It’s getting to the stage where we cease to be in awe of Anderson Silva’s ability to seemingly defy the natural laws. His routine, repetitive brilliance has become so utterly predictable that the sublime risks becoming mundane. We all marve…
It’s getting to the stage where we cease to be in awe of Anderson Silva’s ability to seemingly defy the natural laws. His routine, repetitive brilliance has become so utterly predictable that the sublime risks becoming mundane.
We all marvelled at the ease with which he disposed of Stephan Bonnar, waxing lyrical about his uncommon physical gifts.
With that said, where does Saturday night’s circus-like exhibition rank in relation to his other celebrated feats?
Without further delay, I present to you Anderson “The Spider” Silva’s top five UFC performances.
That last lesson came at a price that Maldanado will likely pay down the line in terms of brain function, but who needs brains when you have to special order your underwear to hold your massive balls? And if there’s any country out there that appreciates as gritty a performance as Maldonado gave on Saturday, it’s Brazil. And while they rallied around fellow Brazilian Glover Teixeira’s solid performance against Maldonado, they were quick to support their fallen comrade as well.
So in an effort to support Maldonado’s incredible display of heart, fellow UFC 153 participants/Brazilians Anderson Silva and Antonio Nogueira (along with Lil Nog) paid Maldonado a visit in the hospital. Tears were spilled, laughs were shared, and we’re pretty sure at least one of them fired up the grill, so check out the pair of photos and let us know who you’d like to see Maldonado fight next now that his UFC future is safe for the moment.
(“You got punched where? And by who? I’m not sure I understand.”)
If anything, UFC 153 provided us with several entertaining moments to confirm what we already knew, or at least hoped, to be true:
That last lesson came at a price that Maldanado will likely pay down the line in terms of brain function, but who needs brains when you have to special order your underwear to hold your massive balls? And if there’s any country out there that appreciates as gritty a performance as Maldonado gave on Saturday, it’s Brazil. And while they rallied around fellow Brazilian Glover Teixeira’s solid performance against Maldonado, they were quick to support their fallen comrade as well.
So in an effort to support Maldonado’s incredible display of heart, fellow UFC 153 participants/Brazilians Anderson Silva and Antonio Nogueira (along with Lil Nog) paid Maldonado a visit in the hospital. Tears were spilled, laughs were shared, and we’re pretty sure at least one of them fired up the grill, so check out the pair of photos and let us know who you’d like to see Maldonado fight next now that his UFC future is safe for the moment.
UFC 153 offered up a number of compelling contests, many of which came prior to the main broadcast during the oftentimes overlooked prelims—yet more evidence of why people should always tune in early on fight night.Indeed, three of the fights wer…
UFC 153 offered up a number of compelling contests, many of which came prior to the main broadcast during the oftentimes overlooked prelims—yet more evidence of why people should always tune in early on fight night.
Indeed, three of the fights were amongst the most exciting of the entire evening.
Read on to see how I ranked UFC 153’s preliminary bouts.
UFC 153 started off as a card that was going to put Jose Aldo in front of fans in Brazil for another title defense and then was changed to Frankie Edgar in a fight that fans had wanted to see since Edgar attained the lightweight title. Ultimately, inju…
UFC 153 started off as a card that was going to put Jose Aldo in front of fans in Brazil for another title defense and then was changed to Frankie Edgar in a fight that fans had wanted to see since Edgar attained the lightweight title. Ultimately, injuries once again plagued the UFC, and the main event needed two saviors.
Answering the call were Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar.
The two met inside the Octagon for what turned out to be another incredible performance from Silva, showcasing once again why he is considered the greatest fighter of all time.
His performance was typical yet extremely unique at the same time. Silva has painted the canvas of his career with highlight reel moments, and not just knockouts or submissions. When many fighters’ greatest moments are replayed, they start at the seconds leading up to the finish. With Anderson Silva, there are many moments within the fight itself that make his highlight reels.
This is because Silva is able to do things inside the cage that others cannot. Every person that steps inside the cage has some sort of talent, but many do not possess—or can implement—a unique style the way Silva does. Every man is beatable, and Silva is not invincible, but the manner in which he fights makes him seem untouchable.
In his bout with Bonnar, Silva was once again unpredictable and voluntarily kept his back and position against the cage. This position is usually not preferred since there is little to no room to escape and evade backwards, and the pressure and aggression are all on you. For Silva, he has defined his career from the middle of the cage or being the one on the outside attacking his opponent against the cage.
While the decision to stay on the cage was confusing initially, it does make sense with afterthought.
Bonnar was immediately written off by many when this fight was announced, but as the month rolled on leading up to the fight, many started to warm up to Bonnar’s chances. While still slim odds, Bonnar did posses some key things that gave him unique advantages. He had zero pressure going into the fight, had never been finished before and had a size—and possibly strength—advantage over Silva.
His best chances were to get into a top position on the ground and either smother Silva or look for submissions. This is where standing against the cage came into play. With Silva against the cage, it eliminated the forward motion of a takedown. If Silva was standing in the middle of the Octagon and Bonnar grabbed hold of a double or his body, he could have used his strength and size to bulldoze forward and used the momentum to put Silva’s weight off balance, making him backpedal.
Silva standing against the cage provided a stop behind him as well as gave him a defined place to build a foundation and stand his ground. It eliminated a long sprawl but gave the best chance for him to base himself and prepare. Silva has shown improvement in his takedown defense after his first bout with ChaelSonnen and showed in his rematch with him that he was ready to supplement his lack of wrestling prowess. He showed this again with Bonnar.
Standing against the cage was also intelligent because it forced Bonnar to engage and be the aggressor. Had the two been standing in the middle of the cage, Bonnar and Silva could have sized each other up, thrown feelers out and kept circling and feinting. With Silva giving Bonnar the Octagon control, he forced Bonnar’s hand and made him engage. Bonnar is a fighter who would have engaged anyway, but it gave Silva the mental edge to know that he had Bonnar on the offensive.
Most of Silva’s most memorable performances and incredible knockouts have come from guys who had tried to stand in front of him and exchange. By being confident in his head movement, ability to take a punch and countering, Silva made Bonnar fight his fight. Along with the aforementioned mental edge, he also may have had another psychological factor involved.
No fighter had stood against the cage in such a manner, and it may very well have been a tactic no one—including Bonnar—expected him to use. His positioning and demeanor may have thrown Bonnar off his game plan. Silva is a very intelligent fighter, and beyond the “Medusa effect” that he has on some opponents, he does various things to try to visually and mentally throw off his challengers.
While Silva wanted to save the card and entertain the crowd, his actions in the cage spoke louder statements than just being flashy. He may look like he is playing around, but it is his style and ability to pull off such moves inside the cage in the heat of competition that he is showcasing. Silva is not so much an entertainer, but an entertaining fighter. His strategies against Bonnar were a true testament to his intelligence, his skills, and why he is revered as the best in the world.
Love him or hate him, we are witnessing greatness and history in the making.
Anderson Silva does not want to fight Jon Jones (listen to the “Spider” speak great English in his post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani).At least, that is what he tells the world anytime someone asks him about what would easily be the most anticipat…
At least, that is what he tells the world anytime someone asks him about what would easily be the most anticipated fight in MMA history.
After Silva’s one-sided waxing of Stephan Bonnar this past weekend at UFC 153, color commentator Joe Rogan asked the middleweight champ the obvious question: “Can we expect more fights from you at light heavyweight?”
Silva’s reply: “No. I am not going to fight at 205 again. I fought at 205 to save the event.” Silva stepped up when UFC 153 lost both its main and co-main events.
Silva not moving up to fight at 205 again would all but rule out a fight opposite Jon Jones, the current 205-pound champ.
For his part, Dana White, at the post-fight presser, had this to say in regard to the potential of a Silva vs. Jones superfight: “I know my man (Silva) says, ‘No, no, no,’ but for the amount of money that would be offered for that fight, I guarantee you I will make Anderson Silva say, ‘Yes, yes, yes.'”
While Dana was saying this, Silva was shaking his head and hammed up a facial expression of physical pain at the idea.
Later, in the post-fight media scrum—where a few hardcore MMA reporters gather around Dana in a more intimate setting—John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com asked Mr. White if he could pinpoint Silva’s reluctance to fight Jon Jones, and if he thought Silva was just negotiating with him.
Dana stated, “He’s playing games with me, that’s what he is doing. I know how he works, and I know how he thinks.”
White went on to say that Silva will want to prove, by the time he leaves, who the man is. Right now, Silva is clearly the man. But if Jones continues to rack up impressive wins while the meme that Silva is “ducking” Jones continues to proliferate…at what point do the fans start to waver on who they think numerouno is?
So if we are to believe Dana, all it will take to convince Silva to fight Jones is pressure and time, some game-playing and, ultimately, money—lots and lots of dinero. By no means Floyd Mayweather money, but for an MMA fighter, it would probably have to top whatever Brock Lesnar made for a fight.
However, at the post-fight presser, Silva stated that ever since he started training in martial arts, he has never thought about money. He concluded his line of reasoning as to why he is opposed to a fight with Jones by saying, “I’m old, guys…I’m getting old. I’m retired. I’m nearly there. I’ve only got another five years.”
Upon hearing that, Dana let out a delighted chuckle and said, “God, I hope he is right. Five more years would be awesome. I will fly down here, I’ll lock myself in a room with Jorge [Guimaraes], Ed Soares and him, and I’ll make this fight.”
At that, Silva once again shook his head while wagging both his index fingers, signaling “no.”
Silva revealed that he has two fights left on his current deal and that he expects one of them to be with current welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre.
“I think it’d be a great challenge for me,” Silva said. “I prefer him over Jon Jones. He’s smaller. It’ll be a little bit easier. I’ll be hit less.”
So is Silva simply holding out for the right amount of money? Is he, in fact, afraid to face Jon Jones—not keen at the idea of ending his career by potentially getting beaten up by a younger, larger champion?
And where is Jon Jones in all of this? He has reiterated that he does not want to fight Silva, but perhaps after a few more one-sided wins, he will drop the “I respect him too much to fight him” line and actually starting calling Silva out.
Only time will tell if “the greatest of all time” decides to bow to the increasing peer pressure from both Dana White and the fans and subsequently bow to Jon Jones as he stands across from him in the Octagon.
It came as no surprise when Anderson Silva bagged most of the headlines during the post-mortem of UFC 153, but the performances of Jon Fitch and Demian Maia offer a more meaningful narrative, particularly as pertains to the UFC’s welterweight div…
It came as no surprise when Anderson Silva bagged most of the headlines during the post-mortem of UFC 153, but the performances of Jon Fitch and Demian Maia offer a more meaningful narrative, particularly as pertains to the UFC’s welterweight division.
Erick Silva was supposed to be the next big thing in the 170-pound weight class—and he might yet be—and it seemed as though Jon Fitch was little more than meat for the beast.
The AKA veteran’s last performance inside the cage could scarcely have gone worse. Knocked out within a few seconds of the opening bell, some speculated as to whether Fitch had already seen his best days.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, it’s fair to say that rumours of Jon Fitch’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Indeed, the former welterweight title challenger looked better than ever on Saturday night.
More shocking still was how utterly compelling his bout with Erick Silva was.
According to some, Jon Fitch fights were occasionally prescribed by neurologists as a cure for fatal familial insomnia. Yet based on how absorbing his most recent contest was, his future bouts may be better suited to treating narcolepsy.
One could argue that Silva’s ability to compete with the 34-year-old’s usual smothering tactics was responsible for making the fight so engrossing, but it is worth pointing out that Fitch was vocal about his intention to win the fight of the night bonus.
Make no mistake, his performance was no fluke.
Crucially, it was also incredibly effective. His usual M.O. of takedowns and pitter-patter punches was replaced by a more forceful, aggressive style that was designed to render the judge’s scorecards irrelevant.
He may still have some way to go before he earns another crack at the gold, but Jon Fitch is at least back on the right path.
Perhaps more surprising than Fitch’s heroics was Demian Maia’s swift dismissal of Rick Story, one of the toughest “outs” in the welterweight division.
The Brazilian’s long overdue cut to 170 pounds has thus far proven to be profitable. No longer faced with larger opposition, he has had a much easier time securing takedowns—even against a tough wrestler like Story—in order to bring his potent BJJ game into play.
Joe Rogan has in the past mocked Maia’s lack of natural athletic ability, suggesting that he “moves like the whitest guy on Earth.” While this may be true—if a touch cruel—the size advantage he enjoys at welterweight in many ways negates his physical limitations.
The multiple-time BJJ world champion has the kind of submission game that is equivalent to Anderson Silva’s striking. In other words, if he is able to dictate where the fight takes place, your chances of going home with a win bonus are slimmer than the cast of America’s Next Top Model.
It goes without saying that matching Jon Fitch and Demian Maia up would make for an extremely intriguing contest.
There are clearly some compelling storylines to explore should Joe Silva decide to put that particular fight together.
While Fitch has an unshakable belief in his grappling, one wonders whether he would, for the first time in his career, voluntarily engage in a kickboxing match.
Would Maia be able to dictate the terms of the fight against such a dominant MMA wrestler, even with his size advantage?
Whatever direction the UFC takes with Fitch and Maia, there is no denying that both have made their presence known in the 170-pound division.
