Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin

ginoginelli

Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White made good on his promise to land a significant fight for suddenly under siege middleweight champion Anderson Silva, telling Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that he had signed a deal for Silva to face ex-light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin in the co-main event of UFC 101 in Philadelphia on Aug. 8.
Regarded by many as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Silva has come under a barrage of criticism for his performances in his last two fights, including from White. White said he was embarrassed by Silva’s performance in a decision victory over Thales Leites at UFC 97 in Montreal.
That came on the heels of a questionable performance against Patrick Cote at UFC 90 in Chicago in October in which it appeared that Silva was toying with Cote.


White wanted to find a fighter who would challenge Silva, winner of a UFC record nine consecutive fights, and believes he has done it by signing Griffin.
“Forrest loved the idea and said he’d do it right away, and Anderson told me he would fight anyone I wanted him to fight, no matter who it is,” White said. “So we got the deal.”
The fight will be the co-main event in the UFC’s first foray into Philadelphia, sharing top billing with a lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn and No. 1 contender Kenny Florian.
Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, said the champion is excited by the opportunity to face Griffin, who took the light heavyweight title from Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in July, but lost it in December to Rashad Evans.
He said Griffin has a complete game and has a big name, which makes the fight more interesting to Silva.
“It’s a great fight for him and he’s anxious and excited about it,” Soares said. “Forrest is a bigger, stronger guy with a lot of cardio and he’s the full package. The other thing Anderson likes about it is that Forrest is a big name with a huge heart and is a fan favorite kind of a guy. That’s the kind of match that makes a legendary kind of a fight and that’s what Anderson wants.”
White said he met with Silva and Soares last week and expressed his concerns about Silva’s performance in the last two outings. Silva defended his performance, noting that Cote did not attack and that Leites fought exceptionally cautiously.
White called Silva out at the post fight news conference at UFC 97 for backing off as he was pounding Leites on the ground, but Soares said he didn’t back off for no reason.
“There was a moment when he was in the half-guard and pounding [Leites] out when it looked from outside the octagon like he stood up and walked away,” Soares said.
“Unfortunately, people outside the octagon don’t see the fight the same way as those who are in it. Anderson said that what happened was that Thales was covering up well and that in one of those situations, he hit his hand very hard on Thales’ elbow.
“He thought, ‘Oh man, I could break my hand,’ so instead of risking a broken hand that would keep him out for six months if the guy was going to keep covering up like that, he’d stand up and fight him on the feet. But people outside the octagon probably didn’t notice that.”
Silva made his reputation in the UFC by roaring through competition, knocking out most of his foes violently. He destroyed Rich Franklin twice and also knocked out Nate Marquardt and submitted Dan Henderson.
White was his biggest advocate, insisting there is no fighter in the world close to Silva. And though he was disappointed by his performance in the last two fights, White said he still feels strongly that Silva is the best.
He said Silva will remain middleweight champion and said he thinks there will be viable opponents soon. One would be ex-light heavyweight Michael Bisping, who fights Henderson at UFC 100 in July. If Henderson wins, a Silva-Bisping fight for the title would be a major event.
And White said he is working on signing another middleweight that he would not name who he said “would blow your mind.”
“I’m a fight fan like anyone else and I want to see the best fights, too,” White said. “Other than the Bisping-(Matt) Hamill fight, where I literally got death threats and people said they were going to kill me if they ever saw me, I got more nasty email about the last [Silva-Leites] fight than any one I’ve had in nine years of doing this. I got four of them [Monday], personally, to me. I can only imagine what it’s like to the UFC.com address.”
White said that Silva also expressed an interest in fighting heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who is under contract with Affliction. White has made several attempts to sign Emelianenko, none successful.
Soares confirmed that Silva would like a fight with Emelianenko and said that size wouldn’t be an issue. Silva walks around between fights at 215 and Emelianenko fights around 230.
“We’d come in at about 220 if we ever got that fight,” Soares said. “Anderson thinks that would be a great fight for him. He didn’t say he expected to blow him out, but he thinks he can give him a very good fight.”
But long before he considers fighting Emelianenko, he has to worry about a match with Griffin.
“I talked to [a reporter] the day after [UFC 97] and that’s when I started working on this,” White said. “At the end of the day, it’s my job to put on the kinds of fights that you in the media will like and that the fans will want to see. Silva and Griffin is the kind of fight that even other fighters are going to go crazy for. That’s what I do for a living.
“I as a fan didn’t like what I saw [at UFC 97] and I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to walk out of the building because of how embarrassed I am. But I can tell you this: I’m going to be counting the days until this fight.”


http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-silvagriffin042909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Fozzy

That sounds good. I'd favour Forrest I think. Anderson's highest profile fight so far

Tyler MacDurden

Wonder who the mystery middleweight is? My money's on Cung Le. *Fingers crossed*

Nothingcompares

Forrest is good but he's not top 3 in UFC LHW. He can stick to a game plan and he is a work horse. Still, I don't think AS will be beaten by a natural grappler.

Fozzy

Tyler MacDurden wrote: »

Wonder who the mystery middleweight is? My money's on Cung Le. *Fingers crossed*

Cung's too small to ever fight at middleweight in the UFC. Plus he's got another fight left on his Strikeforce contract

Belfort possibly?

shenanigans1982

Wasn't Griffin supposed to fight Thiago Silva at UFC 101?...or was that just rumoured?

Either way this is a much more exciting fight that I am looking forward to. A few months ago I would have definitely given Silva the edge but after the last 2 outtings I dunno. Forrest is gonna come out swinging at him though and that will play right into his style.

Tyler MacDurden

Fozzy wrote: »

Cung's too small to ever fight at middleweight in the UFC. Plus he's got another fight left on his Strikeforce contract

Belfort possibly?

What's Strikeforce's MW limit?

Belfort looked fantastic last time out against Lindland, still young enough to make waves in that division.

Pride Fighter

Hopefully Forrest wins, even by lay and pray, teach Anderson a lesson.

Fozzy

Tyler MacDurden wrote: »

What's Strikeforce's MW limit?

185, but Cung cuts very little weight and hasn't had to fight guys of the UFC's calibre (except maybe Frank Shamrock but he doesn't cut much weight either). I forget which side said it, but either Dana or Cung have acknowledged that he'd be fighting at welterweight if he ever fought in the UFC

Fozzy

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

Wasn't Griffin supposed to fight Thiago Silva at UFC 101?...or was that just rumoured?

They don't usually make fights official until much closer to the event, although the fights are known long before that

The reports now are that Thiago will face Keith Jardine at 102

cowzerp

Forrest will make anderson work in this fight so its smart by dana, they know silva cant have 3 snooze fests in a row and thats not going to happen now due to forrest.

calex71

maybe im going blind or didnt see it in the artical, but what weight is this fight at

Evil_Clown

Tyler MacDurden wrote: »

Wonder who the mystery middleweight is? My money's on Cung Le. *Fingers crossed*

Robbie Lawlor maybe ???

Hephaestus

calex71 wrote: »

maybe im going blind or didnt see it in the artical, but what weight is this fight at

Light heavyweight

T-K-O

I love Griffin but he is the classic over achiever. His style will also play right into Silvas hands. Griffin is tapping out within 2.

Locomotion

I give Griffin a good chance in this fight. He comes up with gameplans on how to beat people. His victory over Rampage showed us that. He won't be dwarfed by Silva's height or reach and he can throw a hell of a punch too.

I think from what we've seen in the past, the man to finally beat Silva won't be a submission guy. He'll be a guy who will come out and bang and will get that KO punch in before Silva.

Would I put big money on Griffin? No. Would I put a bit of money on Griffin. Yes. I'd give him more of a chance at beating Anderson than any of The Spider's previous UFC opponents

pablohoney87

Maybe fedor will cut all the way to MW?????????
:P

dunkamania

Griffin is a big LHW, and he sets a pace that hurts his opponents, but Silva is always dangerous. Could be an awesome match

ginoginelli

Locomotion wrote: »

he can throw a hell of a punch too.

I have to dispute that. Griffen has only 1 k.o on his record. Alot of his opponents have commented on the lack of power in his punches..

T-K-O

pablohoney87 wrote: »

Maybe fedor will cut all the way to MW?????????
:P

He would have to cut that big head of his.

Pride Fighter

T-K-O wrote: »

I love Griffin but he is the classic over achiever. His style will also play right into Silvas hands. Griffin is tapping out within 2.

Griffins ground game is as good as Silva's. He wont tap.

T-K-O

No it aint - Forrest is good on the ground but not that good. Cool the jets.

And BTW I only know one guy that doesn't tap and it sure as hell isn't FG.

Jason Mc

Locomotion wrote: »

I think from what we've seen in the past, the man to finally beat Silva won't be a submission guy. He'll be a guy who will come out and bang and will get that KO punch in before Silva.

i remember him getting knee barred



Forrest should really be getting a whooping here I think.

In saying that though I thought Dan Hendo was the man to take Anderson down and GNP him. That for me was his best victory. Just because of the caliber of fighter than Dan is.

T-K-O

Jason Mc wrote: »

i remember him getting knee barred



Forrest should really be getting a whooping here I think.

In saying that though I thought Dan Hendo was the man to take Anderson down and GNP him. That for me was his best victory. Just because of the caliber of fighter than Dan is.

Im with ya there. I thought Dan posed a great threat to Silva but Anderson did a number on him. Hendo has declined since :mad:

Pride Fighter

Jason Mc wrote: »

i remember him getting knee barred



Forrest should really be getting a whooping here I think.

In saying that though I thought Dan Hendo was the man to take Anderson down and GNP him. That for me was his best victory. Just because of the caliber of fighter than Dan is.

Forrest will do what Henderson did to Silva in the first round. Take him down and smother him. But cause Forrest cuts from 240 and Hendo is so light Forrest will be able to do it.

Fall_Guy

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Forrest will do what Henderson did to Silva in the first round. Take him down and smother him. But cause Forrest cuts from 240 and Hendo is so light Forrest will be able to do it.

Forrest is nowhere near as good a wrestler as Henderson though and I would bet that Henderson lying on top of Silva was a tougher proposition than the heavier Griffin will prove. If Griffin was to win I think most of his scoring would be done through constant pressure standing up. I don't think he'll find it easy to get Silva down and Keep him there.

I think I'd still give the advantage to Silva in this one, I really think the most dangerous fight for Silva in the UFC is GSP. He can set an unmatched pace (even by Griffin's high standards in this regards) and has the ability to put anyone on the ground and do damage.

Fromvert

Can see Silva winning this but Forrest has a better chance then most of Silva previous opponents, Cote/Leites/Irvin. If Forrest is to win id say a Split or UD. Id love to Silva fight GSP/Rampage i think either one would beat him. Id also like to see Wandy get a shot aswell, he has the power and aggression to knock Silva out but would leave himself open an awful lot. I think I read somewhere that Silva said he'd fight Fedor at 220lbs which is easily achieveable for Fedor and Silva is generally around 210-215lbs anyway.

dunkamania

I dont see GSP giving Anderson that much difficulty. GSP is the biggest guy at WW, and uses his athlethicism to impose his will. I dont see that working against any of the larger MW's, let alone Anderson Silva.

I think Anderson is the favourite against Griffin, but not by a large margin. Griffin has a habit of making his opponents look like they are having an "offnight", and he will pose some more difficulties to Silva, then Hendo.

Jason Mc

I'd love to see Chung Le enter the fray and see just how good he really is.

Of course he proved his worth beating Frankie but I'd like to see his striking in there with anderson

Its one match that would really get me excited.

The good thing with Forrest is you know Anderson will at least be pushed but I think he is far too clinical for forrest

I predict another snout breaking session

BeeSee

unless griffin comes in with a perfect game plan can see silva picking him apart. looking forward to it tho. not much left for anderson to do in MW, some great match ups for him at LHW, hopefully a sign of things to come

rovert

Dave Meltzer seems to think that the mystery MW is Vitor Belfort.

dunkamania

I think Cung Le is overated, and am much more interested in seeing the Phenom back in the Octagon. Rematch with Wandi anyone?

Jason Mc

I thought he was overated too till he broke shamrock's arm

Belfort at MW is a good prospect but the man has shown no real consistancy in years.

Is Bustamante completely off the scene now?

Maynard

If I were Forrest Griffin I'd be getting some sleepless nights of late; Recovering from a staf infection, Rampage and Shogun have both publicly stated that they want to avenge previous defeats to him and now Anderson Silva gets landed in his lap:eek:

As Dylan Moran would say, that sounds like such a busy evening...

Maynard

I would also like to add my meager weight to the Vitor appeal...

If only to hear Goldberg shout "Now THAT'S the old Vitor..." after he lands his first punch:D

chopperbyrne

Is it going to be at MW, LHW or catchweight?

MartyMcFly84

Is it going to be at MW, LHW or catchweight?

Its going to be at 205lbs LHW. I dont think forrest could go any lighter that 205 to be honest , hes a big 205'er as is.

dunkamania

He cuts from 225lbs.

He said he would prefer a catchweight of 215

Coolhand

Hope silva loses much as I like him. Might get him back to his old self with something to prove. So many good fights for Silva at LH.

rossedge

Evil_Clown wrote: »

Robbie Lawlor maybe ???

love to see Robbie back in the UFC!

Forrest edges it for me, but then again he never fought a striker like Anderson!

Tones69

On paper you would have to give the advantage to Silva here, but hes never really fought a guy like griffin so im hoping that it will be a great fight, regardless of who wins!!!
If forrest shows up guns blazing and puts up a really good fight,wins a round or two the fans will be with him. Rampage and Shogun are after him too, its tough at the top :cool:

I can remember back when they announced Shogun was coming from Pride and his first fight was Forrest, everyone was like "jesus i feel sorry for forrest etc etc etc", then look what happened!

Nothingcompares

Am i the only one that thinks Forrest is only a bigger, slightly better version of Nate Marquadt?

dunkamania

I think they are very different styles of fighters.2

Marquadt is well rounded, but is a much better, technical, ground fighter than striker. Griffin is a well rounded scrapper. I wouldnt call him a technical fighter, relative to the rest of the UFC LHW, but he sets a pace that is tough to keep up with.

clinchy

Id really love to see Forest win just to shake things up a bit

ginoginelli

not me. Anderson all the way.

clinchy

anderson is an excellent but after his last to fights he needs a shake up imo