Lambs to the Slaughter: Anderson Silva Needs a Challenge
by Mike Fagan on Apr 11, 2010 12:23 AM EDT
in MMA News
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I feel like I've met my soul mate. Here's a snippet of a piece from D.W. over at Head Kick Legend:
Anderson Silva is in a strange position, as no one within the fight industry outside of possibly Roy Jones, Jr. have been an artist in the ring. In UFC especially, fans are endeared to the hard-working fighters with the nice guy demeanor like Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin and Georges St. Pierre. Win or lose, the fans will always love Randy Couture. It doesn't matter if his personal life is always a mess and he is by all means a womanizer, what matters is in public he comes across like a swell guy. The same can be said for Forrest Griffin, a man that the casual fans love and that journalists describe as nothing short of a massive dick. But like I said, none have the artist mentality, so a fighter like Anderson Silva will always have a hard time being a fan favorite and a PPV draw like Couture or Griffin.
UFC 112 was a perfect example of this. Anderson spent most of the fight just absolutely clowning on Demian Maia, much to the behest of Dana White, as well as most MMA fans and bloggers. The overwhelming commentary that I heard coming out of this fight was, "if you are so good, why not just finish the fight?" The other big term being tossed around was "disrespectful." To be blunt, Anderson Silva is very bored in his current disposition in life. Going into this fight, he knew that Maia posed no threat to him at all. Imagine being in school and being so brilliant that you are able to skip three grades, and then imagine the frustration when for the next three years you are told to stay in the same grade because that is what people want to see and you are just so great at it. This is really no different, and this is not to take away from Maia at all, who is a great fighter, he simply is not anywhere near the level of Anderson Silva.
I strongly urge you to read the whole piece as I believe it to be the most tempered and reasoned reaction to Anderson Silva's performance at UFC 112.
I agree with Luke Thomas when he states that Silva's performance cannot be explained as mere risk aversion. Anderson's behavior in these situations has been predictable and deliberate. The man is clearly unsatisfied about something. Is it the absence of challenge provided by Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, and Demian Maia? Or is it the box office draw those fighters fail to bring with them? Or, more likely, some mixture of the two?
Regardless of his motives, there's one bit in Dana White's reaction that I find puzzling. When asked if he would acquiesce Silva and fans' desires to see him fight Georges St-Pierre or Brock Lesnar, White responded, "Anderson doesn't interest me right now."
Anderson doesn't interest you?
Following the event, Dana has gone into spin mode, apologizing to the fans and promising some way to make it up to them. Well, guess what Dana? You can make it up to us by putting together a fight that many people have clamored for since GSP beat B.J. Penn last January. Instead, you've provided us with back-to-back mismatches for the middle- and welterweight champions in the span of a month.
It's very telling that after Dana belittled boxing for its inability to put together Pacquiao/Mayweather he then turned around and pooh-poohed the notion of St-Pierre fighting Silva because of what he "saw Silva do at 205." Child, please. The facts are transparent: Dana does not want to jeopardize his Canadian cash cow. Uh oh, that sounds an awful lot like those boxing promoters!
Though entertained, I'm not satisfied by Silva's performance either. However, blaming Silva focuses on the symptoms while ignoring the root cause. Check out these numbers from Best Fight Odds:
Anderson Silva -650/Demian Maia +600 (4/10/2010)
Anderson Silva -280/Forrest Griffin +305 (8/8/2009)
Anderson Silva -491/Thales Leites +475 (4/18/2009)
Anderson Silva -500/Patrick Cote +525 (10/25/2008)
Anderson Silva -450/James Irvin +475 (7/19/2008)
(In retrospect, that Griffin line was way off.)
If you think Silva should be more "professional" and "respectful" regardless of the opponent, whatever. I think you're overreacting, but that's neither here nor there. I have to wonder why you're not digging out the pitchforks when Dana White pits another overmatched competitor in the Spider's web.
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I agree, but...
Did you really say, “child please”? lol
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
"I fight because I can’t sing, I can’t dance, and it beats working all day. Now ask me a question that doesn’t sound so fucking stupid." – Phil Baroni
by midwestbred on Apr 11, 2010 2:32 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This was Ocho Cinco
after just finding out he got the role of Simon Phoenix for Demolition Man’s Off Broadway show.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
by Fake Emcee on Apr 11, 2010 3:39 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
for any Demolition Man reference.
by s.r.genovese on Apr 11, 2010 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Mike you are 100% on the money.
The one thing I’d like to add is; Silva has no one in MW that can hang with him. The last time he was inspired was against Forrest. How inspired is he gonna be when his last 5 fights have been Irvin, Leites, Cote, Maia, James Irvin and Forrest Griffin. The only fight he had an ounce of excotement about was the Forrest fight. Dana needs to challenge Silva. So, I will side with Anderson on this. If you want to inspire Anderson, give him- Jon Jones, James Toney, Frank Mir, Rampage, Rashad or Lesnar. This is Dana and Joe Silvas’ fault for bad match making.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
What has to be frustrating
For Dana and Joe Silva is that they tried to give him a better (more exciting) stylistic matchup in Vitor, and when that fell through, they through Demian in and just kind of hoped Anderson would be a company man for them.
Guess not.
If Dana encouraged ($$$$$) Georges to move up to 185 and fight Anderson, even if he lost (probably the most likely outcome) he wouldn’t be losing his Canadian cash cow. Georges could go back to being the greatest 170lbs fighter ever and the loss could just be explained away as Georges not being big enough to compete at that weight class. Those guaranteed 200K buys will still be there.
I understand Georges’ reluctance to move up and make the fight happen, I don’t understand Dana’s.
He was passive.
He broke the rules of the sport. The fault here lies not with the fighter, or with the promoter, but with the referee.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
He was less passive than his opponent
did Maia also break the rules?
by George Lucas on Apr 11, 2010 3:58 AM EDT up reply actions
I would say feed him Wand . Wand wont back down and will come in agressive but I like Wand so lets forget I even said that.
Throw the Spider in with Lesnar Carwin Cain or Mir. He surely would be tested then. The only thing the harder you come at him the worse it gets.
If the unlikely happened but possible A Silva standing over Lesnar’s Koed corpse with Silva howling his dominance over him UFC would be severely fucked.
HW is so hot right now and interesting I don’t think Dana wants to fuck with it. Having a HW lose to A Silva would only hurt the HW appeal and doesn’t help anyone seeing as Silva will never be a true draw.
Give him Mir
It was a name Anderson had floated before, it’s a name fans know. He’s on the outside looking in at the top of the division so it doesn’t mess any of that up. Make it happen!!!
I liked it better when it was well-reasoned and grammatically correct without resorting to hyperbole.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions 8 recs
This post is of a much higher quality. It has carefully-argued positions backed by data. It never resorts to throwing around insults; rather, Fagan uses wit to highlight the absurdity of the situation. The writing is clear, concise, and informative – everything a good analysis should be. The worst part of yours is when you say Dana is limiting the growth of MMA, even though he just held an event in a place most Americans can’t find on a map. That is the perfect example of expansion, and while Fagan also lays blame at Dana’s feet for the matchmaking, he doesn’t go so far as to make ridiculous claims like that.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Please point out the insults.
And yes it is my opinion that Dana is holding the sport back, and a lot of other people in the business think the same thing. Thats not an insult, thats called an opinion. How is Dana White screaming at Sorres in between rounds any different than the Seth/Kimbo EliteXC debacle? Management should have no influence on the way fighters fight. This isn’t the WWE, this is supposed to be a sport.
These are the two obvious examples, though the entire post reeks of derision. Your comments are equally abrasive.
“All the “hardcores” are very eager to jump on the “rednecks” who scream “ground fighting is for queers” and “We want Blood” but are you any different?"
“Is everyone so brainwashed by the UFC media that they can not see what is going on here?”
The difference between Dana and Shaw is that Shaw directly addressed the referee to influence the outcome, a far worse crime. Isn’t offering a FOTN also influencing the fight, anyway? Jorge Gurgel and Chris Lytle always go with sloppy brawls for the extra money. And I’m not saying Dana is perfect, but he’s done more for the sport than anyone who isn’t a Gracie.
I also never said you insulted Dana, and insults & opinions aren’t mutually exclusive. You’re mistaken there.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 1:32 AM EDT up reply actions
For someone that uses a lot of big words, its funny that you lack the ability the find the proper definition of others. The 2 quotes you listed aren’t insults, they are called blanket statements.
Please google what you talk about before replying because you don’t make sense. The Kimbo Seth situation had nothing to do with a ref, it had to do with the fact that Seth was offered money to stand up with Kimbo. If you think offering a fight bonus is the same as trying to artificially produce a specific outcome in a fight, there is no reason to go any further.
I was referring to Jared Shaw yelling "Back of the head!" to the ref during that fight.
No, offering a bonus is not the same as bribing for an outcome, but it is still an influence, and you said that, “Management should have no influence on the way fighters fight”, and the bonus would violate that maxim as they encourage certain behaviors. If you wish to be consistent, you must decry the “X of the night” bonuses.
Also, insults and blanket statements aren’t mutually exclusive. A blanket statement can easily be an insult; consider the statement All Mexicans are lazy. It is both a blanket statement and an insult.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Also, insults and blanket statements aren’t mutually exclusive. A blanket statement can easily be an insult; consider the statement All Mexicans are lazy. It is both a blanket statement and an insult.
No buddy thats called racism.
It’s still an insult & a blanket statement. Again, not mutually exclusive. My point holds.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 2:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Okay, how about all blondes are ditzy?
Will you stop arguing this inane point and get back to the argument you were losing?
by Applejack McNeil on Apr 11, 2010 2:23 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh stop being a silly goose
He’s using an example of the word which happens to be racist, the fact that it is racist doesn’t diminish the fact that it’s still an accurate usage of the word.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
It’s just an example – I could have said just as easily All wrestlers are lay-and-prayers, and it would still function as both a blanket statement and an insult. In fact, you could parley anything I use as insulting because that’s the very issue I’m discussing here.
You’re just throwing red herrings, anyway – focusing on the trivial. None of this changes my original point that this article is fundamentally better than yours.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Ice Ice Baby was a better song than Under Pressure but that doesnt change the fact that Vanilla Ice stole the Rolling Stones opening riff.
Under Pressure is a Queen song featuring David Bowie.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 2:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Don't let the facts get in the way of a good point
Why start now?
First of all, Under Pressure was Queen.
And no, Ice Ice Baby was not a better song. WTF is wrong with you.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
You're digging yourself into
a deeper and deeper hole. Just let it go.
by MMAMathMustDie on Apr 11, 2010 2:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Yea, I don’t think the guy backing up Ice Ice Baby should be running off at the mouth.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
I don’t even know what to say about that. I’m not even a big Fedor fan, but I don’t hate him that much.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Dude… Not cool.
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 11, 2010 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Complete fail here.
Be a man, not a child-Phil Anselmo
by ANance on Apr 11, 2010 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
THIS is the most underwhelming performance of the day
it’s not even a riff, it’s a baseline, but thats secondary to your Stones quip
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 2:46 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You guys are even more sensitive about your dated music than you are about your Silva hate. I apologize.
I've devotedly embraced Silva all day
But mistaking Queen/Bowie and the Stones… unforgivable!
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 2:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Silva’s plan may be to turn the fans against him in order to gain full on heal status. If so, he’s doing a decent job thus far. The fact is, most saw what Silva did as monotonous and exasperating. You’re better than the guy. Move on. Don’t drag the shit out.
Dana’s the boss. He doesn’t have to like Silva, but he has to find what he does as good for business. At this point he does not. Artist or not, people have to want to lay down money to watch Silva fight. I don’t see that performances like this do much to accomplish that goal. I could be wrong, but that really doesn’t matter. You’ve got to keep the boss somewhat happy, and I don’t think Silva’s getting it done in that regard.
by Cannon Jacques on Apr 11, 2010 12:37 AM EDT reply actions
I disagree with you Jacques...
It’s Silva’s job to be a mixed martial artist — it’s managements job to make money off that artistry — this isn’t professional wrestling, Anderson is not following a script. Someone needs to be blaming management for this repeated failure in match-making.
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
It’s not management’s fault in any way. Would he try more if he moved up a weight class? Maybe, except he won’t fight the champ so there’s no reason to let him knock off challengers at LHW. Do you let him fight GSP? It’s a one-off freakshow that will serve no purpose. Silva’s too big to come down without it being an issue and GSP’s too small to move up without it being an issue.
If you are just better than other fighters, then there’s nothing management can do. They aren’t going to let you jump around weight classes and knock off champions and contenders, hurting divisions just because you’re bored.
by ricker2005 on Apr 11, 2010 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why do people keep saying things like "Try More"? What is Silva suppose to be trying to do?
I thought he was suppose to try to win. That’s what he’s been doing — trying and succeeding at winning. Out of all the possible fights out there, Maia was the least acceptable from a fans perspective. Choose practically anyone from the LHW division, or just go with Nate Marquardt — guaranteed finish (excitement)!
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
Again, you can’t feed him people from the LHW division because he won’t fight the champion. All you’d be doing is eliminating contenders with no benefit. That is solely Anderson Silva’s fault because he’s the one that said he won’t fight Machida.
If Silva were smart, which he clearly is not in at least this regard, he would be trying to raise his stock as a fighter and increase is future pay. That’s what he would be trying to do. Winning is worth nothing if you win like he did today because his pay is tied to PPV draws.
by ricker2005 on Apr 11, 2010 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
yea all those finishes he had made him a HUGE draw right?
The UFC has to find a way to utilize their best fighter in a way that keeps him happy monetarily as well as challenged in the cage… He beat Leben, Rich, Marquardt, Irvin, Lutter, Griffin, and Hendo in spectacular fashion… and it didn’t make him a strong draw…
He wants, needs, and deserves BIG fights, not mismatched showcases…
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Apr 11, 2010 3:37 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
give him Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden, we’ll see if he complains then.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Maia was what they had available...
Vitor and Chael were hurt, and Nate had just lost. Maia was the closest in line to a title shot.
by Hardcase on Apr 11, 2010 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I really wish more people would consider this.
There was nobody else for Silva.
In retrospect Nate probably would have been a better matchup, but the UFC would have caught hell for it before the fight.
If you’re pissed about not being given good opponents that neither challenge you nor present you with good buy rates, why make yourself look awful in those fights? Maybe if Silva had seen fit to finish the fights, or at least even try to finish them, he would be in a position to be a draw all by himself on a card and be in a good enough bargaining position to demand the type of fight he supposedly wants. By doing what he has been doing, all he has assured himself of is a pissed off boss not wanting to do him any favours and a pissed of fan base not wanting to pay a penny to see him.
He had the fight with GSP he wanted in the bag if he just had of performed the way we all know (or at least think) he can.
No he didn’t. Dana came out before the fight and said he really didn’t want to see GSP fight Anderson.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
“If Anderson could cut down 170, I would do it.”
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/4/8/1411052/dana-white-talks-gsp-vs-anderson
Yesterday he said he doesn’t want to see that fight happen.
by dancingChicken on Apr 11, 2010 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
AFTER the fights yes
GSP was sitting at ringside with headphones on prior to the Silva-Maia fight, earlier he was shown sitting in the crowd so they obviously moved him only for the main event. They were clearly setting up the potential GSP-Silva staredown after the fight which could have been huge is Silva hadn’t decided to behave like a petulant child.
i like the bored artist argument
i don’t like the “my opponents aren’t big ppv draws” argument. i know it’s supported by evidence, but anderson has to know that he lowers his own ppv draw power with exhibitions like these. maybe he just thinks he’s earned it, but it seems to me like he just wants to make money off the backs of people who are willing to go that extra mile to raise their popularity amongst the money spending public.
For everyone who is confused about how an employee/executive relationship is suppose to work:
It’s very simple — the employee has a skill, the executive uses that skill to make money.
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
If employee doesn’t meet expectations, he gets demoted or fired.
by Dropkick434 on Apr 11, 2010 12:55 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was just adding in the fact that the boss does have a right to demand change in your performance.
by Dropkick434 on Apr 11, 2010 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions
no champion should ever be told by a referee to stop stalling
this hack game of showing respect for a fight, clowning around during a fight, and then showing respect and sorrow after is tired.
But the UFC is partly to blame. They have found NOBODY since Rich Franklin to give Silva a test at 185lbs. They refused to resign Dan Henderosn and have brought along nobody.
Give up the belt and move up.
Its the only solution.
Vote Quimby
by mason_beer on Apr 11, 2010 12:55 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I know that’s suppose to be a heart, but it looks an awful lot like cock and balls — either way it makes sense.
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
by mma_dude on Apr 11, 2010 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You must be looking at some weird looking penises.
"Adam Sandler is like in love with some girl, but then it turns out that this girl is actually a golden retriever or something."
by Earl Montclair on Apr 11, 2010 1:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I see a pair of balls with a party hat on.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
by Fake Emcee on Apr 11, 2010 1:43 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Most people think I'm crazy
… and that I love Prince. I’m not sure if I can contest either, honestly.
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
I agree to a point
Although I think Maia really cracked him good a few times and Anderson was cautiously waiting to effectively counter those punches again, but they never came.
The problem with Anderson is that he’s all counter. We all remember the dominant performances, but forget that most of those opponents fed his strength. Silva’s straight offense is his weakness, as a fighter and as a draw.
Well, guess what Dana? You can make it up to us by putting together a fight that many people have clamored for since GSP beat B.J. Penn last January. Instead, you’ve provided us with back-to-back mismatches for the middle- and welterweight champions in the span of a month.
This is a joke right, wasn’t BJ vs. Edgar a clear mismatch gtfoh with that revisionist crap. GSP has cleared out his division and Dan Hardy was the top ranked guy he hadn’t already beat and he dominated him and proved why he’s the best WW in the world.
Andy on the other hand took forever to get healthy enough for Belfort who ended up getting hurt and Sonnen was too injured to replace him so Maia was up next. But unlike GSP who’s a true champion and fighter Andy decided to clown around and lose what few fans he had left.
I don’t blame Dana White for anything and i’m very happy with his stance following Andy’s bullshit performance. The guy doesn’t need a challenge he needs an ass whooping and Sonnen is going to give him one. As we saw with BJ mma isn’t always about who has the most talent match ups and gameplans count just as much and Sonnen is going to expose him just like he did Okami and Nate The Great.
by Raker on Apr 11, 2010 1:14 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
You gotta be kidding right?
I know everyone’s tempers are flaring right now but lets still try to be somewhat reasonable here. After just watching this fight I can honestly say that all Sonnen would be able to do is get clowned on even harder than Maia or Leites or anybody else. Sonnen’s not gonna be able to smother Silva for five straight rounds and he damn sure wont be anywhere close to being able to finish him. I wan’t to see Anderson take on Vitor, but aside from that there’s really nothing else left for him at MW.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Sonnen has nothing in common with either Maia or Leites, he just put on 2 dominating displays over top contenders Okami and Nate The Great. And he will put Andy on his back and smash his face in and make him fight as we found out tonight the myth of invincible fighters is just that Andy doesn’t want it anymore and Chael is going to expose him when they fight.
How did this fight prove the "myth" of Anderson?
Seriously bro, did I just imagine the guy’s what like 10 fight demolition streak or something? Is your sense of revisionist history that strong? I don’t even see how you could get from this fight that he is beatable when he absolutely tooled Maia for those first three rounds, I mean he EMBERASSED him and didn’t show the slightest signs of being in any trouble at any point. The only reason Maia was even able to do somewhat well for himself in the last 2 rounds is because Anderson decided to stop doing anything.
Sonnen is a one dimensional mouth piece, a human blanket that will do a good job of hyping up the fight but will ultimately get crushed and humiliated. Sonnen has one thing going for him, and if Silva keeps the proper distance and picks him apart standing all the silly glue in the world wont be able to help Sonnen stick himself to Silva. When Silva throws shit its almost too fast to even notice sometimes, so Sonnen won’t be countering any strike with a takedown or any of that other stuff he was talking about. It would not end well.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Is your sense of revisionist history that strong?
Yes. Ask him about Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez some time
by George Lucas on Apr 11, 2010 4:02 AM EDT up reply actions
for fuck's sake
Silva hasn’t been threatened since the potato crop went bad! Neither has GSP… they’ve both been destroying “contenders” and Silva even jumped up 20lbs. to wreak havok on a couple guys, one of whom was one fight removed from being a champion.
But I must be fucking CRAZY to think two beastly champions in adjacent weight classes might ought to fight each other.
Did you see how busted up Sonnen was after the Marquardt fight? Silva would turn him into ground beef. But no, I should favor this guy that lost to Paulo fuckin’ Filho over six-time defending champion Anderson Silva.
Fuck.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 1:51 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Check out this...
“I give props to Demian because he is trying to fight someone who is trying to run. This is some hot garbage Anderson. @migueltorresmma”
“Anderson wins by “Dance and Prance”. Maia fought an impossible fight. You cant choke air. @migueltorresmma"
“Anderson will be at the beach in the morning while I will be pissed, hung over, & 60 bucks poorer. Yellow cards please. @MigueltorresMMA”
“Demian needs to just say screw it and kick this jerk in the nutts. Thats some bitch shit 4real. @MigueltorresMMA”
“Anderson is acting like @OGochoCinco & is acting a fool. Uff Im 7shots in. This is like a bad cartoon I cant stop watching. @migueltorresmma”
“Anderson is dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a flea. @migueltorresmma”
Miguel Torres’ reaction to the main event via Twitter. Link
Be a man, not a child-Phil Anselmo
by ANance on Apr 11, 2010 1:16 AM EDT reply actions 8 recs
haha Miguel is funny as hell with to stuff he puts out on twitter. lol
"Everyone has a game plan, untell they get hit." -Mike Tyson
Torres wishes he had the luxury of maintaining the kind of poise and precision throughout a 5 round fight that Silva showed today.
by George Lucas on Apr 11, 2010 4:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Benaviedez choked out the brain out of Torres
Silva fooled Maia worse than he did Leites. Maia threw 9 strike on the feet, 4 of which were in the 5 round and suddenly it was Anderson who was not fighting.
by dancingChicken on Apr 11, 2010 5:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't understand
How damn near everyone seems to be defending Anderson’s performance with things like “his opponent was beneath him.” If that’s the case, then prove it by ending it quickly. I’ve heard the argument that he shouldn’t have to put himself in harms way, but at what point was he ever in trouble? Every shot Maia attempted or every time he tried to pull guard, Anderson easily thwarted it. Then people say “Maia should have been more aggressive.” What about the 5th round where he came out guns a’ blazin? Anderson did nothing but stuff every attempt, rather than try to end it. I’ll admit I defended Anderson last year after the Leites debacle, but he was repeatedly trying to simply pull guard and lay on his back. Maia was standing in front of him for most of the fight. Not to metnion this coming on the heels of everyone shitting on GSP’s performance. At least he was trying to finish the damn fight.
by Brock8144 on Apr 11, 2010 1:21 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs
While I think Silva’s performance is childish and disrespectful to both Maia and the sport, I’m ok with it. And that simple reason is that the person hurt most by this is Anderson Silva. Raising your stock as a fighter is important to increasing your pay and there are lots of ways to raise your stock. Be (or pretend to be) a nice guy. Be a heel that everyone wants to see lose. Be the hard worker. Lose in exciting fashion. Win, especially in an exciting fashion. None of those involve clowning around like a douche in the octagon.
There’s no win here for Silva. He lowered his stock as a PPV draw even further. He still won’t fight Machida making the LHW division a non-starter. And by pissing off people like Dana White, he’s not encouraging them to set him up with the fights he wants anyway.
Here, here...
This is spot on. Two things were clear the second the fight started. A.) Anderson wasn’t the least bit scared of anything Maia could do, B.) Maia was terrified of everything Anderson could do.
The intimidation Maia felt was written all over his face from the word go. I don’t believe for a second this would have been the kind of performance we would have seen if Vitor had been in there, but as it stands I think that Anderson is temperamental. People may not like that he takes the “C’mon, don’t waste my time.” approach of only barely engaging with a lesser opponent, but the answer to that question is clear. Stop giving him lesser opponents!
It’s like having Michael Jordan at his prime and rather than letting him play in those legendary series with the Suns and the Pistons you tell him he’s only allowed to play the Clippers. He’s gonna coast. And why is he gonna coast? Because his opponent can’t do squat to stop him.
I call bullshit
While the premise of your argument isn’t terrible, using Jordan to support it is. Jordan was flat out driven to prove he was the best, regardless of who he was playing. If you only let him play the Clippers, he’d be trying to set the scoring record. If he was playing a high schooler in 1-on-1, you better believe the kid wouldn’t score a point.
by Brock8144 on Apr 11, 2010 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Then who does he want to fight?
Why do a job that you claim to want to be the best at, but only do the bare minimum to get by?
awesome piece from both guys.
all this Anderson Hate is getting out of hand… especially with Dana white praising Maia’s “performance”, and saying that Silva “doesn’t deserve GSP”, or that Silva might be in the prelims. Crazy talk.
He is just feeding the Zuffa cult he has created. I think this site and other boards online have shown that most MMA fans are sheep that are very easy to control.
This is just the microcosm..
A condition of the whole, if anything.
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
I think a move to HW is in order...
if Silva is looking for the biggest challenge, it’s not at LHW where he must fight Machida and Shogun for a chance at the belt but at HW. I think fighting GSP at 170 is a one time fix….and if, and I do still truly believe GSP could take him down at will, he beats George he faces the same problems at 185 and 205…a run at Lesner (or Carwin) would be epic, and something that any MMA fan could get behind. Silva doesn’t want to be the best at any weight class he wants to be the best evah in da world. That means putting himself in line to fight Fedor. Craziness?
I bet my tin foil hat on it!
The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.
and don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why the fans are pissed off, but I don’t get why Maia was complaining in the fourth and fifth. If you got clowned for each and every round, you should be the one pressing forward. You should be the one trying to go for broke. Why would you complain that Silva wasn’t attacking, when you only threw 8 shots on the fourth?
Maia was losing every single round, yet he didn’t go for broke. He attempted (and landed) less strikes on EACH AND EVERY ROUND, including the 4th and 5th, yet Maia was the one complaining that the guy who was definitely ahead wasn’t throwing strikes.
and again, I get why the fans are complaining, but Maia? Cmon.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:34 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I agree
I do think Maia’s performance was still above Leites just for the lack of flopping, but we did still see ass dragging and a lot of laying on his back. I’m not trying to knock Maia but I don’t see how he “fought more like a champion” like someone else said.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Yup.
He’s definitely better than Leites, and he did show flashes that he was trying. But that performance was NOT praise worthy at all.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Silva was on his bicycle...
and his goes a lot faster than Maia’s. Maia didn’t put on an amazing performance, but it was still twice as impressive as what Anderson did in there.
Not true at all. Silva managed to dick around for 25 minutes and still humiliate his opponent. I suspect much of Maia’s later aggression comes from embarrassment as much as heart. Silva is a a class above most every other fighter in skill.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Only one fighter came close to getting a point taking away for running.
And Silva shouldn’t be commended for clowning his opponent the way he did. His performance was atrocious.
I think he was throwing a tantrum for the fight, which is a personal failing that has nothing to do with his skill as a fighter. If Maia was twice the fighter, why couldn’t he win? I’m not happy with how Silva fought, but to say Maia fought better is nonsense.
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 11, 2010 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions
You seem to forget fast
The last two rounds you could say something about Silva running, but those first three rounds he was absolutely asserting himself over Maia going after him, throwing crazy strikes, taunting him, and chasing Maia around. Lets not act like this is what Silva did for the whole fight.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
I don’t think you can humiliate someone by making fun of them for not engaging when you yourself won’t engage. He was trying to taunt him into attacking because apparently Silva can’t do anything but counterstrike.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Seriously?
Has everyone forgotten what happened the first three rounds, because I just watched this thing and Silva was actually putting a pretty bad beating on him. He just attacked so infrequently between the taunting that it didn’t seem like he was doing much. Maia’s face didn’t bust up itself.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
He countered him many times, in fact the big broken nose was from that. So good thing for Silva Maia gave him something to do. Although he did dance in and throw a few here and there and put some legs kicks on him. I was quite shocked to see him add so many tools to his game.
I guess Silva just isn’t good enough to actually finish Maia then. He’s good, just not good enough.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Him countering has nothing to do with anything really, that doesn’t change the fact that throughout those first three rounds he was still throwing whatever he wanted and landing almost every time.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
(Actually him countering explained a lot away in your example, but I can see why you would find that less important now)
Again, if he was so godly then why couldn’t he finish him?
If he can act the fool b/c he is so good; then finish the f-n fight.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Don't pull that "your avoiding the issue" crap with me homeboy
I’ll address your points until the cows come home mister. I just watched the fight and from what I saw in those first three rounds was Silva playing offense often without having to counter anything. With constant leg kicks, push kicks to the face, combos, and that flying knee in the first, even thigh punching Anderson’s game wasn’t soley relying on Maia throwing something so he could counter it. I don’t know what’s going through this dudes head and I wont act like I do but you cannot watch any of that craziness from the first couple of rounds and sit here, or stand frankly I don’t know what position you’re in currently, and tell me that Silva was incapable of finishing the fight if he really went for it.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Um, Most of us are complaining about Silva not finishing the fight because he could have…?? I don’t even know what that last sentence is supposed to mean lol
And everyone in the world that watches MMA is well aware of how boring Silva can be when his opponent isn’t pressing the fight. I’ve said the same thing as you did with some of your references to his attacks…minus the word “constant”. He can’t be constantly doing something when he is busy showboating or standing there or dancing in a circle or just playing pattycake.
No, the big issue you are avoiding and everyone has avoided is this:
If Silva is SO AWESOME that he can showboat and make an a$$ of himself taunting someone, then why can’t the #1 MW champ, possibly #1 P4P and hyped up for all his tearing through the UFC finish a one dimensional MW ranked like eighth? Saying he is bored is a self defeating excuse. There really is no reason for his behavior. It was disgusting and just…lame.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Maia was Ranked 6th
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
oh well, that just throws off my whole point??
who cares (he probably got a small bump for doing nothing more than being scheduled to fight and then hyped to fight Silva anyhow)
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
nope he was ranked 6th before the announcement
Silva didnt have a chance to finish him or he would have. Then he gassed in the 4th and 5th. Thats why he was running. IMHO Plus Silva couldn’t over commit to his strikes too much because of the threat of take downs.
This was the only time I wasn’t pulling for Silva, It will probably be the last time for awhile too. He is the P4P king for a reason. Maia wouldn’t play his game .so he didnt look as good as he normally does . When he fights Belfort he will look like a Jedi again.
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
Silva could have beat the crap out of him. That was his chance. Punching him in the face repeatedly instead of wasting his energy with a breakdance battle.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
He was trying to Goad Maia into playing his game
Hence the name calling. Maia never got reckless so thats why there was no KO.
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
Yea. I’ve said that. Somewhere, but I have too many posts in all these stupid Silva threads to know which now.
Anyways, it’s sad is what it is. And none of it changes my sarcastic point. Silva is one of the best fighters out there and should be able to finish Maia. It wouldnt’ require him to do anything crazy reckless or stupid either.
But I’m not interested in watching him in a dance off.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!
Gee buddy if you don’t know what the last sentence means then maybe you should start keeping track with your own posts. You’re the one talking like maybe Anderson wasn’t capable of finishing, now this might not have been what you meant but it’s how it came off. And I’m not avoiding anything, I don’t know why the guy did what he did and it’d be assinine for me to sit here and act like I did or even try to invent some reason without any real evidence. The fact of the matter is that Anderson is a weirdo, a talented weirdo, but a weirdo just the same and we’ll probably never get an answer to questions like these because he’ll never give us a strraight answer.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
no genius
I was being sarcastic when I said I guess he couldn’t finish
My entire issue with Silva is that he didn’t finish someone he clearly should have been able to finish and topped it off by taunting in the middle of the match like he was hot shit.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Well I appreciate the complement friend
but guess what, that’s what everybody’s problem with this fight was including mine so it’s not like your going against the grain here. My original arguement with you wasn’t about that, it was about you acting like Silva wasn’t humiliating and dominating Maia at will throughout those first three rounds before he decided to join the track team in the fourth. I’m also sorry that I didn’t pick up your sarcasm but my sincerity decoder for typed text was on the fritz and…as a matter of fact I’m beginning to question if you really do think I’m a genius after all.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
lol
yea, I just assumed with how crazy the statement was that the sarcasm would be picked up
That explains a lot though. I wondered why I kept seeing stuff in your posts that sounded like we were on the same page. I started wondering what we were arguing about. I guess you really are a genius.
oh well; that means it’s bedtime for me, too many drinks and too little sleep.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
Yeah you better go to sleep old man
cause I was about three seconds from dropping your mark ass!
(Your already asleep right?)
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
twice as impressive how exaclty?
If you are down on all score cards why would you still throw less than the guy who’s winning?
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Maia fought to 70% of his ability, Silva fought to like 5% of his, and maybe on purpose.
I give the credit to Maia in that situation.
by Razzel on Apr 11, 2010 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
awesome stats there.
haha. that really shows that Maia was twice as impressive as Silva.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Way to post and not really say anything at all. When you can’t support your argument any longer, just keep saying things till the other guy gives up!
Mission accomplished lol.
by Razzel on Apr 11, 2010 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
so how again was Maia twice as impressive?
cause from what I saw, Silva’s “5% of ability” was WAYYYY more impressive than whatever percentage you pulled out and labeled as Maia’s..
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions
fake percentages support YOUR argument?
Maia didn’t do shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. The whole first three rounds Anderson engaged him… jabs… straights… kicks…. infrequent sure? but he was winning easily, and Maia didn’t do ANYTHING
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Apr 11, 2010 3:45 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You’re not so good with the stats yourself.
by former tuf noob on Apr 11, 2010 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions
LOL. On the other thread maybe. 50-45 was out of this world.
by former tuf noob on Apr 11, 2010 2:21 AM EDT up reply actions
now that,we could agree on. :)
*group hug in the showers tonight! *
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Heart is why Anton.
The X factor. Grit ,Heart and "The Warrior Spirit ". He didn’t quit.
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
Marquez didn't quit when he was getting outclassed by Mayweather.
Marquez even showed more fight and sense of urgency in him, yet I would never say that he looked more impressive than the guy who was beating him up.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 3:31 AM EDT up reply actions
“He attempted (and landed) less strikes on EACH AND EVERY ROUND”
Anton, you realize that there is an alternate explanation for the data, right? Attempting less strikes could be explained by (a) his own timidity or (b) his opponent not engaging.
Maia was coming forward. He didn’t have the skills to beat Anderson, but he did come forward. He tried to make the fight. I think it’s clear Anderson wasn’t interested in engaging.
I don’t think the data support your conclusion.
by former tuf noob on Apr 11, 2010 1:54 AM EDT up reply actions
that is why I said BOTH people should shoulder the blame for lack of action...
not everything is on silva, because the guy who was losing, and should be going for broke, wasn’t even attempting anything either.
BOTH guys should be blamed for the lack of action, and Maia’s “performance” shouldn’t be praised, either.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:57 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re taking it too far. Maia was clearly outclassed. I think he fought to the limit (or close enough to the limit) of his abilities. How can you blame a guy for that? At most you’re making an incredibly marginal point.
by former tuf noob on Apr 11, 2010 1:58 AM EDT up reply actions
taking what too far? yes he was outclassed, and yes he didn’t throw shots. Yet he should be praised for that? Nope…
and if it was action you guys want, it takes two to tango, and I guess neither man wanted to dance, so I blame them both.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess we will disagree on this one.
Anderson controlled the entire fight. He decided where the fight would take place and how much damage he was going to do to his opponent. I don’t know about you, but I think it takes major cojones to still come forward in a situation like that. I think that’s the relevant piece of information, not the strike count.
So all this being said, I don’t know how we could ask anything more of the lesser fighter.
by former tuf noob on Apr 11, 2010 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Silva is an artist...
I give him that, but this is a combat sport. There is no dishonor in finishing an opponent,especially one who poses no threat to you and and who has somehow insulted you in some way. It is total BS that Maia surprised Silva with his strikes. Maia was left twisting in the wind, after all those failed TDs. There is no other champion in the UFC that would behave this way…and I cannot defend Silva’s actions. He can’t fight whomever he wants in the UFC and it will happen. Even GSP, because those fights at 170 are getting a bit stale too. And he’s not from Brazil either.
The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.
that is why I think Dana should stop being emotional,
stop all this “Silva doesn’t deserve GSP” crap, and just put that fight on. Everybody happy. Agree? :)
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions
We’ll all be very happy when GSP runs a TD clinic on Anderson for 5 rounds.
Blackout is always right
You mean when GSP shoots for a takedown
and eats a series of Brazilian knees for dinner.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
I think it would be a much more even match up at 170
since Silva would probably have a hard time making weight.. I imagine he’d look like Hansen after the cut. haha.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Skeleton Silva aside
I think that match should still be made. Even with the crazy performance by Silva to call that fight off would only be a punishment to the fans that have been waiting for that match up for years. I mean what happens, he calls it off and then both guys continue to fight mismatches in their weight class? Or do we wait for Silva to dominate another nameless victim so everyone can re-board his testicles and call for the GSP fight again?
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
MMA fans are fickle.
and Dana White is being too emotional about this. If silva can make the cut (and look even more like a spider), why not?
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Man, you spoiled my breakfast with that Hansen reference :) Corpse pale, skinny, red. God damn…
by dancingChicken on Apr 11, 2010 6:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Maia didn't engage Anderson.
Silva hit him a lot in the first three, and Maia did nothing.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
I just gotta say man, if he had just finished this thing in the second or possibly third then we’d all be talking about how dominating he is and fanning his testicles. As soon as I saw that he won by decision I thought “uh oh,” and sure enough I log onto BE and the first article is about Anderson disrespecting the fans. Those first three rounds were actually pretty incredible just in terms of how easily he crushed Maia mentally and physically, but then he just stopped caring about even trying to taunt. I do agree that it has to have something to do with the opponent and not just because they don’t attack enough because when Anderson wanted to he pulled out crazy shit that Maia had no answer for.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Let's just call this what it was...
Anderson Silva is not right in the head. Nothing artistic happened in the octagaon, if anything Silva is more of a comedian. The problem is that his footwork may be good enough to cuise to victory against anyone in MMA, which makes him a huge liability for the UFC. You can’t have Silva main eventing with these kinds of performances.
I like Dana’s idea to put him on the preliminaries lol.
How can he not be a comedian when his opposition is a joke?
(I dont think Maia is a joke, I just had to seize this opportunity for wordplay)
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 2:02 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 3 recs
Anderson didnt disrespect the fans..
cuz we know what we want.. and its not him.
Sure he showed dominance in the first two rounds. by the fourth he was starting to get tagged by maia and in the fifth round he spent the ENTIRE round circling a damian that was not only still fighting.. but actually tagged him 4 times in last round.
i would love to love anderson.. but he is unwilling to finish a fight on the ground. and in this fight he clowned damien and in the end clowned himself. He looked bad the last round.. BAD.
Maia was fighting?
after getting clowned the first three rounds, he only threw 7 shots in the fourth. SEVEN.
That is not a guy who’s trying to catch up and win the fight. That wasn’t a guy who was trying to fight. and NO, landing 4 shots isn’t praise worthy… Both guys should shoulder the blame for lack of action, especially since Maia decided not to attack, and just stand and raise his hands, even if he was losing every single round.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions
watch it again...
you can only walk after a fighter for so long.. there is a point in the fifth round.. where maia attempts a strike , and anderson literally backs up then circles… circles.. and bust a complete.. yes! a complete 720 back peddle . before stopping again.. then circling more.
your right that both fighters should shoulder some blame.. but i feel anderson and the ufc brass should shoulder 90% of the blame for putting on the fight.
watch the last round.. and tell me anderson was not tired and was trying to finish the fight.
maia was the only one at least trying.
I watched it twice.
There were several times in the fourth that Silva’s head was an arms reach away, with his hands down, and Maia still did nothing. He just complained instead of attacking like a guy who’s down 4-0 should do.
Maia tried to engage at certain parts, but for majority of the 4th and 5th, he wasn’t even going after anderson that much. He wasn’t cutting off the cage, he wasn’t pressing forward that much. He takes tiny steps forward and rotates as silva circles around weirdly. I really blame both guys. Except for a few moments from both of them, It’s as if neither wanted to fight for majority of the last two rounds.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:16 AM EDT up reply actions
people are mad and not being honest about what happened in this fight.
Was Anderson fucking around? Sure, but he DOMINATED…
Maia threw punches from his knees and got sympathy.. the funny thing is people are happy with Maia, but only because they are mad Anderson didn’t finish him.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Apr 11, 2010 3:49 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
yea
mostly b/c Maia was obviously not good enough to beat him; but aside from throwing all caution to the wind was trying his best
Silva wasn’t. I think if Silva wanted to he could have waded in and finished that fight at anytime.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by JeremyShane on Apr 11, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
The article is…i don’t know…trying not to overreact so I’ll go with not that great.
The first set up paragraph in quotes is inaccurate when they talk about fan favorites and the reasoning, but that means little in the discussion.
To move on to Silva:
The bored line is BS. The risk aversion idea is probably only true in a certain form. The guy just wants to fight his fight; which is counterstriking and he is good enough to beat pretty much anyone with it and good enough to defend against the fight turning into the other guys fight by letting them get takedowns, etc. If he is so bored, then why hasn’t he moved up? Dana will let him, but he isn’t willing to fight his LHW buddies that are at the top of the list. I guess he could bulk up to HW and fight Brock; I’d love to see that. But really, bored people don’t prolong what they are bored with, they end it; so if that is all it was then he should have finished off Maia and moved on.
Taunting someone a bit here and there might be obnoxious; but it’s part of the game. Silva went way beyond that into disprespectful. If he is that hot shit; then why couldn’t he attack and win? He is after all one of the best P4P fighters in the world, can he not attack or can he only counterattack? It was really sad to see someone so full of themselves not be able to mount enough of an offense to finish a fight in 25 minutes against someone that was no threat to him.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
He hasn’t moved up because Dana wants him to defend his title. Him being bored with that division is crystal clear to me, who is going to challenge him? He was somewhat pumped for the Vitor fight because he saw it as a guy who would bang with him and put on a good show and maybe even a challenge. Why should he care about fighting like Chael Sonnen? Because he trash talks? Who cares. Sonnen is a wrestler who can smother someone on the ground and eek out a boring decision who somehow still doesn’t know how to defend submissions that well. If Ando could submit Lutter and Hendo then there is no way he couldn’t submit Sonnen.
Is it more respectful to give Maia a concussion somehow? There, that is my argument as to why this “respect” thing is so silly. Toying with Maia is disrespectful, but giving him a concussion is respectful?
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
I am really, really, really really, really, really, really, really, really really, really, really, really, really, really really, really, really, really, really, really really, really, really, glad I didn’t pay for this one.
Blackout is always right
by Ubernoober on Apr 11, 2010 1:46 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
the law of diminishing returns has been working against the ufc for atleast a year. i said outloud to everyone tonight.. man I dont know if i really care to see the next one soo oo much.
I’ll watch the next one so long as there’s no Anderson Silva. I will not pay money to see Anderson Silva fight ever again.
Blackout is always right
enjoy reading the recap to Silva/Shogun
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 2:13 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
?
Are you from the future? If so, do the Leafs make the playoffs next year?
Blackout is always right
Nope, they don't.
Now I’m off to 1986 to boink your mom and join Motley Crue.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 2:53 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 3 recs
You mean Motley Lou, right? Lougle it.
by MickDawg on Apr 11, 2010 6:05 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i really really really
want to see anderson silva fight minowaman!
I won't live by rules that make no sense to me.- Evan Tanner
Boo freaking hoo.
I’m sick and tired of the “Anderson is bored” arguments to excuse away his complete lack of willingness (perhaps it’s fear?) to engage first on the feet or in an area where his opponent may be on a somewhat more level playing field. The man is supremely talented, yet he can’t be bothered to dispatch of fighters who are clearly inferior to him? Garbage.
And don’t tell me Anderson is the best fighter in the world anymore. Fedor doesn’t have these issues. He hurled himself fist-first into Big Nog’s guard and dominated him; stood with Cro Cop and Arlovski and beat them decisively at their own game, etc. Heck, GSP may not be the most crowd pleasing fighter lately, but at least he is actively trying to finish fights.
If Anderson’s so-called greatness is dependent on him fighting someone who will run straight at him with reckless abandon, then I say he’s not so great after all.
I specializes in grammar fail.
he isn't great cause he played with his food too much?
jeez guys, calm down.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 1:54 AM EDT up reply actions
That's precisely why he isn't as great as many make him out to be.
Three times now. Not just once or twice.
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 11, 2010 1:58 AM EDT up reply actions
how many finishes does he have?
Whats his record in the octagon? How many times has he defended his title? How many in a row has he won?
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
I don’t get why people keep bringing up Cote fight. It was nothing like Leites and Maia. It was a great technical fight.
by dancingChicken on Apr 11, 2010 6:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Also, let’s not distort what actually happened earlier today. Anderson Silva literally ran away from Demian Maia. That wasn’t “clowning around”. No, he ran away.
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 11, 2010 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions
he tried to engage the fight for 3 rounds... Won them without taking so much as a significant punch
and then cruised the rest of the way…. Maia was scared and then finally threw like 10 punches in each of the last two rounds… The activity level wasn’t even close, no matter what anyone says. Demian had nothing for Anderson, was given at least 10-15 chances to hit Anderson when he didn’t move…
How many times did he just STAND THERE, HANDS DOWN, CHIN OUT? Demian did nothing every time.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
HEY
Stop acting like you have an objectionable and accurate recollection of this fight and jump on the Anderson Silva is doo doo train!
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
hahahaha
yes he ran away. That would explain why he put his hands between his legs and stuck his chin out with flat feet: he was just so afraid of Maia. Brilliant.
by George Lucas on Apr 11, 2010 4:07 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
REPEATEDLY
I wasn’t happy with the fight… but I was more mad at Maia, and the matchup itself. Silva looked bored the whole time to me… You could tell by his reactions… the first three rounds all he wanted to do was get Maia to fight him. My GF said she felt bad for Demian, because he looked scared, like he didn’t know what to do. He landed nothing, and didn’t show “heart” until Anderson stopped fighting/caring.
I really like Demian, and think he’s a hell of a fighter, but his performance was horrible no matter what you judge it on. He had many opportunities to engage and make it a fight, and didn’t do so til he knew Anderson was too bored to knock him out.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
Yes that's a great point.
This “heart” from Maia basically came when Anderson decided to stop doing anything, and even then it’s not like Maia was able to pull of anything substantial.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
exactly.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
You know what Loot
people that agree with me are alright in my book.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman
by dancingChicken on Apr 11, 2010 7:20 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't get the point of
he’s better than all of his opponents but because for whatever reason he doesn’t go to end it somehow that dominishes him being better. Anderson Silva absolutely is one of the best until someone comes along and proves otherwise, I mean what is he a gatekeeper to you now or something?
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Of course not, but when comparing him to the other fighters that most consider to be the best of the best, Anderson has taken a big step down in my book. I readily admit that he’s the most talented fighter on the planet. Performances matter, though.
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 11, 2010 2:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Hey look man, the last two rounds played out the way they did I have no kind of excuse for them but they’re not representative of what took place for that entire fight. Those first three rounds were ridiculous in terms of how easily Silva was able to clown Maia and land whatever strike he wanted. I’m not trying to start this argument but in a way he did the same thing that GSP did in his last two fights which is dominate your opponent with your greatest strength without accomplishing a finish. If anything the difference is that GSP was apparently trying his hardest to finish his fights while Anderson was content with just playing around, so that within itself is worth noting.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
So basically...
Anderson is no good because he didn’t finish off Maia. Let’s ignore the fact that he dominated him and did it while clowning him, but because he didn’t give you what you wanted he isn’t that good, right?
Where does GSP stand in this? He was actually sincerely trying against Dan Hardy, who has no ground game and had no right being in the ring with GSP, and he couldn’t finish Hardy.
So the logic here is getting lost on me. Let me take your first paragraph and put in some substitutions.
“I’m sick and tired of the "GSP is respectful" arguments to excuse away his complete lack of willingness (perhaps it’s fear?) to engage first on the feet or in an area where his opponent may be on a somewhat more level playing field. The man is supremely talented, yet he can’t dispatch of fighters who are clearly inferior to him? Garbage.”
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
Are you...are you responding to me?
If you are you seriously misread, I mean I don’t see how you could have read my post and then responded to me making points that I made in the post you apparently disagree with. I said specifically “Those first three rounds were ridiculous in terms of how easily Silva was able to clown Maia and land whatever strike he wanted.” I don’t know how that turns into Anderson wasn’t any good or that he didn’t give me what I wanted. I’m seriously baffled by this if you are responding to me because I made no assumption that Anderson couldn’t have finished Maia which imo it was pretty obvious from those first three rounds that he could.
Seriously I’ve been defending Anderson up and down about this fight and looking at people that think this somehow makes him less of a fighter like crazy people. I brought up GSP as an example to compare to this, a guy dominating the fight with his main attribute without necessarily achieving a finish, and I brought up the fact that apparently GSP was trying to finish but Anderson decided to put most of his time into clowning without really trying to take Maia out. I’m saying that Anderson actually had a more dominant display considering he wasn’t trying as hard as GSP. I don’t even have a problem with GSP or that fight really and I don’t care how “respectful” he is in not breaking a guys arm in half, I was just using an example of a fight that I saw plenty of people defending adamantly
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
stop the hate!!!
this is the best response
anderson is board he isnt gonna smash any brazilians
he wants big fights has said it for years
if your gonna blame gsp’s last performance and anderson’s last performance you have to blame dana
everyone wants silva gsp ( i dont ) but you say you make fights fans want well fuck its been over a year and it still hasnt happened
point the finger at yourself dana
Mike has a point saying that Leites and Cote were overmatched opponents, but Maia is a top ten MW and legit contender.
Silva was backpedling from a BJJ guy and acting like a clown. No way he should get a super bout. Tonight’s fight has likely ensures that his next bout will lose a good 100k+ buys as few will pay for this again.
I will no longer buy a Silva ppv.
I agree
As do many others, and I think Dana knows this. Obviously he’s not serious about moving Anderson to the prelims, but I’ll bet damn near anything he doesn’t headline next time. Co-main event, yes, but he won’t be the match the UFC really pushes.
I dont
Really get how randys personal life equates to any fighters actions in the cage. Just a dumb remark. As for silva, the whole dancing in the first rd, taunt and disrespect in excessive fashion in the 2nd rd bull is getting ridiculous. I don’t care if you’re bored; ur getting paid to do ur job so fucking do it! If u actually finish someone after that circus fine, but if not, do ur best to earn ur paycheck and shutup. If ur not happy quit fighting and find something that does make u happy. Just quit wasting peoples time and money.
by TheWaker on Apr 11, 2010 2:21 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
UFC 117 Prelim (not even aired on Spike)
Silva vs. Okami
Okami gets screwed again!
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 11, 2010 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions
TUF 11 finale undercard, Silva gets the guy with green hair & funky shoulder.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
I like things that don't make sense.
lmao
nice!!
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
free fight on spike !!!!
heres the fix put anderson on free tv for his next title fight against sonnen so if sonnen wins there ya go and you can promote the shit outta him when anderson crushes him then everyone saw it for free and now got the bad taste outta there mouth and he can co headline a big card
It wouldn't suprise me
to see Silva’s next couple of fight on Spike.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
And if he stays at MW, I’m looking forward to him fighting Sonnen. At least he is as full of himself as Silva.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
That doesn’t mean I’ll pay for it.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by JeremyShane on Apr 11, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Silva/Sonnen would be an epic counter to Fedor’s “summer” fight
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 3:19 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
wut
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 3:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
if it was free on tv, it would be a pretty good counter.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
What is Dana supposed to do? GSP doesn’t want to come up to 185, and Anderson won’t fight his LHW champ.
Silva is willing to drop to 170.
all Dana has to do is offer him the title shot.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 2:53 AM EDT up reply actions
The basic point of this article is “It’s not Anderson’s fault he’s bored. It’s UFC and the world’s fault for not having contenders. He should be rewarded for his potential and not for what he’s delivering with the biggest fight possible against UFC’s #2 draw in a super fight”.
That’s not how the world works. That’s not how MMA has ever worked. If Anderson wanted top fights and super fights, he should be beating these guys definitively. You aren’t granted a super fight like that just by having amazing skills. You have to earn the right. Instead, Anderson tanked a show that UFC put their all into and has alienated fans. People do not pay to see fights like this. Even if you did GSP/Silva, all the drawing power would be from GSP now.
What’s telling is against guys that Anderson couldn’t afford to dick around with (Henderson, Irvin & Forrest) due to their striking and aggression he simply didn’t. He blew them out. But against the fighters he should be beating within a round (Cote, Leites & Maia) he’s not. He’s intentionally doing that. It’s nothing about “being bored” or “having a bad night” or “not having a opponent who comes at him”. It comes down to Anderson deciding to humiliate the opponent to make statements. It just so happens that this time, Anderson abused it to the point that he came out looking worse.
I would never reward Silva for this with a GSP fight. I’d actually sit on his contract for a period of time. Anderson is all about being paid. If Dana sits on his contract for say…six months to a year, perhaps he’d send Anderson a message. Take away a portion of Anderson’s prime years. You can’t fire him for obvious reasons, but you can hurt him.
by Hawk52 on Apr 11, 2010 3:41 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
If Anderson wanted top fights and super fights, he should be beating these guys definitively
was there ever doubt that Anderson was winning? people’s anger for a lack of a finish is taking away from the fact that he dominated the fight.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 3:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Doesn’t matter. If everyone knew Anderson was going to win, and he proceeded to prove he could win at any time. He should have won. Definitively.
Instead he played with Maia and then quit fighting. Tired or not, Maia was worse off and just as tired. Yet Silva shut down for two straight rounds.
You do not reward people for intentionally tanking fights. To assume you do for the sake of a “super fight” that now means nothing business wise is ludicrous.
For one Anderson did win definitively when nobody questions him getting the decision, and two that super fight still has weight behind it regardless and I think people should recognize the fact that GSP will certainly bring the fight to Anderson.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
"Definitively."
I don’t think you fully understand the definition of this word.
by George Lucas on Apr 11, 2010 4:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Why you gotta bust balls Lucas?
The definition of the word isn’t to win by knockout or submission mister smarty pants, to me this win was conclusively for Silva no matter what the last two rounds looked like and nobody else should doubt this even with all this draw talk.
Now don’t you EVER question me again or I’ll put a wig on you, throw you on the street and make me some money.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
I should add
by that last line I meant that I would dress you up as a female and then have you prostitue yourself for my own personal financial gain as your pimp, I don’t know…I don’t know if that was clear.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
I hope you weren't one of the people ripping GSP then
Seems like everywhere you looked, GSP was a hack for not being able to finish a guy with no ground game (despite 2 submissions that would have had anyone else tapping), but now that Anderson doesn’t come close to finishing a guy with no standup, it’s because he was bored. This is also forgetting the fact that GSP had basically decided he was going to work on his BJJ in that fight and only work for submissions, knowing that he could afford to. What was Silva working on last night? His breakdancing?
You say “You aren’t granted a super fight like that” as if Silva did something to negate the appeal of “super fights”. Matches with GSP, Shogun, etc. should happen for financial, competitive, and consumer-demanded reasons. Just because he pissed off some people is absolutely no reason those fights shouldn’t happen. No one said Mayweather shouldn’t be “rewarded” with Pacquiao after the ridiculous Marquez fight.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 4:09 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Is anyone really demanding Silva/GSP outside of the super delusional MMA fans? The same fans who thought IFL’s “fights are all that matter” approach was a good one? I don’t see a huge amount of interest in this fight to everyone outside of that 300,000 or so range.
GSP vs. Hardy with Frank Mir on the sub main just did 900,000 buys, or there-in. Anderson Silva probably has about the same drawing power, if not less, than Frank Mir. So this “Super Fight” will most-likely do a best slightly above or at what GSP vs. Dan Hardy just did.
All of Anderson’s fights that have achieved good buyrate numbers were due to everyone else around him. In essence, the casual fan does not care about Anderson Silva. And every chance Anderson has had to make new fans, he’s flushed it away. He fought on the same card as Chuck Liddell. He then proceeded to have the Leites fight that night. He killed Forrest, and then proceeded to have the Maia fight next time out. Anderson for all his talent and skills, has been actively sabotaging his appeal and power within the sport.
GSP vs. BJ Penn II did far from poorly, but for all the hype and effort UFC put into building the fight, it dramatically fell under expectations. I see GSP/Anderson doing exactly the same thing if it happens. UFC and fans will convince themselves that the fight is a world ending fight, and think that everyone will want to see these two go at it. And then instead of the one million plus buys, the show comes back with 800,000. A very good number, no doubt, but business wise when GSP can do the same number with people already in his division, it’s a number not worth it.
As Hawk points out ,the anamoly of certain AS performances are more fo a result of what’s going on in anderson’s head rather than a problem of matchmaking. Any other UFC fighter would have gone for the finish in a similair situation.
Dana was willing to do the GSP match up and still may but he is understandably pissed right now. Besides, Vitor or Chael could be ready as soon as GSP would be ready. If they end up wanting to do the mega-fight I’m sure they dont want AS to fight for the WW title so they would prob do it at 175.
Why do people forget the first part of the fight...
all this talk of running away is hilarious, as if the reason was he was scared.
He won three rounds and engaged each moment of combat for the first 15 minutes… he stood motionless… he kicked Maia’s hands while he was on his back (daring him to grab his leg)… he stood wit his lead leg out, daring him to shoot in…. he left his hands down most of the time… stalked Maia at times… he was damn near on his hands and knees… left his Chin OUT to be hit… Maia did NOTHING.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
If the fight had ended in the third all of this talk would be nonexistent but unfortunately the last two rounds have gotten people so upset that it’s clouded their memories of the first part of the fight which in my opinion was pretty entertaining.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
While i think you make a lot of valid points Mike....
And I am sure that Anderson was pissed off that he wasn’t sufficiently challenged.. or wanted a bigger name opponent, the fact remains that the UFC made the best match up they could considering the injury to Belfort. Anderson was a class above Maia and that was obvious about two minutes into the first round, his ridiculous pointing and swearing bullshit was unnecessary. Finish the goddamn fight, then you can add to your argument that you have cleaned out your division, that you are the P4P best and that you should get a shot at GSP
by SpilledBagofIce89 on Apr 11, 2010 4:09 AM EDT reply actions
Wow
The comments are going strong at 4am. I must be drizzunk.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 4:14 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
or hizzigh
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
done and done
gotta save a little though to wake&bake my hangover away. 4/20 in nine days what whaaat
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 11, 2010 4:33 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think Silva was being abit hypocritical...
He baited and clowned and (we assume) abused Maia for not wanting to stand with him, but he also wanted no part in going to the ground with Maia. If he wants to be challenged why didn’t he jump into Maia’s gaurd?
by Burkey22 on Apr 11, 2010 4:48 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
oh,
right. “Wanting to be challenged”, and “willingly stupid” are two different things.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 5:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Would Maia not have been willingly stupid to go flying in trying to knock him out? Like Silva wanted?
well he was down 5-0,
so taking a chance and trying something wouldn’t have hurt (no pun intended)… and what does that question have to do with the original point? Why would Silva jump to Maia’s guard?
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 11, 2010 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I wasn’t just referring to the final round. My point is Silva jumps around carries on and belittles Maia for not playing to Silvas strength and engaging him in the standup, when he clearly didn’t wan’t to have to battle Maia on the ground where he would be at a disadvantage. Am I the only one that sees that as hypocritical?
he gave Maia enough opportunities to get it there...
He was kicking Maia’s hands and arms while he was on the ground… he also stood still with his lead leg out waiting for Maia to try and dare take him down… Silva kept it where he wanted, just like GSP does… and then won a boring decision against an out-matched opponent, just like GSP does.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
Uh oh
don’t go bad mouthing GSP and his fights, you might end up with about a thousand people coming down on you for saying anything remotely critical of the golden child.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Heaven forbid
you actually look at both fights objectively, they are pretty much the same. One fighter was completely dominant over his opponent and won a dominant decision. However, many of the same people who shit on GSP for not finishing are the same people fellating Silva for “clowning” Maia and proving his dominance.
Yeah, Dana could make Silva-GSP or Silva-Lesnar. But why should he? Anderson Silva has gone the distance two of his three last fights – and not because his opponents were good enough to prevent him from finishing, but because he clearly chose not to finish. He’s done great damage to his reputation and drawing power. Quite frankly, why should Dana reward him with a superfight? He hasn’t earned it.
Yes, Silva is quite probably the best middleweight to walk the planet. He has the tools to be all that at LHW, as well. But as long as the guy does not want to fight, why should his promoter reward him?
It’s a shame – one of the all-time greats has willingly reduced himself into a clown. And yes, he’s done it all to himself.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Apr 11, 2010 6:17 AM EDT reply actions
Dude, a high caliber fighter facing another high caliber fighter is a reward?
So your saying Silva should be subjected to fighting jobbers in the parking lot for the rest of his career or something? I think people seem to be forgetting that this fight isn’t a reward for Silva its a reward for the fans, you know the people that watch this sport and dream of matchups like GSP vs Silva. I mean whats the big deal, worse case scenario Silva looks impressive tooling one of the p4p champs since I really doubt GSP would let his own loss turn into Anderson vs Leites 3 for the trilogy, and best case scenario is GSP wrestles Anderson into oblivion and then all the haters can rejoice
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Dana is pissed right now, he will say anything to hurt Silva, refuse him GSP, not announce the score, refuse to directly give him the belt. That’s not very rational, that’s just his reaction to being humiliated before his partners, I’m not puzzled one bit by any of this, that’s Dana 101.
If the fans want GSP vs Silva he will give them the fight. But not this week.
I'm a lover not a fighter
Forrest Griffina dick?
From the article
The same can be said for Forrest Griffin, a man that the casual fans love and that journalists describe as nothing short of a massive dick.
What is this about?
by FightCardHammer on Apr 11, 2010 8:39 AM EDT reply actions
He apparently doesn’t come across as funny when he’s giving an interview so much as he comes across as a jerk. There’s been lots of stories of him basically talking down to or acting pissed and annoyed at interviewers. Don’t know how much is truth and how much is repeated rumour, but it’s come up a few times.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
I've had good friends interview him..
… and I trust their opinion of him treating them like crap.
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
If Silva Really Wants a Challenge
He needs to quit crying and tell DW that he will fight Lyoto for the belt if he beats Shogun. DW would make that fight in a heartbeat. I was pissed off yesterday about his performance but I have since calmed down a bit. I love Anderson but IMO if you can finish a fight you should finish a fight. The first three rounds were fine but the last two rounds were just crazy. He didn’t need to completely disregard engaging in any offensive maneuvers for 10 minutes.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
If Anderson wants a challenge...
…then it’s time to stop talking about a move to HW or WW, and just do it already. Vacate the MW belt and see how fares longterm w/ the 170 weight cut, or handling some of the beasts as HW right now.
Yeah I Forgot To Mention That
In my post. He should drop the title and move up. No more crying about no challengers at MW.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
Yeah bro...
I’m not as pissed about Silva’s performance as so many other people seem to be, but he’s not entirely powerless here if he’s really that bored at 185. We’ve already seen he can perform at 205, and by his own admission, claims to be able to handle going up to HW or cutting to 170. So just pick a new home, and try to kick some ass.
I was pissed yesterday
But not so much today. It was disappointing though. I agree with you. Move up, move down, don’t just sit there bored. But maybe DW isn’t allowing it and that’s why he’s doing this.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
It's possible...
…IIRC, he seemed skeptical about Anderson at HW. Though he certainly didn’t seem to have any problem with Silva taking some 205 fights, and recently has seemed OK with Silva’s talk of taking a fight at 170.
Despite his performance
Even if his offense is minimal in fights like this at times…Who can stop him?…imo nobody except maybe Brock possibly based on sheer strength…imo I even think he would pick apart Fedor
by longevity on Apr 11, 2010 10:01 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Of course he needs a challenge, but cut with the fantasy, isnt that difficult to find it
Belfort is, and a lot more fighters also, he just manages to have easy fights with fighters that hold no chance.
I can assure you that if he puts hes face in front of belfort like he did with Maia, Silva will get KTFO COOOOOOOLD!!!
Belfort?
Oh you mean that guy that always folds when it comes to big fights, yeah thats the guy that would take out Anderson. And you no why the guys that he fights hold no chances, Because they’re fighting Anderson Silva. Lets not act like the guy hasn’t clowned multiple former champions now, if he’s doing the same thing to Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, and even worse to Forrest Griffin hes obviously not just getting away with fighting scrubs.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
Gee, I didn’t know that people who were buying the pay per view were only doing it so that they could view AS’s ego.
I’m sorry but I remain unconvinced. I turned off the fight after 2 rounds. One round of clowning would have been ok but after the second I lost interest and from what I heard I didn’t miss anything. Call me a hater but he is going to have to do some real fights before I want to spend money on him.
If he wants to do the clowning stuff for his own ego then go for it but don’t expect me to care.
Excuse Him For Having A Soul
Every time Andy struggles to finish a fight, his opponent is obviously outmatched. My guess is that (on top of what’s already been said in the article) he just doesn’t feel comfortable demolishing an obviously outmatched, damaged, disheartened fighter.
I bet not too many people here would feel comfortable knocking out a child. Yet those fights where Andy struggles to finish (and is scorned for so bitterly), do often resemble exactly this – an adult beating up on a child.
You can argue that a quick KO would only make it easier on his opponents or that he’s a hypocrite for choosing this line of work while not being a finished psychopath in the way he approaches it. I could then argue that mma is about proving who’s best and Andy clearly does this every time. And we could go on like this until we’re blue in the face. At the end of the day however, it is what it is. The guy’s killer instinct dulls when he realized that his skillset is far superior to that of his opponent. When this opponent becomes overaggresive, Andy has no problem finishing, otherwise he struggles with it and tries to focus on being creative, rather than being destructive. I really don’t think this is as awful as some are making it out to be.
Really?
So your argument is that he simply doesn’t want to beat up guys that he is far superior to? So guys like Forrest, Dan, Marquardt, Franklin, etc.? Hell, he brutalized Franklin (a man he seems to have a lot of like and respect for) 2×. So I have a very hard time believing that he simply didn’t want to hurt the guy.
I said this somewhere else but
maybe Maia should have considered doing some of this the four previous rounds in the fight, like when Silva was literally sticking his chin out with his hands down and begging him to hit him.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
i see 6 seconds total of action.
It’s sad how people would use that to justify him “bringing the fight”…
How easy would it be to make a Silva gif, and compile all the exchanges where Silva was the one initiating? (even if you take out the first two rounds), you’d still get wayyyyy more action than that. no matter how you edit it, the “bored silva” threw and landed more than the “desperate maia”.. and again, both guys should be blamed for lack of action.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 12, 2010 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions
A bit disappointed to see criticisms of opponent choice...
… given the fact that this was the third person in line for this fight. Obviously they had problems getting an opponent setup. I guess they should have just kept Silva off the card until Vitor was ready? Of course, I’d rather they just keep Silva off the main cards entirely. I’d prefer to see the 30-45 seconds of highlights where something actually happens in his fights instead of the 20+ minutes of BS he brings with him.
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