Moving Up the Ladder: Anderson "The Spider" Silva Takes First Shot At 205 lbs.

Saturday, July 19; live from The Pearl in Las Vegas, NV; undisputed Middle Weight Champ, Anderson "The Spider" Silva, will take his first shot at fighting in the 205 lb. weight class. 

For his Light Heavy Weight debut, he has the opportunity to take on James "Sandman" Irvin who is coming off a huge win over Houston Alexander by way of a fast knockout at 0:08 seconds in the first round.   

This will be a true test for the Champ...but not as hard as most people think.  Anderson Silva fights at 185 lbs. and is totally dominant.  However, most people fail to realize that he normally walks around and trains at around 215 lbs. 

This will help Silva a lot in this upcoming fight with Irvin as he is used to being this heavy naturally.  Silva won't lose too much of his speed and agility that he has in the octagon as a result. 

This may turn out to be a more of a natural fight for him because he doesn’t really have to cut as much weight as he does with previous fights. 

Don't count out James Irvin either.  He holds impressive knockout wins over fighters Terry Martin, with a flying knee at the start of the second round and Houston Alexander, landing a Superman punch extremely early in the first round.  

Anderson is totally ready for his chance to prove himself to be a main event contender showing that he is here to stay and not ready to go anywhere, anytime soon.

 The "Sandman" has proven that he has the power and technique to knock out his opponents at anytime.  Irvin's explosiveness may help give Anderson Silva an advantage in this fight. 

Silva’s game plan is usually to make his opponents come to him and counter everything they throw.  With Irving trying to land the big shot early and obtain another highlight reel using Silva this time, he presents Anderson with the perfect opportunity to dominate... and essentially take the fight. 

Silva has been previously quoted that he plans to "fight with caution and try to surprise Irvin" which is what he's best at.  If Irvin makes one mistake, you better believe Silva will capitalize on it.

As for Irvin’s game plan, he is going to try and keep it standing where he feels he has the advantage in the clinch with his Muay Thai skills. 

This may also prove to be fatal for him since Silva has shown he is very dangerous in the clinch in his fights against Chris "The Crippler" Leben in his UFC debut and twice against former Middle Weight Champ Rich "Ace" Franklin. 

In all three fights, Anderson destroyed both opponents with his deadly knees and elbows.  This style gives Anderson Silva the advantage because he's going to be the smaller, faster fighter that is not only dangerous on his feet but on the ground as well.  

Silva is the fan favorite that is also the better rounded fighter that will use his opponents’ intense eagerness against him to make that opponent flaunter eventually allowing the "Spider" to take the win. 

Watch out, July 19, as Silva conquers yet another class!