UFC 134: What Happens If Anderson Silva Finally Loses?

In the MMA world, you will be hard-pressed to find many who do not have Anderson Silva as the strong favorite going into his fight against Yushin Okami at UFC Rio (134).

What else can you expect from a man who has conquered and ruled over his division for so long and so dominantly? “The Spider” is truly one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, but his career presses on. 

Silva wishes to keep putting on additions to the mansion of a career he already has. For “The Spider”; it is not all about recognition, proving himself, the paycheck, contender status or title shot, adoring fans or infamy. He has acquired these already, but the true definition of his legacy is yet to be set in stone. 

With a win over Yushin Okami, he will continue on his path. But what if Anderson Silva loses? What if the King is finally dethroned and Yushin Okami is crowned the new Middleweight Champion of the world? 

Many opponents have tried to fly their way through “The Spider’s” web, some flying faster than others, yet all who have tried have gotten tangled and turned into prey. Yushin Okami will attempt to finish what Chael Sonnen started, and instead of trying to push through and break the web, he will fly head on and try to collide with “The Spider” himself. 

If Okami defeats Silva, it is far from a simple “add a win, add a loss” for the fighters. Because of Silva’s dominance at 185, the man to beat him is the man who becomes legendary himself. In comics, movies, and other media, the unstoppable powerful villain, and the one to finally defeat the villain, are the two people who are remembered. 

With Silva being the “Pound-for-Pound” best in the world, he has much more to lose than a win-bonus come fight night. He will be putting his belt on the line, along with the risk of bringing his record-setting statistics to an abrupt halt. But the numbers only go so far if he were to lose. 

Silva has many fans, but also many critics. Chalk it up to his Maia fight, Sonnen’s repartee, or that he beat well-liked fighters, he has gained much criticism. He also may just be in that position where people want to see him lose, just because he is doing so well. If he loses to Okami, the ones who dislike the current champion will have a field day of scrutiny. 

Inevitably Yushin will be highly regarded as a great fighter. If he wins, he will certainly deserve such praise. However, experience has taught us that if Yushin were to beat Anderson, especially by finish, many P4P lists will magically acquire a Japanese fighter among the ranks. This is premature many times, and in this case, would probably be as well. 

But this fight, in terms of legacy, goes far beyond the eight caged walls at UFC 134. If Silva were to lose, his “Pound-for-Pound” ranking would drop. But along with this, long-time close runner up Georges St. Pierre would be thrown to the top of the heap. This is completely certain if GSP defeats Nick Diaz at UFC 137. 

Aside from the numbers and rankings, the division as a whole would be transformed. Like the rebuilding after a natural disaster, it took away what was before, and gave rise to a new start. If Silva is beaten, the Middleweight division becomes a completely different beast. 

The reason many people view the Middleweight division as lackluster, is that Silva has been on top for song long and so dominantly, it makes the other fighters look less competent. This is not true at all, since many of the Middleweights are exciting and great fighters, but Silva has had a way of making his fellow 185’ers all look like gatekeepers. 

If Anderson loses his belt at UFC Rio, the MMA world will erupt in a frenzy of analytical banter. As mentioned before, critics will rant, fans will speak of his next fight being incredible, and many will speculate his rise back to the top. But who knows? At 36, Silva is not a young fighter anymore. His time left in the Octagon is getting shorter with each fight, and no one really knows what will become of the Brazilian. 

If he loses his title, maybe he would consider Light Heavyweight, or maybe he would retire. He has spoken of moving on to boxing at one point, but many would rather have him stay in the UFC and fight other Pound-for-Pound greats. If he loses though, the fantasy of him fighting the likes of GSP or Jon Jones becomes less attractive. They still would be highly anticipated fights but would not be as riveting as a battle of champions. 

To sum it up, Anderson has far more to lose by taking his first loss since 2006. If Okami loses, it would have been expected and the division would carry on as normal. Okami would not turn into a nobody, but would have to work his way back up; especially with Sonnen, Bisping, Stann, and possibly Henderson aiming for the title. 

With Silva’s gifts and abilities, and Okami’s strength and determination, the night will end with at least one of the following: Knock out of the Night, Submission of the Night, Fight of the Night, or a complete revamp of the 185 division with a new Champion to occupy the red corner. 

Make your predictions for the UFC Rio Main and Co-Main event below! (Winner, Method, Round) 

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