Tweet
File this under the crazy section. Josh Gross says that Anderson Silva wants to fight at heavyweight, and has a certain opponent in mind:
UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva sets sights on*heavyweights - Josh Gross - SI.com
Quote:
Anderson Silva wants big-money event fights. And he's willing to work at heavyweight to make sure they happen.
Not only that, they already had an opponent in mind: Frank Mir.
Disinterested by middleweight contenders Nathan Marquardt, Demian Maia and Dan Henderson, and unwilling to fight close friend Lyoto Machida at light heavyweight -- where Silva could conceivably knock off challengers and make a disaster out of the UFC's marquee division -- "The Spider" needs new, challenging scenarios to stay motivated. A move to heavyweight would certainly achieve that, and according to Silva's manager Ed Soares, the UFC was receptive to the idea.
There is a bit of logic to the move; Anderson Silva won't fight Lyoto Machida, so having him tear through the 205 division makes no sense. He's a little bit smaller than Randy Couture, though without a wrestling background his size will be a liability at heavyweight. I actually think that if they go this route a fight with Randy makes a lot more sense from a business and sports perspective.
I don't really like all the weight class jumping, especially two classes. Brock Lesnar vs. Anderson Silva? It sounds more like a freakshow fight than a marquee title match, though it would undoubtedly do huge business, and you could argue that Anderson is about the same size as Randy. It just strikes me as a little galling to ask the UFC to jump through all these hoops to keep their champion motivated.
UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva sets sights on*heavyweights - Josh Gross - SI.com
Quote:
Anderson Silva wants big-money event fights. And he's willing to work at heavyweight to make sure they happen.
Not only that, they already had an opponent in mind: Frank Mir.
Disinterested by middleweight contenders Nathan Marquardt, Demian Maia and Dan Henderson, and unwilling to fight close friend Lyoto Machida at light heavyweight -- where Silva could conceivably knock off challengers and make a disaster out of the UFC's marquee division -- "The Spider" needs new, challenging scenarios to stay motivated. A move to heavyweight would certainly achieve that, and according to Silva's manager Ed Soares, the UFC was receptive to the idea.
There is a bit of logic to the move; Anderson Silva won't fight Lyoto Machida, so having him tear through the 205 division makes no sense. He's a little bit smaller than Randy Couture, though without a wrestling background his size will be a liability at heavyweight. I actually think that if they go this route a fight with Randy makes a lot more sense from a business and sports perspective.
I don't really like all the weight class jumping, especially two classes. Brock Lesnar vs. Anderson Silva? It sounds more like a freakshow fight than a marquee title match, though it would undoubtedly do huge business, and you could argue that Anderson is about the same size as Randy. It just strikes me as a little galling to ask the UFC to jump through all these hoops to keep their champion motivated.
Comment