Since 2006 the middleweight division has been in dire need of top-tier fighters. Anderson Silva has dismantled Chris Leben, Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson, Travis Lutter, and Rich Franklin on two occasions. No one except Lutter has really tested Silva, and Travis will never get a title shot again after his loss to Rich.
Rich will likely never fight Silva again unless it is a last resort. A possible rematch with Marquardt is likely but would not sell a pay per-view event by itself. So the question remains not who's next, but who's left?
The next person is likely Yushin Okami, who is currently 6-1 in the octagon with his only loss being to former champ Rich Franklin. Yushin also holds a DQ win over Silva in January of 2006. I would predict that Silva would knock Yushin out early in the fight.
After that, the UFC will likely have to go outside of the organization to recruit people like Murilo Rua, Robbie Lawler, Matt Lindland, or Murilo Bustamante. They could try to sign Cung Le or Joey Villasenor but that is highly unlikely.
With the lack of Middleweights out there I see Silva being the reigning UFC champ for a long time.
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2 months ago
maybe roland abdon can match up his skills.. although he's more on underground fights. Hoping to see him fight soon in MMA. Watch out for him guys.. he's really scary...
2 months ago
i honestly disagree with you assuming Franklin will never see Anderson again, Anderson himself feels no one has given him the challenge he derserves other than Rich Franklin himself. Franklin is a dominant Middleweight as well as Anderson, both will see each other again, you are to quick to claim Anderson the best when who is to say Franklin hasnt seen his prime. Granted the division is small but with the UFC on the uprise there is no telling what is in store, but the fact of the matter is Silva is well within reach of Franklin.
2 months ago
I agree that GSP looked fantastic. I hope GSP maintains this level of performance. Finally, the best guys in the UFC are all Champions. Rampage Jackson is the best lightweight so far. He has about two more real opponents Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida. Anderson Silva and GSP are there. Once BJ Penn defeats Sherk we will have the top 3 guys as Champions. BJ Penn should rematch GSP next year at 170 lbs. That would be awesome. The next opponent for GSP should be Jon Fitch.
2 months ago
i think the ufc's choices after okami for silva are as follows, BORING! simply put they do not have anyone to challenge him at middleweight. so either gsp will have to move up, or anderson will have to move up to light heavyweight.
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