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Five fights to get 'The Spider' excited about MMA again |
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Written by Chad Dundas
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Thursday, 23 April 2009 |
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 Reviews of Anderson Silva's UFC 97 snoozefest with Thales Leites obviously have not not been kind. The UFC now has an interesting conundrum on its hands. Never a huge draw in the US to begin with, Silva is rapidly becoming the most dominant champion that no one wants to watch. He’s nearly cleaned out the UFC middleweight division and seems bored and listless fighting competition that isn’t up to his lofty standards.
Fans and promoters alike are left to wonder what to do with the middleweight champion. Frankly, it seems like he needs something to stoke his creative fire. That’s where we come in.
Here are the five best, big-money fights for Silva to get excited about:
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Georges St. Pierre
Fighting at: Middleweight or catch weight (177-pounds perhaps, if Silva can make it)
Dana White publicly expressed his love for “superfights” the week of UFC 97 and we know GSP isn’t afraid to fight guys outside of his weight class. Provided the French Canadian 170-pound champ can get by Thiago Alves in his next title defense there will be nowhere to go but up. In weight. A fight between the welterweight and middleweight champions could potentially be the “biggest fight in UFC history,” and we all know how much the company loves to say that. Book it for UFC 105.
Smart Pick: On our mythical pound-for-pound Top 10, we’d probably put GSP ahead of Silva on the basis of their most recent fights. In the real world however, Silva’s size and reach advantage give him the upper hand here.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Fighting at: Light heavyweight.
For some reason, MMA fans just keep buying whatever it is that “Rampage” is selling. Frankly, we’ve never understood it, but the guy is a draw. A match-up between former Pride contenders turned UFC superstars would send the PPV buy-rate through the roof.
Smart Pick: “The Spider.” Jackson’s wins over Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva are starting to look less impressive as we start to learn more about how much time has ravaged the skills of those two opponents. Take those victories away and Jackson’s much vaunted UFC comeback story is reduced to wins over Marvin Eastman, Dan Henderson and Keith Jardine. Jackson’s only hope would be to put Silva on the mat and grind out a ground-and-pound decision. Otherwise it’s lights out for “Rampage.”
Forrest Griffin
Fighting at: Light heavyweight.
Seriously, why not? FoGriff hasn’t been seen since he dropped the 205-pound title to Rashad Evans last December and he’s not scheduled to appear through UFC 100 in July. What better way to make the former light heavyweight champ relevant again than to put him in a main event against Silva?
Smart Pick: Silva. Anything Griffin can do, “The Spider” can do better.
Damien Maia
Fighting at: Middleweight.
Technically, Yushin Okami might have seniority (and history) on his side when it comes to lining up for a title shot against Silva, but Maia just has more sizzle. His jiu jitsu might be the best in all of MMA and if the UFC promoted him correctly, he could be an interesting foil for Silva.
If the promoters were serious about making Maia a star before he got a shot at the strap, he would need to win two more fights over high-profile opponents – Okami and Nate Marquardt, for example. If successful, that would effectively pump up his public profile and inflate his record to 12-0. Then it’s a time for a big pay day against the champ.
Smart Pick: Maia. That’s right. we're picking the Brazilian phenom to shock the world … if he can get Silva to the mat and keep him there. Seem doubtful? Maybe. But we can’t pick Silva to with everything, can we?
Michael Bisping
Fighting at: Middleweight.
The UFC better hope Bisping somehow manages to get the better of Dan Henderson when they scrap at UFC 100 in July. We can’t imagine anyone would be too psyched for Henderson vs. Silva II, but Bisping getting his first opportunity at the middleweight title would be another story entirely. The bombastic Brit has been critical of Silva’s last couple of performances. Why not give him the chance to put his money where his mouth this?
Smart Pick: Silva, duh. Bisping dropped down from light heavyweight just so he could have a size advantage in most of his fights. That certainly won’t be the case against Silva. Not to mention the fact that Bisping is most known for his striking. That’s a recipe for disaster. This one could end quickly.
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