What's Next For Anderson Silva?

With Anderson Silva’s sweeping and not-so-surprising win over Dan Henderson at UFC 82, any remaining shred of drama among the 185 pounders has been extinguished. Both Henderson and Rich Franklin, thought to be Silva’s biggest potential challengers, have each proven insufficient. Meanwhile, Silva’s cleared out the majority of the lesser contenders meaning that…well…there’s no one left for him to beat.

If Dana White wishes for Silva to stay at his natural weight, his potential opponents are few and far between. Paulo Filho is the obvious choice, but since he trains with Silva at Black House, both men have stated that they are not willing to fight. Matt Lindland could be a tough test, but his contract dispute with the UFC is far too storied to be resolved in time for Silva’s next fight. The only viable middleweight option has to be Yushin Okami, who holds a DQ win over Silva. Yes, Okami has been impressive as of late, but he also has a loss to Rich Franklin. We all know what Anderson Silva did to Franklin. Using sound logic and basic mathematical principles, it seems obvious what would happen to Okami.

It’s possible that Silva could be bumped up to light heavyweight, but in that case, White would have to offer The Spider a near-immediate title shot. Does the UFC really want either of its champions having a loss on their record? Sure, it would probably be one of the biggest draws of all time, but the result would be a disconfirmed champion.

Same goes for the idea that Silva should cut to 170 and take on Georges St. Pierre. This provide a HUGE draw – probably bigger than if Silva took on Rampage – but can the UFC marketing team rebound from one of these guys losing? Probably not.

If I’m Dana White, I do my best to bring in some MW talent and book Okami in the meantime. I’d even consider signing Ryo Chonan (the guy who infamously heel hooked Anderson Silva) to a one fight title shot contract.

If I’m Anderson Silva, I do the only think that makes sense – retire.

How To Get Into The UFC

In today’s dynamic MMA landscape, there are a myriad of ways to successfully enter the sport. These paths are as diverse as the styles which the sport’s fighters employ. From being in the right place at the right time to being called in as a specialist, with the right skill and a little bit of luck, anyone can achieve their dreams of fighting for a major MMA organization.

Martial Base writer Ben Zeidler sat down with UFC fighter Drew McFedries to ask him about how he got his start. The beginnings are about as humble as they get. “Really, I don’t know how I got in. I had been training at MFS [Miletich Fighting Systems] for years. I was just coming out of my battle with Crohn’s disease and I was helping Sam Hoger train for Rashad [Evans] at that point, and somehow I managed to get into pretty good shape. I had a local show that was for an extreme challenge or something. My manager said “Hey, you’re doing well, lets look for more fights.” I didn’t know he’d be looking into the UFC. I was doing fights for 600 bucks, you know? He says “I got a fight for you. The guy’s name is Allesio Sakara.” I was thinking “Why would he come to Iowa?” And that’s when he told me that it was for the UFC. I asked him if he was serious…I couldn’t believe it. Here’s the kicker: he called me 17 days out so I only got 14 or 15 days of training. [I] fought Sakara [and] won that fight and it was just a great experience. I’ve never had [a] thrill ride like that. I was lucky enough to train with guys who are really good and I was just helping guys get ready for fights but I got into such good shape and the UFC opportunity came up.”

For guys like McFedries, and most of the non-household names in the UFC, simply being around some of the best trainers and consistently staying in shape is the best route to a major fighting organization. However, if you’re a specialist with existing talent in one field of MMA, you would be wise to follow the Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou route, who was originally brought into Team Quest to help Dan Henderson trains his Judo for an upcoming fight. When he was simply a Judo specialist, none of the majors were looking at Sokoudjou. But, with some Team Quest experience and Henderson’s word, Sokoudjou was a shoe-in for PRIDE FC and eventually, the UFC.

During an interview with Sokoudjou, he told us the following story: “I met him in November before his Nakamura fight. They were looking for a judo guy to help him train and they called me in and he beat me up bad. I was 240 and he was 183 and he still beat me up pretty bad. Then, they called me in again before Machida. I used to think that MMA was just a bunch of guys in their underwear in a cage, but after training with them, I really respect the sport.”

With skills like Sokoudjou or determination like Drew, any aspiring fighter can make their way to the big time.

UFC 75 Results

So maybe it wasn't the explosive card most expected, but it provided enough big hits, big submissions, and controversy to classify it as a quality event.

Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara
Alexander continued his post-Jardine KO rise to the top with another dominating performance, this time over more-than-competent Sakara. He should start to get some legitimate contenders in his sights if he continues this run.

Marcus Davis vs. Paul Taylor
I'm going to go ahead and call this the most exciting fight of the night. The Irish Hand Grenade (Davis) took an early lead only to barely get knocked out later in the first round. He fought hard from the Brits guard, eventually ceasing the pounding and ending the fight with what later won "Submission of the night."

Cheick Kongo vs. Mirko Filipovic
Kongo flat out dominated Cro Cop in this three round decision. When striking, Kongo didn't let himself get in CC's range while delivering inside leg kick after inside leg kick. On the ground, where Kongo was supposed to be most suspect, he seemed in control, even though CC had put in weeks with guru Dean Lister. Kongo looked like the former Champion while CC looked confused, nervous, and overwhelmed.

Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill
Although this fight has garnered much controversy, it wasn't as close as some media outlets make it sound. Each fighter had his moments during the fight in a see saw battle that had Bisping ending strong. Personally, I had the fight 29-28 Hamill. No one agreed with me, as two judges put it 29-28 Bisping and one had 30-27 Hamill. I'd expect to see a rematch.

Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson
In the most anticipated bout of the evening, Jackson and Henderson exchanged some flurries but generally remained limited in their exertion. Jackson did win definitively, but it wasn't a bad loss for Henderson, at it was his first trip inside The Octagon. With Liddell and Hendo out of the way, Jackson can now set his sights on Shogun and Wanderlei, two guys who absolutely destroyed him in PRIDE.

New UFC 75/76 Site Highlights Stacked LHWs

In another brilliant business move by someone at the top of Zuffa, the sites for UFC 75 & 76 have been combined into a slick flash design intended to highlight the strength of the Light Heavyweight division. Both events feature LHWs as their main event as well as a myriad of LHWs on the undercard.

The power at the top of the division is obvious, with PRIDE's transfers making the old UFC 205 pounders look weak at best. Of the top 5 fighters in the division, only one (Liddell) is a UFC original. Of course, Liddell's lost twice to the weakest of the PRIDE guys (Rampage). Add in Wanderlei, Henderson, and Shogun, and this division is easily the strongest in MMA history.

Like most fans, I'm able to note the strength of the division, but usually only focus on the top. I overlook all the rest of the guys, who, if they were in any other division, would be one of the best. The Lightweight division has two or three excellent fighters. The Welterweight division has about five and the Middleweights have two (maybe three...). By my count, and with assistance of the new site, the Light Heavyweights have a whopping nine solid guys. I left out these seven, which made UFC's list of sixteen total: Alessio Sakara, Renato Sobral, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Keith Jardine, Matt Hamill, Forrest Griffin, and Houston Alexander.

Even with my omissions, the Light Heavyweight division is light years ahead of all others, even the Heavyweight division which has five solid guys. This incredible strength of talent will make UFC 75 and UFC 76 two very exciting shows, which are cleverly highlighted by the UFC marketing machine.

Henderson Sheds Light On Sokoudjou's Destination

In an article on July 27th, Irish Whip Fighting announced that Toast Of The Town Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou pulled out of his deal with EliteXC. This created mounds of speculation as to where the man who knocked out Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would land. Although he trains with mostly UFC-composed Team Quest in Portland, Oregon, rumors were swirling that Sokoudjou would head to K-1 and use his well-rounded skills in the world of kickboxing. That is, until today.

In a new interview with PRIDE FC Champion Dan Henderson, Hendo revealed not only that he manages Sokoudjou, but that Sokoudjou has indeed made up his mind as to where he is going to go. In the interview, Henderson mentioned that although his relationship with the UFC was new, it was going well and he expects to end his career in the UFC.

Now, let's piece this together. The man who is managing Sokoudjou is in the UFC, is happy with the UFC, and may be a champion of the UFC come August 24th. Of course, nothing is set in stone and I doubt Henderson would want to have the possibility of facing the younger and more athletic Sokoudjou...but I'd keep my ears open for an announcement during UFC 74.

Wanderlei Silva To Fight In December

Dana White has confirmed that he's landed the biggest 205 pound free agent out there, as he announced on a Las Vegas television program, "We've got Wanderlei Silva." Despite suffering back-to-back knockouts (albeit to world-class fighters Filipovic and Henderson), Silva was still one of the most coveted names out there. He was rumored to fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 76, but talks fell through, leading White to name Keith Jardine as Silva's replacement. It seems as if all hope for the Liddell-Silva superfight was lost; that is, until now. It appears that following Liddell's massacre (I pray) of Jardine at UFC 76, he'll face Silva in December. It could happen on the same card as Hughes-Serra, which would certainly be worth the $50.

This won't be Silva's first trip to the Octagon, however. He's 1-2 in UFC bouts, with a decision loss to Tito Ortiz and a BRUTAL first round KO by the fast hands of Vitor Belfort (the "old Vitor," as sherdoggers like to say). Since then, he's torn through most of PRIDE's Middleweight division (remember, they don't have LHWs), owning two huge wins over Rampage Jackson as well as a decision over Dan Henderson. While Silva may exhibit some slight UFC jitters (see this article for others who did), he'll probably be able to settle in by the second round or so. It will be up to Liddell to not let him see that second round. While it's too early to predict anything, it is easy to see how the UFC LHW division is shaping up to be the best in MMA history.

With Silva and Liddell along with Rampage and Henderson (UFC 75 opponents), Zuffa has commandeered the four major players in MMA today. Add in Tito Ortiz, who is still a force to be reckoned with, in addition to young guns Bisping, Evans, and Shogun, and you've got years and years of solid fights. Even more convincing, the UFC has shown an international edge as of late, giving more press to guys like Lyoto Machida. I'd expect that the winner of Liddell-Silva will get the winner of Rampage-Hendo. Shogun will most likely fight whoever comes out of that war zone. No matter how it plays out, we should be looking at some awesome fights for the next year and even more exposure for the glorious sport of mixed martial arts.