Is Thiago Silva Really a Threat to Lyoto Machida?

by Michael Rome on Jan 28, 2009 6:07 PM EST in MMA News

Lyoto Machida v. Thiago Silva is being promoted as a battle of top undefeated fighters, but I think there is a serious difference in skill level that will lead to a very one-sided fight.

Thiago Silva is undefeated, but a quick look at his record and wins raises a number of questions. He beat Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes in one round, but then again, so did Eric Schafer. He got a freak injury win over Irvin, and won a very ugly slugfest with Drwal.

I've seen him tagged over and over again on his feet by James Irvin, Tomas Drwal, and Antonio Mendes. I don't see any way he can come close to competing with Lyoto Machida in a standing fight, and I don't think he has the wrestling to bring things to the ground.

Obviously a guy with his power could land a shot and hurt anyone, but none of his fights make me think he can hang with Lyoto. The only place this is a close fight is on the ground, where both are black belts. It seems to me that Thiago's best chance at a win is to work as hard as he can to put this on the ground. Even there he's probably at a disadvantage, but at least it is close.

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I have to agree. Machida should be even more heavily favored than he is.

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by MMAEruption on Jan 28, 2009 6:13 PM EST reply actions

no way in hell silva wins this…

this is one opponent machida should finish. he is tailor made for him… silva is going to chase him around the ring and get tagged constantly without hitting machida once.

if machida can’t finish silva… i will lose all hope in him ever being fun to watch

by dbcb on Jan 28, 2009 6:19 PM EST reply actions

well i think he is fun to watch regardless..

I mean, finishes would be better, but i still find him exciting even if he stays the same.. He didn’t finish tito but that was still fun to watch.

http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/

by Anton Tabuena on Jan 29, 2009 6:08 AM EST up reply actions

i'm alone here im sure but...

i’m thinking silva can pull off the upset here. hes pretty reckless in the cage, I dont think silva is scared of anyone hitting him in the least bit. i think thats kinda what you need to get to lyoto and freak him out a bit, get him off his game and break his rythem. that will allow silva to get to him and land some and even get him to the ground. on the ground is all silva and i think he can easily submit him.

i think hes a damn good underdog pick.

by sonofapsycho on Jan 28, 2009 6:20 PM EST reply actions

Yes, people should keep betting on Silva in this fight.

by Mike Fagan on Jan 28, 2009 9:08 PM EST up reply actions

You want the line to move don’t you?

by iiowyn on Jan 28, 2009 9:10 PM EST up reply actions

i see u up here my freind

i agree, all silva has to do is study the bj machida fight and he has this! machida excels when hes countering, but only at a distance, he starts to panick if your in his face and pressuring him. thiago needs to go after him and short elbow/clinch him up take him down, if tito tangled him up, silva will finish it!

by KingJesseJames on Jan 28, 2009 11:41 PM EST up reply actions

Thiago Silva’s longest fight is just under 10 minutes (UFC 75 vs Tomasz Drwal). How is his cardio overall? We know Machida can work all day, but if the fight goes long, what are Silva’s chances of gassing?

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Jan 28, 2009 6:48 PM EST reply actions

He was gassing in that fight, though not nearly as hard as Drwal.

by Mike Fagan on Jan 28, 2009 9:11 PM EST up reply actions

Machida doesn’t gas because he isn’t actually fighting for a good portion of each fight.

by bigweeze on Jan 28, 2009 9:34 PM EST up reply actions

As Bas would say

A nice shot to da leever is all you need.

WAR SILVA!!!!!

I hope machida gets tagged, bloodied and beaten. One well placed shot to the shnoz a la BJ Penn/GSP 1 so he can freak out and curl up into the fetal position.

by xFenixKnightx on Jan 28, 2009 7:06 PM EST reply actions

Yeah? Well he has a cool spider-web tattoo and another thing that looks like New Jersey. That alone wins him 2 rounds on Cecil People’s score card.

by Heenan on Jan 28, 2009 7:16 PM EST reply actions 6 recs

ha. this discussion need go no further.

by woooburn on Jan 28, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions

Haha…x2.

by gocjeffe on Jan 28, 2009 7:24 PM EST up reply actions

Give me some recs man. I need a green comment.

by Heenan on Jan 28, 2009 10:04 PM EST up reply actions

I gave ya a rec..

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 28, 2009 10:48 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, it’s pretty sad when you have to ask for the sale.

But I’m not above it.

by Heenan on Jan 28, 2009 10:52 PM EST up reply actions

me too

by Kid Nate on Jan 28, 2009 11:17 PM EST up reply actions

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

I’m calling my wife and telling her to check this out.

First, I’d like to thank God for giving me the ability…..

by Heenan on Jan 28, 2009 11:20 PM EST up reply actions

I am in total agreement with Michael. Silva hasn’t proven himself against tough competition and I feel the style that Machida brings will totally frustrate Silva. Just check out Silva’s fight with Drwal to really see how Silva fights in the stand up department.

On the ground? That’s probably his greatest chance to win, but it’s still a very small chance.

Contributing writer for MMA-Analyst.com

by Joe Schmitt on Jan 28, 2009 7:18 PM EST reply actions

Gotta agree with you there Mike. I’ve been wondering why everyone has considered Silva such a world beater with the wins that he has had. Silva’s strength is his jiu jitsu game, so he’ll have a chance if he can get the fight there, but Machida is just gonna pick his open head apart for three rounds. It won’t even be close.

by Sam Cupitt on Jan 28, 2009 8:11 PM EST reply actions

It’s interesting to note that outside of Rampage, Rashad, and Lyoto, just about everyone in the 205 division is damaged goods. There’s the new guys like Cane and Cantwell, but you can come up with some reason to diminish just about everyone in the division. This is an unfortunate side effect of everyone being so close.

by Michael Rome on Jan 28, 2009 8:17 PM EST reply actions

Don't write Silva off so easily.

I am a Machida backer but don’t write off Silva so easily. Silva has the gift of aggression! He is no slouch on the feet nor on the ground. I think Machida wins this but it may be a war.

"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"

by Warhand on Jan 28, 2009 8:25 PM EST reply actions

Agression does NOT equal accurate punching…which is what someone is going to need to tag Machida.

by Kaleb Kelchner on Jan 28, 2009 9:20 PM EST up reply actions

in the event that silva pulls off the upset...

… does he get a title shot?

rashad and forrest got their shots after upset wins.

by woooburn on Jan 28, 2009 8:29 PM EST reply actions

yea..

he should. it would be him or rampage once he disposes of jardine.

by sonofapsycho on Jan 28, 2009 9:24 PM EST up reply actions

No way Mir beats Nog. Werdum sobs Dos Santos in R1...

Silva does have great killer instinct. If he smells blood, he will go for the kill. If you put a gun to my head I would pick Lyoto, but for the BE betting game I’ll put a small bet on Silva and see where it goes.

by Ubernoober on Jan 28, 2009 9:06 PM EST reply actions

Thiago = Sokujou with BJJ and without the Judo.

Another similarity they will have is that they will both have been finished by the man that “dosen’t finish fights”.

by Kaleb Kelchner on Jan 28, 2009 9:22 PM EST up reply actions

Crazier shit has definitely happened.

by Derek Suboticki on Jan 28, 2009 9:34 PM EST up reply actions

If Thiago he gets this to the ground, Lyoto will be forced to fight. I would love to see Thiago gain mount and let some GnP loose.

Alternatively, I would like to see Machida fight with some sort of pace instead of letting the fight drop to zero interest 10 times per round.

by bigweeze on Jan 28, 2009 9:38 PM EST up reply actions

I actually like Silva by first round KO in this fight. I think hes going to shock the world on sat and stir up the already clustered LHW division. We could then see a Franklin Machida rematch.

by mlzybaby on Jan 28, 2009 9:19 PM EST reply actions

Can we at least agree this is Machida’s toughest opponent in his Octagon career?

by Derek Suboticki on Jan 28, 2009 9:33 PM EST reply actions

No Tito was. His fight before that he was beating Rashad and ended up in a draw with him. Just because he hasn’t beaten any big names recently doesn’t mean he isn’t still good. He has only lost to top guys in recent history.

by EazyEismydad on Jan 28, 2009 9:59 PM EST up reply actions

I think Tito was a tougher opponent. Maybe Nakamura too.

by Michael Rome on Jan 28, 2009 10:10 PM EST up reply actions

Nakamura?

He’s a puffy 185er.

I am the bastard love child of Junie Browning and Diamond Dave Kaplan.

by The_Gaijin on Jan 29, 2009 11:36 AM EST up reply actions

I would like to see Anderson Silva v Lyoto

I think the best match to see how good he is would be vs the spider; i think the spider would be quick enough and fast enough to tag him without mercy.

in this fight i think lyoto wins via run and jab.

by Beren on Jan 29, 2009 12:46 AM EST reply actions

i mean quick enough and accurate enough to tag him.

by Beren on Jan 29, 2009 12:46 AM EST up reply actions

They’re friends and have already stated they would never fight each other I think. Pretty sure it’s one of the main reasons that Silva’s not serious about LHW…because he thinks the belt ultimately belongs to Lyoto.

by gocjeffe on Jan 29, 2009 2:01 AM EST up reply actions

Is Thiago Silva Really a Threat to Lyoto Machida?

No.

by pud333 on Jan 29, 2009 1:38 AM EST reply actions

Machida will pick-and-pop Thiago for the first round before Thiago gets overanxious in the second round which will lead to Machida by second round (T)KO.

The worst type of fighter to pit against Machida is that aggressive striker with that balls-to-the-wall mentality.

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill

by FlyByKnight on Jan 29, 2009 6:46 AM EST reply actions