Dana White Has No One to Blame But Himself for UFC 112 Disaster
by Nate Wilcox on Apr 12, 2010 3:15 PM EDT
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Dana White has done an excellent job of deflecting blame for the disaster that was UFC 112 but ultimately, the fault lies with the man in charge.
Dana White is the one who chose to headline UFC 112 with an Anderson Silva vs an obviously over-matched middleweight in Demian Maia.
Zach Arnold elaborates on why this was a huge mistake and why the stakes were so high:
Partially in Anderson Silva's defense, I will say that a fight against Maia should have not been booked in the first place. Silva was scheduled to fight Vitor Belfort, a man who I doubt Anderson would have clowned out with for five rounds like he did with Maia. Why? Belfort would likely knock out Silva if he pulled the same stunt that he pulled at UFC 112. Nonetheless, Silva is a champion and he's a professional. When you get paid the amount of money that he does, you should show up and fight.
There was a lot of pressure on UFC management for their debut event in Abu Dhabi. They're trying to establish a new market and a new fan base. They have new business partners who are powerful and rich. At a time when the company is trying to grow internationally to increase its market value worldwide, a fight like the one Anderson Silva had at UFC 112 is a killer. First impressions mean something, especially in a country where they pride themselves on becoming the Singapore of the Middle East as far as being a hub for international business is concerned.
And it wasn't just that the event itself was a fiasco, marred by bad calls and worse fights, Dana's post-fight reaction was the worst exhibition of immaturity and petulance since he went off on Loretta Hunt last year. MMA Payout said it best:
Leadership is about many things, but one in particular is setting an example. White is the sport's foremost representative and there's a certain responsibility that comes with that in the sense that sometimes he can't just say what he's thinking. Especially if he wants to be the guy that takes this sport to the next level, because where he and the Fertitta brothers want this sport to go, there's very little tolerance for the sort of profanity-laced tirades against the media or the fans that White has exhibited in the past 24 months.
Moreover, when White is visibly shaking during a post-fight press conference and ranting in post-fight interviews about Anderson Silva, it helps to induce the sort of panic amongst fans that really isn't necessary. Yes, the Silva fight sucked and the fans are disappointed, but it's not the end of the world - the message coming from the UFC needs to be one of reassurance, not panic.
Maggie Hendricks has more advice for White:
Still, White is the president of an estimated billion-dollar company, and he should know better than to take the bait. Between three events in two weeks, traveling to Abu Dhabi for 112, and watching a disrespectfully bad performance by his longest reigning champion, White is likely spent. But when he feels like that, here's a word of advice, Dana:
Don't go on Twitter.
Mike Fagan put it best when he reminded everyone that Anderson Silva's last three title defenses have all been against over-matched faux contenders in Cote, Leites and now Maia. After the first of those fights was a disaster, it should have been clear to White and Joe Silva that Anderson's future was NOT ideally to be spent in pointless defenses of his middleweight belt. He positively shone in fights against James Irvin and Forrest Griffin and 205 lbs. He's even offered to face GSP at 170lbs.
Personally I don't care what kind of jerk Anderson Silva is, I want to see him fight opponents who will test his abilities or at least command his interest. I'd love to see Silva vs GSP, Silva vs Frank Mir, Silva vs James Toney (or even Roy Jones). Michael David Smith agrees that Silva should be facing heavyweights:
So I propose that Silva's next fight should be at heavyweight.
It seems crazy for a middleweight to move all the way up to heavyweight -- especially when it's Silva, who said this week that he could actually move down and fight at welterweight. Is a guy who was just talking about fighting at 170 pounds really capable of beating opponents who weigh up to 265 pounds?
Yes, he is. Silva is capable of beating anyone.
So which heavyweight would Silva fight first? In my fantasies, he'd fight Fedor Emelianenko, but in the real world that's not going to happen. It also wouldn't be Brock Lesnar or Shane Carwin, who are going to fight each other for the heavyweight title in July, and it wouldn't be Cain Velasquez, who will get the Lesnar-Carwin winner, or Junior dos Santos, who's a friend and training partner of Silva's.
So that leaves Frank Mir as my top choice. That's a fight Silva has asked for in the past, so we know he'd be motivated, and Mir has said he'd love to do it. It would be a fascinating fight: Is Silva's lethal striking enough to beat a much bigger, stronger man like Mir? I'd be thrilled to find out.
But unfortunately, I predict that Dana White will seek to punish Silva rather than give him what he wants -- interesting fights. I agree that Anderson Silva is a petulant jerk, but as a fan, I'd much rather see Silva in a series of interesting fights against off-the-wall opponents than doing yeoman's work in gimme title defenses.
Fightline pulls some of Dana's quotes after the fight that indicate he's more interested in punishing Silva than in putting on mega-fights:
"He said the other day that he wanted to cut to 170 and fight GSP," said White during the post-fight press conference. "I don't want to see that fight now. He doesn't deserve to fight GSP.
"I'd like to say he lost his mind tonight, but this is the third time this has happened, this isn't the first time."
With three lackluster title defenses in a row, White admitted to not knowing what to do with Silva next, telling Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, "The only thing that interests me right now is going in and having the conversation that I'm going to have with him right now. As far as him fighting again, I can't even think about it right now."
White noted that he was going to speak to Silva and then decide what to do next. He did promise that he would make it up to the fans.
"I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to pay the fans back," he stated. "I will make it up to the fans."
I do believe that Dana wants to make things up to the fans. But I am not as sure that he'll take the most fan-friendly course.
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He let Hendo go. Thats where he messed up first.
I still like how he handled the situation. I dont think you would ever hear Arum or Don King and say “man, our main event sucked balls.” Dana showed his true passion on Sat. Big ups.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Apr 12, 2010 2:09 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
i agree. had he come out and said that the main event wasnt as bad as i thought it was, i would have flipped out. the fact that he’s as big a fan of MMA as i am says alot
I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08
Keeping it real as a fan isn’t doing him any favors, especially with billion dollar business partners.
He definitely should take some of the blame, this isn’t completely unforeseen.
At some point you have to separate the frat boy fan mentality and being a professional. He had a bad situation and he just added fuel to the fire, sulking and complaining instead of selling the positives of the event. He needs to work on his professionalism, it is going to eventually hurt him and Zuffa.
I couldn’t disagree with this article more. Seriously Dana White has no one else to blame but himself? This is ridiculous. The only blame he deserves is for letting Hendo go, but you don’t mention this in your article. Stop sticking up for Anderson; he came off like a scumbag. If you can finish the fight, do it, don’t make a mockery of the sport and give us 25 minutes of garbage. Would I love to seem him in some super fights? Of course I would, but if Dana decides to "punish" him in anyway, you won’t see me complaining. With his performance on Saturday, Anderson said fuck you to the fans who ordered the the PPV and paid for tickets, so I’ll be the first to openly say fuck Anderson Silva.
Regarding Dana’s press conference, I think he said what everyone was thinking. As a fan of MMA, give me a president that is as passionate as I am over a guy who’s going to beat around the bush and deflect the questions about the main event and say things like, "Overall the event was a success." I hate people that hate honesty.
by Myke25 on Apr 12, 2010 2:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 40 recs
I'm not giving Anderson a pass
I’m just saying the buck stops at the top. Silva has shown two times before that he’ll behave like this if he’s in the cage with someone who isn’t a threat to him. Fool me once, etc etc
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Apr 12, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah but ...
What exactly do you think the UFC should have done?
Given that:
1. Silva has to defend his title.
2. There are a limited number of top contenders in: Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia, and later on Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen
3. Silva did not want to fight any of the top contenders
The only possible avenue that might have worked better is to ask Silva to vacate the MW title so that he’s not holding the division hostage and then he wouldn’t have to come back and defend in-between his “exciting” fights in LHW.
I'm pretty much in the
strip Anderson of his 185lb belt and make him fight GSP then Shogun, Rampage, Machida and then move up to heavyweight.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Stripping him of his title for no good reason would have to be some sort of contract breach, wouldn’t it?
http://www.twitter.com/TB_Money
Well okay then :)
That sounds absolutely ducky to me.
Too bad they didn’t do it sooner. I guess the UFC just couldn’t bare to strip Silva of his title. Perhaps it adds a bit more wow factor to him while he has a belt, even though anyone watching him at his best knows he is badass regardless.
Silva vs. Machida? No thank you, I have no interest in watching two counter strikers going at it.
'Ello G'vnor!
My guess it’ll turn into some bad Samurai spoof where for 24 minutes they stare at each other and then Anderson will flinch, Machida will bow and say “You have proven yourself the superior fighter”, and exit the cage, leaving everyone wondering what the fuck just happened.
by John Nash on Apr 12, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
100% Correct
This will be the first time in history both fighters get points deducted for stalling and DW will run in the ring and KO both of them then his head will explode and the UFC will cease to exist.
"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"
Move up to LHW...
I want him with the bigger boys,
boys that won’t be scared of him,
boys that will lay him to the ground if he wants to clown,
The WW division only has GSP that will challenge him. Move silva to LHW
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 12, 2010 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Why does he HAVE to defend his title?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
by Mike Fagan on Apr 12, 2010 4:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I've said the same thing repeatedly
All I can say is if he clowns around against Chael, and still kills him, please just do us all a favor and mandate that he moves up.
"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"
Don not agree with the article
I see how these opinions are arrived at upon reflection, but if this is truly the case why was this questioning of Dana’s decisions not attacked before the disaster happened, if it was so evident indeed. Dana did what he could with what he had. I still love Anderson, but he should be quoting from Zeppelin album “Presence,” No no no no no noooooooobodies fault but mine….
You know….. after sorres translates it to and from of course
Please before this fight every one thought Maia who is the the 5th best MW in the world now was a great challenge for Silva and could not wait to see this style match up play out. But now all of a sudden after the fight and the shit that happend every one acts like they thought Maia was a horrible replacment for Silva from the get go and was saying I told you so Dana which could not be further from the truth. And as a fan I was quite happy with what Dana said after the press conference letting his emotions known to us fans that he was feeling the same way with Silva. I would rather have Dana Say the truth then bull $hit us fans.
Did you see the odds?
Did you read anything? I can’t remember anyone being hyped for this matchup or giving Maia a chance outside of a hail mary submission
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Maia was given a better chance than Edgar to win because Maia at least had a “path to victory” via submission whereas Edgar had none.
true
but that’s all
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
First who would you of rather of had Anderson fight at MW with bolth Vitir and Chael out ? 2nd I remember tons of fans being very happy with the choice of Maia when Vitor droped out and Chael could not go. There was no problems at all or articles on the net blasting that decision if anything the fans were eager to see how the fight would play out.
I would have rather waited a month for Chael
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
If I remember correctly, Silva and Soares said they wanted a replacement.
They didn’t want to push the fight back.
by truck on Apr 12, 2010 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
exactly right and the fans were crying for Anderson to defend his MW title. IF the 4th or 5th best MW is the world is not a worthy match up for the #1 MW then he should vacate the belt right now. I don’t care who Anderson fights at MW or there style as long a its a top ranked opponent and Maia was just that. Its just so funny that before this fight he was considered a terrable match up for silva becasue of his power BJJ top game and and great body clinch take downs. But all of a sudden after the fight he should of not even of been in there is the first place. some mma fans change like the wind .
please
show me where people were saying this was a great matchup.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Kid Nate himself had a piece defending the match up a day or two before the fight, no?
You can’t blame the matchmaking here imo. It’s just absurd to chastise people for putting together a fight involving two top 5 fighters in a weight class.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not chastising anyone. I just don’t think there was this outpouring of good will for Joe Silva putting this together.
Personally, I didn’t care for the matchup, I just always watch Silva fight to see some crazy shit. But remember, I’m in the 5% that’s been futilely defending him that past few days
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions
right
I never once thought Hardy stood a chance. At this point I’m not watching GSP or Silva for the “competitive” matchups, though that would be nice. I just want to see awesome shit.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
That’s me to. I just want to see something spectacular.
by Neil Manich on Apr 12, 2010 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions
not only nate but Leland also had a piece up on how Maia’s BJJ could possibly crumble Anderson if he gets him down, not to mention its as easy as typing in on Google something like Maia will sub silva, Maia better BJJ then Silva, etc to see about 100+ post of Sherdog and other mma websites going back months where people really thought Maia had a shot and Wanted to see this fight.
I'll take the bait, let me quote Leland
I won’t sugar coat how I think this fight will go down, and I’m not buying into the idea that Demain Maia’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu training and transitioning skills have been bred to defeat a fighter like Anderson Silva…
He’ll need to wade through the power of Anderson Silva, gain a takedown, and maintain control while putting Silva on the defense. Can he do that?
I doubt it, and Maia’s striking display against Dan Miller isn’t any sort of indication that he’s going to suddenly throw impressive strikes from various angles and “clown” the current champion of making opponents look like “clowns”.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions
But the fact still remains the same he and others thought Maia had a chance sure a very slim chance but a chance at Winning with a sub none the less.
Lol
I said he had a chance, too, I just never thought it was going to be competitive or exciting aside from anything Silva would do.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree witht he second half of your statement.....but
saying that "before this fight EVERYONE thought Maia who is the the 5th best MW in the world now was a great challenge for Silva " is a huge stretch. I commented in countless threads, along with hundreds, maybe thousands of other people who share in my sentiments, that Maia is hugely outclassed, and as stated above, has only the hail mary sub attempt as a clear path to victory. and that would be relying heavily on luck to play into Maia’s hands that night, which was the furthest thing from what actually happened. that is an outrageous generalization and assumption, and one that is blatant falacy. just look at the odds?!?! nobody in their right mind was thinking that this was a good competitive matchup. not even close.
however, i do agree that it was refreshing to hear that dana was as upset as all of us were. instead of trying to sugar coat it and cram it down are throats, we could see the MMA fanboy in him that showed he was as upset and annoyed with anderson as all the paying fans….and that was a good thing. maybe not the best if you are a 10% stakeholder, but to the fans, it was nice to see that he shares our feelings, thoughts and sentiments, and that maybe, just maybe, he will do something about it to make it right. like feed him to valasquez. JK. but not really.
by Opposites Attack on Apr 12, 2010 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
To be fair
Danas looking at it from a business point of view not a fans, he knows people are going to be pissed for buying the card and not want to buy another card with Anderson on it, and he knows that this fight fudged up their big step into the middle east. But I do agree Dana and co should have known better than to make this a main event on such an important card with the possibility that it could turn into another Thales Leites debacle. For the people that thought this fight would be different lets just face facts, this is how Anderson will always fight guys who are primarily BJJ players.
"That's right I'm into hardcore crack, that's why my teeth are so bad"
How do you know who Silva will and won’t find valid. Soares went on record somewhere say that Maia was a more legit challenger than Belfort, because Belfort hadn’t fought at MW. Soares comes out and discredits everybody.
Fights I would like the see:
At WW: Silva vs GSP
At LHW: Silva vs Rua (if Rua wins) or Silva vs Rampage
At HW: Silva vs Mir or Silva vs Toney
Give me a break.
Then he needs to give up his title. Behaving like a brat is unacceptable. Maia is a top ten MW and earned his title shot. I don’t see how anyone can suggest that Maia is not a legit top fighter.
Silva has a job to do and if he won’t do it, the blame goes to him. He makes millions of dollars to do this and he took the job by choice, nobody forced it on him.
I am so sick of people placing the blame elsewhere. Silva is the biggest brat in MMA. I won’t spend another penny on him. He disrespected the fans, the company and his opponent.
He then comes up with all of these excuses.
Rec'd for truth
Exactly my thoughts, you should write a counter article. I’ll Rec the hell out of it.
I compare Anderson's situation to the NFL and their quest to get playoffs teams to play their starters after they KNOW they are in the Playoffs!
Anderson shouldn’t be fighting in 185lbs. Period!
Maia/Lietes/Cote are not “playoff” fighters. Dana has to start putting fights together that the fighters want.
P.S.>>> If only Henderson would have waited a little longer. Hendo vs. Silva II couldn’t have been that far away, right?
Semper Fi
by ChicagoMarine on Apr 12, 2010 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Hot damn Myke well said. And yeah, this whole “Dana needs to act more like the old guard of promoters” is stupid. People accept and like that Dana speaks his mind and that he’s got a little passion and he doesn’t fill press conferences with the type of vague nonsensical rhetoric that overly political figureheads constantly spout. Saying nothing while saying nothing is a waste of everyone’s time.
And not only that, but Nate, do you honestly think that the blame sits “squarely on the shoulders of Dana?” You’ve been writing about this type of stuff for years now and you’re really writing something so overly simplistic? While some of the blame might go to Dana, you honestly think that ALL of it should sit on his shoulders? That’s just flat out daft dude.
These reporter types don't understand the fans......
It’s a tired saying, but Dana keeps it real. The fans love his honesty and candor. With all the bullshit PC scripted answers we hear in nearly every facet of our lives Dana is a breath of fresh air.
I don’t always ageree with what he does, but I know where he stands.
by JimJoe on Apr 12, 2010 3:15 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
exactly!
good stuff. in an overly sensitive PC world with behind the scenes lies and deceit, I love dana’s upfront attitude and honesty. While you cannot always trust the guy, in this case his anger was clearly visible and his dissapointment is shared close to the heart with all the paying MMA fans out there. Much respect for Dana in this particular situation.
by Opposites Attack on Apr 12, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
i respectfully disagree. going into the fight, i was personally very interested in what might happen if Maia got Silva to the ground. if the fight stays on the feet, EVERYONE is outmatched. if this fight had simply resembled Silva vs Cote or Leites, people would be complaining, Dana would be upset, but not like he is right now. everyone is up in arms because Silva was doing all the running in this fight. Silva was “lookin like a foo with his hands on the ground” in that fight.
I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08
Couldn’t agree more with this
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
by Orcus on Apr 12, 2010 2:12 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I think it’s pretty spot on as well, although I am a little disappointed in the title. I thought Nate would have gone with something like “If Anyone F*cked Up UFC 112 it was You, Dan White!”. He was such a roll.
I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I agree with Dana on this one..
I want to side with everyone else and say to just throw anyone interesting at Anderson Silva, so Dana and the UFC can make huge super-fights, but having Dana actually ‘punish’ Silva by giving him ‘boring’ title-defenses would go much further in terms of brand preservation.
Hell, I’d love to see Anderson Silva get in there with a grizzly bear, but there has to be a certain discipline when it comes to running UFC. MMA is still very much a fringe sport, and its foundation is not nearly strong enough to have a promotion (a whole sport, really) kneel to its most talented draw.
but there has to be a certain discipline when it comes to running UFC
well, start from the top, beginning with the president…
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
Agreed.
Dana acts like an idiot 98% of the time. But what would be the alternative, otherwise? Let Anderson Silva get whatever ‘money’ fights he wants, simply because he’s talented enough to act like a spoiled brat? If the NBA did this, it would cease to exist after any number of too-cool-for-school ballers deciding to do things their own way.
Let him try to carry cards without the benefit of BJ or Brock Lesnar, and let’s see if he starts fighting for real.
but this talk about him fighting for real
we should look at the statistics, the guy has 30 fights, he doesn’t do this always. You could argue he has done this three times, and also look at the caliber of fighters he has faced during those three bouts. if you look at it on paper, without emotions, I think it’s much clearer.
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
You won’t hear me bad-mouth Anderson Silva as a fighter, I think it’s quite clear he’s from another planet. The only other time I saw him take a decision was against ‘Lightning’ Lee Murray, and that was an extremely fun match to watch.
But all this talk about ‘disrespect’ makes my head hurt, especially more so when people offer an alternative of giving Anderson Silva exactly what he wants after a poor performance. And not a poor performance in terms of not fighting well, but not fighting at all. It was clearly disrespectful behavior towards Maia, one that should not be rewarded by letting him fight Frank Mir or GSP.
But look at it this way, if you give him Mir or GSP (which is a reward), he’s not going to clown around and everybody wins. If you give him another low caliber fighter (punishment), than expect the same to happen, and everybody loses… (btw, I’m not saying Maia is a low caliber fighter, but style wise for Andy, he is).
I’m leaning towards giving him a big fight and everybody wins, that’s just me :p
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
and I agree with the disrespect thing
he pulled that disrespect talk out of a hat for Maia
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
Agreed.
Yes, he definitely did, and Maia at least earned my respect for not butt-flopping like Leites. Anderson’s behavior during the match was hard to defend, especially when I’m sitting with MMA first-timers. And even the people who loved Muhammad Ali and his antics were a bit mortified by Silva.
It’s a tough decision, one that I’m glad I don’t have to make..lol. I’m just trying to see it from a big-picture point of view..after Anderson Silva is done with his UFC contract. What kind of precedent does this set for future super-talented yet disrespectful fighters?
If he really does think he’s better than his competition, he should finish them in devastating fashion, and I guarantee you people will forget the Thales Leites/Demian Maia outings, and will buy up his pay-per-views like they do for BJ or GSP.
Since it’s a business, the UFC should be looking into giving him a big name instead of going down the same road. Maybe not GSP (since he’s such a big draw), but Mir is a no brainer for me, since his out of the title picture.
I guarantee you people will forget the Thales Leites/Demian Maia outings, and will buy up his pay-per-views like they do for BJ or GSP.
I can’t see how, even when AS is a mean mofo he’s not a big draw. I guess it has more to do with being a monster and speaking english than just being a monster
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
Anyone else notice
That Chael wasn’t lying. Silva speaks pretty good english. After Chael’s comments about how Silva hated the press and chose not to speak English to them while bs’ing with the fighters backstage in English continually, Silva decided to toss some English out there. Mike Goldberg confirmed this at a recent Q&A with Matt Serra when he said that Sliva has us all fooled. He speaks perfect English.
Hell, I watched Silva at the post -fight presser start talking to Soares in Portugese right after a reporter asked a long question without waiting for Soares to translate the question for him.
No, Silva understands and speaks English. He chooses not to.
quite frankly I haven’t seen anything that would indicate he speaks English.
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
Do you agree that he should learn english
to try and endear himself to American UFC fans? I mean aside from fighting to his ability, which will help. Machida has learned english. Nog speaks fluent english. Maia speaks fluent english. Shit, even Wand speaks english. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility for him to learn english.
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Apr 12, 2010 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
If he wanted to
Thing is he don’t give a shit about American fans. Good for him, American fans are the worst
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree American fans are the worst
American fans are also where his ppv% money comes from. So it would help if he tried to endear himself.
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Apr 12, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, yeah, totally.
Screw all those American fans who make it possible for mixed martial artists to make six figure salaries doing what they love. Cheering for who they like and booing who they dislike, after paying $50+ for admission? The nerve of some people!
Good thing fans in other countries aren’t like that – for example, the fans in Montreal or Abu Dhabi would never, EVER boo Anderson Silva… right?
Idiot.
by sadistikk on Apr 12, 2010 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
lol @ "idiot"
I’m not confining this to MMA at all. Across the board, except for college sports, we are terrible. I went to Euro 2008 for a week and the contrast was ridiculous. The only bad ones are the gloomy, depressed English football fans
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 10:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I guess we are worse becasue we don’t riot and burn down are stadiums and have hand to hand comabt in the seats like the soccer fans in Europe now !
I love that shit.
My cousin was in LA after Axl Rose blew off the GnR “reunion” (if you can even call that GnR), he said it was worth buying the ticket just to be in the mob.
One of my life goals is to start a riot, preferably over something ridiculous like the Montreal Screwjob.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 10:52 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I know U.S mma crowds can be horrible at times but all MMA fans can be just as bad also.American fans are the worst compaed to who the Japanese. Sure in that comparision Yes they are but other MMA fans around the world are just as bad at times,Canidan fans boo just as much at there shows like MFC,XMMA, HFC, Armageddon,etc and so to European fans at there shows like M-1, KSW and all the shows in the U.K. Any where you go to a show casual mma fans other then in Japan Boo when the fight hits the ground for over 1 minute
Really?
He spoke English in the re-fight trash talk and I believe at the weigh-ins or prefight interviews.
it’s easy to memorize a sentence or two, doesn’t mean a person speaks another language.
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
These were answers
to spontaneous questions he was asked.
Please. EVERYONE WHO THINKS SILVA CAN'T
SPEAK ENGLISH!
Watch this video. And then tell me that he just somehow memorized an entire paragraph in perfect english just to speak with. This is an example I just found, there are many others.
Well
He did have a grammatical error or two, I totally apologize!
Everybody knows that Silva speaks English a little. But it’s not perfect, fluent English like Sonnen claims it to be.
by dancingChicken on Apr 12, 2010 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Seems to be good enough not to need a translator though.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
i.e. he speaks English.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions
If he’s English is limited then I would like him to speak freely through translator rather than give one liners.
by dancingChicken on Apr 12, 2010 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah
Demian no respect me, I here long long time. wow, he speaks English!…………
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
by Orcus on Apr 12, 2010 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
He obviously speaks some rudimentary English but I wouldn’t say he is even close to being fluent. I can see why he would want someone cleaning up his conversations for him.
I don't even think
he’s close to Wandy’s English. He definitely needs someone who speaks it fluently around him when taking questions IMO
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
I’m afraid it’s not the last absurd we’ll hear about Silva.
by dancingChicken on Apr 12, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Uh...
Here’s a transcription of what he said:
Very very happy
This is my team, this is my family
thank you dana for the opportunity,
thank you lorenzo, thank your abu dhabi
I know I can do my fight
I need more time, I need more training {sic} my mentally
to come back…dana talked and talked and talked
I no like, I respect my opponent, Demian no respect me
This is a sport…this is no fight, real fight. This is a sport.
Demian respect me. I long, long time here. I long, long time fight.
This is not my first time. This is long, long time. Demian no respect me. Sorry.
Well, not quite perfect, I guess, when we compare it with the speaking prowess of Joe Biden. But better than what I usually hear from most of the Brazilians.
Yeah, for a Brazilians it's pretty good.
Most of them struggle with any words that have more than one syllable. (?)
the first four lines are talking points, he says that everytime he fights. and frankly, reading the rest, if he didn’t use a translator I’d say he’d need one.
But better than what I usually hear from most of the Brazilians.
Give me examples, most of them may not pronounce things great, but they are able to keep up with conversations. What Anderson said there does not give me any indications that he can do that himself.
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
I agree that Dana acting like a tool on twitter was emotional and uncalled for. Even the press conference stuff, okay, you can make a case for that. But for booking the fight? No damn way. People are acting like they went with Maia as the challenger all along. HE WAS A REPLACEMENT FIGHTER.
Sonnen couldn’t go. Marquardt had less credibility than Maia did going in after getting smothered by Sonnen. Anderson hadn’t defended his title in a year. There had to be a championship fight, and Maia was the only logical option at that point. Did it work out badly? Yes. Was there any other credible option at the time? No. That’s not Dana’s fault. Shit happens. He tried to make the best of it, and it went sideways.
http://www.twitter.com/TB_Money
by Tim Burke on Apr 12, 2010 2:14 PM EDT reply actions 17 recs
he could have post-poned the MW title fight
no one was clamoring that Maia get an immediate shot. Chael Sonnen was the only fighter with a good claim on a shot and he was injured.
The UFC didn’t HAVE to have a MW title defense at 112. They could have booked any number of light heavies against Silva. Or they could’ve waited until Sonnen was well.
Shit they really should’ve resigned Dan Henderson. Say what you want about Henderson’s chances to beat Silva, Silva wouldn’t be in there clowning with Hollywood.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Apr 12, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
you can't?
The UFC can do whatever it wants to do with its title belts. They don’t have to answer to a commission.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Do you really want a repeat of Overeem in Strikeforce?
This bull could have gone on all into next year with Andy and his poor hurt elbow. You don’t want a champion sitting on the sidelines for so long while there are plenty of hungry challengers chomping at the bit for a title. The longer and longer you keep postponing a championship bout, the less relevant it really seems and the more dickish it makes the champion look.
by dreamers_12345 on Apr 12, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
What ?
That’s totally not the same situation.
There would have been no chances to make AS less revelant. Plenty of hungry challengers ? There was no great enough challengers available, Sonnen and Belfort were out. The situation was exceptional.
Overeem / StrikeForce HWs problem is quite the opposite.
They have to answer to logic. The longer a title goes undefended, the less credibility it has. Delaying the title defense another time, after so many prior delays, would have been the wrong call. It’s monday morning logic that makes it look bad. I don’t remember your article on how terrible of a decision it was to go with Maia/Anderson when it was announced. There could have been one, and I just missed it. I’m saying that it was NOT the wrong decision to make Anderson defend his title.
http://www.twitter.com/TB_Money
by Tim Burke on Apr 12, 2010 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
They needed a second title fight for Abu Dhabi
And there were all out of options …
Agreed. The best course of action was to push the fight back to give Sonnen more time to get healthy. They already had BJ booked on this card, they didn’t have to have two title fights.
by ufc4 on Apr 12, 2010 2:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
WTF…Sonnen lost to Maia…remember?
To postpone it for the sake of a Sonnen match is ridiculous.
That’s Monday Morning Quarterbacking.
Maia is equally as deserving. .
by MickDawg on Apr 12, 2010 2:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
except that since they fought Maia had gone 1-1 with a 30 second ko loss to Marquardt and a lackluster performance against Miller, whereas Sonnen had gone 3-0 with dominating wins over Miller, Okami, and Marquardt. Sonnen was the clear cut number one contender imo and the fight should have been pushed back.
That’s what I said all along btw not Monday Morning quarterbacking I was really annoyed they put Maia in.
Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?
How easily did Sonnen lose to Maia?
My only contention here is that they are equally deserving. Postponing the fight for Sonnen would mean pusing the Vitor fight out.
Silva had every opportunity to please the fans and he chose not to. He wasted a great opportunity and it’s unfortunate.
by MickDawg on Apr 12, 2010 3:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The event in Abu Dhabi was obviously important to him/ the UFC. Post-pone the fight and risk upsetting his new Arab friends.
I’m sure he’d rather have you and a really pretty small minority of fans/journalists angry at him.
Besides. It was the #1 MW against i believe the #5. There really is no reason to post-pone that fight. I do think you’re binging needlessly critical here.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Who? WHO??
What matchup are they going to book last minute, tell me that?? Please.
Soares said that Sonnen sucked because he lost to Maia. Soares said that Belfort wasn’t a good challenger to begin with, even though he KTFO of Franklin. You name one credible opponent at light heavyweight that would have fought Silva last minute….if Silva would have even been willing to fight them.
Rampage? No. He’s slated to fight Rashad in the near future and is out of shape right now, as evidenced by his weight in Australia. Machida? No, he is fighting Shogun and Anderson said that he would NEVER fight such a beloved ole pal. Rogerio? No, he is another sparring partner.Thiago Silva? Still healing up from his injury. Forrest Griffin? He already beat him. That leaves Luis Arthur Kane rounding out Sherdog’s top Ten. Wow! I just can’t wait to see Anderson fight old Luis Arthur! That’s a huge draw considering Luis Arthur was annihilated by Little Nog.
You say they could have booked any number of light heavyweights. Name one. Ryan Bader is your last shot for top ten lightheavyweights who could’ve fought Silva. Can’t wait for that one. Frank Mir, who everyone seems to think that Silva should fight, couldn’t have fought in that matchup, Neither could Velasquez, who is next in line for a title shot, Carwin, Lesnar, or Dos Santos, who trains with Silva. So, who are these credible opponents who were just waiting in the wings to fight Silva with less than a month’s notice?
How about this? Silva hadn’t defended his MW title in a year. A year. It was time. The fight was set with Vitor. Vitor got injured. Maia was a man and stepped up on short notice. Silva disrespected Maia. He disrespected all of the fans who bought the PPV. He disrespected the Fertittas and Dana White, who pay his salary and shouldn’t have to cow-tow to the adolescent attitude of a bratty champion who wants to pick and choose who he fights instead of doing his job like a big boy and earning his paycheck.
Silva was a disgrace. Dana White stood behind him before when he acted like a bitch and gave his prodigal son another chance. Silva spit in his face.
Silva is to blame. One hundred percent. I’m sickened by all of this blame-shifting. What boss legitimately is supposed to walk on eggshells around his employees and cater to exactly what they want all of the time? Silva is the only one responsible for this. Not Dana White, not Lorenzo Fertitta, not Ed Soares.
The end.
by Paul Stan on Apr 12, 2010 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions 20 recs
Kid Nate,
I eagerly anticipate your reply so that I can dissect and destroy that as well
don't break your arm patting yourself on the back
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just giving you a taste
of some of that good, old-fashioned Anderson showboating you so love!
by Paul Stan on Apr 12, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Ohhhh hoho that’s a burn.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
okay that was good. i like your swagger kid!
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 10:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
you're missing my point
Anderson Silva acted like a complete dickhead. His conduct is indefensible.
I’m just saying it was totally predictable that he would behave this way and Dana White is the captain of the ship.
When a ship hits a totally predictable obstacle — especially one upon which it’s foundered twice before — it’s time to check on the captain and ask, WTF?!?!
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
OK
While I agree with you that it wasn’t the most logical matchup based on what happened with Leites, tell me what else Dana White could have done?
The only real option available barring matching up Maia with Silva was to totally pull Silva off of the card altogether. Would fans have been happy with White beforehand for doing that?
Ed Soares said (and I quote): “We are fine if this is what the UFC wants, but if you look at this logistically, Sonnen should fight Demian Maia first. Demian beat up easily, by submission, so why not make them fight first, to determine who gets a shot at the title?”
Obviously, that was before Belfort was injured and a matchup between the injured Sonnen and Maia was impossible. Someone had to fight Anderson. Maia stepped up. One could infer from Ed’s comment that he felt that Maia could be a credible opponent, given that he “beat [Sonnen] up easily”. Who is Dana supposed to believe about how poor, troubled Anderson “feels is worthy” if not Ed Soares?
After the Leites fight, Silva was apologetic and said sorry, that this would not happen again. It didn’t with Griffin. Instead of being a distrustful person, White was a stand-up guy and took Silva for his word. Silva lied.
If White had pulled Anderson off of the card, it would have been a pretty weak one. Not something you can really do last minute at a venue as huge as Abu Dhabi with as much potential impact. Pulling Anderson off with your only big fight being what was expected (after the Florian and Sanchez fights) to be a hugely lopsided win for Penn would have been committing PPV suicide.
So White took his chances, believing that Anderson would act like a man instead of a boy. I can’t fault him for that, because he was already near checkmate when Vitor pulled out a month before the fight.
I almost feel like the only way I could lay blame on White, at this point, is if he attaches Anderson Silva to any main event PPV fight at all in the future short of a matchup against a big heavyweight wrestler who has the potential to destroy the self-made heel that is Silva.
by Paul Stan on Apr 12, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
A ship is a wooden vessel
Anderson Silva is a living, breathing human being. Comparisons like this are always thrown around, and are just as often irrelevant.
I can’t in good faith say that the Cote fight was a disaster, more of a careful gameplan, so we have two fights that Anderson acted this way. Two out of thirty. Some expect a figher to do what he does before, and that just doesn’t work in MMA. No one KNEW that Anderson would act this way. He has before, sure. We all KNEW that Maynard lays on people, and KNEW that BJ would destroy Edgar, and we most certainly KNOW that Kimbo will never initiate a takedown.
These are people, not video game characters, and they are very much in control of their own actions.
THREE MUSKATEERS BAR P4P BEST HALLOWEEN CANDY
by BloodbathAndBeyond on Apr 13, 2010 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions
agreed. well put.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Apr 13, 2010 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
the only way this can be made up
Logan vs. Chandella in octagon girl attire, winner is second ring girl
with swords. highlander style!
There can be only one! Or in this case three
"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.
by Rayce. on Apr 12, 2010 2:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i dunno about swords, but foreign objects could be interesting depending on whats allowed…
by Austin Martin on Apr 12, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
ok then old school jello wrestling.
"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.
by Rayce. on Apr 12, 2010 4:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Just thought I'd add
Obligatory Kid Nate hates the UFC comment
follow me twitter.com/GotaHemmi
by Brian Hemminger on Apr 12, 2010 2:21 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Boy, if I ever put in a shitty performance at my job, I hope everyone blames my boss too!
by PM23 on Apr 12, 2010 2:22 PM EDT reply actions 60 recs
rec'd
follow me twitter.com/GotaHemmi
by Brian Hemminger on Apr 12, 2010 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
He didn’t challenge you!
Hence your Bloody Elbow’ing the rest of the day.
by MickDawg on Apr 12, 2010 2:56 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
Damn straight! Mind you I’ve also been hurling insults at my co-workers who are actually trying to do their jobs.
by PM23 on Apr 12, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
PM23 is killing today.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 12, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
As long as you occassionally put in a good performance
Doing tasks in other departments in the company other than your own … you can do whatever the hell you want!
rec'd to the max!
Cigano, it is your time to avenge your master's loss!
Making the world a better place, one dirtbag at a time.
If you put 3 shitty performances and your boss has no idea how to prevent you from putting shitty performances then he gets kicked out on the street by the BIG BOSS.
by dancingChicken on Apr 12, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
41 recs.
That has to be a record.
by I Can't Feel My Face on Apr 12, 2010 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Great post!
Amen, brotha. Some people here don’t seem to have worked in the real world yet.
You must not know how a business is run.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
See if I'm Dana I don't book any big money matches for Anderson
He fucked you at the most inopportune time. It’s not like a card in Vegas where you can just have a do-over. And if you reward him for acting like a jackass with fights against GSP/Mir/205 contenders, then you are basically saying, “hey we screwed up, we’re sorry for making you fight Maia.” Make him fight Sonnen, then Okami, then whoever the fuck else you want to book him against. If he buries his own rep then those PPV buy % that he loves so much will start to dwindle. And don’t put him on cards with Lesnar or BJ. Make him carry the card, let him see that his antics are affecting his cash flow, and let him make the decision on how he wants to act.
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Apr 12, 2010 2:22 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
so...deliberately create cards with low expected buy rates
you’re a business GENIUS!
by some schmuck in texas on Apr 12, 2010 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Bad business decision
Don’t make business personal. You especially don’t make such a major business decision just to teach someone a lesson at a huge loss for yourself.
by Cocytus on Apr 12, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed.
Although I would love it if they did this to punish Silva, the UFC hurts itself and doesn’t make the fights the fans want to see.
This is masterfully thought-out
I can’t see many ways to argue against this post.
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
Interestingly
I see a ton of ways to argue with it, starting with the hugely misleading title.
http://www.twitter.com/TB_Money
It's trolling, obv
Kid Nate is the puppetmaster, tryin to get them web hits baby!
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
such a cynic
have you become such a hardened pro in just a few weeks as a front pager at 4 Real?
; )
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I came out the womb a cynic, thinking the doctor slapped my ass ’cause I was so sexaaay
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
noooo! i thought i had locked those memories away…
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Lol. You’re a bit blind on the issue then in my humble opinion.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Silva just doesn’t want to fight at MW anymore IMO. Putting him in there with Mir is a temporary fix that could redeem him in the fans’ eyes (see Silva/Griffin), but what happens when he has to defend his belt again against a guy like Sonnen? Chances are he’ll try to pull this shit again because it’s a fight he has no interest in. My opinion is that if Silva is uninterested in defending his title, he should vacate it and go fight all the big fights he wants and come back to MW when he wants to take the belt seriously.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Apr 12, 2010 2:24 PM EDT reply actions
Sonnen is too dangerous to do that with
Sonnen can put the fight on the ground at any moment.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Not if Anderson isn't engaging he can't.
And in a Sonnen match-up I think that is exactly what would happen. Silva would circle around the outside just like he did for the last 2 rounds of the Maia fight because he doesn’t want to be taken down, and Sonnen would keep shooting from way outside and getting nowhere.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Apr 12, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, i don’t see how another grappler/limited striker like sonnen is going to be able to do what leites and maia couldn’t. he’ll just get picked apart and humiliated like the rest. and seriously, if anderson thought maia was disrespecting him, he may pull it out and piss all over sonnen in the middle of the ring for all the shit that guy’s been talking.
which I guess is fucking him up, but with extra bonus dvd features
by some schmuck in texas on Apr 12, 2010 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Silva says that is goal was to hurt Maia because Maia disrespected him and that he accomplished his job. Well, not really. He didn’t finish Maia.
For the p4p best in the world he did a pretty shitty job of hurting Maia. Considering that he loved Rich Franklin and he ended Franklin twice.
i sort of get it. it’s like he’s saying you’re so far beneath me i don’t even have to give you a real fight, i can just clown you and still win. i can dance around and act all silly and you still can’t lay a finger on me.
i’m not saying i like it or that it’s what i would do, but i do sort of get it.
Stars get treated differently.
Just the way it is. Our memories are so short- remember when he was challenged? How we oohed and ahhhed? Acknowledge what you have- not just a champion, but a unique asset that is wasted when put up against basically defenseless competition. If the UFC would recognize how special he is and bend their rules, I believe it would pay dividends. The UFC had better hope Shogun wins…
There's a WAMMA belt in my Cracker Jacks!
Tweeting @dmiller23
This article is a pretty ridiculous way to view things. Is Silva or isn’t he the MW champion? If he wants to fuck around in other weight classes, vacate the title and go crazy. Vitor was hurt, Chael didn’t have enough time to train, so suck it up, blast away the best the UFC has to offer, collect your paycheque and call it a day. Why put him on the shelf until someone is healed up? Having huge gaps between fights can’t help Anderson, who isn’t a draw to start off with. Destroying his competition on a regular basis certainly is.
And criticizing White is pretty ridiculous as well. His reaction is Dana White 101. What was he supposed to tell the press? That it was a great main event? The rest of the card was pretty decent, the ME sucked. It would be disingenuous of White to try to say otherwise. And it’s probably for the best that he shares the anger of the people buying the PPV and at the event, as he seems like he’s on their side.
This whole concept that it’s Zuffa’s and White’s fault for booking their MW champ to defend his gd title against the best challenger they had available is crazy to me. If he didn’t want to take the fight, he whould have gotten some surgery on the other elbow.
by LiuLang on Apr 12, 2010 2:27 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
What this cat said. If Maia is so beneath them, he didn’t have to take the fight. Of all the possible reasons for Silva’s behavior, the “he is bored/needs a challenge” one is the one I hate the most. You didn’t see Penn do that with Stevenson or St. Pierre with Hardy. Just fight.
we just saw Penn
do that with Edgar, but he did it his way — by coming in in less than optimal shape. B.J. clearly gassed as the fight went on. Very dramatic contrast with his last two fights when he got stronger as the fight went on.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Penn is a poor example. But I highly doubt you would ever see GSP or Fedor look down on an opponent.
Yeah, everyone hates when GSP says the next guy he’s fighting is his toughest opponent but you don’t see him taking anyone lightly and putting on a half-assed performance.
by ufc4 on Apr 12, 2010 4:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Florian/Sanchez did nothing to test Penn’s cardio IMO, merely holding him against the cage for 3-4 rounds isn’t really going to make him gas out. You don’t give enough credit to Edgar for implementing a busier gameplan in order to tire out the champ.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Apr 12, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Same thing with Sherk forgetting how to wrestle. Not saying he would’ve beaten Penn but that would’ve been a different fight if we would’ve focused on his grappling more.
Edgar did the Sean Sherk gameplan except he was busier and made the judges believe he was landing more than he did.
Did Edgar forget to wrestle too?
by MickDawg on Apr 12, 2010 3:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh yeah. I almost forgot those 5 seconds of effective ground control, ground n pound, and submission attempts.
Sherk attempted takedowns too.
by MickDawg on Apr 12, 2010 3:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Attempted 1, got 0. Edgar was more active and effective. You may not like that Penn got taken down, but he did.
I never said he did anything with him but you’re either blind, sniffing hot sauce, or just ignorant if you didn’t see Edgar take Penn down, the one in the fifth round especially.
Quit trolling.
Troll?
Son, I never said he didn’t take him down. Learn some reading comprehension.
What he did with those takedowns amounted to 5 seconds of ground time, and zero effective anything.
If there’s ever such a thing as a takedown that ain’t worth shit…that was it.
Don’t give me that bullshit like Edgar deserves any credit for a 5 second takedown in a 25 minute fight.
That’s the problem with MMA judging, and blind fools like you who think that kind of thing accounts for “effective grappling”.
He used the same gameplan as Sherk, except he didn’t get punched in the face nearly as much.
1 takedown in a 25 minute fight. One guy boxed with below average footwork. The other boxed with above average footwork. Yeah, you’re right. You got me. Edgar and Sherk had totally different gameplans.
I’m not acting like the takedowns won him the fight. You were the one that said “did Edgar forget to wrestle too” and I was debating that point by bringing up the takedowns. And honestly, those takedowns held just as much weight as BJ jabbing and countering all night, as they were both offensive in nature.
As easy as you say he was gassed because he was out of shape, I could say it was the heat and humidity or jet lag.
The fact remains, is we BJ saying that Frankie is a good challenge leading up to the fight and releases a video afterward congratulating him on the win.
There’s no comparison between the two.
I like that a grown adult and professional fighter is being treated like a high school student misbehaving in class. “he’s bored and not challenged! that’s why he’s acting out!”
No, he’s a grown adult and has been in this business for a decade. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he just doesn’t give a shit about the people paying to see him fight. So I don’t give a shit about him.
by Jason H. on Apr 12, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
The UFC doesn’t want Silva giving up the belt because then he isn’t locked in by the champions clause.
He recently signed a new 8 fight contract apparently…so I don’t see that being as much of an issue anymore.
by PM23 on Apr 12, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
there is an argument to be made
that the ufc has gained this level of popularity and stability because it veered away from circus fights and put the emphasis on it being a straight-forward, rank oriented sports league.
anderson wants to be a circus performer, but that’s just not what makes money in the long run. maybe there is a way to have your cake and eat it too. be a pride-like freak show AND still be a legit ufc-style sports league, but i don’t know.
sadly, i think money has as much if not more to do with this as anything else. anderson demands big payouts but doesn’t want to do the yeoman’s work of constantly making himself a bigger draw. instead he throws bitch fits that drive off paying fans.
no longer interested
We’ve given this guy way too much attention in a 24 hour period. No more articles about it. I dont really care to see the guy fight again, he’s become a bore. a childish, selfish, im-right-everybody-else-is-wrong waste of my time.
by TheWaker on Apr 12, 2010 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
So why are you commenting on him? If you really want to take the anti silva stance you shouldnt come on here for a week and never mention his name again or post on any thread regarding him. When he fights dont buy the PPV
I mean if you really wanna be anti silva then you should do it the right way no?
If u wanna go that route, why r u taking the time to respond to my post in such a boring predictable fashion if u take offense to me posting? If u find it so offensive and unnecessary why not ignore it and never read or reply to one of my posts ever again? Jesus Christ, I thought it was still okay to have a fucking opinion about something, my bad.
by TheWaker on Apr 12, 2010 11:35 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I am.
…on the condition that Rampage can bring his entourage to the cage with him.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Apr 12, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
You've obviously forgotten Rampage's weakness in the clinch.
Also, if Rampage can be outstruck by Griffin, I get the feeling that Silva wouldn’t have too much trouble doing it either. And when’s the last time you saw Rampage take someone down?
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Apr 12, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Rampage has had a weakness in the clinch before I have not seen it as much of a weakness at all now though.
Surely you see the difference between Rampage Pride and Rampage UFC dont you?
Hes got the chin heart, wrestling and power to make things interesting.
Difference between PRIDE Rampage and UFC Rampage is improved boxing technique and less wrestling. That’s about it. And tell me, what fights has he shown that he has improved in the clinch? Or learned to check leg kicks? I was interested in this fight a while ago, and I think Silva would actually come to fight if he fought Rampage, but I think it’s a terrible match-up for Jackson to be honest. Slow power puncher < faster, more technical MT striker.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Apr 12, 2010 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Rampage is my favorite fighter, bar none, and I really want to agree with you and say he’d make things interesting. If they get in the clinch, and he can dirty box with Silva, I think Silva goes the way of Wanderlei in the last Rampage/Wanderlei fight.
Rampage’s clinch defense is much better now I guarentee you. Also Rampage can put Silva on his ass. Might get subbed as well though.
Point is the fight would be hella interesting. C
Cant you see it?
AS doing his come on muthafucka bring it bring it Rampage enraged howls comes after SIlva and then…………………
I would shit my pants watching that.
I’m glad there’s someone hear who loves Rampage almost as much as me…lol. The Bloody Elbow is far too unkind to him.
fuck this im starting a thread that would be a sick sick fight. Itll be up in fanposts in 5 minutes come post for support.
Everything you comment
I read it to myself and hear it as Butters from South Park
not an insult, btw
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions
My take
I believe Anderson reacts in a very poor way to an over matched opponent. Dan Hardy was just as under matched to GSP as Damian Maia was to Silva. But did GSP essentially throw a tantrum, clown around and refuse to fight? No, GSP tried to win the fight in a novel way, purely by submission, GSP did not use his patented ground and pound.
Similarly, Renzo Gracie was no match for Matt Hughes. So Hughes went in an won his first pure kickboxing fight. Doing this Hughes clearly put himself in greater danger. But he did because that’s what champions do.
Anderson has top level bjj, so do something different to Maia. Tap him out and have the fans go WOW! Or ground and pound. That would have been perfect, Maia could have worked his bjj and Silva could have resisted and ground and pound Maia out of the fight.
Instead, Silva threw a hissy fit and essentially refused to fight.
Just a thought…
Anderson Silva is not the one who is calling the shots here. He signed a contract with UFC. I think the point of that contract was that UFC pays him X amount of dollars in exchange of him fighting Y times on their cards. UFC is, ultimately, in the money-making business and their product is entertaining fights. Yes, the fights are honest, legit sporting events, but people pay to watch them for their entertainment. Ergo, Anderson Silva signed a contract saying that in exchange of getting X amount of money from UFC, he will entertain the spectators.
It is true that it’s getting increasingly difficult to find credible contenders for Anderson’s title – but that in itself does not justify him acting the way he did. Penn and GSP have gone into quite a few of their recent fights as huge favorites and while they haven’t always gone for broke and thrown caution to the wind, you haven’t seen either of them clown around and purposefully humiliate their opponents. They know going in that they are huge favorites but they are being professional about it. Besides, I don’t think Silva’s contract has any kind of clause where he gets say-so about who he is fighting. UFC pays him to fight whoever they want him to fight. If Silva does not consider his opponents legit threats, what’s to stop him from finishing them in the first round and laughing all the way to the bank?
If Anderson is no longer interested in fighting middleweights, let him drop the title, have Maia-Belfort (or whichever other fight pleases you) for the vacant title and let Anderson move to LHW or HW. In any case, please don’t give him more fights at LHW while he’s the champ at middleweight.
Bottom line – he who pays the piper calls the tune. UFC is paying Anderson to fight – and to entertain the fans. If he does not like it, he shouldn’t have signed that damned contract.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Apr 12, 2010 2:38 PM EDT reply actions
Anderson is proclaimed as the P4P best in the business. You better believe he is calling the shots. Dana has little to no power over Silva.
Silva umm no
Dana I will release you!!!
Silva ok ill go fight fedor then
Dana ahhh Im sorry you are p4p best!
Was it really a disaster though?
The few medias I saw talking about it weren’t too kind with Silva but that’s it.
I'm a lover not a fighter
So Silva didnt want Hendo, Nate, or Belfort
and praised the Maia selection when it was announced but then since he choose not to show up and fight this is Dana’s fault?
If Silva wants only the “biggest” fights then he needs to drop the mw title because there are not “big” fights at mw.
He is only hurting himself because even if they do give him a “big” fight next time ala Griffin he pissed a lot of people off this time who might not order his PPV and in turn cost him money.
by bigdmmafan on Apr 12, 2010 2:40 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Not to nitpick...
But you talk about woefully overmatched opponents that Silva has had to face and then mention both James Toney (old, hasn’t been an elite boxer in quite some time) and Roy Jones Junior. (the exact same problems) Honestly, people would rather see Anderson Silva versus two over the hill boxers instead of incredibly skilled martial artists who are in their prime?
Even in a boxing match I do not see either of these men giving Silva trouble, and in an MMA match? The result would be the same as Saturday, if not worse.
"All I guarantee is violence" - Wand
There's another diva like Anderson Silva ...
And his name is Fedor.
I certainly don’t want Silva to have the kind of sway over UFC that Fedor has over Strikeforce. If Silva wants big money fights he should vacate the belt and go wherever the hell he wants. HW? WW? LWH? Whatever floats your boat man, just stop holding the MW division for ransom.
At least Fedor doesn’t act like a diva when he’s in the ring or cage. There may be all kinds of funny business before hand, when his management is involved, but once he’s in there and its all on him, you can’t say a bad thing about him.
He too tired of renegotiating to act like a diva in the ring.
by dancingChicken on Apr 12, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Good article, but Anderson really puts the UFC in a tough spot, and he HAS to shoulder the bulk of the blame.
He’s the MW champ, but doesn’t want to fight any MWs. He and Soares made countless excuses on whey every MW wasn’t “worthy” of fighting Anderson – from Belfort to Marquardt to Hendo to Sonnen. He makes up injuries other times, throwing off UFC PPV plans.
I guess the UFC could give him HW fights, or matchups at LHW which are tailor made to Anderson’s style. But that’s not what you should do for a true champion.
meh...
if they hadn’t booked a fight for Anderson, then 4 months from now, when he had done the exact same thing to either sonnen, marquardt or vitor… we’d be blaming Dana and the Joe Silva for not booking him enough fights.
This is pretty crazy, when you book your champion against someone in the top 5 of the division, how can you possibly keep taking heat for not finding good enough opponents?
I’d love it if Anderson could only fight the absolute best person out there… I’d love it if they could magically find the person to beat him tomorrow.
But if you had asked me a week ago if I wanted them to postpone Anderson v. Maia, I would have said no.
The other thing we should remember
is that Maia at least showed up to fight. Particularly in the 4th and 5th, Maia was swinging for the fences. Silva basically ran away. He was deliberately trying to not knock him out. That’s not bad matchmaking – that’s Silva breaking the rules of the fight and deliberately sabotaging an event. Nothing White could do to prevent that.
Good article though – Dana should resist the urge to “punish” Silva and put him in a fight against someone who could kick his ass – either GSP at 170 or a catchweight or a LHW/HW.
You fail to mention that Maia wanted no part of Anderson when Anderson was fighting. Anderson gave him many chances to come after him and Maia wanted no part of Silva. Not knocking him shit its the smart thing to do but Silva called out his manhood and Maia declined.
“Chances to come after him”
If I told you exactly what I think about this and of your general BS, I would get banned in the minute. I think I need a break from BE right now lol.
I'm a lover not a fighter
Lol. Damn spectaa Im getting under your skin huh? Hey man when someone calls me out like AS did to Maia I go in there and knock his ass out or I get knocked out. Its called pride and being a man. Maybe its dum but shit I rather be dumb then get humiliated.
I have much more respect for Hendo, Frankline and Leben for going into the abyss .
I don't agree
To me, Maia threw a lot of punches in the late rounds and Silva basically ran. That’s why the ref warned him. But if you saw it differently, there you go.
Not engaging is a two way street. So even though Anderson is egging him on, Maia should step forward and throw the first punch against an elite counter striker who is waiting for him to drop his guard so he can tag him? Or should Maia wait for Anderson to throw the first punch and hopefully shoot and take him down while he’s committed? I know what I would do if I was Maia.
I really wish Maia had got on his back and started taunting Silva for being too pussy to get in his guard.
NO
It’s “YUS” you fools.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions
hey guys. long time reader, first time poster.
As far as 112 goes, I think obviously Dana has to take slight blame, but I also sympathise with him. Yes, it was his decision to take the event to Abu Dhabi in the first place, but he obviously felt confident in doing so at this moment in time and thought that in putting Silva on the card, who is in my view the best stand up fighter on the planet, he could only obtain a positive reaction. Providing Silva didn’t pull the same stunts he did against the likes of Thales and Cote, the fans were in for a hugely exciting introduction to the sport live. Silva is a professional and he is paid to fight, he could have finished the fight at any given time and he should have done so.
I’m sure Dana knew that this was a risk, but we have to remember the fact that Silva was meant to fight Vitor anyway. An unfortunate injury stopped that and the next best thing was drafted in. A gamble, yes, but I’m sure he was hoping Silva would do the right thing and perform to his full potential, as I would expect any athlete in any sport to do.
"Silva is a champion and he's a professional"
How can Arnold make that claim when Silva has pulled this stunt three times? Silva has been anything but professional.
I think Arnold’s point was that Silva is “supposed to be a professional”.
He said:
“Nonetheless, Silva is a champion and he’s a professional. When you get paid the amount of money that he does, you should show up and fight.”
So basically I think you guys are in agreement. Silva is supposed to be a professional, but he was not on Saturday night. At all.
It’s just a bit confusing because he squeezed that sentence in there where the rest of his paragraph is spent defending Silva.
Blame is not zero sum. There aren’t 100 blame points that have to be distributed. Anderson can be held responsible to the fullest extent while simultaneously acknowledging that the UFC partially brought this on itself by booking its top 3 fighters in a slew of mismatches.
by Michael Rome on Apr 12, 2010 2:53 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Then why did you say there’s no one to blame but Dana in the headline?
Also, when you have fighters like Penn, GSP and Silva, it’s really hard not to book mismatches no matter what you do.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Seriously, what TFG said.
The title of your article is “Dana White Has No One to Blame But Himself.” This places sole responsibility for the poor main event on Dana’s shoulders.
Rome suggests that Anderson needs to be held fully responsible for the main event, along with the UFC. In other words, Dana White DOES have someone to blame other than himself, though he himself is not blameless.
You can’t have it both ways.
Franklin Edgar disagrees with your mismatches
"All I guarantee is violence" - Wand
Serra-GSP was still a mismatch even though it was an upset. It was still a booked mismatch.
by Michael Rome on Apr 12, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
he was talking about machida/rua
loooooooool worst troll ever
by some schmuck in texas on Apr 12, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
The problem is that Silva has the belt at MW and there is no one he wants to fight.
I don’t know all the inside politics behind the matchmaking, but from the outside looking in SIlva pretty much said “nay” to every top contender in the last year, either by refusing to fight them or acting like a clown in the ring.
So True
People love to put all the blame on the one party involved that they didn’t like to begin with. That’s why we have some people completely blaming the UFC or Maia or Silva. Standing back from the situation and putting your inclinations aside for a moment, you’ll see everyone contributed to the debacle that was Silva vs Maia
The words
“No one to blame but himself” aren’t the same as “the UFC partially brought this on itself”. I realize you didn’t write the article and you’re making a separate point, but this isn’t ALL Dana’s fault.
http://www.twitter.com/TB_Money
by Tim Burke on Apr 12, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
When a champion becomes so dominant like Silva, GSP or even BJ, by definition many of his title defenses will be “mismatches”. So the alternatives are to only put on championship fights that are not considered “mismatches” (as determined by whom – theoretical betting lines?), OR have the champ defend and display his dominance. Who knows – one of these “mismatches” may even end up winning the belt.
No One To Blame But Himself?
The other guy he can blame is the one who taunted Maia to throw for three rounds, and then ran away when he actually did. On the other hand, if you are claiming Dana White is to blame for trusting Silva to act like a professional then you may have a point. But no surprise he acted they way he did post-fight having gotten kicked in the nuts three times by a guy he has always supported.
I think this article is way off. No one forced Silva or Soares to take the Maia fight after Belfort pulled out. They’d be within their rights to turn down any fights offered to them at this point considering how much Silva has achieved. I believe this to be the case even as far back as the Cote fight.
Dana has trouble making friends and training partners fight each other, you really think he can twist Silva’s arm into taking these fights?
Silva and Soares take these fights, Silva should act professionally and fight professionally as a courtesy to his opponent, the fans, the promotion and the sport as a whole.
When Dana says Silva doesn’t deserve a fight with GSP he’s right – Silva doesn’t deserve the payday a fight with GSP entails.
As MMA journalists I’d like to see what you think the repercussions of Silva’s antics are to the new markets he’s fought in (UFC’s first time in Chicago, second time in Montreal, and now first time in the Middle East let alone Abu Dhabi) and the potential damage done.
UFC have spent a lot of dollars marketing Silva and this is how he repays them? Any other sport Silva’s clowning would be fined for unsportsmanlike conduct. You only have to look to the Gridiron for players fined for considerably lesser antics. So yeah, Silva should be punished in some form.
So true.
People love to put all the blame on the one party involved that they didn’t like to begin with. That’s why we have some people completely blaming the UFC or Maia or Silva. Standing back from the situation and putting your inclinations aside for a moment, you’ll see everyone contributed to the debacle that was Silva vs Maia
I disagree about Dana’s management style. 90% of fans that bought this show were shaking in rage, the reason Dana is such a popular figure outside of media circles is that fans feel like he’s one of them. He makes them feel like he makes decisions for them, enjoys fights with them, and gets pissed with them.
He’s effective doing this, he plays into the populism and anti-“suit” culture that is so prevalent these days. This type of “display” effectively gets angry fans to forgive the UFC for what happened and blame Silva.
by Michael Rome on Apr 12, 2010 3:06 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
oh I'll give him credit for doing an incredible
job of manipulating the fans.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I don’t really buy the blame of 112 is solely on White, they had booked a more ‘competitive’ match (a label I don’t really agree with in the first place, see Penn vs Edgar results for my point) and it fell through. They needed another main event for their first show in UAE and Silva was the only champion ready in time. Zuffa likely had a LOT of pressure to put on a compelling card (on paper) and this is what they were dealt with.
Unfortunately Zuffa is in trouble with Silva, I wouldn’t dare (as a promoter) have him fight across weight classes, all it does is cheapen that class if he wins, even worse if it’s a large drawing champion (GSP). Then you have worse scenario where he pulls the same shit again but in 2 weight classes.
If it was me, I would probably release him. If Silva is unhappy let him be unhappy elsewhere. That is 3 events he’s basically tanked and the most recent one in a very important market for Zuffa. It’s clear that Silva has no interest in actually working for the company paying his bills, let him go elsewhere. His stock is so low with the casual fans at this point (like it was ever high in the first place) I’d say let him go. It would reinvigorate the 185 division, send a message for any other fighters that were thinking that throwing a fight was a good idea.
huh?
Releasing the #1 fighter in the sport is crazy. Zuffa has spent years hyping him as the best in the world trashing an investment like that is insane. I don’t agree with his antics either but you can’t release him. I say give him what he wants give him the toughest fights you can find at any weight class and if he wins great if he looses maybe he’ll get his shit together, if he comes back for a middle weight fight after fighting heavyweight and can’t make weight take the title then.
by doonerthesooner on Apr 12, 2010 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions
they spent a lot of time/energy to hype him as best in the world and
1) it’s failed considering he’s not a draw.. still
2) any headway they made was easily lost after 3 fights in a row of him dicking around
giving him a fight a LHW or WW means if he wins he can hold THOSE divisions hostage too, only showing up to fight (not sign, fight) when he feels like it’s a legitimate challenge.
We had people like him at work, really great, intelligent, amazing people that were impossible to work with, never played as a team and caused all sorts of strife in the company. They were let go to help clear things up.
The UFC will be fine without him, let the doppleganger go work for someone else and wreak havok on their divisions. Silva isn’t a draw plus there is next to NO footage of him for Zuffa’s competitors to use.
Who exactly would Anderson consider a "challenge"?
Let’s give this article the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s perfectly acceptable behavior for Anderson Silva to mock the PPV buyers because he didn’t consider the fight a challenge. Let’s ignore the fact that he took the fight and agreed to it, and nobody held a gun to his head.
Who, exactly, would he have considered a challenge? Forget the injuries. Forget that Henderson moved out. Let’s put every possible contender in there.
Vitor Belfort? Anderson didn’t seem to think too highly of him, and conveniently needed elbow surgery when that fight was booked.
Henderson? AS’s camp publicly came out and said Henderson should have to fight Marquardt before he got a shot at him. Henderson left UFC at least in part because he wasn’t getting that shot, and that was primarily due to AS not wanting the fight.
Marquardt? Coming off of a loss. Can’t really book him for a title shot coming off a loss.
Chael Sonnen? Well, if Anderson clowning and not engaging was because of Maia’s “disrespect”, what do you think he’ll do with Sonnen, who has actively been disrespecting him?
I honestly can’t think of anyone they could put in the ring that AS would act differently. The guy has no gameplan than to counter guys who are coming at him. If a guy doesn’t want to rush blindly into the punch, AS doesn’t want to fight. Forrest? Ran right at AS and let him counter. Irvin? Same thing.
Basically, the logic of this post is “Dana White should keep feeding AS careless brawlers, so that way he can look good knocking them out!”
The real people in charge here are us, the fans. Anderson Silva is the Tim Sylvia of 185 from me. He’s got the belt hostage and manages to defend it in increasingly unsatisfying fashion as time passes. Great. Good for him. I’m not going to pay to see it. I don’t want to see him in the ring with GSP. I don’t want to see him in the ring with anyone.
AS is bored? Well I’m bored of him. And I’m the one paying his paycheck. I think more then a few people agree with me.
by Jason H. on Apr 12, 2010 3:18 PM EDT reply actions 12 recs
Well Put
The idea that the ufc should reward Silva’s purposefully awful performances by giving Silva what ever he wants is ridiculous. What would that say to Brock Lesnar or GSP?
In hind sight, I do wonder why White put himself in this situation, knowing Anderson’s Silva’s history. After doing the same weird dance with Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, why would Dana believe Silva and let him head up the first middle east card. That I do not get.
by pwdminotauro on Apr 12, 2010 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I wonder if
DW was thinking there was some sort of unwritten, mutual understanding between Silva and himself, wherein it’s obvious to both that Silva has no peers at 185 but he must defend the belt every once in a while and be rewarded with mega fights. If this were the case, Silva obviously didn’t acknowledge such an agreement… just wild speculation on my part.
Best course of action would have been to wait a month, have Silva/Sonnen on the Rampage/Rashad card and have a Vitor/Maia matchup for the next contender. That part is Dana’s fault. It’s Silva’s fault for the boring parts of the fight, but I still loved his antics! But, the blame goes around though no one wants it.
Victory is the son of a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
Not to be a stickler
But I think the JFK quote is actually “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan”.
thanks
it didn’t sound right, but I’m playing Peggle and didn’t want to look it up :P
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions
No problem
I quote that all the time so I thought I’d help out.
And Peggle is a euphemism for masturbation, right?
that'd be slightly less pathetic
It’s the simplest, dumbest, most addictive game ever, maybe still available as a free download from Pop Cap
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I had to pay for that shit on my iPhone.
The score challenges are giving me problems. Pisses me off.
1,000,000 is a bitch. Wait till you get to Decathlon. They give you like six easy levels and then back-to-back killers. I’ve been trying to beat Decathlon for two weeks…
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Boom
https://store.popcap.com/passport_signup.php
sign up and then give Peggle to yourself (sounds dirty, right?)
I saw my roommates playing it last year on the XBOX arcade and was like “WTF” but then I gave it a try and everything changed. It’s great for being bored or drunk/high/inebriation of choice.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks
But unfortunately ( or fortunately, depending on how you view it) I don’t play video games. I prefer to waste my time pointlessly reading and commenting about mma.
I’m lost in this game, I spend hours on it. It’s better that you don’t.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions
My 2 Cents
The way fighters perform is NOT Dana’s fault, but when your employers don’t perform the way they should, blame is always placed at the manager/boss level for hiring that employee to do the job in the first place. Though it is unfair, it doesn’t surprise me.
What was the Job in this place? It was to be the Main Event of one of the UFC’s biggest shows of their existence in front of a new market, new partners, and people with a lot of money. Anderson Silva already has a track record of doing this to contenders that don’t pose much of a challenge to him (cote, Leites, now Maia).
Silva vs Belfort would have been ok IMO, but no matter what, I would have made Penn vs Edgar the main event due to Silva’s inconsistent performances.
UFC tried to do what it could under the certain circumstances (Belfort getting injured), and I don’t blame the UFC or Dana for that, but for this show, booking Silva to headline, having on open stadium, not having the Athletic Commission issues (Ratner) solved (not taping Anderson’s gloves, hiring questionable judges, etc) is leaving too many unknowns for a show that means this much to them.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
I pretty much agree with all of that. Rec’d.
http://www.twitter.com/TB_Money
by Tim Burke on Apr 12, 2010 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm rec'ing an MMASuPreMaCy comment.
Is this on tape? Are we recording this?
UFC is to Larry Fitzgerald as Strikeforce is to Plaxico Burress. One is the most dominant in their league, while the other shoots itself in the midst of progress.
by SSreporters on Apr 12, 2010 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Don’t worry, I’m sure the patriot act got all of taht down. lol
'Ello G'vnor!
by IHateMMA on Apr 12, 2010 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Silva vs Belfort would have been ok IMO, but no matter what, I would have made Penn vs Edgar the main event due to Silva’s inconsistent performances
I think it is pretty much a set policy if there are multiple title fights the heavier fighters fight in the main event. The lighter fighters are in the co-main event. Also, Intirim title fights rank below title fights.
Not written in stone, and if you evaluate performance history, Penn over Silva would have been a much wiser choice, specially when Belfort went down and they had to get Maia as an injury replacement.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
And where have you been?
There has been a general lack of non-Zuffa story postings lately. No one even posted anything about Strikeforce at the Nokia theatre or them doing two shows in June. Unacceptable.
BE is now the way it was before I joined…LOL. And when you do post something, no one even comments…right? ;)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
you could always come over to MMA For Real...
/runs from Brookhouse
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Wasn’t it right around the time Anton nailed you for plagiarism that you disappeared?
;)
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe it's best for the thread
that whole fiasco is never revisited
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Probably wise words.
That just jumped right into my head after i had to scoff at his “You used to be cool, man” comment.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll say it
I miss Sup. He was one of the reasons I kept checking into BE. I can get UFC news anywhere, but I could also check in here and have all the other promotions news highlighted in a fanposts thanks to him. Simplicity at its best.
Man, remember the old logic vs. Sup battles? Sometimes the only man for the job was Arthur Mercante. I remember right after Fedor went to Strikeforce, I actually sat back with a beer and watched the forum battle.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
Glad I could provide such entertainment for folks =) “100% Guaranteed” and “kneel to Zod.. m’f*ckers” will always be some of my most memorable quotes from logic.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Where is he? Probably getting a blowjob from a model in the back of his Bentley.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
Well, it was pretty fun before b/c he would pop-up on my posts and then the battles would begin. My posts were like a signal to him. =)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Sr not the son right?
Yeah, that;s when I felt the urge to start commenting. I have to give logic a lot of credit, that was some great framing of the story by him and Zuffa, Fedor, m-1, and Strikeforce still haven’t recovered by how they were portrayed.
Leaking “sensitive info” (that was never verified) during negotiations to certain “mouthpieces” was definitely an interesting strategy.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Interesting? It was genius. People still swear that Fedor turned down a boatload of cash to continue ducking the UFC heavyweights. Nevermind that the $30 million offer was proven false, no one knows what the UFC or Strikeforce was really offering, or that only within the last year has the UFC had the best roster of HWs in the world. Spectacularly successful.
Nah, I was already slowing down, but yeah, … no comment on that whole incident. =)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 12, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
eh, fair enough.
Hello. I take stuff too seriously.
by The Flying Gentleman on Apr 12, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes Kid Nate.... It was always Dana's evil plan to piss off the fans.
I think one of Dana’s strengths is that he says what the fans are thinking. We were all pissed at Anderson.
by snakecharmer1340 on Apr 12, 2010 3:47 PM EDT reply actions
I don't know how Kid Nate became Carwin's 8th ranked blogger.
Zach Arnold attempts to use Dana White as a scapegoat for Anderson Silva. What else is new. White probably deserves some criticism for putting Silva in such an important position in the main event against an opponent whom couldn’t really challenge him.
Then again, Silva’s arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA. Shouldn’t he garner headlining status even against a less that top-flight opponent? Maybe, they should have just scrapped the fight when Belfort went down.
Whatever the case may be, it’s no justification for Silva’s in-cage temper-tantrum. I realize KN’s probably not saying that, but these snippets from people I generally don’t agree with seem to be pointing in that direction. White may deserve criticism for enlisting Silva to put on a good fight in an important situation, but Silva is a grown man and professional mixed martial artist. Ultimately, he’s a lot to blame if he doesn’t get what he wants in the future in regard to matchmaking. I guess if his recent actions are part of some diabolical plan to become a super heel, thus gaining interest from fans looking to see his demise, he deserves credit if it works.
Actually, I usually agree with MDS, but I think he may have gone a little out there on this one.
Those parties making light of White’s outbursts is nothing new, and it still doesn’t absolve Silva from acting out. I don’t think one has anything to do with the other. Addressing both White’s possibly unprofessional behavior and Silva’s tantrum at the same time really only confuses the situation. Honestly, it’s just more of the same from those who don’t believe White to be a suitable leader of the MMA cause.
by Cannon Jacques on Apr 12, 2010 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 11 recs
Nate became Carwin's 8th ranked blogger by shilling for Strikeforce.
It’s how he pads his record. :)
I don't want to lick any butt. - GSP
Arguably?
—He is, I really don’t see anyone in ALL of MMA that can do what he can at will and succeed. Anderson Silva is like the Emmanuel Augustus of MMA.
However, I can agree with most when they say the last two rounds of the Maia fight was ridiculously boring. It wasn’t exactly the best ten minutes I ever watched. If Dana White wants to cry about this and that, let him. Maia was supposed to be Anderson’s arm, this and that and was embarrassed for three rounds.
Dana should just feed Vitor and Sonnen to the Anderson meat grinder then dangle the white rabbit i.e. GSP for the Spider.
"I do no speak of the future. Your demise is already an inescapable fact of the past. " - Aizen
"Forty have tried, all forty had a gameplan." — Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 40-0-0 (25 KOs)
Mayweather Hitlist: "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao
AS is a special individual
And his talents shouldn’t be wasted on trivial title defenses. I wouldn’t normally say this about any other fighter but lets face it – Anderson’s fights have all become freakshows now, in a good way or bad.
by kibbled_bits on Apr 12, 2010 4:43 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
"I do no speak of the future. Your demise is already an inescapable fact of the past. " - Aizen
"Forty have tried, all forty had a gameplan." — Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 40-0-0 (25 KOs)
Mayweather Hitlist: "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao
Anderson is so good, we don’t need to see him fight ever again!
Keep Firing, Assholes!
I like things that don't make sense.
by Ubernoober on Apr 12, 2010 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
If Anderson Silva wasn't such a jackass
… he would be the biggest star in the game right now. He is the longest reigning champ in UFC history, and he has obliterated Gracie and Fitch’s win streak. He’s shown enough in the cage, like with his Forrest Griffin fight, that the fans know what he’s capable of.
But he’s the one who has gone and acted like a jackass in last three title defenses. Dana has gone out of his way to accomodate Silva at every turn: Gave him light heavyweight fights, rushed Vitor to the front of the line since it was an intriguing fight, etc.
Zach Arnold will be Zach Arnold. He tried to say they shouldn’t be in Abu Dhabi because it is earthquake prone. Then he said the arena wouldn’t be done on time, then last weekend he said rain and sand storms would destroy the event. He was obviously going to peg the first negative thing on Dana he possibly could. It’s a shame more reputable bloggers lend Arnold credibility by even linking to his nutjob theories.
Silva has shit on the fans who spend $50 a pop in his last three title defenses now. If he hasn’t done that, with his resume, every Anderson Silva fight would be an enormous event. The fact it isn’t is his fault, not White’s.
Jack ass is a little harsh
—I don’t care if Anderson cartwheels and reads comics in the cage for 25 minutes like parrying each every attack his opponent throws at him. A win is a win.
Dana needs to realize that Anderson is the most gifted fighter on the circuit. He’s a complete idiot if he continues to ridicule this man. Yet, GSP can hump a guys leg for 25 minutes and that’s all right.
"I do no speak of the future. Your demise is already an inescapable fact of the past. " - Aizen
"Forty have tried, all forty had a gameplan." — Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 40-0-0 (25 KOs)
Mayweather Hitlist: "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao
is there a way
to give an anti-rec?
follow me twitter.com/GotaHemmi
by Brian Hemminger on Apr 12, 2010 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I gave GSP an anti-rec.
"I do no speak of the future. Your demise is already an inescapable fact of the past. " - Aizen
"Forty have tried, all forty had a gameplan." — Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 40-0-0 (25 KOs)
Mayweather Hitlist: "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao
this is sport + entertainment. as a fan, i can choose to think differently than “a win is a win”.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Apr 13, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
How to make it up to the real MMA fans
Since Dana stated " I’m going to make this up to the fans who paid for this SH@$#%, I just don’t know how yet?" I think the next card in DUBAI should include the GSP vs Silva superfight… Follow it up with Lesnar vs Mir as the 2nd fight….and bring in someone like Anthony Johnson vs (the winner of Machida vs Shogun) now thats a card that won’t disappoint… Oh by the way Dana, its time to step down and pick another figure head, I don’t know how you thought that MAIA deserved a title shot before Marquart…..Maybe u were sleepin when Nate almost punched Damian’s head off his shoulders. You’re starting to turn the UFC into a joke! Letting Henderson walk away was the biggest baffle up to date. He should of been considered a cornerstone of the UFC… Better sort things out as Strikeforce waits on the sidelines to take over.. and you best believe that there reality show is coming soon.
by Peter Lee on Apr 12, 2010 5:12 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
rec'd
You also forgot to add Voltron vs. Optimus Prime, and that it will all be free on Spike
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
They’re saving that for Deadliest Warrior (returning April 20)!
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 12, 2010 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Just to add to this
Its time for the UFC to adapt the Pride format…..The best vs the best, I’m really sick of watching these cards with guys that shouldn’t even be fighting, like the performance Gracie just put up against a very washed up Matt Hughes! Please someone give me a hell yeah..lol
I love Pride
But the best vs. the best as in Wanderlei Silva vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara??
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait, what?
Pride format = the best vs the best?
Bolts from the Blue // "He looks like a catfish" - Nick Hardwick on Brandon Siler
Bloody Elbow // " looks like your comment violated rule #4. and it’s a heck of a rule, rule #4" - Kid Nate
by Richard Wade on Apr 12, 2010 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Dos Caras Jr. says yes
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions
The Ramses sais no.
…And he is the best!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Apr 12, 2010 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah....He was actually into Adult Women back then...
(and maybe a few Adult Men, too? LOL!)
Right I forgot that Dana told Anderson to fight like that against a gimme opponent. I think that Dana should forget the rest of the middle weights and just put him in the ring with Lesnar! And if not that Dana should resign and Anderson should be forgiven that for not dismantling every single opponent that he faces. C’mon I know this web-site is never pro Dana but seriously are we blaming Dana for taking the best P4P fighter in the world and taking him to a new market with an easy oppenent to show case his skills and build up his brand, but having Silva fight the way he did…. a couple of months ago everyone was crapping all over Dana for not putting on great fight cards, but now we crap on him for putting Silva on the main event? Some of you guys here are nuts. Everyone prior to this event was pretty excited about it because Dana put aon a great card, but now its his fault for putting Silva on it..
by Joselana on Apr 12, 2010 5:40 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Not to mention it was the main event with another top 5 ranked MW in Maia, I could see if Dana put him in there with someone at MW like Nate Quarry,Nissen Osterneck, Ed Herman, etc but he got the best MW he could on short notice. WTF more do fans want ?
I think some people are upset that the Silva fight was not simply postponed until Sonnen(legit #1 contender) was ready. We have already seen what Anderson does to BJJ guys w/weak stand-up. Maybe Dana and all of us fans/media convinced ourselves THIS TIME IT WILL BE DIFFERENT. It was different but worse.
You can blame Anderson but sooner or later, someone has to figure out that this is what Anderson does. He merks overly aggressive strikers who come straight at him and he out-points those who won’t. He tried to get Maia to become wreckless. It didn’t work. He got a big lead on the cards and put it in cruise control. He is not a company-man like Chuck, Forrest or Franklin. He is not going to change his fighting style because Dana tells him to “finish a guy” and he is not going to risk a loss just to appease the fans.
"It would appear that the strain was more than he could bear".- Doc Holliday
by MyFistYourFace on Apr 12, 2010 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
This gives Dana an even bigger excuse not to make the GSP vs AS fight.
"I do no speak of the future. Your demise is already an inescapable fact of the past. " - Aizen
"Forty have tried, all forty had a gameplan." — Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 40-0-0 (25 KOs)
Mayweather Hitlist: "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao
Wow just when I thought that Kid Nate’s articles couldn’t get any worse he mananges to top himself with a ridiculous and incredibly wrong piece on UFC 112. Seriously you need to start your own blog or something to get the blatant hate you seem to have for everything zuffa because it’s dragging this place down everytime I read one of these ridiculous aritcles.
112 was a hell of a ppv, you had guys going out and having great performances and making big statements. Yes the Andy debacle soured things but Dana will put him in his place soon enough. Frankie Edgar had a historic performance that was worth the price of admission alone not to mention that guys like Munoz, Dos Anjos and Davis all shined. And while Hughes/Gracie wasn’t great it did have a good finish.
To try and spin what was a solid ppv with one black mark into some referendum on Dana is pathetic and weak. Dana is a fan and reacted just how he did most fans appreciate that he won’t coddle Andy he will teach him a lesson as he should. UFC 112 was a solid ppv and instead of always focusing on the negative for once you might actually want to do an article on the good things coming from the card but that would of course go against whatever beef you seem to have with Zuffa which at this point has clearly blinded you and robbed you of your objectivity.
Except for the Andy fight and I was a little skepticle on the BJ decesion
other than that it was a great card the Munoz/Grove fight was fucking badass,
by doonerthesooner on Apr 12, 2010 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
UFC
should have just set up chael sonnen vs silva, at least it would have been a decent fight, same outcome but better fight.
by TobikanJudan 6 6 6 on Apr 12, 2010 6:03 PM EDT reply actions
WIN!!1
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Apr 12, 2010 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
That deserves more than a Rec.
"I do no speak of the future. Your demise is already an inescapable fact of the past. " - Aizen
"Forty have tried, all forty had a gameplan." — Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 40-0-0 (25 KOs)
Mayweather Hitlist: "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Apr 12, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Getting old, fast.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
I like things that don't make sense.
by Ubernoober on Apr 12, 2010 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You are wrong.
QED
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 12, 2010 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Dana White has no one to blame but Kid Nate for UFC 112 disaster.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
I like things that don't make sense.
Biggest loser is Anderson Silva.
This is silly. Anderson Silva had just swung back to being fucking awesome after he vaporized Forrest Griffin.
With his bullshit this time around he’s just screwed himself out of the GSP fight. If he had just gone in and taken care of business quickly and efficently, GSP would have walked out and accepted Anderson’s challenge for the 170 belt. Biggest PPV bonanza ever, and Anderson Silva would have made enough money so that his grandchildren would be set for life.
But noooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Baby had to have his temper tantrum. I hope he’s pleased with himself.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
I like things that don't make sense.
More of the “We can only feed Anderson fighters who will run straight at him” argument. Garbage. Once again, Fedor doesn’t have any problems fighting in areas where his opponent has the advantage.
Not buying it. All of this is on Anderson and his Dance Dance Revolution style. Don’t tell me he’s the greatest fighter alive anymore. Most talented? Okay, sure. Fine. But he’s not the greatest.
/subjectivized
I specializes in grammar fail.
of course not
not even close. Wanderlei is the greatest ever…. EVA!!!
and I’m serious!
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
Doh!
You’re causing me pain! I’m trying to avoid all mentions of Wandy until after his fight with Sexyama. My fanboyism is being ripped apart at the seams.
System… overload…
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Apr 12, 2010 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Silva needs the UFC.
The UFC does not need Silva.
I think it’s about time they taught him that. I would have no problems with Dana sticking him on a Fight Night against a Chael Sonnen or something like that. If he clowns around and taunts and all of that shit again, cut him.
You absolutely cannot precedent here for diva fighters who will ruin cards if they don’t get things exactly their way.
The UFC does need Silva, or are they going to cut their “#1P4P best fighter in the world” as they portray him? The UFC, the promotion where the best fighter in the world fights… they created a monster, they cannot cut the guy (unless he loses in a devastating fashion).
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
If I was running the show I would have never done that, but still. I think if he’s less of a threat to the UFC if he’s in Strikeforce. Then they can just say the same thing they say about Fedor, he used to be the best but he hasn’t fought anyone worth note recently.
lol
that’s not going to happen. What would be the reason to cut him anyway? He’s just too good for the fighters in the UFC, so we let him go?
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
“He’s acting like a jackass and we’re not putting up with it anymore” seems like a pretty good reason to me.
sure, I guess they could try to spin it anyway they could, and coming off DW’s mouth I’m sure most people would believe it, but if they did cut him, it’s because they can’t find people for him to take seriously…
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
How is that spin? It’s completely true. He is in fact acting like a jackass, and if they wanted to they could decide not to put up with it.
If he got cut, it would because of his antics. If all he wants is better competition I see absolutely no reason for Dana White to give him what he wants after this latest performance. It sends the message that all you have to do to get your way is ruin a main event.
If all he wants is better competition I see absolutely no reason for Dana White to give him what he wants
you see nothing wrong with what you wrote there, eh?
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
You kinda just cut off the last 2 words of my sentence (which were pretty important) to make your point, but OK.
If he got cut, it would because of his antics. If all he wants is better competition I see absolutely no reason for Dana White to give him what he wants after this latest performance
doesn’t change my point…
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
actually… it does.
Basically you’re asking me if I see anything wrong with Silva acting like a child to get his way – which I obviously
or
if I see anything wrong with Dana White giving in to the demands of a dude acting like a child – which I obviously do
no, what you’re saying is that after what he did, basically he shouldn’t fight better competition… it doesn’t matter what he did, he should fight better competition…
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
I’m not saying he shouldn’t fight better competition, I’m saying he shouldn’t get what he wants. If he had gone out and performed saturday, then fine go ahead and give him a GSP or a Lesnar.
But since he decided to act like a child then he doesn’t deserve to fight a GSP or a Lesnar.
oh brother…
If all he wants is better competition I see absolutely no reason for Dana White to give him what he wants
I’m not saying he shouldn’t fight better competition
that’s contradictory, if you only mean GSP and Lesnar, than say GSP and Lesnar. What about Rampage? Shogun? Vitor? Are you against those fights now too? Or do you want him to fight Okami on the undercard?
Don’t let anger get in the way of comprehension
There you go, cutting off the end of the same exact sentence again. It’s not that I’m against the fights, it’s that I’m against giving Anderson Silva what he wants. If Anderson wanted easier fights, I wouldn’t give them to him. If he wanted harder fights, I wouldn’t give them to him. If he wanted fights against similar competition, I wouldn’t give them to him
Basically what I’m getting at is Dana should make him fight Machida.
The Rec Button has been abused today
Some of these arguments are laughable at best.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
by Damon O. on Apr 12, 2010 9:37 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
ain't that the gotdamn truth
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Apr 12, 2010 10:47 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Some of the comments that have been turning up lately just pushes me away. Rec’d
"The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." - Miyamoto Musashi
by Kaleb Kelchner on Apr 13, 2010 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
rec'd my dude.
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Apr 13, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions
This post is a massive failure. If pitting Anderson against Maia was such a mistake where was all the BE posts about what a terrible decision it was? Friggin hindsite is so damned easy, and it’s so fun to launch the criticism in an oversimplified post pitting the blame on your favorite villain. C’mon Nate, you can’t possibly believe that the problem and sole fault is on Dana and none of it on Anderson. Perhaps Dana deserves some of the blame and perhaps he’s been successfully flying it under the radar, but using this as an excuse to launch more blame at his behavior because he doesn’t act like other boring promoters is almost as bratty and petulant as Anderson Silva in the 4th and 5th. Think about it before you post this kind of bandwagon dross. You’re way way better than that.
by Dooda on Apr 12, 2010 11:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
vs brock please
i was bored by his performance. however, it shows that nobody can really challenge him in his weight class – not even gsp. i didn’t pay for this ppv because I knew it would be AS vs TL pt 2. again, but I would pay to see AS fight someone like brock or carwin. Really, let’s see pure skill vs pure roids ;)
i can’t believe i passed up seeing live fights in Winston-Salem to watch Silva dance around like that. it still drives me crazy. i doubt i’ll ever pass up live fights again to see a PPV…and no way in hell if Silva is doing what he calls “fighting”
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Apr 13, 2010 11:52 AM EDT reply actions
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