-on and paving the way while holding up his middle finger to the man. After the ZUFFA purchase, Dana White was a perfect fit during the infancy of the UFC’s push towards legitimacy. Adopting rules and weight classes and marketing the shit out of the product culminated in a 7 year deal with FOX and its affiliates. Now the UFC is on the precipice of its fourth nationally televised FOX card and the ratings have plummeted from 5.7 million during UFC on FOX 1 (Cain Velasquez VS Junior Dos Santos) to 2.4 million during UFC on FOX 3 (Nate Diaz VS Jim Miller).
I don’t think it is a coincidence that viewership and PPV buys are down. I have always been a staunch supporter of the brand and even I, a die hard fan, am starting to see chinks in the UFC armor. The reasons have been dissected on CP with various posts but I believe that this is just the beginning of problems for the UFC unless some changes are made pronto. I am not saying that the UFC is in the toilet but as the organization has grown in stature from eviscerating the competition, a standard evolution needs to happen.
So with that in mind, here are five ways that the UFC can move from their current plateau all the way to the mountain top.
(When Zuffa purchased the UFC, Dana White actually had hair. There is no punchline, just a fact worth mentioning.)
I have purchased pay per views from the Ultimate Fighting Championship since 1994, where I was welcomed to the sport with Pat Smith turning the face of Scott Morris into a Manwich at UFC 2: No Way Out. It was like heroin after that – I was addicted. Since then, I estimate that I have shelled out well over $5000 on PPVs alone, much less another sizeable chunk of change on tickets to live events and the obligatory UFC merchandise (who can live without the life-sized GSP cardboard cut-out – NOT ME).
Throughout that time I have been an advocate of MMA to the uninformed masses that I’ve encountered at watering holes across this great land. For every, “That UFC shit is just a legalized bar fight” comment, I would swoop in like Dogwelder to defend the UFC and its competitors. It was almost a grass roots effort by the early UFC supporters to educate the ignorant and let them know that this is a real sport filled with unbelievably talented athletes. The edification continues today as many intelligent fans try to shun the perceived stigma that we are a bunch of tatted-up dudes wearing flat-billed TAPOUT hats and driving small-penis-compensating monster trucks while applying ring worm ointment to our wounds.
Then there was the figure-head, the fearless leader that was taking all the media scrutiny head-on and paving the way while holding up his middle finger to the man. After the ZUFFA purchase, Dana White was a perfect fit during the infancy of the UFC’s push towards legitimacy. Adopting rules and weight classes and marketing the shit out of the product culminated in a 7 year deal with FOX and its affiliates. Now the UFC is on the precipice of its fourth nationally televised FOX card and the ratings have plummeted from 5.7 million during UFC on FOX 1 (Cain Velasquez VS Junior Dos Santos) to 2.4 million during UFC on FOX 3 (Nate Diaz VS Jim Miller).
I don’t think it is a coincidence that viewership and PPV buys are down. I have always been a staunch supporter of the brand and even I, a die hard fan, am starting to see chinks in the UFC armor. The reasons have been dissected on CP with various posts but I believe that this is just the beginning of problems for the UFC unless some changes are made pronto. I am not saying that the UFC is in the toilet but as the organization has grown in stature from eviscerating the competition, a standard evolution needs to happen.
So with that in mind, here are five ways that the UFC can move from their current plateau all the way to the mountain top.
1. DEAL WITH OVERSATURATION (Example A: Deeming matchups like these headliner-worthy.)
There are (and I can’t believe I am saying this) an overabundance of fights provided (both free or PPVs) throughout the Zuffa calendar year, and the fans have been inundated with this variety of contests. The fact that there are three Zuffa-run cards (UFC on FOX 4, UFC 150 and a Strikeforce event) over the course of the next three weeks illustrates my point exactly. Great, right? Well, seeing how it has been a thoroughly mixed bag of good and bad fight cards, it is not all roses. UFC on FOX 2 showcased every fight going to a decision, TUF LIVE tanked, and who could forget the turd in the swimming pool that was UFC 149.
Sure, it is easy to pick on the bad cards, but there is a mammoth quantity of MEDIO-CORE fighters on the roster due to Zuffa buying most of the competition. So the UFC has gone from 19 fight cards (12 PPV mixed with 7 Fight Night/TUF Finales) in 2007 to holding somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 this year (and that is UFC only events). Yes, we all get to see more fights, but I remember when a UFC card was an event in and of itself. It was a special, once-a-month occasion, and now (with the exception of the occasional championship fight) it seems to have grown a bit monotonous. The UFC needs to trim the herd or start a lower level organization for up-and-comers or wash-outs while keeping the cream of the crop for the main cards. I vaguely recall an organization that accomplished this perfectly (Wicked Exciting Cagefighting?). Wonder what happened to those guys.
2. BOOK THE MARQUEE MATCHUPS
Dana White has said on numerous occasions that the difference between the UFC and boxing has a lot to do with promoters as well as the UFC’s ability to put the big fights together. That used to be true. The Potato Nation was fairly vocal about an Anderson Silva vs. GSP bout not that long ago. It never happened. The new flavor of the week is Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones. That is another fight that is more than likely not going to happen, because as we all know, Bones doesn’t want to risk ruining “his greatness.” Hubris, Jon, it has its pratfalls.
When the UFC brass announcing that the most exciting winner on the UFC on FOX 4 card will be next in line for a LHW title shot, we were all a bit confused. Two things MUST happen for this announcement to hold any credence. First off, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has to turn Brandon Vera’s nose into Cung Le’s toe and earn the #1 contender status. Secondly, Dan Henderson must land his H-Bomb on the chin of Bones and put him to sleep. Then we get Hendo VS Shogun II for the LHW championship of the world, a notion that has already given me (and all of you people) a half-chub. Let’s be perfectly honest, although it is possible for these scenarios to play out, the likelihood of both materializing is a stretch. The UFC used to make the real main event fights happen. The BJ Penn vs Matt Hughes and GSP fights and the Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz fights were all must-see TV and the ratings proved it.
Click the “next” tab to learn yourself three more ways the UFC can turn things around…
(It’s completely involuntary at this point — even when somebody tries to pat Anderson on the back, he slips it.)
Anderson Silva has beaten up enough middleweights, right? We can all agree on that? Now that he’s finished his toughest rival for the second time, the UFC legend is looking ahead to a pack of potential challengers — including Michael Bisping*, Hector Lombard**, and Mark Munoz*** — who, frankly, wouldn’t pose many challenges that Silva hasn’t already met and overcome. And with his competitive days running out, don’t we want to see Anderson in a super-fight against somebody who might actually give him a run for his money?
Well, Jon Jones doesn’t want to be that guy, so stop asking. During an appearance on ESPN’s Max & Marcellus show yesterday (via BleacherReport), the UFC’s light-heavyweight champ laid out exactly why he’s not interested in a date with the Spider. And while you might not appreciate the explanation, you have to respect his honesty. Maybe. Here’s what he said:
(It’s completely involuntary at this point — even when somebody tries to pat Anderson on the back, he slips it.)
Anderson Silva has beaten up enough middleweights, right? We can all agree on that? Now that he’s finished his toughest rival for the second time, the UFC legend is looking ahead to a pack of potential challengers — including Michael Bisping*, Hector Lombard**, and Mark Munoz*** — who, frankly, wouldn’t pose many challenges that Silva hasn’t already met and overcome. And with his competitive days running out, don’t we want to see Anderson in a super-fight against somebody who might actually give him a run for his money?
Well, Jon Jones doesn’t want to be that guy, so stop asking. During an appearance on ESPN’s Max & Marcellus show yesterday (via BleacherReport), the UFC’s light-heavyweight champ laid out exactly why he’s not interested in a date with the Spider. And while you might not appreciate the explanation, you have to respect his honesty. Maybe. Here’s what he said:
“It’s not that he won’t fight me or I won’t fight him. To be dead honest, it’s that we both have a lot to lose and we both respect each other a lot and we both are striving for personal greatness. I don’t want to crack on his greatness and I don’t want him cracking on my greatness. We’re in completely different weight classes. We both have sponsor deals and things that are really important to us and a big part of that sponsorship package is being a winning…being a champion. Having us fight each other means one of our championships goes away. I respect Anderson Silva so much that I don’t want to be the guy to beat him. I don’t want to lose to him either. It’s a lose-lose situation for me.”
In other words, losing is bad for business. Also, some crap about “respect,” but I think we get the point. For the record, Anderson Silva also has no interest in a fight with Jones — but UFC president Dana White hasn’t given up hope yet. “[Silva] said he wouldn’t fight Chael again, either,” White told USA Today. ”The two times he went to 205, it wasn’t because he wanted to, it was because I asked him to…Let’s see what happens.”
Anybody think Dana can strong-arm two of his champions into giving the fans a super-fight for the ages? Or has Jones convinced you that this fight would do more harm than good?
* The British Rich Franklin, basically.
** The Cuban Vitor Belfort, basically.
*** The Filipino-American Chael Sonnen, basically.
Superfights. It’s something that has been talked about since the sport of mixed martial arts first came to be. However, discussions of potential superfights have since escalated into an actual reality in which the UFC has deeply considered them. …
Superfights. It’s something that has been talked about since the sport of mixed martial arts first came to be. However, discussions of potential superfights have since escalated into an actual reality in which the UFC has deeply considered them. It’s rare a day goes by when fans aren’t hyping up the future showdown between Anderson […]
