The Silva Solution: Handling The Spider

As analysts everywhere have noted, the Silva-Maia fight was lame.  Though Damian Maia is a world class jiu-jitsu fighter, he simply did not have the all-around skills to compete with Anderson Silva.  Sure, Silva’s antics were unbecoming of a world class fighter, but the fact remains that Silva completely outclassed Maia.  So what is the solution?  Find a fighter who has a chance of squashing the Spider.

It’s becoming more apparent with each title defense that such a fighter will not come from the middle weight division.  Case in point:  Silva’s fights with Damien Maia, Thales Leites, and Patrick Cote.  It’s also becoming more apparent, especially from the fans at Abu Dhabi, that the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC should meet at the center of the Octagon.  Yes, I am yet another fan calling for a fight between middle weight champion Anderson Silva and welter weight champion Georges St. Pierre.

But at which weight class should these two champions meet?  Middle weight?  I say no, as St. Pierre has implied in the past that he is not willing to fight at middle weight without committing to the division.  Further,  I am still intrigued at the potential of St. Pierre-Koschek 2 or St. Pierre-Fitch 2.

Welterweight?  Again, I say no.  Let’s say Silva beats St. Pierre.  Then he gets bored again.  Do you really want to see title defenses in two divisions like the one we saw at UFC 112?  I certainly do not.

The perfect solution is to hold a fight between Silva and St. Pierre at a catch weight of 175.  This will not commit St. Pierre to middle weight, and it will not force the fans to endure the prospect of Silva defending the welterweight title against the Dan Hardys and Paul Daleys of the world.

But it will help UFC fans determine who the pound for pound best fighter in the UFC, and therefore the MMA world, truly is.  And maybe, just maybe, the Spider will finally meet his match.