Who's next for Anderson Silva?

[Dee]

I personally feel like there is no #1 contender for Silva at the moment.

 

If I had to say one I'd say Weidman becouse he is undefeated and the annihilation of Munoz was something spectacular.

 

The winner of Bisping - Stann vs Weidman OR the winner of Beltcher - Belfort should fight for the #1 contender status. Stann should be taken out of the mix for now even if he wins Bisping.

 

Meanwhile Silva could take on Diaz just for the sake of entertainment value but we all know that is never ever going to happen so scratch that.

[Guest]

Is the talk of Diaz, a man who was worried to move up to 185 to fight Mayhem Miller, fighting Anderson coming off a loss and lay off actually serious!? Come on!

[Guest]

I would love to see Anderson fight Diaz. Personally i like Anderson a lot and watching him destroy opponents is like a bruce lee movie for me. I wonder if one day my kids will ask me if i ever watched him fight? If they ever made a movie about a UFC fighter it should be him.

 

Anyways, from a fighters stance i think its unfair that Weidman would be getting a shot so soon. He just came to the UFC and although he took out Maia and Munoz he doesn't have as much experience under the lights if you know what I'm saying. I think he has unbelievable technique and is destined to be great but if he gets a shot so soon it could ruin him and his career. I think the UFC media will probably book a Weidman Boetch fight as a Co-Main real soon. That would be a real good fight for him. I believe if Belcher can stand the first round with Vitor he should automatically get a title shot, even if he dies in the second round, they need to resurrect him to give him that shot. I don't believe even if Stann wins he will get a shot against Silva because isn't stringing it together.

 

As far as Silva goes, Bisping will fight him. There is no doubt its just a matter of when and where. They both want to fight each other and now Bisping is becoming a lot more vocal about it. Please don't hate me for saying this because i love Brian as a person but Bispings fight with him is really just a tune up fight. I find it almost unfair that Stann is in their with him and it would be the same way for Weidman.

 

I know everyone thinks Silvas Takedown defense is bad and he loses against wrestlers but he really isn't that bad. He let Chael take him down in the first round and then Chael couldn't get him down after that. If he fights Weidman he would TKO the poor guy in a devastating fashion.

 

But I'm personally digging the Middleweight division, i like when weight classes get like this because everyone has their own favorite fighter that they are rooting for. BISPING or BELFORT!

 

~BrotherHec

[Guest]

I think they should put weidman against boetch and then have the winner of that face the winner of belcher vs belfort for number 1 contender status.

[Guest]

I think they should put weidman against boetch and then have the winner of that face the winner of belcher vs belfort for number 1 contender status.

 

Wouldnt that make Silva wait until 2020 before fighting again and leave him no one worth a damn after facing the winner? He is already in need of credible opponents. He needs to fight the best out there now and make the others fight each other. Im not sold on any of the guys except Bisping and Wiedman. The others need to beat someone. I think the best fight right now is Weidman. Reason being is he is young and unbeaten and has an impressive finish of someone who was in the title mix. Getting his title shot out of the way early doesnt hurt his career. If he loses now to Silva he still has a long career to get better and still be credibile later. IF he has to wait a year or two before that fight a loss puts him in a aposition he might not be able to rebound from. Also when you havent lost the sky is thre limit. With the others guys we know pretty much what they are. All of them will have to get lucky to beat Silva and none of them will be able to defend the belt.Boetch has looked bad in his last two fights. The last one not being his fault but he wasnt really tested and one can hardly call that a fight. Belcher isnt even close imo. He pulled off a upset thats great. Upsets dont get you title shots by themselves. He still just upseted a one trick pony who had never beat anyone and quit in when he fought someone.

 

 

Here is how i would set everyones next fight. I think Bisping can really get a win over anyone and be worthy. Everyone already knows he is skilled and highly ranked and consistant. He just has to not be coming off a loss. The others need a good win. So here goes.

 

 

Silva(#1)/Weidman(#3)- Match speaks for itself.

 

Belfort(#7)/Belcher(#11)- If Belcher cant get through Vitor then he doesnt deserve a fight with Silva. But if he finds a way to deal with Vitor people would take himserious as he might be able to find a way to deal with Silva. But this is the type fight he needs to be taken serious imo. A Belfort win would put him in line as he deserves a rematch anyway.

 

Bisping(#4)/Boetch(#5)- Beating Boetch doesnt mean much for Bisping but he doesnt have much to prove. But a win for Boetch would give him the credible win he needs.

 

Sonnen(#2)/Munoz(#6)- This fight was already in the works before. But Chael needs someone who isnt on the contender list but also isnt meaningless. Munoz just got pushed off the list so he is a good fight. Munoz needs someone who can get him back on the list.

 

Stann(#10)/Okami(#8)- Lets eliminate a stiff robot.

 

Palhares(#13)/Lombard(#12)- Lets eliminate a one diminsional poor cardio midget.

 

 

 

There you have it. All of the top 12 UFC 185 fighters next fights.

[Guest]

Silva at 37 years old, his legacy is cemented. He wants to fight big names and get paid. I'm sorry for Weidman, he's got all the skills but he doesn't have the name, and he has the charisma of a doormat. That's just not good enough.

 

MMA has the worst managers in sports to be quite frank. None of these guys are ever prepared for a post-fight speech. You can't control the questions that will be asked by Joe Rogan, but you should be able to have a rough idea of what he'll ask, and you should already have the answers. They should be practiced so they don't sound rehearsed, and more of an off the cuff style. I mean most of these guys look like a deer in headlights. Chris had to practically be coaxed into asking for a title shot by Rogan.

 

It's not something you probably think much about--you're just thinking about winning the fight, but post fight speeches are your chance to connect to fans and build hype--they're practically just as important as the fight.

 

Some of these guys could learn a lot from Chael Sonnen. He's not the best fighter, but he gets the fight biz. Hire a goddamn writer or something--don't be afraid to build an alternate persona. If Chris went all MR T (like Rocky 3) he'd probably have a title shot right now.

 

Right now it's going to be Bisping or Belfort, with Belcher as a wild card if he can pull off the upset, and that's it.

[Guest]

No definitely not man. I guess what i said is Should Have not just should. But i believe they should have put Weidman vs boetch and Belfort vs Silva. With that Bisping could have fought Silva and we wouldn't have waited more than a year to wait for the champions next fight.

 

Personally i believe Bisping has one of the best chances to beat Silva so it might have been Bisping we would have waited to defend his title again.

 

The match ups you put below are good and all but truthfully Stann is a better opponent for Bisping than Boetch.

 

I still feel Weidman needs some kind devastating number one contender spot and a match with him and Belfort would be fantastic i think.

[Guest]

Wouldnt that make Silva wait until 2020 before fighting again and leave him no one worth a damn after facing the winner? He is already in need of credible opponents. He needs to fight the best out there now and make the others fight each other. Im not sold on any of the guys except Bisping and Wiedman. The others need to beat someone. I think the best fight right now is Weidman. Reason being is he is young and unbeaten and has an impressive finish of someone who was in the title mix. Getting his title shot out of the way early doesnt hurt his career. If he loses now to Silva he still has a long career to get better and still be credibile later. IF he has to wait a year or two before that fight a loss puts him in a aposition he might not be able to rebound from. Also when you havent lost the sky is thre limit. With the others guys we know pretty much what they are. All of them will have to get lucky to beat Silva and none of them will be able to defend the belt.Boetch has looked bad in his last two fights. The last one not being his fault but he wasnt really tested and one can hardly call that a fight. Belcher isnt even close imo. He pulled off a upset thats great. Upsets dont get you title shots by themselves. He still just upseted a one trick pony who had never beat anyone and quit in when he fought someone.

 

 

Here is how i would set everyones next fight. I think Bisping can really get a win over anyone and be worthy. Everyone already knows he is skilled and highly ranked and consistant. He just has to not be coming off a loss. The others need a good win. So here goes.

 

Silva(#1)/Weidman(#3)- Match speaks for itself.

 

Belfort(#7)/Belcher(#11)- If Belcher cant get through Vitor then he doesnt deserve a fight with Silva. But if he finds a way to deal with Vitor people would take himserious as he might be able to find a way to deal with Silva. But this is the type fight he needs to be taken serious imo. A Belfort win would put him in line as he deserves a rematch anyway.

 

Bisping(#4)/Boetch(#5)- Beating Boetch doesnt mean much for Bisping but he doesnt have much to prove. But a win for Boetch would give him the credible win he needs.

 

Sonnen(#2)/Munoz(#6)- This fight was already in the works before. But Chael needs someone who isnt on the contender list but also isnt meaningless. Munoz just got pushed off the list so he is a good fight. Munoz needs someone who can get him back on the list.

 

Stann(#10)/Okami(#8)- Lets eliminate a stiff robot.

 

Palhares(#13)/Lombard(#12)- Lets eliminate a one diminsional poor cardio midget.

 

 

 

There you have it. All of the top 12 UFC 185 fighters next fights.

wow were did your did you get that math of 2020 from somebody could fight silva in the mean time while those three fights happen there is no reason to rush those guys into fights so why not build them up to make them credible.

[Mr.Conor]

I think Silva fights GSP next as this fight is great not only for us (the fans), but the sport in general. The two top p4p fighters over the last 5-8 years finally squaring off to see who is the best of there generation. I have to disagree with Funkyama on this because the UFC isn`t losing anything here, they`ll probably get the most coverage for this fight than any other fight in history AND they`ll get massive ppv draws.And neither fighter will lose anything for example. If GSP gets ko`d by SIlva (which i think will happen)Silva cements his legacy as greatest ever and GSP stays as best wealterweight ever. So overall this fight makes sense for the UFC even though Diaz vs Silva would be badass.

[Guest]

wow were did your did you get that math of 2020 from somebody could fight silva in the mean time while those three fights happen there is no reason to rush those guys into fights so why not build them up to make them credible.

 

But thats the point of the thread. Who does Silva fight? Everyone needs built up. But you have to pick someone and the title fight has to sell. Silva makes to much money to throw him in a fight that doesnt sell. Also it is doubtful he will take the fight. With the fights you mentioned the only ones left are Belcher and Bisping and Bisping is coming off a loss. Who is going to watch Belcher face him? I doubt Silva would even sign on for that fight. Everyone else is tied up for 18 months. Silva would need two fights but only 1 guy open.

 

MMA history has shown you dont save fights. You dont put something off or save it for later because someone has potential. It is to hard to win in MMA to take Weidman and "build" him. I dont understand why people assume fighters cant lose just because they are the favorite. Hell Barboza just got smashed by Varner who recently lost to the gay porn guy who couldnt even make the TUF show. All the skill and ability in the world doesnt make you unbeatable. At this level of MMA there is no "building someone up". You have someone special you rush them to the top. I dont believe in bringing people along slowly. To many top level fighters fought legends in their first fights and it didnt make them a worse fighter. Building them only risks losing a contender/prospect because they lost to some low level guys. Ryan Bader in in line for a title shot. But Tito wasnt much of a easy fight like one would have thought was he? You cant save fights. Weidman is the most likely to beat Silva imo. He has the record and the momentum. Everyone else only needs 1 good win and Silva has 3 possible good fights left. Focing a mini tourny eliminates everyone but 1 and leaves a dead end.

[rac2]

As I said right after Weidmann vs Munoz, if anybody, it should be Chris. Looks like they're going with 'nobody', though.

[Guest]

Machida vs Anderson would've been nice. Seeing as Machida weighed in at 201 maybe he could cut to 185. It's not going to happen, but I think it would've been a nice fight.

[Guest]

Machida vs Anderson would've been nice. Seeing as Machida weighed in at 201 maybe he could cut to 185. It's not going to happen, but I think it would've been a nice fight.

 

 

Yeah but he cut to 201. That would still be cutting another16 lbs. Who knows what he cut this time. He isnt a small guy. I think he come in smaller vs Bader because he knew Movement was going to be his best weapon again Slow ass Bader. BUt Silva wasted our time at 205 before. Why not go up and fight Machida and show he went to 205 for a reason.

[jacky67]

Machida and AS are trainings partner most of the times, so they won't fight each other.

 

Weidmann isn't good enough to fight AS , he just got promoted by the UFC because silva beat up every contenders.

[Guest]

Weidmann isn't good enough to fight AS , he just got promoted by the UFC because silva beat up every contenders.

 

This is exactly the opposite of what's happening but ok.

[DeadlyDirk]

Weidman hasn't exactly been hand fed his way to the top. He beat Sakara in his debut pretty comfortably in only his 5th MMA fight. Now don't get me wrong Sakara is far from a world beater these days but he's a good journeyman guy to test a young prospect against and he came through it.

 

He now has recent wins over Tom Lawlor, Demian Maia and Mark Munoz who are all in and around the Top 15 in the division.

 

Now perhaps he doesn't quite deserve a title shot just yet, he could ideally do with one more win before being put in their with Silva but things don't always pan out that way, someone has to fight him and it only really leaves Weidman right now.

 

The only other guy in recent memory I can think of who was young and on a tear in the UFC before being handed a title shot he perhaps didn't quite deserve was Jon Jones and that didn't turn out too bad did it.

 

I'm not saying Weidman can be another Jon Jones but just that I feel he's done as much as anyone to deserve a title shot. Why not just give him a go, sometimes you've gotta be thrown in the deep end to learn to swim, you can't just keep paddling in the shallow end.

[jacky67]

This is exactly the opposite of what's happening but ok.

 

 

LOL sonnen promoting weidmann , didn't u find it weird.

[Guest]

Yeah but he cut to 201.

 

Why would he cut an extra 5 pounds? That doesn't make any sense.

 

He didn't cut any weight--just weighed 201 for the fight. He's talked about keeping a diet year round, and never weighing over 210.

[Guest]

Why would he cut an extra 5 pounds? That doesn't make any sense.

 

He didn't cut any weight--just weighed 201 for the fight. He's talked about keeping a diet year round, and never weighing over 210.

 

 

It may have been accident. I know lots of guys who cut some weight each day starting a few days out. So the day of weigh in they only need to cut a few lbs. Sometimes they loose more during those few days than they expected and come in under weight. Machida isnt the first guy to come in a few pounds under weight. That doesnt mean he was 201 at fight time. In fact i would be willing to bet on it. He might not cut a lot of weight but he cut some weight.

 

Besides moving to 185 would be a huge mistake. His biggest weapon is his speed over slow 205 guys. When he has had trouble at 205 it was the guys who were just as fast/quick. Jones and Shogun. 185 would have lots of people who are on his level and most are strikers. Also i agree with Chael Sonnen on this and i ave said it before. Historically guys who move down in weight do not have much success. It is rare most do better moving up in weight. Fighters fight where they are because its where they are best. Its not wise to change unless you are desperate.

 

Faber didnt become champ again by moving down like he expect. Neither did Florian. Remember Randleman losing HW title and getting smoked in 1 minute at 205? Vera? Whitehead? Just to name a few. For every Franklin and Couture there are dozens of people who are worse. But there are guys who have moved up who i think had better success in the next division. They ussually are faster and more well rounded and better cardio tha most in the division. Penn had suceess at many other weights. Anderson Silva did well at 205. Matt Serra was a much bigger threat at 170 than he was at 155. He could finally hit people. This has also been the case in boxing to an even greater extent.

[Guest]

Machida and AS are trainings partner most of the times, so they won't fight each other.

 

Weidmann isn't good enough to fight AS , he just got promoted by the UFC because silva beat up every contenders.

 

LOL sonnen promoting weidmann , didn't u find it weird.

 

[Guest]

Sonnen was doing his job. Thats what sports announcers do. Hype the guys on the show. Thats why Chael isnt in character during the pre and post fight shows. Thats also why him and Rashad kept saying good things about Shogun rather than pointing out him gassing and fighting like a turd. I think Chael believes he saw enought from Weidman to think he will beat Silva. I tend to agree. The only question is how Weidman will do on the feet and how long he will be there. He is a younger version of Chael but with a ground game that will give Silva big trouble. If the fight happened right now i would pick Weidman to beat Silva.

[Erik]

I think Chael believes he saw enought from Weidman to think he will beat Silva. I tend to agree. The only question is how Weidman will do on the feet and how long he will be there. He is a younger version of Chael but with a ground game that will give Silva big trouble. If the fight happened right now i would pick Weidman to beat Silva.

 

The obvious question on Weidman is: can he take a shot as well as Sonnen.

[Mr.Conor]

Sonnen was doing his job. Thats what sports announcers do. Hype the guys on the show. Thats why Chael isnt in character during the pre and post fight shows. Thats also why him and Rashad kept saying good things about Shogun rather than pointing out him gassing and fighting like a turd. I think Chael believes he saw enought from Weidman to think he will beat Silva. I tend to agree. The only question is how Weidman will do on the feet and how long he will be there. He is a younger version of Chael but with a ground game that will give Silva big trouble. If the fight happened right now i would pick Weidman to beat Silva.

 

The real question is if Silva fights motivated like the sonnen and belfort fights. If Silva does he will run over Weidman very easily. But if he doesn't he might be in for a longer night but would still win.. Silva is just too far ahead of every mma fighter and Weidman needs more time before silva fight.

[jacky67]

Sonnen was doing his job. Thats what sports announcers do. Hype the guys on

 

ufc hype machine.

[Guest]

Just goes to show how full of shit the UFC is. If it was a real sport ( Dana the bullshitter ) would have told him who he was fighting, not letting him pick fights. What happened to the all champs fighting every 4 months ( 3 times a year ) That he used to say made the UFC so great and downtalking other orgs!!

 

Also, the fact he used to criticize boxing for more than 1 champ in a weight division. Now he has 2 BW champs and 2 WW champs!! The fact that nearly all upcoming or prev title matches recently have been rematches shows that there just isn't the talent level there though he may say it is. Now u get Jon Jones saying he looks up to Silva, just cos he is blatantly scared to fight him and vice versa. What happened to the Silva holding 2 belts in 2 divs (LHW AND MW), not long after beating Griffin. Changed his mind when Jones became champ!! He picks and chooses his fights. He'll never go down as the greatest after him getting crushed in PRIDE. Other sporting greats never got beat as bad as he did when he was supposedly in his peak years. Jones I think can be though, similar or may even surpass Fedor.

 

They're killing what used to make MMA so great which was constantly or more regularly stacked cards. Now u get MAYBE 1 fight on a card people r really interested in. UFC is too watered down now with events. And they think by hyping shit fights or unimportant fights it will change that!!

 

And, I do think Weidman should be given the next chance.

 

Stupid Sonnen with spinning back shit!!