If you are like me who spent $44.95 to watch Anderson Silva clown around for five rounds at UFC 112 you were pretty irate after the show. I can’t say I’d never buy another Anderson Silva UFC show, but I’d sure think twice about it. UFC president Dana White agrees and he is not happy.
Dana White has been on the warpath against Anderson Silva following UFC 112. If there was anyone more disgusted who paid to see UFC 112 it was the guy getting paid to put UFC 112 together. To his credit, Dana White blasted Anderson Silva after the event. White confirmed that indeed he did give Anderson Silva’s management the belt because he was so angry about the fight. Dana White hasn’t been this angry after a main-event since, well Anderson Silva pulled similar shenanigans against Thale Leites.
Right or wrong, Dana White said after UFC 112 that he isn’t interested in seeing Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre. White feels that Anderson Silva doesn’t deserve such a big fight like that. I do believe that he has the fight on his radar for the future Whether you liked or hated Anderson Silva’s UFC 112 performance, I can’t imagine that anyone would pass up seeing Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre.
Dana White has stuck to his word and will not be making the Anderson Silva vs. GSP fight. Dana White said on Jim Rome’s television show that Chael Sonnen will likely be Anderson Silva’s next opponent for the UFC middleweight title. Dana White also said that he would cut Anderson Silva if he dances with Chael Sonnen.
“If he ever acts like that again in the ring, I will cut him. I don’t care if he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, I don’t care if he is the middleweight champion. I will cut him, absolutely.” – MMAFanhouse.com.
[adinserter block=”1″]Silva has also started talking recently about wanting to fight at heavyweight. Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to make that match? The idea here is to get Anderson Silva into a fight where he will be forced to engage and strike. Against the wrong heavyweight, it is likely we’d see a repeat of UFC 112. Yet against someone like Randy Couture, Cain Velasquez, or Frank Mir, he would be forced into a situation where he would eventually have to engage. Hey if Silva wins, book him against Brock Lesnar. It sounds ridiculous but at this point, seeing Anderson Silva against anyone sounds rather ridiculous.
I am angry that I wasted money and a Saturday night on that garbage, but I would still watch Anderson Silva fight tomorrow if he was booked in for a fight in the UFC. I do think there are a few fights out there that would force Silva into a different situation. Chael Sonnen is not one of them. I don’t think he would clown around like that against Vitor Belfort.
Mysteriously, Vitor Belfort seems to have just disappeared from the equation. All of the talk has been towards either an Anderson Silva vs. GSP match and now Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. Belfort vs. Silva has been canceled twice due to injuries. While I don’t think Belfort deserves a title fight, he is a striker and will punish Silva severely if Anderson clowns around with him. Yet his name was barely mentioned in any of the UFC post fight quotes.
Dana White has a short term problem here and he knows it. People are kidding themselves if they think that Anderson Silva has taken himself out of the marketplace. I think MMA fans casual or hardcore will still pay to see Anderson Silva on a UFC card if it is the right fight. Unfortunately they won’t pay to see him fight anyone that isn’t a superstar from this point forward. The days of paying to see Anderson Silva fight to just anyone are over. If Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen is Dana White’s way of making up the UFC 112 debacle up to the fans than I must say I am disappointed.
[adinserter block=”2″]The hypocrisy here is that fans even want to see an Anderson Silva vs. GSP fight. While GSP hasn’t clowned around, GSP’s last two fights have been considered boring by casual fans. New Jersey was practically booing Georges St. Pierre by Round 4 in the Dan Hardy fight due to the lack of action. GSP and Anderson Silva would probably circle around for two rounds, Silva would start to clown him, and the two probably wouldn’t engage until Round 3. Why the same fans bored to death at UFC 111 and angry with UFC 112 would want to see this match is beyond my comprehension.
Be careful what you wish for UFC fans.
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Fitch isn't an great fighter by any standard…but he has Hobo power. He's scruffyness and ability to block punches with his face will come in handy against Silva. Plus he's a hungry young fighter…he's always fighting for a sandwich and a fresh bindle.
We should put Fitch in against him. Sure he'll get knocked out but he'll take the fight to him and he won't get knocked out in the first round, his "Hobo powers" should keep up conscious till at least the 3rd.
Eh I'm not 1oo% sold on Fitch. Plus, Fitch would probably try and take him to the ground. He needs a striker IMO.
I watched the fight, Silva is just a better fighter and he knows it. He's the best in the world like Dana White said he's not challenged and he's doing things like Jordan shooting with his eyes closed to have any sort of challenge.
Our culture is one where if you're the best at something you can do what you want and get away with it. Look at 'Big Ben' imagine if there would be half this much outrage if Silva got all "Rapey" at a nightclub. There wouldn't you don't even have to speculate because when you're the best you can do what you want except apparently breach the sanctity of the cage. If that's not hypocrisy I don't know what is.
I agree. I think it really is more a reflection of the crappy matches that Joe Silva gives him than anything else.