15 Fights We'd Love to See Anderson Silva Take with His New Contract
The entire MMA community participated in a collective groan when Anderson Silva first broke his leg on Chris Weidman's knee at UFC 168. We followed up with a synchronized sigh of concern as many of us figured the greatest fighter of all time would no longer be.
Fast forward 10 months and the Spider is putting on the finishing touches on his rehabilitation and gearing up for what could be a blockbuster fight against Nick Diaz. As of the start of this month, this would have left Silva with seven fights left in his contract with the UFC. Closing in on 40, few of us actually believed he'd be able to make it through the remainder of his contract.
For reasons unbeknownst to those on the outside, Dana White and friends signed Silva onto an a new contract—a 15-fight new contract. Even if Silva managed to stay healthy and active enough to fight three times a year—something he hasn't accomplished since 2008—he'd need to step into the Octagon until he was five years shy of 50.
But far be it for us to assume anything less than amazing of the Spider, though. He's been the most exciting fighter the sport has ever seen for the last eight years now; we'd be foolish to turn him away from an opportunity to silence any of the Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones supporters as he cements his legacy as the greatest of all time.
So, just as we've done for the last eight years of Silva's UFC career, let us boundlessly enjoy his talents inside of the cage. Here are 15 fights we'd love to see Silva take with his new UFC contract.
(Note: the fights are listed in no particular order).
Thales Leites
1 of 15
Chances are if you've been watching combat sports long enough, you're bound to feel cheated out of your hard-earned money with a fight card (or championship bout) that didn't live up to its potential.
Anderson Silva's title bout against Thales Leites at UFC 97 was one of them.
Silva isn't quite what he was back then, in a bad way, but neither is Leites, in a good way.
Gegard Mousasi
2 of 15
Gegard Mousasi's already proved he doesn't have much to offer the upper echelon of the UFC's Brazilian middleweights, but that doesn't mean we're not interested in the sort of striking match he'd put on with Anderson Silva as his dancing partner.
We like stand-up wars; this is a stand-up war.
Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza
3 of 15
OK, these two guys train together; they probably wouldn't want to fight each other. I get it.
But who's to say Anderson Silva won't do whatever it takes to get that belt back around his waist? And who's to say Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza won't do whatever it takes to prove himself the best Brazilian middleweight on the planet by taking out the once-dominant champion?
Again, it probably won't happen, but this is a fight we'd love to see.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Dan Henderson
4 of 15
When Father Time meets Father Time.
After getting rag-dolled by Daniel Cormier, knocked out by Vitor Belfort and outclassed by Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida, few of us actually want to see the former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion step onto the fighting platform again.
But Dan Henderson's given us no indication that he's in any mood to walk off into the sunset just yet.
Let's get it done, Joe Silva.
Matt Brown
5 of 15
Slowly but surely, Matt Brown took his talents to the next level, capturing seven straight victories before thrusting himself into a title eliminator bout with Robbie Lawler on UFC on Fox 12 in July.
He failed to earn his crack at the welterweight title but effectively put himself on the list of fighters that MMA fans have to watch.
Brown is smart enough not to stand with Anderson Silva in a hypothetical bout, but he's reckless enough to do away with his wits in an attempt to place himself on the shortlist of fighters who've defeated the GOAT.
Carlos Condit
6 of 15
These two fighters were tailor-made to fight each other.
Carlos Condit is one of the most dangerous strikers at welterweight, and Anderson Silva is one of the most dangerous strikers at middleweight; what more do you want?
It's also one of the most feasible bouts between Silva and a non-middleweight, especially seeing as Condit's chances at the welterweight throne are growing thin after losses to the last two men to hold the title. He's got the frame to jump up to middleweight, so why not?
Robbie Lawler
7 of 15
Robbie Lawler spent a good chunk of his career fighting at 185 pounds, but he's seen most of his success come as a welterweight.
But, like Carlos Condit, Lawler's chances at the welterweight title may run dry should he lose to Johny Hendricks in another title fight. The loss could prompt Lawler to make the trek back to middleweight and set up one of the most exciting fights between the former title challenger and the former champion.
Rashad Evans
8 of 15
A former UFC champion squares off with a former UFC champion. You could set this up as the main event for a pay-per-view in Rio de Janeiro, Las Vegas or Sweden; it doesn't matter, people will pay to show up.
It's not as if Rashad Evans hasn't thought about it before, as he told John Morgan of MMA Junkie.
"I’m not a good matchup for him. I’m sure he’s not chomping at the bit to fight me. He doesn’t really have anything to gain from fighting me, so I don’t know if he would even want to fight me. I don’t know why he would go out of his way to fight somebody like me. If the UFC is not going to make him fight me, then I don’t see why he would fight me.
Besides that, I love Anderson. He’s a great guy outside of the cage, and he’s one of my favorite fighters to watch inside the cage. To me, to fight him would be a little bittersweet because I know I would beat him. I know I would beat him.
"
He might not have much left to accomplish at 205 if he's capable of earning another shot at Jon Jones. Moving down to 185 to prove his words true might be the best thing Evans could do for his fighting career.
Johny Hendricks
9 of 15
Factually speaking, Johny Hendricks never defeated Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title. As of January 2014, he hadn't even defeated Robbie Lawler for the crown either.
That didn't stop Hendricks from commenting about a potential move to middleweight once he's through with all the fighters in his current weight class. He may be one of the smaller fighters at 170 pounds, making his move to middleweight even less advised. But with a heavy left hand and a solid wrestling base, there's no telling how far he could go.
Anderson Silva might be able to tell.
Luke Rockhold
10 of 15
Luke Rockhold came into the UFC as the best middleweight fighter not fighting inside of the Octagon. Had he not been a few pounds of force away from losing his head to Vitor Belfort's spinning back kick, we would've probably seen him share the cage with Anderson Silva by now.
But he lost, so we haven't.
That doesn't mean it's too late, though. Silva's taking on Nick Diaz in January while Rockhold's facing off against Bisping later this month. Unless the UFC already has different plans for its former champion, it may as well pair these two off in hopes of finding its next title challenger.
Vitor Belfort
11 of 15
Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort already shared the Octagon, remember? It was about three of the most exciting contact-less minutes in MMA history before Silva finally broke the ice with the front kick heard around the world.
But that wasn't the same Belfort that we got used to seeing since then. He realized that he's not one to sit and wait for his shots to appear—he's the type to make his shots appear. Maybe his new (but old) approach isn't the answer to Silva's counter-striking game plan; why not let them duke it out to prove it?
Lyoto Machida
12 of 15
Many of us always wondered what Lyoto Machida could accomplish if he were to make a move down to middleweight, a more fitting division for the former champion's frame and capabilities. But with his training partner sitting firmly upon the middleweight throne, it wasn't a move he was willing to make.
Cue Anderson Silva's loss to Chris Weidman and Machida was well on his way to shedding the extra 20 pounds. Silva, once reluctant to step inside of the cage with his friend and training partner, has since changed his mind.
It's safe to say that these two will remain atop the middleweight rankings for the foreseeable future, all but certifying the striking blockbuster that we all think it'll be.
Jon Jones
13 of 15
Two years ago, this could have been the biggest fight in UFC history—a remarkable payday for both fighters involved. Alas, Chris Weidman managed to pierce Anderson Silva's once-invincible shield, and the sport's biggest super fight fell apart.
Sure, Jon Jones has bigger fish to fry in his native division, but that doesn't mean that this isn't a fight that we wouldn't pay to watch.
Chris Weidman
14 of 15
Two fights against Chris Weidman; two TKO losses to Chris Weidman.
It's safe to say that throughout all of Anderson Silva's Superman-like performances, Weidman stands as the former champion's kryptonite. But even with Weidman's dominant outings against Silva, a small portion of the MMA community still believes Silva's capable of more.
Even if you're not part of that group, it'd be hard to deny Silva another crack at the title if he happens to earn his way there. Assuming he does, and assuming Weidman keeps a tight grip on the title, this could turn out to be the biggest title fight in either man's career.
Georges St-Pierre
15 of 15
This was a fight that should have been. Now it's a fight that could still be.
Anderson Silva is on his way back to the UFC cage. If Georges St-Pierre can find the urge to fight again, we could have the biggest non-title bout and, quite possibly, the biggest pay-per-view in the history of the sport.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University's student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
