Chris Weidman shocked the MMA world at UFC 162 by not only defeating the unbeatable Anderson Silva but by also stopping him early in the second round of their championship affair.
For all that Weidman’s accomplishment represents, it seems that very lit…
Chris Weidman shocked the MMA world at UFC 162 by not only defeating the unbeatable Anderson Silva but by also stopping him early in the second round of their championship affair.
For all that Weidman’s accomplishment represents, it seems that very little has changed between the time the fight was announced to the time the result was announced.
For one thing, UFC president Dana White has been insistent that Weidman vs. Silva II will happen—and will happen immediately—more or less wiping away the impact of the outcome.
While the belt will adorn Weidman’s waist during the rematch’s pre-fight festivities rather than Silva’s, that’s about the only tangible difference that will be demonstrated between Weidman vs. Silva I and Weidman vs. Silva II.
The odd nature of the UFC 162 main event rendered the result unconvincing in the eyes of many. It has even gotten to the point where speculation that the bout was fixed has gained some serious momentum.
Such speculation is ridiculous for a multitude of reasons, but the fact that many MMA fans are unable or unwilling to accept a Silva defeat is representative of how Weidman vs. Silva II is being perceived in the early going.
Not only has the former champ been given a mulligan by White in the form of an instant do-over, but he has also been excused by oddsmakers.
Given how Weidman controlled the action even before Silva decided to kick off his Sunday shoes, the line seems pretty harsh. It’s not as tilted as the odds for UFC 162, but obviously Weidman’s win wasn’t enough to convince bookies any more than fans.
That’s good news for Weidman supporters though—it’s rare that you get to cash in on a big upset pick twice.
It’s hard to imagine when watching Anderson Silva do the things he does that he’s a 38-year-old fighter with nearly 40 professional fights to his record. While Silva’s age never seems to define him as he continues to reign over the UFC’s middleweight …
It’s hard to imagine when watching Anderson Silva do the things he does that he’s a 38-year-old fighter with nearly 40 professional fights to his record.
While Silva’s age never seems to define him as he continues to reign over the UFC’s middleweight division with an iron fist, there’s no denying that eventually it will all come to an end.Every fighter, no matter how great, eventually has to walk away from the sport.
In Silva’s case, despite the fact that he just recently signed a new long-term deal with the UFC, he has fewer years in front of him than behind, and talk of retirement will have to happen at some point.
It’s safe to say the fans, media and even fighters he’s bested will all realize at that moment just what MMA had in a fighter like Anderson Silva.
“I think that’s one of the things people don’t really think about or realize, but the day that comes when that man says ‘I’m going to retire’ it’s going to suck,” UFC president Dana White stated on Thursday when talking with a group of media at the UFC 162 festivities.
Silva’s dominance isn’t just seen by the eyes who have watched him do things inside the Octagon that no fighter has done before.The records back up the claims that Silva is the best ever, as he’s reeled off 16 straight victories inside the UFC, with a 10 straight title defenses as well.
He’s bounced up in weight to fight three times in a higher division, and he’s finished 14 of 16 opponents overall.
The only sports figure that White could come up with to compare to Silva is NBA legend and Hall of FamerMichael Jordan, who is widely considered the best ever in his sport as well.
“It’s literally like when (Michael) Jordan went away in basketball. How many games do they have a year in basketball, 80-something games? Whatever the number is, and you took it for granted every night that Jordan played right up until he left. I think that’s going to be the case with Anderson Silva too.”
White admits that every fight card is special in some way, but there is a different feeling whenever Silva is involved with a show.There’s an energy in the arena that Silva is about to do something special at any given moment. When it happens, everyone is left with their jaws on the floor and eyes wide open.
“When he fights, I’m like ‘oh s—t, something crazy’s going to happen tonight.’ If you look at the Vitor (Belfort) kick, what he did to Vitor, when (Stephan) Bonnar throws that spinning back kick and he steps to the side and then steps back in.He put his hands down and letting him hit him.”
“I mean, the s—t that this guy does.The list goes on and on.”
It’s to the point with Silva where White believes the biggest challenges lie within the fighter himself and not even so much the opponents he’s facing.Silva has already beaten the best of the best, so now he’s just pushing himself every time he fights in the Octagon.
“The guy is amazing. I think every time this guy goes out there, he has some crazy, weird way to challenge himself, and just kind of play with things.You know how confident you’ve got to be in your f—king abilities, and your chin, and your skills and your age and all that s—t, and how absolutely f—king bad ass you’ve got to be to do the things that this guy does.”
On April 16, 2003, Michael Jordan returned to the Washington Wizard’s bench with 1:44 left to go in the game as the entire crowd of over 20,000 fans in attendance rose to their feet and applauded him for three full minutes.It was Jordan’s final time to step foot on an NBA court, and fans realized at that moment just how special his career was over the years.
Silva hasn’t set a date or time when he may walk away from fighting, but when it happens, every fan, no matter where they are, no matter what they are doing, should appreciate the kind of greatness they witnessed every time the Brazilian champion strapped on his gloves and went to work for the day.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
The hot topic of the moment in mixed martial arts, fighter pay, got a little hotter Thursday when fired-up UFC president Dana White sat down to discuss the topic with the media following the UFC 162 pre-fight press conference. Many feel that for a comp…
The hot topic of the moment in mixed martial arts, fighter pay, got a little hotter Thursday when fired-up UFC president Dana White sat down to discuss the topic with the media following the UFC 162 pre-fight press conference.
Many feel that for a company allegedly worth as much as it claims, the UFC is underpaying the majority of its athletes. In a 2011 story in the New York Times, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said, “I feel pretty comfortable saying we’re the most valuable sports franchise on the planet, more than Manchester United, more than the New York Yankees, more than the Dallas Cowboys.”
Forbes recently put Manchester United’s worth at $2.23 billion, the Yankees at $1.85 billion and the Cowboys at the same value.
The UFC is a privately held company and it doesn’t disclose financials, so it’s hard to tell if Fertitta’s statement is accurate.
One way White said the UFC could change the pay scale is to get rid of fighter bonuses.
“It wasn’t just the fight of the night bonuses, it was all bonuses. There are a lot of bonuses that fly around this company, and the reality is that the bonuses that are given are bonuses that are deserved,” White said.
White then blasted those that he sees as complainers:
The guys that are complaining about this are the guys that don’t matter. That might sound [expletive] mean and harsh and ‘Why would nobody matter, everybody matters.’ We’re in a society now where everyone should win a trophy. No, everybody shouldn’t win a [expletive] trophy. The guys who stand out and the guys who deserve bonuses, the guys that make it exciting, and the guys that rise to the top are the guys that deserve the money.
White proceeded to point to two fighters he feels the system has really worked for, Joe Lauzon and Sam Stout. Fighters that White feels fans want to see and make a good living in the middle of the pack, delivering the type of exciting action that benefits them via bonuses. He had some harsh words for those that do not fit that description:
If you’re not that guy, and boo [expletive] hoo, you don’t matter. I’m sure that [expletive] sucks, and I’m sure that hurts. I’m sure you want to scream that from the rooftops. ‘I’m pissed, and this isn’t fair, and this isn’t right.’ This is [expletive] life, dude, get ready, because every day life is standing right there to kick you in the [expletive] face and you better be ready to do something about it.
White’s speech, while interesting, missed the point. White took the question of fighter pay and made it about the bonus aspect of the UFC pay structure. No one is saying that they aren’t thankful for the bonuses, but they are saying the base pay is low, a subject that was not addressed.
By threatening to remove bonuses, White is looking to create a rift between the fighters. As someone who has sat on both sides of the table during collective-bargaining sessions, I can tell you that White’s statement on removing the bonuses is one of the oldest tricks in the book from the management side. There’s always the implication (or is that a threat?) that a certain benefit will disappear for all when higher wages are sought. In this case, that threat is the removal of the bonus program.
Every sport has gone through this growth period, where the ink turns from red to very, very black. At that point, the owners have been forced to loosen the purse strings a bit. Most of the time, it was done very reluctantly through collective bargaining. The NHL is the most recent example of this growth. Between the 1984-85 and 2010-11 seasons, the average player salary grew from $149,000 to $1.93 million.
No one is saying the UFC salaries should reflect those of the NHL, NFL or MLB, or that the fighters will unionize, but for what the promotion asks of these fighters, the salaries do need to increase. This has zero to do with bonuses, and everything to do with base pay.
The pay issue is not going away for the UFC, and it will be interesting to see how the promotion handles things. Putting down the fighters and trying to create tension between the haves and have-nots in the UFC isn’t the solution.
When you keep telling everyone that will listen that the promotion you represent is bigger than the NFL, well, don’t be surprised when the fighters hear that and wonder when they will get their share of that growing pie.
*All quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report unless otherwise noted.
Chris Weidman shocked the MMA world at UFC 162 by not only defeating the unbeatable Anderson Silva but by also stopping him early in the second round of their championship affair.