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UFC 112: SPIDER SILVA BECOMES A CLOWN
joe wiseApr 11, 2010
It's tough to know where to begin criticizing this debacle. Clearly there were 3 winners tonight - Frankie Edgar for stunning the world, Damian Maia for showing huge heart, and Dan Miragliotta for trying to save Anderson Silva from himself. Other than that, this card is either a red flag that Zuffa heeds, or a sign of worse to come. Time will tell.
The event certainly did nothing to suggest that the expansion of the UFC to international shores is all "Black Gold" and no risk. Despite the handful of positives mentioned just above, there's too many problems with this event to count, let alone to discuss them all. Let's just cover the major points:
First off, Anderson Silva put in the most classless performance from a "Champion" I have ever seen inside the Octagon (during a fight). I do not say that lightly given the competition. For the most part though, the UFC has been successful in creating an atmosphere of class surrounding it's champs. No matter what anyone says, this is a direct result of Randy Couture's example on this front. However, something has seriously gone wrong in the mind of Anderson Silva. Maybe there is a communication breakdown of sorts, a language barrier, whatever ... but Dana White clearly (however unintentionally) created a monster with his comments after the Leites bout (google it for reference). I thought the comments were a mistake at the time and I strongly believe it led directly to what we witnessed tonight (and what was roundly booed in the Arabian venue). Even Joe Rogan finally got a clue in the 4th round that "Houston, we have a problem". I have several bones to pick with Rogan re: 112 (we'll get to the Penn scoring later). Put the pipe down Joe.
Foremost of my gripes is this: Why did it take Rogan 4 rounds to reach the conclusion that Silva was clowning to the point of embarrassment? We're talking about embarrassing the sport ... not Damian Maia. In my book Maia rose several notches, and Silva became a "mark" for me. I mean, I will root against him until he loses. Admittedly, I could be waiting a while, but I'm firmly no longer a fan.
Most of you reading this probably understand my feelings on this and don't need a lesson from me, but for the uninitiated fan who was just completely in awe of the "magic" displayed by Anderson Silva at 112, let me break it down for you why Anderson Silva v Damian Maia was perhaps the worst performance in UFC title fight history....
First off, the match-up never should have been made. I think we all can agree on this. The UFC is clearly in a tough position when it comes to finding fights for Silva. However, if there are clearly no fights for Anderson at 185, then why this fight? We all understand that Belfort was a very interesting match-up for Silva and it is a shame that fight didn't go down, but any devout follower of this thing saw this disaster coming from miles away. What no one saw coming was how badly Silva would butcher and compound a bad situation. The only saving grace for Anderson Silva in all of this is the tough spot the UFC has repeatedly put him in. That is in some sense an "out" for him. But still... At several different weights there are much better fights for Silva. Wand might be beaten badly by Silva, but then again, Anderson couldn't put Maia's lights out, right? Not only will Bones Jones give Anderson Silva a fight no matter the weight, Silva wouldn't dare clown with him. I promise you that. People often forget that Dan Henderson gave Silva a heck of a fight and wouldn't likely get caught in the same choke again. The world deserved a rematch. We won't get it. There are several better options even at 185 than Maia, including Shields, Marquardt(2) and Sonnen. So why this fiasco?
Even despite the poor position the UFC put Silva in, there's just no hint of an excuse for his not rising above it. No excuse for spitting in the face of the classical martial arts, which despite the tone of the sport currently, is still the true beating heart of the sport. If you still don't get what the outrage is, here are the worst parts:
The disrespect to Maia as a fighter is unforgivable. Forget about that shallow display after the fight. What's worse is the pure fact that Silva was conning himself for the first three rounds (at a minimum), and conning most of the audience for the entire fight. It was absolutely surprising and totally pleasurable to discover that the crowd in the UAE is nearly as knowledgeable about the sport as the old Pride audiences in Japan. Those whistles you heard from the middle of the 3rd round until well after Silva was strapped with his belt were the equivalent of boos. And they were loud.
Despite the savvy audience there, millions were no doubt conned into believing what Silva clearly did ... that he is God's gift to MMA. Really Anderson? God's gift would have knocked Damian Maia out in the 1st round, I promise you that. Certainly God's gift should have finished his own personal masterpiece with a knockout at some point within 5 rounds. Am I out of line? I don't think so. The man made an ass out of himself. If the argument is that he feels pressure to give the fans more than 1 round, and if that mistaken notion on his part has been forcefully imparted to him by the UFC brass, then I can understand his confusion. Not much, but a little. The bottom line remains that it is disrespectful on the part of any fighter to give it less than 100% from the opening bell. If that means that no Anderson Silva fight goes more than 30 seconds, so be it. Why is it so fascinating and acceptable to the brass when a lesser striker like Carwin ends all his fights in the first round, but in the lighter divisions quick knockouts are not so desirable on the Championship level? Do all champs below heavyweight have to keep one eye on the clock? Whatever the reason, and wherever the majority of the blame falls (on White or on Silva) the result today was pathetic.
On top of everything, it is beyond contempt to toy with an opponent you believe you can put to sleep early, thereby increasing dramatically the possibility of a potentially career ending injury to the weaker opponent. Case in point, the front kick knee shots delivered by Silva to Maia's front leg in the 3rd. For all intents and purposes the fight was over, and should have been conclusively over in the 1st, yet in round 3 we have Anderson throwing a kick that is very rarely thrown, and is less successfully thrown by every other fighter in UFC history. But for some reason Anderson throws the kick astonishingly successfully. Still it is somewhat of a novelty because nobody else seems to be able to do damage with it in an actual fight. Silva is the exception because he is exceptional. The problem is that it is a devastating blow to the knee when landed as clean as Silva does, and it is no doubt a potential career killer. Silva knows this but he seems to be obsessed with demonstrating just how prolific his most destructive skills are, to the degree that he is willing to use them for virtually no purpose (in this fight) other than to impress the fans. Was GSP impressed? I would think George (contrary to Goldberg's ridiculous assertion) would feel nothing but relieved by the fact that Silva could not finish Damian Maia in 5 rounds. I personally think George is thrilled with what he saw.
In the final analysis, the very worst part of it is this: The clowning by Anderson, particularly in the first 2 rounds is actually very revealing about the psyche of Anderson Silva. The posturing by the champ that placed the onus on Maia to "stand and fight" would have us all believe that Silva is invincible and has nothing to fear from the mere mortal Maia. The truth is far different. Where is the courage on Silva's part to get close enough to Maia to finish him? Or did you miss that point amidst all the showboating? Maybe the distraction was the point. Despite the posturing, Silva showed no desire to stay in tight and finish the fight. Not the first time either. As the fight wore on, he showed even less and less desire to get near Maia. And this was a clearly destroyed opponent! Where is the bravery in that? It's actually pretty gutless and reveals some level of distrust in his own Muay Thai that he would not spend more time in tight looking to finish Maia. Maybe the greatest striker in MMA is a big fish in a little pond.
Didn't Freddie Roach say it was a huge mistake for Silva to take on a top boxer? I believe he did. This is the weakness Roach and other boxing experts see that we MMA devotees so often do not. Tonight more than any previous fight revealed this about the middleweight champ. Silva does have a weakness. It is mental. I will say it here and now, George beats him at 170 or catch weight. Either. It's a mental game. If Silva was so thrown out of whack by White's comments after Leites, what dark place is he going to go to now, between tonight and his date with GSP? For the first time in a very long time Anderson Silva is vulnerable. Very vulnerable.
[I should disclose that I am a huge UFC fan, MMA fan in general if you haven't guessed it, and I truly believe Dana White and Zuffa did for the UFC what nobody else could possibly have done. I say this not out of self-preservation in this business (lol) but because I believe it. But like so many of the long time devotees, I wish they would address some of the righteous criticism that the fans have been shining a light on for a long time (the fans BTW that Zuffa itself has in large measure educated). Suggesting that Lesnar not piss all over Budweiser was a start, but the larger issue looms. The speed of the growth of MMA lends itself to a dangerous capacity to turn the sport we love into a circus. Many of us have been saying it for a long time. Many wiser scribes have been saying it long before me. Tonight was a red alarm Dana.]
I was planning to further discuss the numerous other flaws with this event, but the rant above has worn me out. I also expect to get blasted by a lot of you Spider-ettes, so I'll save my energy for now by keeping it short. Here's a brief capsule of my other gripes from 112:
We all get it with the "legends" tour already. I'm talking about the fights we're getting on a regular basis now that have no value whatsoever other than a "thank you for your years of service" from the UFC. You know what I'm talking about. The UFC historically has had fights that were pointless, and honestly, for their own survival Zuffa (as well as the former owner) just had to run with some proven draws that were completely pointless. But those days are over. When there is a terrible match-up of "Golden-Oldies" in today's MMA it looks very badly out of place. Much more so now because of the overall high level of the main card fights. The pointless fights are very glaring now. We had a brutal one tonight. Or is it me? Couture and Coleman was another example. This is not to say that any fighter in particular is "done". I certainly have seen enough from Couture that I can honestly say I want to see more. But I want to see Randy against contenders or not at all. I don't think Couture would argue with this.
What else ... oh yeah, the scoring in the BJ fight. I mean seriously 50-45, 49-46 .... Really? WTF.
I've been arguing all night with some buds who have no problem with BJ being dethroned, but I'm not convinced. I'm not saying BJ looked good. Certainly after the 3rd he was toast. This was not the same guy that smoked Florian and Sanchez. No disrespect to Frankie Edgar, but he didn't beat the best BJ. Was BJ injured, or was it the return of the old "Dark Side" BJ? Who knows... I'm tired of trying to figure this guy out. Anyways..... hey Rogan, I love you , but did you not hear the scoring in that Edgar win?? Nothing? No comment about those scores after you and your sidekick both had BJ cruising after 2? Even deep into 3? Really? No comment about the scoring? I mean it's not the end of the world, I can see Edgar getting the trophy, but at the same time that thing about beating the champ? I'm not sure Edgar landed a punch in the first 2 rounds. Ok, I'm exaggerating... but not by much. And the 3rd round was no wipe out. So, could one then argue that not enough was done to dethrone a champ? Granted, I can see the other side of the argument, but no comment on the crack addicted judging? Nothing? I mean we all clearly heard Edgar's corner tell him it was 2-1 for BJ after 3 right? I know you heard it Joe. Sooooo..... 50-45? Nuthin'? Ok.
The event certainly did nothing to suggest that the expansion of the UFC to international shores is all "Black Gold" and no risk. Despite the handful of positives mentioned just above, there's too many problems with this event to count, let alone to discuss them all. Let's just cover the major points:
First off, Anderson Silva put in the most classless performance from a "Champion" I have ever seen inside the Octagon (during a fight). I do not say that lightly given the competition. For the most part though, the UFC has been successful in creating an atmosphere of class surrounding it's champs. No matter what anyone says, this is a direct result of Randy Couture's example on this front. However, something has seriously gone wrong in the mind of Anderson Silva. Maybe there is a communication breakdown of sorts, a language barrier, whatever ... but Dana White clearly (however unintentionally) created a monster with his comments after the Leites bout (google it for reference). I thought the comments were a mistake at the time and I strongly believe it led directly to what we witnessed tonight (and what was roundly booed in the Arabian venue). Even Joe Rogan finally got a clue in the 4th round that "Houston, we have a problem". I have several bones to pick with Rogan re: 112 (we'll get to the Penn scoring later). Put the pipe down Joe.
Foremost of my gripes is this: Why did it take Rogan 4 rounds to reach the conclusion that Silva was clowning to the point of embarrassment? We're talking about embarrassing the sport ... not Damian Maia. In my book Maia rose several notches, and Silva became a "mark" for me. I mean, I will root against him until he loses. Admittedly, I could be waiting a while, but I'm firmly no longer a fan.
Most of you reading this probably understand my feelings on this and don't need a lesson from me, but for the uninitiated fan who was just completely in awe of the "magic" displayed by Anderson Silva at 112, let me break it down for you why Anderson Silva v Damian Maia was perhaps the worst performance in UFC title fight history....
First off, the match-up never should have been made. I think we all can agree on this. The UFC is clearly in a tough position when it comes to finding fights for Silva. However, if there are clearly no fights for Anderson at 185, then why this fight? We all understand that Belfort was a very interesting match-up for Silva and it is a shame that fight didn't go down, but any devout follower of this thing saw this disaster coming from miles away. What no one saw coming was how badly Silva would butcher and compound a bad situation. The only saving grace for Anderson Silva in all of this is the tough spot the UFC has repeatedly put him in. That is in some sense an "out" for him. But still... At several different weights there are much better fights for Silva. Wand might be beaten badly by Silva, but then again, Anderson couldn't put Maia's lights out, right? Not only will Bones Jones give Anderson Silva a fight no matter the weight, Silva wouldn't dare clown with him. I promise you that. People often forget that Dan Henderson gave Silva a heck of a fight and wouldn't likely get caught in the same choke again. The world deserved a rematch. We won't get it. There are several better options even at 185 than Maia, including Shields, Marquardt(2) and Sonnen. So why this fiasco?
Even despite the poor position the UFC put Silva in, there's just no hint of an excuse for his not rising above it. No excuse for spitting in the face of the classical martial arts, which despite the tone of the sport currently, is still the true beating heart of the sport. If you still don't get what the outrage is, here are the worst parts:
The disrespect to Maia as a fighter is unforgivable. Forget about that shallow display after the fight. What's worse is the pure fact that Silva was conning himself for the first three rounds (at a minimum), and conning most of the audience for the entire fight. It was absolutely surprising and totally pleasurable to discover that the crowd in the UAE is nearly as knowledgeable about the sport as the old Pride audiences in Japan. Those whistles you heard from the middle of the 3rd round until well after Silva was strapped with his belt were the equivalent of boos. And they were loud.
Despite the savvy audience there, millions were no doubt conned into believing what Silva clearly did ... that he is God's gift to MMA. Really Anderson? God's gift would have knocked Damian Maia out in the 1st round, I promise you that. Certainly God's gift should have finished his own personal masterpiece with a knockout at some point within 5 rounds. Am I out of line? I don't think so. The man made an ass out of himself. If the argument is that he feels pressure to give the fans more than 1 round, and if that mistaken notion on his part has been forcefully imparted to him by the UFC brass, then I can understand his confusion. Not much, but a little. The bottom line remains that it is disrespectful on the part of any fighter to give it less than 100% from the opening bell. If that means that no Anderson Silva fight goes more than 30 seconds, so be it. Why is it so fascinating and acceptable to the brass when a lesser striker like Carwin ends all his fights in the first round, but in the lighter divisions quick knockouts are not so desirable on the Championship level? Do all champs below heavyweight have to keep one eye on the clock? Whatever the reason, and wherever the majority of the blame falls (on White or on Silva) the result today was pathetic.
On top of everything, it is beyond contempt to toy with an opponent you believe you can put to sleep early, thereby increasing dramatically the possibility of a potentially career ending injury to the weaker opponent. Case in point, the front kick knee shots delivered by Silva to Maia's front leg in the 3rd. For all intents and purposes the fight was over, and should have been conclusively over in the 1st, yet in round 3 we have Anderson throwing a kick that is very rarely thrown, and is less successfully thrown by every other fighter in UFC history. But for some reason Anderson throws the kick astonishingly successfully. Still it is somewhat of a novelty because nobody else seems to be able to do damage with it in an actual fight. Silva is the exception because he is exceptional. The problem is that it is a devastating blow to the knee when landed as clean as Silva does, and it is no doubt a potential career killer. Silva knows this but he seems to be obsessed with demonstrating just how prolific his most destructive skills are, to the degree that he is willing to use them for virtually no purpose (in this fight) other than to impress the fans. Was GSP impressed? I would think George (contrary to Goldberg's ridiculous assertion) would feel nothing but relieved by the fact that Silva could not finish Damian Maia in 5 rounds. I personally think George is thrilled with what he saw.
In the final analysis, the very worst part of it is this: The clowning by Anderson, particularly in the first 2 rounds is actually very revealing about the psyche of Anderson Silva. The posturing by the champ that placed the onus on Maia to "stand and fight" would have us all believe that Silva is invincible and has nothing to fear from the mere mortal Maia. The truth is far different. Where is the courage on Silva's part to get close enough to Maia to finish him? Or did you miss that point amidst all the showboating? Maybe the distraction was the point. Despite the posturing, Silva showed no desire to stay in tight and finish the fight. Not the first time either. As the fight wore on, he showed even less and less desire to get near Maia. And this was a clearly destroyed opponent! Where is the bravery in that? It's actually pretty gutless and reveals some level of distrust in his own Muay Thai that he would not spend more time in tight looking to finish Maia. Maybe the greatest striker in MMA is a big fish in a little pond.
Didn't Freddie Roach say it was a huge mistake for Silva to take on a top boxer? I believe he did. This is the weakness Roach and other boxing experts see that we MMA devotees so often do not. Tonight more than any previous fight revealed this about the middleweight champ. Silva does have a weakness. It is mental. I will say it here and now, George beats him at 170 or catch weight. Either. It's a mental game. If Silva was so thrown out of whack by White's comments after Leites, what dark place is he going to go to now, between tonight and his date with GSP? For the first time in a very long time Anderson Silva is vulnerable. Very vulnerable.
[I should disclose that I am a huge UFC fan, MMA fan in general if you haven't guessed it, and I truly believe Dana White and Zuffa did for the UFC what nobody else could possibly have done. I say this not out of self-preservation in this business (lol) but because I believe it. But like so many of the long time devotees, I wish they would address some of the righteous criticism that the fans have been shining a light on for a long time (the fans BTW that Zuffa itself has in large measure educated). Suggesting that Lesnar not piss all over Budweiser was a start, but the larger issue looms. The speed of the growth of MMA lends itself to a dangerous capacity to turn the sport we love into a circus. Many of us have been saying it for a long time. Many wiser scribes have been saying it long before me. Tonight was a red alarm Dana.]
I was planning to further discuss the numerous other flaws with this event, but the rant above has worn me out. I also expect to get blasted by a lot of you Spider-ettes, so I'll save my energy for now by keeping it short. Here's a brief capsule of my other gripes from 112:
We all get it with the "legends" tour already. I'm talking about the fights we're getting on a regular basis now that have no value whatsoever other than a "thank you for your years of service" from the UFC. You know what I'm talking about. The UFC historically has had fights that were pointless, and honestly, for their own survival Zuffa (as well as the former owner) just had to run with some proven draws that were completely pointless. But those days are over. When there is a terrible match-up of "Golden-Oldies" in today's MMA it looks very badly out of place. Much more so now because of the overall high level of the main card fights. The pointless fights are very glaring now. We had a brutal one tonight. Or is it me? Couture and Coleman was another example. This is not to say that any fighter in particular is "done". I certainly have seen enough from Couture that I can honestly say I want to see more. But I want to see Randy against contenders or not at all. I don't think Couture would argue with this.
What else ... oh yeah, the scoring in the BJ fight. I mean seriously 50-45, 49-46 .... Really? WTF.
I've been arguing all night with some buds who have no problem with BJ being dethroned, but I'm not convinced. I'm not saying BJ looked good. Certainly after the 3rd he was toast. This was not the same guy that smoked Florian and Sanchez. No disrespect to Frankie Edgar, but he didn't beat the best BJ. Was BJ injured, or was it the return of the old "Dark Side" BJ? Who knows... I'm tired of trying to figure this guy out. Anyways..... hey Rogan, I love you , but did you not hear the scoring in that Edgar win?? Nothing? No comment about those scores after you and your sidekick both had BJ cruising after 2? Even deep into 3? Really? No comment about the scoring? I mean it's not the end of the world, I can see Edgar getting the trophy, but at the same time that thing about beating the champ? I'm not sure Edgar landed a punch in the first 2 rounds. Ok, I'm exaggerating... but not by much. And the 3rd round was no wipe out. So, could one then argue that not enough was done to dethrone a champ? Granted, I can see the other side of the argument, but no comment on the crack addicted judging? Nothing? I mean we all clearly heard Edgar's corner tell him it was 2-1 for BJ after 3 right? I know you heard it Joe. Sooooo..... 50-45? Nuthin'? Ok.
-wise-
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