Tag: Anderson Silva (Page 7 of 8)

      Despite poor showing, St. Pierre still one of the best in MMA

      May 1, 2011 /

      nullLet me start by once again stating that I am a Georges St. Pierre fan (pictured, AP Photo).

      I know this article may come off as fandom, but I am merely sticking up for a great fighter.

      While I will even admit that St. Pierre’s performance at UFC 129 was anything but impressive against Jake Shields, I don’t think that the long-reigning UFC Welterweight Champion deserves to be as criticized as he has been.

      Finishing fights is a big aspect of MMA and a big part of the reason why fans love fighters like Anderson Silva. However, everyone has their flaws or even their bad fights.

      I would compare GSP’s performance on Saturday night to the likes of Silva’s performances against Demian Maia or Thales Leites.

      Clearly St. Pierre was the better fighter on Saturday, but he didn’t go for the kill when it was there. And after his eye was damaged, he balled up into somewhat of a shell.

      But, I don’t think that his performance at UFC 129 was typical of his other performances.

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      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Silva: GSP fight is something that “must happen”

      April 24, 2011 /

      nullAnderson Silva likes a challenge. Right now, his only challenge may be Georges St. Pierre.

      The pound-for-pound king and reigning middleweight champion spoke to Mike Straka on his show “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” and had this to say about a potential superfight with GSP (courtesy of MMAJunkie.com):

      “Georges St-Pierre is one of the best,” Silva said through an interpreter. “He’s shown that he’s a great athlete, and I really train hard everyday to fight the best. I do believe it’s a superfight, and it’s a fight that must happen someday.”

      Both men still have one test in front of them for this fight to happen as GSP must get past Jake Shields next Saturday and Silva will now face Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in late August.

      Both champions seem to be heavy favorites to win their fights but both of their opponents have the skills to pull off the upset.

      Shields has the best submission grappling that St. Pierre has ever faced and Okami has the strength and wrestling background to get Silva to the ground.

      If both champions win, it likely sets up the long-awaited GSP-Silva showdown around the end of 2011. It would be the biggest fight in UFC history and truly be the showcase of the top two fighters in all of MMA, in my opinion.

      Fighters, News, UFC

      Going back in time: How the UFC has changed in 6 years

      April 23, 2011 /

      nullThe UFC, and MMA in general, has evolved a great deal in a short amount of time.

      If you need any proof of that, just take a short trip back to 2005.

      Six years ago today, the UFC was one week removed from UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell II. It was a milestone event for the organization as it was the first PPV event following the debut season of the Ultimate Fighter.

      The card featured some of the best fighters in the UFC at the time, but when looking back, it represents just how much the sport has changed since then.

      Here is a look at all the champions as of six years ago today, and how their stock has dropped since then.

      Heavyweight Champion: Andrei Arlovski – Arlovski had won the interim heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia at UFC 51 and was eventually stripped of the interim label when then-champion Frank Mir couldn’t compete after a motorcycle accident. Arlovski had a dominant run, winning three-straight title fights in the first round. But, “The Pitbull” then suffered back-to-back losses to Sylvia and was never quite the same. At one time he was the most feared fighter in the UFC, but he now is currently on a four-fight losing streak, with three coming by first round knock out. Arlovski’s hands have gotten slower, his chin has gotten weaker, and he never evolved his grappling. That combo caused him to become nearly irrelevant in the MMA. In today’s world, Arlovski would get decimated by current champ, Cain Velasquez.

      Light Heavyweight Champion: Chuck Liddell – Liddell was on top of the world at this time six years ago. He just knocked out Randy Couture in 2:06 to win his first UFC Championship. Liddell followed that up with four successful title defenses, all by KO. He was considered an unbeatable champion for two years, but then ran into the powerful hand of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who took the title from Liddell in May of 2007. That loss started the complete downfall of Liddell’s career. He would go on to lose five of his next six, four by KO, which forced his retirement. Liddell’s hands were great, but his style never evolved, and became too predictable. With that, his chin got weaker and he was an easy target for other light heavyweights. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Liddell would be able to contend with today’s champ, Jon Jones.

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      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Top 10 Middleweight Rankings

      April 20, 2011 /

      nullThis week I turn my rankings to the middleweight division.

      Really, the field is Anderson Silva and everyone else.

      Still, here is my take. If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, or light heavyweight rankings, click on the links.

      1. Anderson Silva (28-4) – Silva is my top fighter in any weight class, let alone middleweight. “The Spider” is like an artist in the cage. He rarely throws a strike that doesn’t land and he doesn’t waste energy while fighting. Everything he does has a purpose and thought to it. Chael Sonnen may have found a small hole in his game with his takedown defense, but he still managed to submit Sonnen and then bounce back with a devastating front kick to Vitor Belfort in the first round of his last title defense. Up next is Yushin Okami, had poses the right skill set to give Silva problems.

      2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) – Sonnen is almost here by default. The other top guys in the group have either lost to him, or lost to someone that he has beaten. Sonnen is a grinder and a tremendous wrestler, but he has a clear weakness in his submission defense. Eight of his 11 losses have come by submission. Sonnen is also coming off a long layoff from a steroid suspension and legal issues. We will see if he can get back to being the fighter that nearly dethroned Silva.

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      Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Sonnen progressing on his road back to the octagon

      April 11, 2011 /

      nullChael Sonnen burst onto the mainstream MMA scene in 2010 for his repetitive, but often funny, trash talk leading up to his fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in August.

      Sonnen backed up that talk by dominating Silva for four-and-a-half rounds before Silva secured an arm triangle submission in the final minute of the fight.

      The performance was inspiring, but it was erased by a failed post-fight drug test which showed increased levels of testosterone. Sonnen claimed he had cleared testosterone replacement therapy with the proper authorities, but that was not the case.

      Sonnen was suspended for six months from competition, but is now on the road back. Before returning to competition, Sonnen still has some work to do, as he told MMAFighting.com’s Mike Chiappetta.

      A return to action will not come, however, until Sonnen steps before the Nevada state athletic commission again. During CSAC testimony last December, Sonnen told commissioners that he had cleared his testosterone replacement therapy use in Nevada with its athletic commission executive direction Keith Kizer. Kizer, however, disputed that. The sides met recently and Sonnen voiced a hope that a second meeting would give more clarity to his situation.

      Saying he incorrectly phrased his testimony, Sonnen took blame for the mistake and anticipated the opportunity to allay the concerns of the influential Nevada commission.

      “All the frustration and all of the blame is on me,” he said. “I’m the one that chose my words. I’m the one that said when I was in California, I represented to them that I had a conversation with Kizer and he approved my medicine use. That is not correct. Those are the wrong words. My manager had the conversation. I relied on information my manager gave me. So director Kizer is absolutely correct. He’s correct to be frustrated. I chose the words. It comes to me. Now, I wasn’t attempting to mislead anybody, but they’re my words all the same, so I should have to answer to Kizer.”

      “I need to clear the air with him and more importantly, I need to clear it on the record,” he said. “My takeaway from the meeting with Kizer was not ‘We don’t want to work with you again.’ It was simply, ‘There’s been some mistakes. Our reservation is you’re going to repeat them.’ That’s not going to happen, but what he wants to do is give me an opportunity to speak on the record so that we can get everything recorded and written down and make sure we don’t do those things again. If i was in Kizer’s shoes, I wouldn’t demand anything less.”

      Sonnen is still one of the more polarizing fighters in all of MMA and his return will be good for the UFC.

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      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

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