Anderson Silva vs. the World: Can the GOAT Still Compete with UFC's Best?
Anderson Silva will be 40 years old before he fights again.
If he fights again.
The consensus pick as greatest MMA fighter of all time convincingly outgunned welterweight Nick Diaz on Saturday at UFC 183. After watching the two enigmatic stars scrap for 25 minutes, the unanimous decision came as a surprise to absolutely no one, except maybe Diaz and his coaches.
The victory completed Silva’s comeback from career-threatening injury, but his performance also left unanswered questions and lingering doubts. Diaz was tough and game, but it was difficult to ignore the notion that Silva probably would’ve finished this fight just a few years ago.
At 39, Father Time may finally be pulling the reins a bit on the former middleweight champion. Even in victory Silva’s long-term future remains murky. His handlers think he’ll compete in the Octagon again this year, but he also left the door open for retirement.
In the immediate, he’ll film a season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil opposite longtime contemporary Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Since Silva and Rua are not expected to end up as foes when the season wraps, however, it remains to be seen which path Silva will take.
Will he attempt to forge another run at the 185-pound title? Will he settle for big-money “superfights” like the one he had against Diaz? Would he have better luck picking off a few also-rans in the comparatively shallow light heavyweight division?
Here’s a brief survey of what could be next for the GOAT, including some guesses about how it all might go.
No One Wants a Third Fight with Chris Weidman.
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Prior to the UFC 183 weekend, UFC brass hinted that Silva could immediately resume his role as No. 1 contender with a victory over Diaz. That talk cooled considerably though, after champion Chris Weidman was forced to pull out of his scheduled bout against Vitor Belfort with an injury.
At this point, the entire middleweight title picture could be on hold until Weidman returns—and perhaps that’s a good thing for Silva. Weidman knocked him cold to capture the title in their first meeting at UFC 162 and in their second bout at UFC 168, Silva suffered a gruesome leg injury (Warning: graphic footage in link).
Silva doesn’t particularly want to do it again. Weidman doesn’t want it. Fans don’t really want it. But Weidman-Silva III would likely sell well at the box office, which makes it an outside possibility we can’t completely discount.
Advantage: If it happens, it’s Weidman, all day. Even if the champion turns out to be somewhat injury prone, a third fight with the 30-year-old New York native likely wouldn’t go much better for Silva than the first two.
This Old Song and Dance?
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You thought our near endless speculation about a superfight between Silva and Georges St-Pierre died off when Silva busted his leg and St-Pierre announced an indefinite hiatus within a month of each other in 2013? Wrong.
Silva’s people stay they’d still take this fight, and UFC matchmakers would still definitely book it. The sticking point, of course, is that St-Pierre has never been that interested and so far has given no indication he’ll return to the fight game.
This bout likely remains just a pipe dream, if a really, really persistent one.
Advantage: Silva, still, but just barely. Weirdly, this fight could make more sense now than ever before, with thriving middleweight and welterweight divisions moving on without the men who once dominated them. But did Silva look so much in decline against Diaz that GSP might change his mind and finally sign on the dotted line? Doubtful.
Jacare Souza and Lyoto Machida Make Better Friends Than Foes.
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Last week, Silva let it be known he was disappointed in pals Jacare Souza and Lyoto Machida for saying they’d be open to fights against him. It was also easy to assume he meant to specifically exclude Machida and Souza when—during his postfight interview with Joe Rogan—he thanked his “real friends” for sticking with him while he sat out a year rehabbing his leg injury.
The Spider has never been one to willingly fight his comrades, and the idea that a few of his brethren don’t feel the same way appears to legitimately hurt his feelings. But could it be enough to convince him to turn his former friends into real life adversaries?
Advantage: The other guys. When we wonder aloud if Silva still has the stuff to compete with the new breed of top middleweight contenders, Souza and Machida are both on the short list of people we mean. Would be fun to see, though.
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A Rematch with Vitor Belfort Could Work.
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Silva took home multiple Knockout of the Year awards in 2011, for his first-round front kick KO of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. In the wake of that loss, Belfort has gone 5-1 and positioned himself as middleweight No. 1 contender, pending Weidman’s health.
Assuming Belfort is ultimately unsuccessful in wrenching the title away from the American (or even if he is) a rematch against Silva could be viable during the second half of 2015. We have every reason to believe the two men would be open to renewing their rivalry, and a potential second bout would make for a slam-bang main event at one of the UFC’s Brazilian events.
Advantage: Silva? Maybe. We still have no idea how dangerous a post-TRT Vitor Belfort will be. If he looks more like Belfort circa 2005 than Belfort circa 2013, that’s probably a guy Silva could still beat.
Please God, Not Luke Rockhold.
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Only the most cynical matchmaking would seek to give Luke Rockhold a rub by setting him opposite a declining, 40-year-old Silva. Minus a hiccup against a TRT-infused Belfort in May 2013, Rockhold has given every indication he’ll be the new hotness at 185 pounds.
He’s too big and too destructive at this stage in their respective careers. Maybe in some alternate reality we could scheme a way to get an in-his-prime Silva together with prime Rockhold. Two problems with that though: 1. This world is the only one we have. 2. Silva’s prime is long past, while Rockhold’s is likely yet to come.
Advantage: Don’t make us spell it out for you.
Yoel Romero? so Crazy It Just Might Work.
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Confession time: The mere thought of the insanity that could ensue if Yoel Romero and Silva stepped into the cage together is almost too good to pass up. Plus, just think of the outfits.
At 37, Romero is getting a little bit long in the tooth himself, but his Olympic-level wrestling and wickedly unorthodox offense might well prove too much for the depleted former champion. Then again, Romero slows down later in fights and appears to spend an alarming amount of fight time just sort of coasting along…until suddenly he isn’t.
It’s also possible that Romero’s all-around MMA game just isn’t developed enough to compete with Silva. But it’d be dicey…for at least a round or two.
Advantage: The fans.
Not so Fast, Michael Bisping.
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Did anybody else think it was strange on Monday morning when Michael Bisping took to social media to challenge Diaz after his scheduled bout with CB Dollaway is out of the way? Indeed, Diaz seemed like an offbeat choice, considering the fact he’s coming off a loss and typically fights in a different weight class.
Now, Bisping vs. Silva? That’s a plan we can all get behind.
The world narrowly missed out on this pairing back when the Brit lost title eliminators in 2009 and 2012. Now that they’re both on the shady side of their careers and—at least not imminently—challenging for titles, it’s tough to think of a better idea. If Bisping does indeed get past Dollaway, put this one on paper.
Advantage: Silva. His style still reigns supreme over Bisping.
How About a Light Heavyweight Grab Bag?
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There’s actually no shortage of halfway compelling fights for Silva at 205 pounds right now. We already know he’s amenable to making spot starts at light heavyweight, if the matchup seems advantageous. With guys like Glover Teixeira, Fabio Maldonado or, heck, even Quinton “Rampage” Jackson all floating around, you don’t have to look far to find a slugfest.
Would Silva be up for it? If the price was right, maybe. But accepting a second superfight against somebody like Rampage on the heels of his bout with Diaz would likely signal that Silva no longer had real designs on the middleweight title. He’d enter a new stage in his career, where money and matchups ruled over glory.
Not sure that totally seems like his style, but it could happen.
Advantage: Against Jackson, the advantage goes to everyone’s pocketbooks. Against Teixeira, to the bigger man. Against Maldonado? Well, maybe now we’re talking.
Gegard Mousasi Might Be Realistic.
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Gegard Mousasi looked impressive in his first-round stoppage victory over Dan Henderson last month at UFC on Fox 14. Mousasi’s problem, of course, is that at times he’s been inconsistent, listless and occasionally appears disinterested.
At the moment, he’s 2-2 in his last four UFC appearances and slowly creeping up the contender ladder. If Silva wants to stay home at middleweight and prove a third bout against Weidman could be viable, a matchup with Mousasi might be just the ticket.
It’d be strike-friendly affair, a defensible bit of matchmaking and, like UFC 183, a winnable fight for the greatest of all time.
Advantage: Lean slightly toward Silva.
And Then There's Dan Henderson.
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If Bellator’s recent ratings success with Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar taught us anything, it’s that there’s still significant value in nostalgia. What better way to tap into that feeling and score some eyeballs for a Fox network broadcast than a rematch of Silva’s UFC 82 victory over Hendo?
Both will be in their 40s, both looking to pick up sizable paychecks and both likely believing they’ll win. So long as both Henderson and Silva are still hanging around a cage and willing to make 185 pounds, this will be a viable matchup.
Advantage: Silva.
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