Bloody Elbow: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:



Around SBN: Favre to the Jets Bar-right-arrows



He Won't Go To Middleweight

Now that GSP is champ again, people are already talking about a possible clash with Anderson Silva.  The reality is that it is not happening anytime soon, nor should it.  While it is a "dream match" now for hardcores, another year of dominating wins for both would make for a truly epic clash at the end of 2009.  Right now it is probably just a mid range match to most casual fans.

Ben Miller argues here that they should do it now to keep things exciting, but I think it is such a shortsighted argument.  Historically, the most surefire way to establish draws in the fight world is to have dominant and exciting champions, because it establishes name recognition and gives fans someone to cheer for every time out, and come away happy.  The most recent example of this was obviously Chuck Liddell.  Both GSP and Anderson Silva could become that kind of phenomenon in the near future, and there's really no reason at all to kill off one of them at this point.  They're trying to build a series of new stars, not eliminate them.

0 recs | Comment 2 comments

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Display:

Re: He Won't Go To Middleweight
i've always enjoyed Miller's stuff for the WO website..... wish one of the bigger MMA sites would pick up his stuff, an MMA weekly or Sherdog type venue......

by robnashville on Apr 21, 2008 8:22 PM EDT   0 recs

Re: He Won't Go To Middleweight
Besides which, what does it prove? Let's say Silva wins: is it because he's bigger and stronger? And if GSP wins: is it because he's smaller and faster?  There are too many externals.

This is the kind of crap that leads to freakshow matches: 30 little people against Hong-Man Choi! Giant Silva against Urijah Faber! Mark Hunt against a water buffalo! Who cares?

Weight classes make sense because they let you remove the factors that the fighters can't easily control.

( And setting up one of your champions to fail is dumb - where's the upside there?)

-- Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ

by jemaleddin on Apr 21, 2008 9:08 PM EDT   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it." -- H.L. Mencken

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Small
Fighter Pay: The Role of the UFC Brand
Small
The $100 Experiment: WEC 35
57665727liddellwanderlech5_small
How MMA Can Reach That Next Level

Recent FanPosts

Small
Top 10 MMA Blogs- BloodyElbow Rated #1
100_0075_small
Notes from UFC 87 Press Conference @ Mall of America
Punching-kitty-big_small
Call 'em Like I See 'em
Small
CFC #5 Fightcard – Hector "Shango" Lombard vs. Brian "Bad Boy" Ebersole
Grizzly_bear-larry_small
Full List of Bars Showing UFC 87
Small
The $100 Experiment: UFC 87
Penn_stephenson_small
Sherk vs. Griffin @ UFC 90
Zingano_08_006_small
How UFC should pay their fighters
Small
And the winners are...

Post_icon New FanPost All FanPosts Carrot-mini


Site Meter