Defending the P4P title

via www.4dsports.co.uk

With the UFC making competitive headway (against "Affliction: Banned") on July 19th by putting together Ultimate Fight Night 14, you have to appreciate the surge of events available to just about anybody anywhere in the U.S. with a cable box  and internet connectivity. It is in the opinion of this writer that UFN (Ultimate Fight Night) 14 's main event, Silva vs. Irvin, is not a spectacle or "freak show" as some UFC negators would like to suggest.

What July 19th represents is Silva's make-it-or-break-it introduction into the UFC's elite LHW division. Anderson Silva's first bout with the UFC took place on June 26th 2008 against a mid-tier to almost upper level fighter, Chris Leben, whom Silva disposed of in a unsympathetic 0:49 seconds. This fight against Irvin is one in the same, another mid-tier to almost upper level fighter that introduces Silva to the LHW division with challenge yet a certain poise, by throwing Irvin at Silva the UFC isn't exactly "protecting" the MW champ. That said, we have to go with who Joe Silva prefers to win and left with the choice of either the flaky yet hard throwing James Irvin or the greatest UFC MW champion ever, the answer should be obvious. Expect superstar matches like the ones suggested some weeks ago (Chuck Liddell vs. Anderson Silva, Rampage Jackson vs. Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva vs. Anderson Silva), to all be very real possibilities for the near future, but the UFC will look to dictate the progression slowly as it would be foolhardy to throw their MW champion to the wolves after just one or two matches. 

And seeing as how Irvin just trumped Houston's welcome-back party by "Superman" punching the Nebraskan in 0:08 seconds at UFN 13, this gives the Sacramento native some status in the LHW division, thus a win by "The Spider" over Irvin will push the Brazilian to the middle ground of UFC LHW fighters vying for a title shot.

As for all of you Yushin Okami fans (myself included), I have no doubt Anderson Silva will defend that title against Okami sometime in the near future, the "p4p king" will look to (as stated) only slowly progress himself into the LHW division, crosscutting between division matches as requested by the UFC.