What next for Anderson Silva?

MrStuffins

I was gonna wait to start this thread due to the spoiler rules, but it's Thursday anyway and since a similar discussion is going on elsewhere, i'd like everyone's opinions on this.

What next for Anderson Silva? Some people have expressed the opinion that he hasn't been properly challenged, which panders to some peoples' hater gene, but in reality just shows how goos he really is. I missed the memo on when being the best in your sport by a mile changed from you being the king to "Well, it's the opponents' fault for not being good enough to take him on".

So now that Silva has beaten every challenger in the world, what do you think he SHOULD do!

For now, it looks like he will fight the winner of Sonnen v Stann. This is a win-win situation for UFC but if Stann was to win against Sonnen then Silva is in a lose-lose situation. Stann v Silva is a massive mismatch.

So what would you like to see him do? Should he retire? Should he move up to 205? Should he fight GSP? Should he continue to defend his MW title?

meditraitor

MrStuffins wrote: »

Should he fight GSP?

oh yes please,

MrStuffins

This fight ends badly for Silva though IMO!

Ush1

I think he would murder GSP. It would be interesting to see him fight at LHW again. Match him against maybe Shogun or even Phil Davis.

MrStuffins

Ush1 wrote: »

I think he would murder GSP. It would be interesting to see him fight at LHW again. Match him against maybe Shogun or even Phil Davis.

I'm not so sure. i think GSP would be too clever to play Silva's game. He wouldn't have a problem doing nothing for 3-4 rounds and waiting for a change to take him down or whatever.

I also think he's be too clever to get caught in a sub like Sonnen!

I wouldn't be bothered to see him fight Phil Davis but Shogun......... dgjdg......gghg........

Sorry about that, the drool on the keyboard made it go crazy!

riffmongous

I want him to fight Sonnen then either move up to 205 or retire. I've lost interest in a GSP superfight, instead if he moves up to 205 we would have a rake of interesting match ups (and I'm sure he can be convinced to fight Machida).

I really hope though that after Sonnen he leaves the MW division, he's already cleared it out to the point that I think any more fights at MW will weaken the division further and his legacy. The MW division is already regarded by most as the weakest and has only started to recover recently, if AS stays on to thrash the next crop it will take years to recover.

Ush1

MrStuffins wrote: »

I'm not so sure. i think GSP would be too clever to play Silva's game. He wouldn't have a problem doing nothing for 3-4 rounds and waiting for a change to take him down or whatever.

I also think he's be too clever to get caught in a sub like Sonnen!

I wouldn't be bothered to see him fight Phil Davis but Shogun......... dgjdg......gghg........

Sorry about that, the drool on the keyboard made it go crazy!

Maybe but we know Silva is comfortable at LHW. He easily battered a former champion, so to me the move up for him makes alot more sense.

GSP would be a very short MW. In fact, I'd say GSP would have alot of bother against Sonnen or even the likes of Munoz. I picture them being so much bigger than him. But George is certainly the man at 170, no doubt.

Was thinking Davis' wrestling might give Anderson some bother but it might not be a great fight to watch. Yeah, an in shape Shogun vs Anderson would be epic.

El Guapo!

I honestly think he'll retire soon enough. I said in the other thread that Silva has said in the past that he wants to retire at 35. He's now 36 and has practically cleaned out the MW division. Plus he wants to set up a fight with Roy Jones Jr.
Roy has already said he'd love to fight him so the only thing stopping the fight is Dana. I think he'll probably defend the belt twice more maybe and then retire.

Personally I'd like to see him move to 205. I'd love to see him in that division and I think a Silva-Jones fight would be fantastic. Plus it'd probably be the biggest selling PPV in UFC history. And Silva-Shogun would be fantastic too. There's so many great potential fights for him at 205. I'd love if he done it.

On another note I'd love to see him fight GSP.
I like GSP a lot and think it would be a great fight but I can see Silva knocking him out.

Having said all that though, I don't think he'll do any of that. I think retirement is on the cards within the next year or so.

MrStuffins

Ush1 wrote: »

Maybe but we know Silva is comfortable at LHW. He easily battered a former champion, so to me the move up for him makes alot more sense.

GSP would be a very short MW. In fact, I'd say GSP would have alot of bother against Sonnen or even the likes of Munoz. I picture them being so much bigger than him. But George is certainly the man at 170, no doubt.

Was thinking Davis' wrestling might give Anderson some bother but it might not be a great fight to watch. Yeah, an in shape Shogun vs Anderson would be epic.

let's be honest here, saying Silva beat a former Champion is almost just word play. It's akin to saying Chris Lytle is a contender due to beating a former champion in Serra. But I get your point!

I'd hate to see Silva move up to 205 and go against a lay and pray merchant! I have no doubt that if he went against Davis, David gameplan would be simple. Get him to the ground and hold him there!

cowzerp

Dean09 wrote: »

Plus he wants to set up a fight with Roy Jones Jr.
Roy has already said he'd love to fight him so the only thing stopping the fight is Dana. I think he'll probably defend the belt twice more maybe and then retire..

Roy Jones Jr is so washed up i'd pick BJ Penn to beat him in a Boxing match-that fight would be utterly pointless as he has no punch resistance and bad reactions now.

Think that was an idea 2 years ago when he was still well gone anyway.

scooby2791

Sonnen-Stann winner is next in line for the MW crown. I wouldn't mind seeing one last Unification bout between Silva & Hendo and the for Silva to retire as the greatest.

No interest in the GSP fight whatsoever. 205 would be interesting depending on the matchups but I can't see anyone really beating him.

MrStuffins

Even though Silva has already beat him, I too would love to see him go up against Hendo! He's had a nice run of late since his demolishion at the hands of Sheilds. Could be a tricky prospect for Silva!

the_doctor199

It has to be the winner of Stann and Sonnen for me. Either winner is easy to market for the UFC. If he wins (and GSP beats Diaz), then it's time for them to fight.

MrStuffins

Now that Silva has beaten Okami, UFC have a marketing dream on their hands.

Sonnen wins and they have the massive rematch to sell. Stann wins and it's the All-american hero against the Champ.

Either way Silva smashes his way to vixtory IMO!

ollieo

I'd like to see Silva move up to 205 there are a lot of interesting fights for him there Thiago Silva, Shogun, Machida (it will never happen though) Rampage and Jones are all fights I'd like to see.

I'd like to see him fight for the LHW title before he retires and try to become the only fighter to hold two UFC titles at the same time and then retire win or lose.

I think in 10 years time Anderson Silva will be seen as the great fighter that he is without people b1tching about the level of opponent, it's not his fault he makes everyone he fights look like an amateur.

Probably the greatest ever, would like to see him retire undefeated in the UFC.

El Guapo!

cowzerp wrote: »

Roy Jones Jr is so washed up i'd pick BJ Penn to beat him in a Boxing match-that fight would be utterly pointless as he has no punch resistance and bad reactions now.

Think that was an idea 2 years ago when he was still well gone anyway.

Yeah I agree Silva would probably beat Roy Jones Jr in a boxing match. Roy Jones is fairly washed up but Silva still wants to fight him. Purely because he admires Roy. There was an interview on mmafighting.com with Silva earlier this year and he said he still wants to fight him.

I wouldn't be too keen on seeing it though. Roy would probably be destroyed and I always loved watching him fight but he's doing himself no favours by still fighting and this would be a further step in the wrong direction. If Silva does decide to box though I'd like to see him fight somebody else.

Mellor

ollieo wrote: »

I'd like to see him fight for the LHW title before he retires and try to become the only fighter to hold two UFC titles at the same time and then retire win or lose.

Unless he got an immediate title shot at 205, I don't think thats possible. He'd have to give up his 185 belt if he made a 3-fight move to 205, he'd prob add a bit of mass too, meaning he couldn't jump back and forward

ollieo

Mellor wrote: »

Unless he got an immediate title shot at 205, I don't think thats possible. He'd have to give up his 185 belt if he made a 3-fight move to 205, he'd prob add a bit of mass too, meaning he couldn't jump back and forward

I know it's not very likely but I would like to see it happen, if Silva asked for a LHW title shot I think he would get it (like BJ Penn getting a shot at GSP's title).

I agree that he would need time to bulk up, especially if he were to fight Jon Jones, all the same there are a lot of interesting fights for Silva at 205 and if he got a title shot at 205 I would like him to win it and retire to cement his place as the greatest ever and UFC's first simultaneous two division champ.

Be like Nutella

as somebody else said elsewhere...

watch out for Derek Brunson..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iexvl6fTsMA&feature=related
if he continues to win in Strikeforce he may end up in the UFC in a year or so....with (hypothetically) a 10-0 record he'd prob get a shot at Silva eventually if Silva hangs around in 185 and continues to fight for next 2 years.

also

Hector Lombard
http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hector-Lombard-11292
is still pluggin away just outside (unbelievably) the top 10
on a 19 fight winning streak...never KO'd....lost two decisions more than 5 years ago to Mousasi and Gono in Pride....he's a machine....needs to fight bigger names though

He'd beat Stann, Maia, Marquardt, Wandy and Bisping IMO... in fact so would Brunson.

Alves poses some poblems at 185 IF that's what he does... but Silva still wins... Brunsons record is unlikely to be deep enough for critics to respect the match up and Lombards could be considered padded by the same critics...so it's a hard sell either which way

MrStuffins

Lombard has never really beat anyone but he's decent.

Anyway, word is he's a horrible person and a complete bully in the gym, embarrassing young and inexperienced guys and basically being a dick about it. He likes to go over the top and try knock guys out while sparring.

Apparently Josh Barnett pulled him onto the mat at training once (at Erik Paulsen's gym) and punished him for it. As did Babalu. And as a result he left and went off to ATT where he continues to throw his weight around.

MrStuffins

MrStuffins wrote: »

Apparently Josh Barnett pulled him onto the mat at training once (at Erik Paulsen's gym) and punished him for it. As did Babalu. And as a result he left and went off to ATT where he continues to throw his weight around.

Love to see him try it with Thiago Silva or Bigfoot :P