Looking for a Fight @ UFC 162: The Aftermath

This isn't a dream. Chris Weidman is the UFC Champ. (espn.com)

If Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships, then the title fight between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman on Saturday night at the MGM Grand is the fight the launched a million blog comments.

In one of the most surreal fights in the UFC, the pound-for-pound champion was flattened by 9-0 #1 contender Weidman in the early 2nd round. Like most things though, it's not the final outcome, but how the final outcome happened that left fight fans everywhere speechless. People have read, seen, heard, or absorbed what happened Saturday night, but in short Silva goofed around with a very dangerous opponent and for the first time in his UFC career paid for it.

As I was watching the fight, after Silva got back to his feet after an early takedown and submission attempt by Weidman the Maia/Griffin/Bonnar shenanigans began. This time though, Silva must have attended the Actor's Studio because his motions and antics were even more pronounced and foolish. So seeing him horizontal with the floor of the Octagon was jarring enough, once he had a chance to explain himself in the ring to Joe Rogan, that's when things really went crazy.

Silva was gracious in defeat, but he also mentioned not wanting a rematch. He wanted to get back to Brazil with his family. Weidman was the champion and he deserved respect. For a man that had rarely known defeat, a man who many consider the best fighter on the planet to seem so ... relieved at losing his title this led to a whole new world of questions.

Was the pressure getting to him? Was the fight fixed? Was Silva too confident? Did Silva underestimate Weidman? What the hell just happened?

I'm not conspiracy theorist (although I do love hearing about them) so assuming any sort of fight fixing is a bridge too far for me. What makes Silva's in-ring decisions so hard to grasp is that the man himself is hard to grasp. Dana White has said on multiple occassions that Silva can act erratic and odd. "He's like a great artist," White would say when referencing his handling of Silva. Well, you know what happens to great artists? They go fucking nuts sometimes.

They chop their ear off, they break up a gigantic band in their prime, they disappear, they kill themselves, and on and on. Look, being a genius is all kinds of fun until you have to deal with what goes on inside a genius' brain. It's not all clarity and happiness there. There's a constant search for more, being driven and focused so much that all you want or need is the next new challenge.

Ultimately, after several days to run through a bunch of scenarios, I think Anderson Silva just lost his path. By that I mean, he's worked so hard for so long and been so great, he didn't care anymore about winning. He wanted to do things on his own terms. And you know what, doing things on his own terms has worked out pretty darn well for him so far. He was going to put on a show. He was going to showcase his talents and  win and move on. The path he was going down was, frankly, boring to him. In the eventuality of the outcome and in the challenges it presented.

His intent was to win and keep moving, but it wasn't for his legacy or to defend the belt again, it was just a means to an end. You can't tell me that a guy concerned with his legacy and how history would remember him would fight a person that way. You think Georges St-Pierre is going out there and crazy legging it?

Silva has been so undeniably brilliant in the UFC that with the mentality he has to have to be a fighter, he felt like he could not be harmed. Not by Chris Weidman, not by a grizzly bear.

What makes - let me say that again, what MAKES - Silva the best fighter on the planet is that he did things his way. He finished fights, he displayed his craft, and he was able to execute that like no one else.

The ending of the fight left more questions than answers. It didn't discredit Silva (aside from the showboating) and it didn't undo what Weidman accomplished (as he put it, Silva has done what he did in the ring to a lot of other fighters and they couldn't finish him). Hopefully what it does do is give Silva a chance to refocus himself. To remember what losing feels like. What being mortal feels like. Maybe when Silva is at home in Brazil three weeks from now he'll realize that his "boredom" and taking the UFC for granted has cost him a small piece of his legacy that even a dominant rematch win won't get back. He's lost the opportunity to close to book on any GOAT for this lifetime at least.

This isn't boxing. In MMA everyone loses. But the manner and style in which Silva seemingly threw everything away leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. If he was to lose to Weidman or Jon Jones or GSP, fans who respect and revere him want to see him go out fighting, not trying to be Neo.

It'd be insane, but not impossible that Jones and GSP both lose their next two fights and all of a sudden we're redoing this whole conversation and Jose Aldo is the best fighter on the planet. But I'd say the odds of GSP losing while breakdancing or Jones losing reciting a scene from MacBeth aren't likely. Should they lose, they'll lose fighting. And while Silva was doing what he wanted, he was doing his best to win, it wasn't what he needed to do. In the fight game, no matter who you are, there's a difference.

Looking for a Fight @ UFC 162 - Silva v. Weidman

Anderson Silva is pure magic inside the Octagon. (bleacherreport.com)

A lot of the time it's important to take a look at and appreciate some of the more unheralded fights on a UFC pay-per-view. Just because a fight isn't the main event doesn't mean it won't be entertaining, and it certainly has the potential to be fight of the night. Times like this though, at UFC 162 in Las Vegas on Saturday, no disrespect to Cub Swanson or Frankie Edgar or Chris Leben, but this is Anderson Silva's show.

The 38-year-old middleweight kingpin puts his title on the line for the first time since the anti-climactic Silva Sonnen II almost a year ago to the date (he threw in a light heavyweight match against Stephan Bonnar in between). Silva has been and is the most electrifying fighter the UFC has ever had. Apart from two fights that basically shouldn't have happened (Thales Leites and Demian Maia) Silva has finished every single opponent in the Octagon. In fact, his last decision was September 11, 2004 against Lee Murray.

Since then, there have been elbows, knees, front kicks and chokes exectued by Silva with near perfection. His toughest fight was Silva Sonnen I, where he submitted Sonnen after being dominated for 4.5 rounds. This might be his most memorable fight to date, but certainly not his most memorable highlight.

What Silva is able to do in the cage is unlike what anyone else can do. When he fights it is like a national holiday. Coincidentally, with his first title defense in a year, his bouts are starting to be literal holidays.

The fantastic thing about MMA though is that no matter what you've done, what you've accomplished, or who you are there is always a new challenge. People will poke holes and cast doubts, that's normal, but with the UFC there's always a new contender. Sure if you're Silva list that contender line isn't as robust as say, Jon Jones', but each person that squares off against Silva has a chance to win or at least push the long-time middleweight kingpin.

This is the opportunity bestowed on Chris Weidman. The #1 contender is 9-0 and after a signature win against Mark Munoz, he was being talked about as a serious threat to Silva's reign thanks to his elite wrestling and apparenlty even more elite jiu-jitsu. Weidman, however, has been injured and he too has been out of action for a year. In hearing him talk, it doesn't seem like a deterrent, only a better chance to prepare for a potentially life changing moment.

Much of the hype surrounding this fight has been built around other fighters saying that Weidman can win. Chael Sonnen, Georges St-Pierre, Frank Mir ... the list goes on of fighters that haven't sided with The Spider in this upcoming fight. Now, you have to look at where these fighters motivations really are. Does Chael want Silva to win? No. GSP's jiu-jitsu coach also coaches Weidman. When you're Anderson Silva and you've wrecked your share of faces in the UFC, you won't have to look far to find a fighter or two who wouldn't like to see some of that brutality served back to the champ.

The fact that Silva is so dominant and that the UFC appears to be making a big deal about fighters giving some hype worth quotes could lead many a Silva fan to skepticism. This shouldn't underrate the skills Weidman has shown in the cage. He does possess the skills that have given Silva the most trouble in his time fighting for the UFC. Wrestling and the ground game (not sure if he has a flying scissor heel hook in his back pocket) are areas where the tall, limb-lengthened champ was dominated by Sonnen in their first fight, and clearly an area where he would be less dangerous than on the feet.

However, this is a gameplan that Silva has gone against before. As the old addage goes, the fight always starts on the feet, well, when you're fighting Silva this is most notably the case. When Weidman engages Silva, he won't just be looking for a take down, he'll be defending against severe leg kicks, the best fast-twitch movements in all of MMA, and oh yeah, he might just get a front kick to the face if he's not careful.

And when Weidman is able to get close, if he wants to try to take Silva down that way, he'll have some knees to the ribs to deal with.

Yes, Weidman's wrestling style is far more of the shoot in, double-leg variety, but he has to keep all options open to not be predictable. There is a dangerous test here, but I think the greater challenge will be in Weidman's end, not Silva's.

BREAKDOWN

Have I bought into the hype for this fight? Has the UFC marketing push brainwashed me? No. I'll watch any Anderson Silva fight with great joy. Since this is MMA, anything could happen, and anyone can win at any time. So nothing is guaranteed.

When I do look at this fight though, I see Weidman having a very tough time closing the distance against Silva. Weidman is suprememly athletic and tough, but he'll have to get through a lot in order to lay his hands on Silva. I say this not only in the wrestling game, but also in Weidman's striking game. He is a pressure and in your face kind of fighter that Silva handles very well.

For the takedowns, this is obviously something both fighters will be aware of. I have enough respect to Weidman to imagine he'll be able to take Silva down and might squeak out a close round or two as a result. Silva does have good take down defense. I'm buying that his rib was busted in Silva Sonnen I, hence Chael being able to take him down at will, but at no other time has he gone down that easily.

I keep coming back to my respect for Weidman. He fought the tough fights, came back from injury, had a great belief in himself. As a result I think he won't quit or be scared of Silva. He's mentally strong enough to push past that. However, I think his toughness, his constant need to pressure, and his overall lack of superior skills compared to Silva will be his downfall. I think Silva keeps Weidman at bay with leg kicks and great movement, and if Silva can block or clinch up with Weidman early on and do some damage, that will be a huge thing moving forward for Weidman's gameplan.

I don't think Weidman is backing down, and I'm not sure how good his chin is, but I do think he'll give the fans one hell of a fight. I can already picture Dana White proclaiming how fantastic this fight was and how much heart Weidman showed. I'm going to say 3rd round TKO for Silva after a close first two.

Looking for a Fight: UFC 159 - Jones v. Sonnen

Jon Jones' greatest weakness has been exposed. His fight promotion. (USAT)

Sports coverage always does seem to amaze me. In a realm where there are more and more avenues for message boards, talking heads, and articles to be written to see many people that cover the UFC simply write-off Saturday night's Jon Jones v. Chael P. Sonnen fight as an afterthought is lazy and not a service to people that read their content. After all, sports in general, and especially combat sports, are built around the humongous upset. The fact that at anytime on any field, in any arena something crazy could happen. That may not mean enough to you to plop down $54.99 for a pay-per-view, but tossing $10 to the door man to have the fight on while you enjoy a microbrew at your local bar sounds fine and dandy to me.

Sure, this fight was put together from the ashes of UFC 151, and while a more credible challenger like Dan Henderson was left to marinate a little - only to lose to Lyoto Machida - leaves a bitter taste in everyone's mouth, it's easy to forget that we've been down this road before. When Sonnen took on Anderson Silva there were just as many doubters about the validity of that fight as this one. Well, Chael P. Sonnen put on an Oregon style butt whooping on Silva, until the Spider was able to wrap his legs around Sonnen and tap him out with seconds left. This was easily the best fight of 2010.

There are other factors that make the Jones' match-up different and probably a higher mountain top to ascend, but if anyone is capable of doing it and at the very least give Jones the toughest fight of his career, it's Sonnen.

The media coverage has fueled the blase fan reaction to this card. While normally the UFC can put Silva, Jones, Georges St-Pierre, or Cain Velasquez to headline a card and fill it with average fights - this time, with a fight that truly is being treated like a foregone conclusion, the card needed to be stronger. It isn't.

Where we are left is for Jones and Sonnen to hype the fight themselves. Oh, that's right, they had 15 hours of TV time on FX to do that during The Ultimate Fighter. What came from that was Jones being Jones and Chael being a great coach and mentor. However, and ironically for the betterment of the show than faking some hostilities, Jones and Sonnen seemed to get along. Jones respected Sonnen's doggedness and personality and jokes (!!); while Sonnen clearly has a lot of respect for Jones. There isn't the hostility and trash talking he's exhibited in the Silva bouts, and with Jones finally laying off the perfect guy act - is just being his normal, confident, fun loving self. This isn't to say both fighters won't put on their mean hats Saturday night, but their promotion of the fight wasn't exactly Nick Diaz-esque (again, that's probably for the betterment of everyone).

So with the trash talking/promoter belt being strapped around Diaz's waist, the UFC and the two fighters had to do something. There were rhymes by Sonnen alluding to Jones' DWI conviction. Jones saying Sonnen is a roider and not a true fighter. None of it resonated. It's clear that in all the press leading up to the fight, these two had their minds in other places.

Jones wants to win a couple more 205 title defenses to beat Tito Ortiz's record, then move on to a super fight and/or bump up to the heavyweight division (which is only logical as by the time he has his two more defenses he would have cleaned out the division and be about a year older, which will allow him to put on more weight). Sonnen isn't a legit threat to Bones, rather just another victim.

For Sonnen - he's reaping the rewards of being a self-made man. Kevin Iole mentions in his article today how Sonnen created this personality to drive his career. It's sure worked. Now moving up to 205 and taking on one of the best fighters on the planet, everything seems lined up for move to greener pastures. Should (notice I said should) Sonnen lose, then his shtick would have certainly worn thing ... still entertaining, but thin. He has a fantastic broadcast career in front of him with the UFC for sure, and UFC President Dana White hinted within the FOX family as well. Sonnen isn't a threat to Bones, rather just one more big pay day.

BREAKDOWN

While writers covering the fight could probably outline 75% of their day after articles today if they wanted, there is still the pesky matter of the fight. I'm of the persuasion where if one of the best fighters on the planet is fighting, I'm watching. I said this when Anderson Silva fought Stephan Bonnar and I say that today. I mean how much fun was that Anderson fight? Did he make it worth your money? Were you not entertained?

Sonnen is certainly more of a threat than Bonnar was to Silva, but shouldn't you expect Jones to put on a show? To leave people saying, wow this guy is talented? A couple elbows to the chiseled chin of Chael won't do that. Jones is coming, and Jones is bringing some Nike swag with him.

The most disappointing outcome of this fight would be for Jones to wrestle and hold Sonnen down. The size disadvantage is too great to have this be an exciting or interesting strategy (see, I got your back, GSP). We need some flying kicks and knees. We need something to put on that Nike commercial.

Bones has never been reckless in any fight, but he hasn't been conservative either. Sonnen won't stop moving forward, and he'll create an interesting canvas for Jones to work with.

Overall, I do think Chael will aim to impress, but without the full use of his elite wrestling it'll be tough. I just think Chael's determination will give Jones a bit more trouble than we are all expecting. However, I'm not here to act like a genius. To predict Sonnen wins so I can say I told you so. It'll be a Jones win, but I'll be tuning in to see how he does it. That ... will be exciting.

Jones 3rd Rd Submission.

Looking for a Fight: UFC 156

Jose Aldo is on the brink of becoming a superstar. (espn.com)

UFC 156 from Las Vegas will showcase a stacked card, as per the tradition for the UFC pre-Super Bowl. The headliner is the featherweight title fight between reigning kingpin Jose Aldo and former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.

A former long-reigning champ who is dropping down in weight to challenge the elite champion of another division. How is this not a superfight again?

Well the fact that superfight crux Anderson Silva isn't involved is one answer, however, that shouldn't diminish seeing two of the top pound for pound fighters on the planet go at it.

Both fighters have had their momentum slowed as this fight approaches, so in that instance the hype is hard to amp up. Aldo has been out of commission for a year due to a minor motorcycle accident that morphed into staph infection. In that time, a fight with Erick Koch fell to the wayside, and this fight with Edgar was delayed a couple of months.

The last time Aldo was in the Octagon, however, he KO'd Chad Mendes with a quick knee coming out of a clinch on the cage. He ran into his Brazilian crowd (Aldo has a pension for running into the crowd) and left one of the great images of 2012.

While "lack of momentum" means different things to different people (Aldo is still ranked #4 on most pound for pound lists) Aldo hasn't been able to fully put together his UFC highlight reel like he did in WEC. Starting with this fight on Saturday, Aldo could be poised for a great 2013. A thunderous win over Edgar won't put him above Silva, Jon Jones, or Georges St-Pierre, but he will certainly kick in the door of that elite tier of fighters.

After a half-dozen of hotly contested fights Edgar finally decided to drop to 145 after a controversial loss to still lightweight champ Benson Henderson. So coming off a loss also won't leave the fans drooling at the mouth like Silva v. Jones/GSP, but for Edgar this is the best move for his career and one many people believe he should have made as soon as the flyweight division was created in the UFC.

The stories of Edgar's size have long been discussed, but this will be his first chance to show if his speed is still speedy among other quick movers and if his boxing and power which were serviceable at 155 become huge plus marks in the Edgar column.

It's easy to say - oh, of course they'll translate, but with Edgar being able be a champion; defending his title multiple times, I think this move will prove a great service to what Edgar can do. He'll no longer always be the smallest guy in the fight (although he will be against Aldo) and in as much, he should be able to better utilize his wrestling and cardio.

Fighting at lightweight, Edgar couldn't mix it up with his opponents like he can at 145. Edgar's game was predicated on his excellent boxing, movement, and his grit/determination/heart. He couldn't engage fighters because he'd always be out muscled. His game was much more at a distance and keeping range from larger fighters getting in on him, cutting down his movement in the ring, and clobbering him in the face.

After the Aldo fight, I will be interested to see how Edgar changes as a fighter. Fighters with power are less common at 145 and Edgar will be able to use his strength to his advantage and diversify his game even more. He won't have to be concerned with the many, many obstacles that got in his way at 155 and ultimately cost him a win and caused him a lot more physical damage.

So the Frankie we get at UFC 156 will be the same as he ever was - just a little lighter - and when has that guy ever not put on a great fight?

BREAKDOWN

A lazy analysis of this fight goes something like, Edgar pushing Aldo into deep water, cardio, cardio, who wants it more, Fighter X by decision.

It makes sense and isn't wholly improbable that this will happen, however, as an unbiased Aldo fan I have a different take on what will happen.

The odds on this fight are about even among the people that cover MMA, but I'm not sure this fight will be that close.

Edgar's goal, no doubt, is to get this fight into the latter rounds, but that's much easier said than done. As I mentioned before, the Edgar we see on Saturday will be the same guy we've seen at 155. A boxer that keeps his distance and has great cardio. But what else have we seen of Edgar? A guy that gets tagged. That gets beat up. Guys like Grey Maynard and Benson Henderson don't have the power and speed that Aldo brings to the table.

Edgar won't be able to utilize his wrestling as Aldo has been impossible to take down, and it would be best for Edgar to keep his distance, which Aldo closes off in the blink of an eye.

For Aldo, I was a little worried he was catching the championship itis. This occurs when a fighter known for an aggressive style becomes much more passive and cautious. Instead of going out there to win a fight, fighter's that get the itis become more concerned with what would happen if they lost the fight than trying to win the fight. The most recent example of a fighter with the itis was Junior Dos Santos.

Aldo's win over Mendes was a flash KO, so it's difficult to tell if lack of killer instinct he had against Kenny Florian and Mark Hominick were the result of strategy or fear.

Speaking of Hominick, he's the reason Edgar should be both confident and weary about trying to get Aldo into the latter rounds. Aldo hasn't been quite as explosive as he was in his WEC days, and he's clearly put on more muscle (and possible skimped a bit on the cardio) since he entered the UFC. The muscle could be for a jump to Edgar's old division - which Aldo desperately wants to do (while still fighting at 145 of course). The possible lack of cardio is also a side effect of the itis. It's hard to tell which is the reason Aldo slows much easier, but even after Hominick battered a gassed Aldo in the 5th round, Hominick still lost.

I can see this fight starting off with a bang. Aldo will be aggressive and Edgar's movement and counter striking will have the first round go back and forth. What I see as a likelihood is that if Aldo is able to chop down Edgar's legs and limit his movement, he can go in for the kill. And unlike the past where Edgar was able to power through it vis a vis heart/will/courage he won't get that chance against Aldo.

Aldo by 3rd Round TKO.

Also, if that's not enough excitement for you to watch the PPV...this dude is fighting too...

Looking for a Fight: UFC 153 - Brazilian Breakout

Come for the future stars, stay for the legend. (mmafrenzy.com)

Anderson Silva's imminent destruction of Stephan Bonnar has dominated many of the words written about UFC 153, and rightfully so. However, in the midst of wondering how Bonnar could possibly win the fight, along with some sniveling about how this main event is just a guilty pleasure since the original headliner Jose Aldo had to pull out due to injury, there hasn't been much made of the two Brazilian fighters on the co-main event and under card that are going to be a pretty big deal as we turn into 2013...and no, I don't mean Big Nog.

Glover Teixeira (no relation to Mark, because Glover can actually hit) and Erick Silva could both walk away from Rio De Janeiro with their fair share of headlines assuming Bonnar doesn't win, or Anderson doesn't finish him with something out of Mortal Kombat.

ERICK SILVA V. JON FITCH

It's actually Silva who draws the tougher fight, taking on lay and pray guru Jon Fitch. With all the complaining UFC fans have with Fitch, aside from a shock loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 141, Fitch has long been the champion no one wants to be champion. Injuries and that loss to Hendricks have "dropped" Fitch a bit in rankings and setting him up with the still unproven Silva.

The funny thing is that no one expects this the be the start of another title run for Fitch. This is meant to be a big step up for Silva, but a step that he can assuredly make. Although Silva is only 2-1 in the Octagon (the one loss being a bogus illegal strikes call to...wait, let me sure I'm spelling his name correctly...Carlo Prater) his skills on his feet and on the mat are unquestioned. The welterweight hasn't seen the 2nd round in quite some time, and the big question mark on his resume revolves around fighting a strong wrestler. While Charlie Brenneman does wrestle, he won't offer up the elite MMA style wrestling that has propelled Fitch to the closest base camp to the peak of the welterweight mountain.

Silva is a bad man, with every intent to finish this fight in front of his home crowd and take a big leap up at 170.

BREAKDOWN

While it's always in a fight fans interest to see the flashy finish fighter win over the grind it out wrestler, this is a huge fight for both Silva and Fitch. Fitch is older and has fought through some serious injuries recently, but he's still the old Jon Fitch. I see Silva working Fitch pretty thoroughly. If his take down defense is where it needs to be, then this match has the potential to look like the Georges St-Pierre v. Fitch championship fight. If Fitch can get him down, then Silva will look to the judges for the win. I say Silva by split decision.

GLOVER TEIXEIRA V. FABIO MALDONADO

Here are some questions for the Glover Teixeira fight.

How did he end up fighting Fabio Maldonado?
Who is Glover Teixeira?

Last things first. Teixeira is the hottest property at light heavyweight since Alex Gustafsson. Ok, Gustafsson is still a hot prospect, and people were excited about him only 4 months ago, but still anytime there's a 205 pound guy out there that can knock people out, fans seem to get excited.

Now, excitement would make sense, except for the fact that in the course of finding Teixeria's next opponent the following people were rumored to trade blows with the 31 year old: 'Shogun' Rua, Lyoto Machida, and Rampage Jackson pulled out due to injury. Even Stephan Bonnar said no! So in the search for an opponent for this guy, who last triangle choked Kyle Kingsbury in his only UFC performance, Joe Silva and Dana White ran through three former light heavyweight champs and a guy that's gleefully taking on Anderson Silva. By all accounts, people view Teixeira as a bad dude in the cage. But talking about a step up, that'd be huge for Glover. Instead, after all of those people passed (for assorted true or BS reasons) he's taking on Fabio Maldonado. While Silva has a big step up to take, Teixeira's fight is more of a calling card to the upper levels of the light heavyweight community. There's already rumbles of a Jon Jones fight in late 2013, so a grand finish by Teixeira should put him right on track after maybe Dan Henderson takes a shot at the champ.

There's still a lot of mystery around Teixeira, and the proclivity in MMA to keep looking for the next big deal has led a lot of people astray and produced more disappointments than successes. This guy could be Todd Duffee or Rory MacDonald. In this time and space, I'll side more with Rory than Todd.

BREAKDOWN

While it's not the toughest test he can face, it's time to see what Glover has got. Teixeira by 1st round KO.

Looking for a Fight: Will You Be Entertained at UFC 153?

Aldo and Rampage's injuries almost dealt another blow to the UFC. But then something different happened...

From the ashes of UFC 151: Never Happened and on the verge of another Popeiian disaster, the UFC was at risk of probably not cancelling UFC 153 in Rio, but rather putting together a shaky card at best. At best because with both the main event and co-main event fights being pulled due to injures to Jose Aldo and Quentin "Rampage" Jackson, even the myth of Glover Teixiera couldn't pull in the PPV buys or fan excitement Dana White would be looking for.

It hasn't been a great year for White or the UFC. With all the hype surrounding the FOX deal, injuries swept through the UFC like a glacier coming out of the ice age.

The two top PPV fighters of 2011 have been gone all year. Georges St-Pierre to an ACL tear, due back in November, and Brock Lesnar is back to being BROCK LESNAR, although he got to keep the gloves.

All the next top PPV fighter did in 2012 was become the youngest, most dominant champion on LHW history, crash his Bentley and get a DUI, sign a Nike sponsorship, get an entire PPV cancelled for the first time in the UFC's 12 year history, and become the most polarizing (as in probably just as many fans hate him as like him at this point) fighter in the UFC, and get publicly roasted by White during a media conference call. So, yeah.

From a business standpoint, sometimes it's good to be Dana White (from a business standpoint because, personally, it must rock to be Dana White). When you have the best fighter ever on speed dial, and the stars align just right, he was able to make some phone calls and save the card. White recruited middleweight kingpin/champ/overlord/God/whatever...Anderson Silva to take a fight with Stephan Bonnar in a 3 round main event fight at 205. Along with finding a replacement for the hyped Teixiera and Antonio "Big Nog" Noguiera hopping on board, this trinity of Brazilians assembled like Voltron to form, not a more powerful PPV, but as entertaining a card as one could have hoped for with a month left to go.


People are already complaining. Comments of "are you serious?" or "why would I pay to see Bonnar get KO'd in a minute" were already flooding message boards. Personally, I have no idea what people could be complaining about.

Let's take a moment to think about what has to take place for this to even come together. First off, if this isn't in Brazil, I'm not so sure these fighters get on board. Silva mentioned fighting someone to save UFC 151, but on 8 days, no one was too eager to face the baddest man on this orb. Big Nog scored a big win his last time in Brazil, so he's eager to get back. For Teixiera, this will be his big coming out party. It's not Rampage, but a lot of eyes will be on him.


Kudos need to go out to all of these fighters, especially Stephan Bonnar who took on the biggest challenge of them all. He will truly earn his "American Psycho" nickname with this one.

Critics of the new UFC 153 will be quick to throw out names, and play matchmaker, but with a month to go, fighters are normally well into training at this time. No one of Silva's quality would come in unprepared to fight a guy like a Rashad Evans. He took this fight because it was in Brazil, he could do 205, and a guy like Bonnar isn't likely to give him issues.

Ah, ha! So you know where I fall on the whole Jon Jones fiasco at 151. Not exactly. Bones had 2 distinctly different things from Silva.

1. Jones was training, healthy, and ready to fight. He was ready to fight Dan Henderson but still ready. Silva was probably training and marginally healthy, but he wasn't supposed to fight again until 2013 (possibly in a super fight against GSP).
2. There have been ups and downs with Silva regarding fans, but for the most part (the whole part if you're asking me) he's must see television. The fans love him. One of the overriding reasons JBJ declined to fight Chael Sonnen was to protect his brand. Which, as rational as I try to be, annoys me to no end. This concept of branding.You know what's a form of branding? How people think of you. Whether it's Dwight Howard, Jones, or LeBron James. Jones wasn't scared of Sonnen, but rather, I think, he hinged his decision on if I lose, then what?

This is still a combat sport, so anything can happen. So it does take on some risk to step into the Octagon with anyone, and as much crap as Bonnar is getting, he's a fighter. The fight will be entertaining no matter what.

I have no doubt Dana opened up the roster to Silva and said, you pick, we'll see if we can get him, and Bonnar was loony enough to say yes. 

Ultimately, what we received yesterday when this news broke, was a chance to see the Spider in the Octagon another time. I'd head to my local bar and pay a $10 cover to see Silva fight a garbage can as the main event, but for a chance to see him let loose? To fight carefree against a soft hitter like Bonnar, who if you gave him 3 clean shots to Silva probably couldn't wobble him, who knows what can happen? Will it be like Silva against Forrest Griffin? Awesome. I watched that fight over and over and over again. Silva's performance was a spectacle. 

Put that along a still strong card, man, if you can't see paying $54.99 for that, I don't know what to tell you.

Looking for a Fight: UFC 148 Silva Silences Sonnen

Anderson Silva was able to retain his title and definitively beat Chael Sonnen (sports.yahoo.com)

When officials were done pulling Anderson Silva off of Chael Sonnen Saturday night in Vegas, and after we all gained clarity that Silva's seemingly controversial knee was actually expertly placed as only he can, the breadth of UFC fans sat back and said, "Well that was anti-climactic."

This is an all too common reaction by MMA fans expecting the seeming unexpected. Not everyone can pull of a wheel kick KO, or even more improbably expect Chael Sonnen to repeat what he did in Silva Sonnen I regardless of how you feel if Silva was injured during that fight or not.

Although the first round did look like some of the greatest hits, it was clear Silva was at least more prepared to be on his back in this fight. He defended Sonnen well, controlled him from guard and minimized damage. It wasn't until the 2nd round when Silva finally stuffed Sonnen, and Chael's infamous ill-fated spinning backfist left him at the mercy of the champ. The fight was over.

So yes, anti-climactic is one way to describe what was deemed by the UFC as their biggest fight ever (this month or this half of the year or whatever) since Chael had the gameplan, it worked for close to 6 rounds but in an audacious move for anyone not named Chael Sonnen attempted to catch Silva off-guard, thus up-and-ending the evening a little faster than the largest gate in Vegas MMA history expected.

There's no way this was going to be a repeat of Silva Sonnen I, and even if it was there would still be some disappointment in the MMA world about this.

What should be happening is before we all start going crazy for Jonny Bones vs. Anderson Silva, let's take some time to appreciate the best MMA artist that ever lived.

Apparently this guy wasn't the last emperor. There's still one out there, and he was able to further cement his throne with a couple more title scraps left under his belt.

Silva took the biggest challenge of his career, met it head on, and finished his greatest threat to date. There's different ways to look at everything that Chael was never that good or 185 division has been the weakest or whatever you like, but that would be, again, taking away from watching a master at work.

Longevity is not a gift in any sport, certainly not MMA. For Anderson to do what he has done is more than any fight fan could ask for. We just know that he needs to be challenged, he needs to be interested, and he needs to be prepared. With those elements in place, you're going to be entertained, and Anderson will probably win.

Now, whether that lurking challenge is coming at 185 or if he elects to move up to 205, that is his decision. He's earned the right to ride off in the sunset the way he wants. Fans shouldn't treat Silva as though he'll be around forever or if he doesn't fight Jon Jones it'd be a tarnished legacy. Chuck Liddell never moved up in weight, Randy Couture has double digit career losses...anyone mad at them?

Fans want what they want. I'd be happy to pay for Silva Jones, but if it never comes so be it. I'll be looking forward to the next time the Spider struts his stuff in the Octagon.