"Anderson Silva only has around 4 fights left." - Ed Soares

[CPT]

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/10/13/2 ... ael-sonnen

Let's see what the big boss is going to do. My opinion is that he had his chance and tapped, he should go back to the end of the line. The same thing is true with Vitor Belfort. They're great fighters, but they had their chance. Sonnen would make a big fight, as would Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre, but we should recognize that Anderson only has around 4 fights left in his career.

Was drifting around some MMA sites and forums and picked up on this little quote. Granted, Silva has talked retirement before, and this could just be posturing on Soares' part, but at the same time, he is 36, and will be nearly 37 by the time he steps in the cage again. If he fights twice a year as he has done for the past 3, that will take him to 38. Not everyone is Dan Henderson or Randy Couture. So for argument's sake, let's just take this four fights thing as true.

Anyway, I thought this would be fun to discuss. So, who would you like to see him fight in those four fights? Of course, as I outlined, the fourth fight could be two years from now, and things will look different then. You can take that into account or just assume things will be the same as they are today, for the sake of discussion.

My choices:

1) Chael Sonnen. This is going to be the fight anyway, and I want to see it, so might as well put it at #1.

2) Best (non-rematch) MW available. Likely either Michael Bisping (possibly in England) or Hector Lombard. Yeah, yeah, I know. Would kind of be a shame to spend one of Silva's remaining fights on either one of these guys, but I really would like to see both fights. Bisping poses no threat, I'd just like to see him get schooled. Lombard, on the other hand, I think is interesting. He's got some crazy athleticism and power, enough that I could at least buy into the idea that he has a chance at catching Silva. I also wouldn't mind seeing him fight Jacare or Palhares (or even Shields, actually), to see how he matches up with an elite BJJ guy (both are more athletic than Leites/Maia), but I wouldn't spend one of his four remaining fights on it.

3) Dan Henderson. Kind of a 'best MW of all-time showdown' with the understanding that Silva is either losing the MW title or vacating it after the fight. This made more sense in my head before I started writing it. Maybe we wouldn't go into the fight knowing that, but that would be the end result. Maybe we go in knowing that this is Henderson's retirement fight too.

4) THREE WORDS: RICH. FRANKLIN. THREE.

(just kidding)

Jon Jones, Shogun, or Rashad. Whoever is looking the best but ISN'T the champ. We would know going in that this is Silva's retirement fight, so no sense making it with the champ. Just kind of a final test.

I chose to go with a semi-realistic retirement tour angle (and also cheated by naming about 9 guys), but obviously you can go with whatever you actually want to see.

[Headliner]

Honestly, 185 is so weak that other than Sonnen I don't want to see him fight another fight in that division...wait, except Henderson, I'd watch that one again.

When Chris Leban, Brian Stann and Michael Bisping are considered 3 of the top 10 in that division, that division is piss poor.
Not to mention nearly NO ONE in that division has a wrestling background beside Henderson and Chael.

I personally love watching Anderson fight, but think he has not even come close to fighting the level of diverse talent as other superstars have.


Look at the sloppy list of fighters he's beaten, they are almost purely one dimensional stand up fighters.

Belfort (Belfort is at the top of stand up game, so no complaints with him)
Okami
Cote
Irvin
Forrest
Franklin
Leban



Then a sloppy list of ground guys
Lutter
Maia


The talent lays with the wrestlers/diverse styles:
Sonnen
Henderson
Nate M


I honestly feel that Silva has only had 3 real tests in the UFC: Chael, Henderson and Belfort (Maybe Nate as well). The rest is a list of names of middling talent.


If Silva has 4 fights left:
Sonnen
Henderson
Rashad Evans
Bones

or
Sonnen
Henderson
Josh Koscheck
Rashad Evans

Really, the only ones I'm interested in are:

Sonnen
Henderson
Koscheck
Rashad
Bones
GSP
maybe Munoz by next year

[High 5]

Sonnen
Jones
Shogun
Machida

No matter how I feel about a Sonnen rematch, it kind of needs to happen considering how the first fight went down. Then Silva needs to leave MW behind and finish his career with the epic matchups at LHW. He won't fight Machida, but I'd love to see it. Henderson is a good replacement. Nice retirement fight.

[Nemesis21]

4 fights left huh ?

1) Rematch with Sonnen, moves to 205 after loss.
2) Machida
3) Hendo
4) Bones Jones

[Headliner]

I think Silva beats Machida or Shogun.
I don't think Silva beats Rashad

[K1NG]

Sonnen
Henderson
Shogun/Rashad
Jones

[Posey H8er]

I don't think Anderson wants to fight Sonnen or Henderson. Soares is already making a bunch of reasons why Anderson should fight someone else. It sounds like excuses to me but that's just an outsider's perspective.

[singh_shady]

4 fights left huh ?

1) Rematch with Sonnen, moves to 205 after loss.
2) Machida
3) Hendo
4) Bones Jones

This is basically exactly what I was going to post. I think Silva will lose to Sonnen, and then move up for some 'big name' fights to end off his career at 205 lbs. He wouldn't fight Machida though so I think after a fight with Hendo, a match against Shogun would be cool.

Obviously a fight against Jon Jones is what a lot of people would want to see, but the earliest I could see that fight happening is a year and a half from now and I don't think Silva will be up for it at that point.

[cowboyronnie]

He can't fight Jones, Soares won't let him. Jones is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge.

[Headliner]

I've been on the Silva would destroy GSP bandwagon due to his size advantage, but i'm starting to have second thoughts now. I think GSP would stand a pretty good chance.
My problem with saying GSP would win is I don't see him finishing him, and I see the size advantage wearing on him and him tiring by the 4th-5th, and getting 'sonnen-d' sooner or later.

Silva's take down D is terrible, but his ground D is pretty solid, to the point he might tire, but he's not taking a lot of damage.
It's a more competitive fight than I gave credit.

[CPT]

I don't think Anderson wants to fight Sonnen or Henderson. Soares is already making a bunch of reasons why Anderson should fight someone else. It sounds like excuses to me but that's just an outsider's perspective.

No, it does sound like that. Hopefully that's not the case and it's just Soares giving his opinion, because last time Silva wasn't interested in fighting the guys available, he came up with an elbow injury and had surgery. Not saying it wasn't legit, but from what I remember at the time, it was more or less optional, and he could have just rehabbed it. It just seemed like he was holding out for a better opponent. This was back when everyone was talking about potential rematches with Marquardt or Henderson, and all Soares would talk about was that they didn't deserve another shot, should have to fight each other first, etc. Sounds pretty similar to the noise he's making now.

I don't see how Silva can avoid a Sonnen rematch though. For one thing, it's going to be worth a lot of money. If done correctly (UFC Primetime please!) this is Silva's best shot at cracking the 1 million PPV buy mark. Furthermore, there are too many people out there that think Sonnen can beat Silva. I don't see how he can avoid that fight from a respect/legacy angle.

[Posey H8er]

I only say that because according to Henderson, he has heard from people that Anderson does not want to fight him again. And now there are these rumblings about hesitation with a Sonnen rematch? These are the two guys who gave Anderson the most trouble in his career, one of whom has revitalized his career at the age of 40. I'm probably talking too much without knowing the facts but that is the bad mma fan in me...

but in reality why can't Anderson/Ed just say something like, "we'll take on any 185 in the world and we'll beat them. chael/hendo aren't worthy of a rematch and we'd prefer to fight someone anderson hasn't fought yet, but i'll gladly send them another parting message if the ufc so chooses for that to happen." it doesn't leave any room for doubts.

[Cammo101]

Sonnen
Bisping
Hendo
GSP

[REDDzone]

I want to see Sonnen/Hendo/Shogun/Bones if I had to choose. Imagine Silva destroying Bones then going out on top like that. Unreal amount of epicness. In reality, maybe the first 3 then another lhw match, I just don't want to spend more than 2/4 of his remaining fights as rematches, and otherwise at mw it would be against a Bisping/Munoz type guy which would also be a waste imho.

As for the no rematches thing, I can kind of dig that. But the FACT of the matter is that Anderson is the champ. The champ should have NO say whatsoever as to who he fights at the weight class at which he reigns. If Dana wanted Silva's father to fight him at 185 and the father was down, then fight or vacate imo.

Everyone here knows my stances on rematches in general, I don't like them, but the fact of the matter is that they would be title defenses, and at least intriguing.

[Starkiller]

Sonnen has to be first, if he defends that, I don't mind if he finishes his career at LHW, since there are no good MW fights left for him. The top of my LHW list is Shogun. Then Bones, then Hendo I guess for what could be both their final matches.

[Headliner]

Anderson doesn't want to fight Henderson or Sonnen because they are a challenge.
He's the best stand up fighter in the game, but struggles with wrestlers.

It's why GSP vs Silva is so interesting, GSP's strength is Silva's weakness and vice versa.
it's Knock out power vs wrestling. My only problem is that Silva weighs so much more, and that's a huge advantage. It's why GSP won't take the fight, and in that same thought, it's why Silva won't take the Bones fight.

[Nemesis21]

Anderson doesn't want to fight Henderson or Sonnen because they are a challenge.
He's the best stand up fighter in the game, but struggles with wrestlers.

It's why GSP vs Silva is so interesting, GSP's strength is Silva's weakness and vice versa.
it's Knock out power vs wrestling. My only problem is that Silva weighs so much more, and that's a huge advantage. It's why GSP won't take the fight, and in that same thought, it's why Silva won't take the Bones fight.

Really ? GSP may fight at 170, but I bet he is at least 190-195 when he walks into the cage.

[Headliner]

Anderson doesn't want to fight Henderson or Sonnen because they are a challenge.
He's the best stand up fighter in the game, but struggles with wrestlers.

It's why GSP vs Silva is so interesting, GSP's strength is Silva's weakness and vice versa.
it's Knock out power vs wrestling. My only problem is that Silva weighs so much more, and that's a huge advantage. It's why GSP won't take the fight, and in that same thought, it's why Silva won't take the Bones fight.

Really ? GSP may fight at 170, but I bet he is at least 190-195 when he walks into the cage.

And Silva would be 210ish. The same way GSP uses his size to his advantage, Silva does. Silva will come into the fight a good 15 pounds over GSP.

I'd also be curious to see how GSP's wrestling and cardio would do without the cut? Would negating the cut be helpful, or would the extra weight on his frame make his wrestling/cardio suffer?

[CPT]

Anderson doesn't want to fight Henderson or Sonnen because they are a challenge.
He's the best stand up fighter in the game, but struggles with wrestlers.

It's why GSP vs Silva is so interesting, GSP's strength is Silva's weakness and vice versa.
it's Knock out power vs wrestling. My only problem is that Silva weighs so much more, and that's a huge advantage. It's why GSP won't take the fight, and in that same thought, it's why Silva won't take the Bones fight.

Really ? GSP may fight at 170, but I bet he is at least 190-195 when he walks into the cage.

That's still more or less the WW standard though. Silva is a big MW. There would still be the 15 lb difference between the two classes, if not more.

The problem with GSP moving up isn't about weight though. It's his size. He would be at a big height/reach disadvantage against most MWs, not just Silva.

If the fight happens, cool. If not, I don't blame either guy.

[Headliner]

Anderson doesn't want to fight Henderson or Sonnen because they are a challenge.
He's the best stand up fighter in the game, but struggles with wrestlers.

It's why GSP vs Silva is so interesting, GSP's strength is Silva's weakness and vice versa.
it's Knock out power vs wrestling. My only problem is that Silva weighs so much more, and that's a huge advantage. It's why GSP won't take the fight, and in that same thought, it's why Silva won't take the Bones fight.

Really ? GSP may fight at 170, but I bet he is at least 190-195 when he walks into the cage.

That's still more or less the WW standard though. Silva is a big MW. There would still be the 15 lb difference between the two classes, if not more.

The problem with GSP moving up isn't about weight though. It's his size. He would be at a big height/reach disadvantage against most MWs, not just Silva.

If the fight happens, cool. If not, I don't blame either guy.

Same.
same with the Bones and Silva fight.

However I will always have a ton a respect for whoever does take the fight at the bigger weight class (ie: Penn). It's a clear disadvantage, and take a true warrior spirit (as cliche as that sounds)

Also, if Bones ends up being the real deal, and competes down the road at heavyweight and the other two don't, it will be the talking point that people will have to claim him as the greatest.
I think that's why I am so excited about Bones. He has the potential to dominant the LHW division while he's young, and move to the HW division when he's older and IF he can dominant that division...well that would be pretty remarkable.