Anderson Silva: Predictions for His Last Four Fights

Recently, Anderson Silva's manager, Ed Soares, made comments regarding the heavily-discussed rematch between Silva and Chael Sonnen. In his words of disinterest, he shared that Anderson only had about four fights left in his career. 

Silva has long discussed different paths he might choose throughout his career, but none have really come to fruition just yet.

However, seeing as Silva is getting older, these next couple years could very well be his last. 

The last four fights—if that is how many it turns out to be—will sure to be four people you do not want to miss due to the nature of Silva and his performances. This is a look at the last four fights that could be awaiting him before he hangs it all up. 

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No. 4: Winner of Jason Miller vs. Michael Bisping

Both fighters have proven that they are contenders at 185, but after they fight, there will be a clearer picture as to who gets to face Silva sooner, if ever.

Jason Miller is a huge personality and has a ground game to be feared by many. He comes to finish fights, and against a guy like Silva, it would be interesting to see how he would execute his game plan. 

Michael Bisping has been waiting patiently on the sidelines for his shot at the title and has never been so close to Silva’s heels. He has won three in a row, and a win over Miller makes it hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve a title shot. 

Bisping is the last middleweight contender who has stuck around since Silva came along. They arrived in the same month of the same year to the UFC, and Bisping remains Silva's last opponent to beat before he can definitively say he cleaned out his division. 

Bisping’s striking has improved, and he is an ever-evolving fighter, but guys who stand up with Silva are usually the ones to be beaten in a dominating fashion. It will most likely be his only shot at Silva, but Bisping still has to get through Miller. 

No. 3: Cung Le/Dan Henderson

Cung Le, to many, poses the closest thing to a superfight for Silva without it being a superfight. His fame and glory from the Strikeforce days have carried over, and many are intrigued on how the two would fare against each other.

The draw is that Le and Silva are both unorthodox strikers—and accurate ones at that. They both throw strikes that can end a fight in seconds, and with Anderson's kick of Belfort being at the forefront of people’s minds, people expect a potentially exciting kick-boxing focus. 

Le must first beat Wanderlei Silva to be considered for one of Silva's last fights though. If he can beat Wandy in a dominant fashion, Le may very well be the next in line. Due to timing and Sonnen, this may come later than earlier, but a win over Wanderlei—mixed with his fame and style—could put him in the title picture. 

Along with this slide on Le, it would apply to a rematch with Dan Henderson as well. If Hendo gets a title shot against Anderson (which would be the only time he would drop down), then you are looking at another threat in the same position. Henderson and Le are two guys whose biggest challenge on the path to a title shot is timing rather than earning. 

If Le gets destroyed by Wanderlei, Hendo would move ahead of Le in the line. If Le wins, they both are in a situation where they just need to have Silva agree, and a title shot is on. 

No. 2: Georges St-Pierre

Many have reflected on if this superfight is actually worth making or if it is just another sugar rush. Regardless if it is right or not to make, both Silva and GSP want big fights at this point in their careers. Silva and GSP are the top two P4P fighters in MMA, and stylistically, people want to see whose abilities would triumph over the other’s. 

An exciting fight and a huge business move, but it still remains to be seen how it will play out. GSP must move up in weight and has expressed that it would be a permanent move for him. He would move to middleweight to fight Silva, then stay there. Along with his own fights against Condit (now delayed)—and possibly against Diaz in the future—and Silva’s own schedule of fights and the end of his career, we may never see this superfight surface. 

If Silva does only have four fights left, GSP may be the one who has his grand finale. GSP's wrestling and game-planning, matched against Silva’s own intellect in the cage and supernatural abilities, make for one of the most interesting fights ever put on paper—not because of the belts or records, but because of the abilities and skills each possess. 

No. 1: Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen is going to be one of Silva’s last fights and, most likely, the first of the alleged four. 

Sonnen is Silva's great rival, and all great fighters in history have had one. Silva will be looking to prove he is the best and make Sonnen answer for his talking. Sonnen will be looking to show the world he can beat Silva and that the first time they met was a fluke. 

Fans and critics argue the circumstances of their last meeting, but all information is based off of media. Silva's ribs may have been very badly hurt—or maybe they were just fine or mildly hurt. Sonnen may have just been 0.1 over the TRT limit or maybe he was way over.

Regardless, the fight is in the books, and the second meeting will most likely look different. 

Based on Sonnen's own abilities, many foresee him holding Silva down again. However, Silva is a very smart fighter and will very likely come into that fight more prepared. Sonnen may have caught him off-guard with his pressure and strength, but now Silva has a better idea of what he is facing against Sonnen. 

Sonnen though knows the feeling of being in the cage with him. One of the few to keep his control of the cage and himself against Silva, his confidence is immense going into the rematch. Sonnen still is a tough fighter and proved that ring-rust is not something he suffers from in his impressive win over Brian Stann. 

Both Silva and Sonnen need this fight for the good of their careers. The rematch has become the talk of the MMA world and hasn’t even been scheduled yet. It would most likely be the biggest rematch of all time, and one of the biggest sells of the UFC in history; the weight this fight carries almost rivals the superfight with GSP. 

How his last four fights play out, Anderson Silva will still go down as one of the greatest of all time. With his career slowing down, Silva wants to seal his legacy and top it off with some memorable moments. He has started to with Belfort and Okami, but it will be his last four fights that will finish shaping his life's work and define the standards for generations to come.