Did Anderson Silva Lose his Mind?

Salamu

Over the past few months I have become very interested in Mixed Martial Arts and in particular the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And while I am by no means an expert on the subject. I will voice my opinions on the events as they unfold.

A definite end to a long standing rivalry

The latest event was UFC 168. This was a highly anticipated event as it was the continuation of the rivalry
between newly crowned UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman and possibly one of the greatest MMA fighters in the sports history, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.

There was much anticipation leading into UFC 168 with many saying that at 38, Silva is quite simply a spent force. He faced alot of criticism when he lost the title to Weidman where even veteran commentator Joe Rogan - who has always been a outspoken supporter of Silva - said that Silva’s fighting style of taunting opponents in the ring finally caught up with him.

At the end of UFC 162, Silva said that Weidman is a great champion and that he would not be fighting for the belt anymore. The whole world was surprised then when UFC President Dana White announced that the main event of UFC 168 would be Weidman vs Silva II.

It turns out that the viewpoint of Silva being a spent force was pretty accurate. Silva came in with a characteristic Silva leg kick, which was blocked by Weidman and led to one of the most gruesome sporting injuries I have ever seen when Silva’s leg broke. It is safe to say that we have seen the last of Silva. When former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir broke his leg in a similar fashion in a biking accident, it took him a year and a half to return to full fitness. If Silva followed the same path, he would be pushing 40 and would hardly be a threat in the division.

Is this the best MMA fighter of all time?

Whether Silva remains the best MMA fighter of all time remains to be seen. Sure he was great, and those affiliated with the UFC (Dana White and Joe Rogan) will obviously say that he is the best there ever was. But there is a small matter of Fedor Emelianenko who many other people within MMA circles consider considerably better than Silva. 

Now that Silva is out of the way, Weidman can turn his attention to Vitor Belfort. Belfort is a veteran of the octagon and made his debut as a heavyweight. He is in fact a former light heavyweight champion, so many would think that Wiedman will have his hands full.

The division that originally attracted me to the sport was the light heavyweight division. This was in the glory days of the division where ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Forest Griffon and Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua where dukeing it out for top honors. But since the rise of Jon Jones, no one has looked to threaten him for dominance.

To me, the division which is the most open in the UFC at the moment is the welterweight division, but this was also due to the retirement of Georges Saint Pierre.  I am eagerly anticipating the fight between Jonny ‘Big Rig’ Hendriks and ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler at UFC 171.

Another division which is more open than it seems is the Heavyweight division. Although Cain Velazques has solidified his reputation as possibly the division’s longest serving champion, there are alot of fighters challenging this dominance. Travis Brown showed he can bang with the best when he knocked out the sports youngest heavyweight champion, Josh Barnett, at UFC 168. His vicious elbows and height will mean that he will be a problem for many fighters and the sooner he gets in the ring with Junior Dos Santos to become the number one contender, the better.  

MMA is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide and I wait for eager anticipation for the next big UFC event.

Mei jua daima kuwa kabla yenu, na vivuli nyuma yako!