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.

Sylvia-Vera Serves As Tantalizing Precursor To Main Event

For as much hype as is swirling around Silva-Franklin (as well there should be), there is equally little being dedicated to the next most important fight on the card, Sylvia-Vera. Sylvia is still reeling from his loss to Couture while Vera is undefeated and on the fast track to a title shot. With Cro Cop's loss and Nogueira's less than stellar performance (and even worse promoting), this looks to be the bout which will feed the fans their new #1 contender. Of course, nothing has been announced (expect that at the post-conference), but I can't imagine anything else happening.

If Sylvia wins (which he isn't "supposed" to, just like Jardine and Forrest weren't "supposed" to), the fans will have to deal with Couture-Sylvia II. If Sylvia were to pull that off, it would be just about the worst thing that could happen to the UFC's Heavyweight division. Right now, Dana White only has two marketable champs, and he doesn't need that knocked down to two. In fact, I would be comfortable arguing that if Sylvia manages to beat Couture, not only will Cro Cop get a title shot, Fedor will be signed. White won't have a choice.

If Vera wins, we'll have an awesome showdown between young and old, and no matter who wins, fans should expect to see a rematch. White and the UFC have been waiting to get Vera involved in the title picture for some time now, and he'll offer a fresh face to combat the disappointments of CC and Big Nog. Look for White to build Vera into his Golden Boy, pitting him against the PRIDE HWs.

Although Silva-Franklin should be really fun, make sure to keep an eye on this bout too. It might just steal the fight of the night away from the Middleweights, and provides insight into a far more interesting and deep division.

UFC Balance Of Power Regains Normalcy

With the wins of Randy Couture and Georges St. Pierre on Saturday night, the pair finalized UFC's return to general predictability (a good thing) following a span of upsets which stretched from 68 to 71, effectively throwing three of the five title pictures in disarray. With Sherk's win (let's forget about the steroids for a moment), Couture's first successful defense of the HW title, and St. Pierre displaying his ability to shake the Serra blues, it appears that we can start narrowing the talent into some Superfights.

No need to give Gonzaga another title shot now. And after St. Pierre's dismantling of Koscheck, it's obvious that St. Pierre and Hughes are the only guys who deserve to be on the top of that division. Not Sanchez, not Kos, not Parisyan, and certainly none of the other guys who were said to be in line for a title shot. Just the best of the best. Had Koscheck won the fight on Saturday, it would've taken even more legitimacy from the division and possibly...just possibly set up for Koscheck-Serra. Instead of being forced to witness that eyesore, it looks as if we're on track for GSP-Hughes III, which is the best fight for the fighters, the fans, and of course, the sport.

Couture's huge win marks the reality of his second coming in the UFC as he has now dispatched of two contenders (Sylvia and Gonzaga) who have at times been heralded as greats, but have now been reduced to pawns. This is significant because now Couture can start wading through the real contenders, the PRIDE guys. Similar to the Koscheck-Serra scenario, I think I speak for everyone when I say we really dodged a bullet with the potential Gonzaga-Nogueira matchup. Instead, we should be treated to Couture-CC, Couture-Nog, or even Couture-Fedor. With CC's recent loss and Nog's less than stellar opening show, there really is no contender in the UFC who should be considered a favorite against "The Natural." It may be up to White to sign someone who can fill these shoes.

The narrowing of competition continues at UFC 75 with the Henderson-Rampage match, a virtual win-win for the UFC. With a Liddell and Shogun wins at 76, the UFC should be set up perfectly for a winter to remember. Silva and Franklin will kick things off with what should be a war. We will most likely see Shogun against the winner of Rampage-Henderson. Couture will almost definitely fight Cro Cop or Nogueira. And barring something amazing happening, Hughes will get another crack at GSP. It may have not been the most exciting event in the world, but UFC 74 has now set the stage for the success that is to come.

Eastman To Enter UFC Middleweight Ranks

Former Light Heavyweight contender and current corrections officer, Marvin "The Beastman" Eastman has announced his plans to drop to Middleweight and fight grappling expect Demian Maia, despite The Beastman's current 0-3 record in the UFC.

Eastman made this announcement on his blog with the following declaration:

The smashing [continues] at 185 until I get a title fight against the belt holder in the middleweight division in the UFC. I will get there and win that belt.

Although Eastman hasn't done much as of late, I wouldn't count him out just yet. The man who holds an early win over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would be an excellent complement to the UFC's weakest division. Following the UFC 77 bout between Silva and Franklin, there won't be an anyone who will be able to make an obvious and definite claim to a title shot. Eastman has a much better chance here than with the Light Heavyweights, which now contains just about every big name in the business. Add in the fact that Kang and Filho, two of the world's Top 5 Middleweights aren't in the UFC, and it becomes obvious that Marvin has just made the best business decision of his career.

His bout against Maia should be fascinating as well, comparing a buff and savage brawler against a slick former ADCC champ. The bout should be a throwback to older UFC's, which were a true test of skill vs. skill. The winner will not only make his respective martial art proud, but he may also be able to lay claim to the least challenged belt in the UFC.