Anderson Silva's Challenges At 205

Recently, the shocking announcement was made that Anderson Silva, longtime king of the middleweight division, would try his hand at light heavyweight. A move to 205, however, is not expected to be permanent. And that’s a good thing for Silva. As much success as he’s found at 185, 205 is very different animal, with many more challenges and bad style match ups for The Spider. It’s possible that Anderson will have success and if anyone can do it, it will be him – but it won’t be an easy road to walk down. Here are some names that could give him troubles:

Chuck Liddell: The Iceman could potentially be a bad match up for Silva because of Liddell’s counter-punching prowess. Silva defeated Rich Franklin twice as a result of Franklin pressing the action. When Franklin attempted to bang with Silva, Silva was simply able to outpoint Franklin to the win. Chuck won’t do that. He’ll wait, and when Silva comes in, he’ll have a thudding right hook flying towards him.

Lyoto Machida: Who isn’t Machida a tough match for? The only man as technically sound and classically trained as Silva, Machida could use his unorthodox style to eek out a decision over Silva. I doubt that this would end by anything other decision, considering the carefully aggressive style of both fighters. Think about it, when was the last time Machida or Anderson got rocked because they weren’t being careful?

Wanderlei Silva: A match up of the Silva’s would typically favor Anderson, but it’s never smart to cancel out Wanderlei. Franklin is a tough dude for sure, but Anderson’s never hit anyone with a knee who has a chin like Wandy. I could see Anderson getting winded at the 15-minute mark from having thrown so many combinations at The Axe Murderer. Look at UFC 79, where Chuck bombarded Wanderlei for 15 minutes to no avail.

Thiago Silva: While maybe not as well-known as the other fighters on the list, Thiago could pose problems for Anderson based on his sheer speed and athleticism. Possessing a very similar build to Anderson Silva, Thiago should be able to match anything that Anderson would do on the feet.

That being said, I believe that Anderson will walk right through Forrest Griffin, Keith Jardine, and Rashad Evans. Only time will tell us where Anderson’s journey goes, but it’s sure to be as competitive as it is entertaining.