If Rich Franklin Defeats Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva Should Coach Opposite Michael Bisping
by Michael Rome on Dec 29, 2008 6:14 PM EST
in MMA News
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The Ultimate Fighter season 9 will air in the spring of next year, and we know one of the coaches will be Michael Bisping. The other coaching slot is still up in the air. Dana White said that the winner of Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson would coach against Bisping, but it sounds like Franklin is still cool to the idea.
A fight between Franklin and Bisping makes zero sense. If Franklin wins, which he probably will, all it does is kill off a potential contender for Anderson Silva, as nobody wants to see Franklin-Silva 3. Franklin is also trying to move on at 205 pounds, moving back to Middleweight to fight Bisping really derails that effort.
I believe the best option for the coaching slot is Wanderlei Silva. He is undersized for his weight class, and expressed an interest in moving to 185 in the past. He is extraordinarily popular among UFC fans, and this would give him time to recover from the injury before a big fight in July.
Then there's the kicker: season 9 features a United States vs. United Kingdom theme. This was always a dumb idea, and they are seeing now how much it limits their options. It is only limiting if they let it be though, the only people who would really object to Wanderlei Silva coaching team USA are nitpickers and people like Matt Hughes.
Wanderlei Silva lives in the United States. He works in the United States. He moved his whole family here. He opened a gym here. He was the second most popular fighter at a show filled with American fans. American fans would probably be thrilled to have him as a Team USA coach.
In the end, this isn't the olympics. It's a goofy theme on a reality show. The only immediate effect of the show these days is the fight between the coaches, and if Rich Franklin wins his fight with Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva makes a lot more sense as a coach than Rich. He'd also be a lot more entertaining on television.
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I agree with this..
but it will never happen. Geez, I’d love to see Wanderlei Silva knock the crap out of Michael Bisping. The language barrier shouldn’t be an issue, Big Nog proved that in the last season. He did a great job w/ his fighters.
Was gonna say the exact same thing ...
down to the wording of the post and the elipses. Great idea,and would love to see it happen because I am a huge Wandy mark, but realism tells me that this isn’t gonna happen.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:23 PM EST up reply actions
I love this idea! It gives Wandy a bit of a break while keeping him hyped up and in the public eye. It also forces Wandy to go down to 185 where we could have a mega fight with him vs Anderson and it would also appease Anderson because he’d be getting a mega fight. The only problem with all this would be the fact that everybody would complain that Wandy hasn’t “earned” his title shot.
I was at a group interview a few months before the Jardine fight where he said it would be hard but he would fight Anderson. Just like he just said recently he would fight Forrest if it was for the title. All this stuff about who guys “wont” fight usually ends up being wrong if the fight is big enough.
by Michael Rome on Dec 29, 2008 7:22 PM EST up reply actions
No they aren't... at least Anderson isn't.
Wanderlei is a true competitor, he will fight whoever he has to. He did state like 6 years ago that he wouldn’t like to fight any members of the Chute Boxe Academy but he isn’t there anymore…neither is Shogun and Anderson.
Fair game.
by Gunslinger20 on Dec 29, 2008 8:01 PM EST up reply actions
I'm torn...
I’m anti-Wanderlei moving down, but pro Bisping-getting his ass beat.
What to do?
by Derek Suboticki on Dec 29, 2008 6:23 PM EST reply actions
I say let Bisping fight at 185 and Wand at 205 – satisfies both wishes!
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 29, 2008 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
Fuck it
Just do it anyway, their match is both at 205
by The Bronzeville Bully on Dec 29, 2008 6:41 PM EST reply actions
I'm not to sure about Franklin as coach...
I still can’t get over that advise he gave Serra on TUF 4.
agree 100%
love Franklin, and loved most of his coaching, but that whole “take a knee so he can’t kick you” bull was some seriously dumb advice. I’m also not wild about seeing a repeat coach when there are others to put in the spotlight. That said, I am a huge Franklin fan and hope he continues to be a major star in the UFC for many years to come because he is an exciting fighter with an excellent story and a helluva a nice guy to talk to as well.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:26 PM EST up reply actions
That reason and his previous coaching was not so great.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on Dec 30, 2008 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
I dunno. I always liked Marquardt as a coach simply because he and Bisping fighting for the number one contender spot makes sense — but now he’s booked against Gouveia.
What about a guy named Robbie Lawler, if he works out the EliteXC bullshit? I think that’s the best option, considering: (a) he’s actually American; (b) he hasn’t lost to Anderson Silva like Franklin or Hendo; © he isn’t buddies with Silva like Wand; (d) he has only one loss in his last ten fights, with most of the victories by TKO, just like Silva; (e) has a bunch of exposure through CBS so people know who he is again; and (f) Lawler v. Bisping would be a fucking sweet fight.
Maquardt is too boring for television.
I like the Lawler idea but filming starts late Jan and I think the EliteXC bullshit is going to take months to work out.
by Michael Rome on Dec 29, 2008 7:53 PM EST up reply actions
Uhh...
Marquardt too boring for television? As compared to who?
Maybe if you like Tito and Ken hijinx…. yeah, Nate is boring but compared to the other coaches that have been on the show… Nate would fit in just fine.
by Gunslinger20 on Dec 29, 2008 8:04 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, you need some type of colorful personality to coach on the show. With that said, guys like Liddell, Franklin, and Randy are pretty regular guys who aren’t too funny or colorful – like Tito, Serra, Rampage, etc. Compared to the other potential candidates (Franklin & Henderson), I think Marquardt is a similar guy: a no-nonsense fighter whose been around forever and trains as hard as anyone. On top of that, there’s no doubt Greg Jackson would make it on the show and we would get some insight into the mind of a true gameplan genius. I think their choosing Franklin or Henderson instead of Marquardt is more based on the fact that Franklin and Henderson both have bigger “names” than Marquardt to casual fans as opposed to Marquardt being “boring.”
by dropkick101 on Dec 29, 2008 11:36 PM EST up reply actions
Great Idea about Wanderlei
this would be a great choice for Wanderlei to drop weight class and go against Bisping on TUF it would get me to watch the show on a regular basis again and finish it off with Wanderlei vs. Bisping on PPV to see who fights Anderson. Also Franklin not only gave Serra shitty advice on season four I think he was the worst coach ever on TUF.
I second that you make a lot of sense. I’d love to see Mr. Silva as the coach of TUF. He’s a interesting dude, and he’s a legend among legends. He’s also relatively young, so he has time left in the day for a second career wind. Not sure its going to happen, but unlike Randy or Chuck, father time is on his side for the most part. I’ve always thought he was a tad undersized for light-heavy, and that could be cool to see him in the middleweight division. THe only problem is I believe that he and Anderson are boys, but I could be wrong.
Best Comment of the Post
Simco wins:
Training day 1: Grit your teeth and swing for the fences.
Training day 2: Knees.
repeat.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:27 PM EST up reply actions
Best part is it’s probably pretty accurate.
by dropkick101 on Dec 29, 2008 11:37 PM EST up reply actions
never in my life have i seen a more accurate outline of how wandy would train someone to fight in MMA.
by georgehouse on Dec 30, 2008 12:52 AM EST up reply actions
I disagree w/ Wandy
Moving down weight classes isn’t going to cover up the stink coming from Wandy.
As much as I hate Bisping and believe he is partially propped up I think he would destroy the current Wanderlei Silva. Bisping knows how to box and Wandy knows how to leave himself wide open for knockout level counter punch.
Who has Bisping ever delivered a KO level counter punch to?
People really overreact to losses sometimes. Wand can take the mistakes he made, address them with the great boxing coaches he has, and come out renewed. We heard all this last time before the Jardine fight. Where was the stink that night? I don’t mean to address this to you, because I don’t know who you picked, but I think people are often bitter when they so strongly favor one guy and then he gets crushed. They take out their frustrations on the fighter. People were so voraciously pro-Wand and so sure he’d crush Quinton that they are now handling it by acting like Wand is just a piece of shit. It’s really not fair to Wanderlei Silva.
Bisping just fought Leben, who any good counter puncher should be able to put down, but he couldn’t. It would be a very good fight.
by Michael Rome on Dec 29, 2008 9:03 PM EST up reply actions
Henderson beat Wandy with a counter punch just like Rampage, not to mention Chuck was looking for it the entire fight.
I did favor Wandy over Rampage but figured he would run right at him and try to finish it early like Jardine. I thought same strategy would work because Rampage who also starts out timid. I am putting a fork in Wandy. His style has always been to eat a few punches while he swings away, it’s growing apparent he can no longer take those shots and guys are better at finding it. At this point of his career what tools does he have to make a style change? He was always scary brawler and not too much else. Like older boxers I am assuming moving down in weight and dealing with the speed is more difficult than moving up in weight.
You put a wild swinger in there with Bisping and his technical boxing skills are probably going to eat that fighter alive like Leben. I never would thought Frank Mir could deliver a KO punch either, but Nog’s reflexes seemed lost in that fight.
I agree that Franklin vs Anderson Silva III doesn’t look like the best business plan and other arrangements should be looked at. Still, if Franklin cleans out the rest of the division to get a 3rd shot he would be a huge sentimental under dog that people hope would break through.
Franklin
moved up to 205 lbs. for a reason. He’s never going to fight Anderson Silva again and I can’t imagine anyone would want to see that fight. Other than people who really don’t like Rich I guess.
by tylerdurden1 on Dec 30, 2008 2:12 AM EST up reply actions
Who has Bisping ever delivered a KO level counter punch to?
Answer: Nobody.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:28 PM EST up reply actions
Oh come on now. Let’s see: He has faster punches, better combinations, much better kicks, devastating knees, much better jiu jitsu…who on cage rage is better than Wanderlei Silva in your opinion? You are vastly overreacting. When two guys fight with KO power, one will go down. The conclusion shouldn’t be that the loser sucks or we will have an insane fighter attrition rate that will hurt the sport.
He also has much better footwork than Leben. Bisping couldn’t handle Hamill standing, let’s not go crazy here. Wanderlei has a lot of tools that could hurt Bisping.
by Michael Rome on Dec 30, 2008 3:01 AM EST up reply actions
I don’t think I am overreacting at all. Wandy recent record is 1-4, there has to be something to that trend even if the level of competition has been high. Either their is a major flaw that has been found 4 times or his chin isn’t what it used to be.
I hate Bisping, but he is a more technical striker than Rampage and Henderson. Not to mention it appears Leben has a better chin.
Lets take your argument the other way and assume Wandy does beat Bisping. Do you give Wanderlei a chance against Anderson Silva? Anderson has the advantage in almost every aspect. Two good names, but the thought reminds of Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis match up.
thoughts
Bisbing is not a great striker and does not have the knockout power of Hendo or Rampage.
And I would LOOOVE to see Anderson Silva vs. Wanderlei. That fight would be awesome!
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
Wandy has the same problems as Chuck, they just like to brawl and their game plans usually consist of exchanging punches til them or their opponent falls down.
If Wandy made better game plans and used a variety of skills (see: kicks, takedowns) he would be a far better fighter and harder to predict for opponents.
My complaint with Rampage is similar, he never throws kicks(or attempts to check them) or attempts takedowns.
Uhh ...
No offense, DirtyML, but I saw a bunch of kicks from Wandy in his fight against Rampage and was actually thinking it was working quite well for him until he got KTFO.
I agree with you though that Rampage could add kicks to his game and I think especially against Rashad this could be the difference-maker.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:30 PM EST up reply actions
No way
Wandy would kill Bisbing.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:28 PM EST up reply actions
Good call Rome. Hadnt thought of this match up before….I like it.
The exposure to an American audiences alone is worth it. Wandy is pretty funny whether he means to be or not and I’d watch every episode.
They should make him house chaperone and let him ax-murder anyone starting antics.
It won’t happen but Wanderlei Silva on TUF for any reason is a great idea (much better than the silly US vs UK idea).
by who me on Dec 29, 2008 9:33 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Agree 100% with this statement
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Dec 29, 2008 11:31 PM EST up reply actions
Not to sound whiny or anything… Happened to read my posts about Wanderlei did ya?
"They called him the axe-murderer because he was murdering chumps. They should have been calling him the chump-murderer..." Rampage Jackson (commentating on the fighting abilities of Wanderlei "F#ck Chuck" Silva.)
by BlueberryMuffin on Dec 30, 2008 7:34 AM EST reply actions
Am I the only one who thinks Wand would be a horrible coach? The man is skilled but doesn’t strike me as tactical or intelligent whatsoever. He is a soldier, not a general.
I didn’t think Nog would be a good coach and look how it turned out. The coaching gig on TUF would be awesome for Wandy. I like Wandy and want to see him at 185 or 205 I don’t care – the man still has it. Did anyone notice how the audience reacted to his entrance? He may have gotten the loudest pop all night.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on Dec 30, 2008 11:14 AM EST up reply actions
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