It's Time for Thiago Silva To Go - Down to Middleweight

In the UFC, unblemished records rarely stay that way.  And at UFC 94, while facing fellow-unbeaten Lyoto Machida, Thiago Silva's perfect record went the "way of all flesh;" Silva was knocked out at the [very] end of the first round. On paper, the fighters' measurements were even: height, weight, and reach. But within the eight walls, Machida seemed bigger, taller, and with a considerable reach advantage. 

After this loss, the road ahead does not look smooth for Thiago.  Besides the rising Machida, the division has light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and former champions and P4P staples Forrest Griffin and Rampage Jackson. That is not to mention the lurking division-jumper, Anderson Silva and the likes of Rich Franklin, Keith Jardine, Wandy Silva, Shogun Rua, and Chuck Liddell.  With the exception of Anderson Silva, each of these men carries a well-muscled, fit, power-packed 205 pounds.  Thiago does not.  On paper, he might match up but not inside the cage.

Oh, Silva has been fighting at 205.  Whether or not he has to cut weight to come in, is irrelevant—in my mind, he comes in too heavy for his frame and often a little pudgy around the middle, with love handles and all.  We have yet to see him come to fight with the kind of physical definition we see in other fighters and have come to expect from true contenders (BJ Penn excluded).

Thiago Silva is a talented fighter and he is good for the UFC.  For every calculating, counter-striker like Lyoto Machida, you need an aggressive, in-your-face fighter like Silva.  The good guys in white, like Rashad Evans and Georges St. Pierre, need the men in black like Silva and Thiago Alves. (That is not to say that the Thiagos are not perfect gentleman.) Silva gets the crowd on its feet.  When he is fighting, you better not turn away for even a second. But that's exactly why I want to see him go...down to the middleweight division.

At age 26, Silva has plenty of time for improvement and to make a lasting name for himself.  But realistically, it's not going to happen at Light Heavyweight.  With a proper conditioning and weight-loss program, he could easily drop the weight necessary to make the 185-pound limit for UFC middleweights. 

MMA fans know Silva can bang—every one of his recent UFC victories have come through TKO or through punches.   Imagine if Silva took that heavyweight punching power down to middleweight.  He would pose a  threat to most of the top contenders in that weight class.

Remember, Anderson Silva intends to retire in two years. I don't see Dan Henderson fighting more than a couple of more years. Behind A. Silva,  the middleweight division has top contender Thales Leites, Nathan Marquardt, Demian Maia, and Michael Bisping. These are all talented fighters but given the option, Thiago Silva would fare better with this competition than with the log-jam of talent at Light Heavyweight.

I would like to see Thiago Silva come in a little lighter, a little better conditioned, and with a sharpened focus that only a loss can bring.  He will be a force.

Vitor Belfort did it, so can you. See you at 185, Thiago.

Photo Credit: Thiago Silva, Sherdog.com Used with permission