I couldn’t agree more. I’d like to add that it is the fighter’s job to win. Not put on a fun show for the fans, just to win. Its up to the promoters to put together entertaining match ups.

Anderson did his job. The UFC matchmakers on the other hand…

100% agree great post. reced

of giving him a suitcase full of cash to throw him in the [cage] with Lesnar

Couldn’t agree more. You could see him struggling through Rogan’s interview thinking “what the hell did I do to deserve this?”

I remember seeing a video of Anderson coming into Franklin’s locker room after one of their fights (don’t remember which) and genuinely apologizing for beating him. I also remember him saying Henderson wasn’t “a true champion” after their fight. There’s something about true challenges that frees Silva’s mind and that’s when the world gets to witness the “ballet of violence” he’s become known for.

cooler heads prevail I was disappointed with the fight last night I would have like to see Silva attacking his guard and solidifying his pound for pound reputation but you can’t blame a guy for getting the w

After thinking about the fight more, I think people need to realize that Anderson is not the terminator that the UFC made him out to be. It doesn’t take a whole lot to make it out of the second round with the guy, just don’t engage. If you don’t give him anything to counter, he will consider it too dangerous to attempt any devastating strikes.

He’s just a guy who wants to keep his belt, and he won’t be swayed by a booing crowd. Everybody thinks he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, but he isn’t that good. Noone is.

I found it hard to comment on the other posts about this because a lot of people here and in general are in an uproar and said people are just far madder and vehement than those who disagree with them. I’d imagine part of the divide is between people who streamed it and people who paid for it too. I did the former, and I’m not really upset by the fight and in fact was amused and impressed by how Silva toyed with Leites and how easily he won the fight without trying whatsoever. Then again, I also was incredibly drunk from watching the bulls game, passed out around 6pm and woke up just in time to catch that fight only. I too, as others have said, have the opinion that I understand why people are upset about the fight just not to the degree that some have taken it.

Word.

I think we forget that MMA is a sport. In sport there’s bound to be some boring games/fights. I remember when I was younger I thought watching Bernard Hopkins fight was like watching paint dry. You have to appreciate the finer technical aspects of the sport.

I mostly blame Thales Leites – particularly by round 4 he should have known that he was down on the cards. If he really wants to win the belt….he needs to go all out. When it’s a toss up between going for broke (which may cause you to get knocked out) and playing possum in an effort not to get knocked out….you must go for the former, particularly if you’re the challenger. The champion has the luxury of knowing that even if the fight is a draw he will win the belt.

Silva needs to fight at 205. He should fight Jardine.

I like how straightforward everything was. Yes, Anderson has cleared out the division, so the promoters should give him the toughest fighters for him that they can find even if they are in different divisions. With Anderson’s contract only having so few fights left, why not just fill it with super fights? Seriously, he has proven that he is the best Middleweight fighter out there, and he made fighters like Leites and Cote look like amateurs.
I have to agree that this isn’t the end of the world like others are making it out to be like the post about Mainstream fans’ views on Anderson Silva. HE IS ONLY ONE FIGHTER OUT OF HUNDREDS! His drawing power is understandably down, so don’t put him in the main event but the co-main event or put him in the huge cards (Superbowl weekend, End of the Year) alongside with another title fight and have the other title fight be the main event. If they need Anderson to main event, make sure that it is a Superfight or a fight that the fans would want to see. I just don’t feel that Anderson’s last two performances have that much real affect on the UFC or MMA in general as others make it out to be. It will obviously have an affect on the buyrates of the next card that Anderson will be on, but that is as far as the potential harm that these fights caused.

At the core of the matter is this fact, it was an awful card with the possible exception of a few of the fighters that had been brought over from the WEC.

Now I personally think Silva is a very good fighter but also incredibly hyped and over rated. But here we have Silva Fan Club Ppresident Joe Rogan bemoaning ‘casual fans who don’t apreciate the techicalities’ etc.

Now granted, in ANY UFC event the majority of the attendees are rich Yuppies without a clue who have never been in a street fight much less trained for one. But in this case Rogan was full of crap, The well deserved boos were directed at the fact that the card sucked and that fight in particular was a total mismatch. It was as bad a mismatch as the last Cyborg fight. And the Yuppies had been gouged out of hundreds of dollars to sit through yet another stinking turd of a fight card.

Komissar White might have been instrumental in ‘saving MMA’. But I would also argue that for the past few years he has been bad for the sport.. He’s turned TUF into a weird water sports fetish party suitable for viewing mainly by ignorant mall rats without a clue, gives a championship shot to an ass clown from the WWE after only a few fights, his mismatches and the way he treats his fighters (and fans) is starting to catch up to him.

Far too many UFC cards have truly stunk and White is rapidly turning the UFC into the WWE. The only saving grace will be watching another of his pets, the also vastly over rated Michael (‘hey we needed someobody to make famous in the UK’) Bisbing get his head torn off by Henderson. But no way I’m paying ANY money for that.

I agree with you 100%, The problem now with mma is the fact the “mainstreamers” want to see blood and guts and 30 second knockouts. That’s all entertaining to see but is that really what the sport is about? To me it’s a combination of ancient arts being used by extremely talented athletes that not only use their strength but use their mind as well to defeat their opponent. So what if Anderson didn’t “put on a show” the person to blame here is Leites. Supposedly he trained alot of stand up for this fight. It was not apparent, and if he knew his only chance was to get Silva to the ground why didn’ the train wrestling for the whole camp? Everyone knows Silva is not a good wrestler, he never has been! Look at his fight with Lutter, those were the sloppiest attempts at takedowns I have ever seen in a professional fight and they still put Silva on his back. The difference between Leites and Lutter is that Lutter was willing to take some punches and knees and kicks to get in take down range. Leites on the other hand wanted to lay there and have Anderson come to him. Anderson had no reason to go to him. He’s the champ, the one that supposedly “wanted the belt” should of taken it to him. Besides the 185 pound class is not competitive for Silva. He should move up to 205 where he belongs, they have alot more depth and alot more fighters who will bring the fight to Silva. Leites if he wants to flop on the ground all the time should just stick to NAGA tourny’s or what have you. Also I think it’s time for everyone to stop worrying about the inconsistent mainstream viewers, if they like it they will watch it. If they don’t who cares? If they are blind and cannot appreciate the time and effort it takes to get prepared for one of these fights than screw them. Also, Dana is a IDIOT! that’s all for now :_D