Is Anderson Silva Becoming Roy Jones Jr.?

After his latest performance at UFC 97, many MMA fans have expressed outrage with Anderson Silva. He displayed a seeming lack of interest and desire to finish his clearly outmatched challenger Thales Leites.

On several occasions he punched Leites on the thigh, and front kicked his knee, instead of throwing combinations with nasty intentions. During a clinch, he let Leites go rather than hit him with knees.

Silva coasted to a unanimous decision win, and seemed indifferent about his performance afterwards. As a longtime boxing fan, I have a spin I would like to put on Silva's performance. I think Silva and Leites made the "silent contract."

Boxing fans who watched UFC 97 should be familar with the phrase made popular by Teddy Atlas. It was his suggestion that during Tyson's heyday, guys would simply stop trying to win so Tyson wouldn't knock them out. Thus the silent contract.

Saturday night it appeared such a contract was signed, sealed, and delivered.

It has been well documented that Anderson Silva's idol is Roy Jones Jr. During Roy's heyday, such contracts were signed on many a night. Roy was often content to potshot a guy who stopped trying to win. As long as an opponent didn't try to get a fight started, Roy would happily clown and dance his way to easy wins.

Although in different sports, Jones and Silva have many similarities. Not only did Roy rarely get close to losing a fight, he barely lost a round. He was so ahead of his competition that it often seemed as though he might never lose.

Silva has displayed a similar level of dominance inside the octagon. His Muay Thai is the stuff of legend. Like Roy, he seems to have amazing reflexes and reaction speed. He not only seems to be better than every other fighter at 185 pounds, he seems to be in a class all by himself.

However, like Roy, Anderson has become distracted as of late. Roy turned his interests to other sports, playing semi-pro basketball in Europe. He once played in a game and beat Eric Lucas in the same day. He also started a music label, and began promoting fighters.

Silva has stated he wishes to retire from the octagon after his contract is up. He has made clear his desires to box Roy Jones Jr. While at first seeming like just a passing thought, his recent sessions with Freddie Roach make that seem all the more likely.

Silva still says he wants to box Roy. That is the challenge he wants. Dana White has emphatically stated that such a matchup would not happen. Maybe Dana should reconsider.

The humbling that Silva would most certainly experience by even a 40-year-old Roy Jones would certainly rekindle his interest in MMA. While it might potentially damage the UFC by having one of its champions lose, to what extent is debatable.

If Anderson looks better than expected, or even lasts the distance, it should make him even that more marketable.

It seems that if Anderson can't get to box his idol, he has decided to become him instead. If the UFC brass want to avoid him, they need to sternly test him in his remaining fights.