Anderson Silva sabotaged his career

[lefthighkick01]

he could have been a double champ in the chuck liddell era of LHW, but he was being respectful to Machida at the time that was competing there.

anderson actually said he felt better at LHW

 

[GoshiShun17]

He was scared of Shogun

Lol, I remember people actually believed this.

 

[ferrisjso]

This assumes you think he beats the LHW champ. I don't agree, I think he loses to the LHW Big 4 except Shogun. Not sure he beats Thiago Silva either tbh that guys been essentially erased from history.

AS going to LHW to fight guys ranked out of the top 10 and getting more credit than he'd get for a title defense was crafty. Him fighting Forrest at LHW(by far the most beatable big name LHW) was really GSP cherrypicking Bisping minus the belt. AS was bigger than all the LHW champs of that era and the one he wasn't bigger than him Forrest was more reliant on his size than AS was. Yet because he fought at MW people treated it like it was a crazy challenge to move up to fight low ranked LHWs.

He'd beat Chuck probably with ease but Chuck was dethroned in the beginning of AS's reign.

 

[pankrat]

Exactly
The ufc didn't let these guys do that shit
They didn't realize how marketable it was until Conor then they went overboard
Now it's died down a bit
But, gsp, Silva, Aldo, they were all very capable of being double champs.
Personally I think Silva wins the lhw, gsp beats Silva and Aldo fucking murders whoever was at lw during his reign

GSP had lot of problems dealing with the bigger Bisping in the ground. Couldnt posture up, pass guard, land something significant and was getting cut with elbows.
He would be in a world of trouble with Silva in the ground, or anywhere for that matter.
Thats why GSP refused the fight

 

[pankrat]

Well... that's true, but weren't Silva and Dana pushing for a GSP superfight?

To me, one of the things that tarnished Silva's legacy isn't that he didn't challenge for the 205 belt, it's that he was trying to line up a fight with GSP while refusing to fight Jon Jones. GSP didn't deserve any criticism from that particular debacle, but Dana made sure he received plenty of it.

Maybe because Silva is a former WW champ who actually fought at WW (ROTR tournament) the very same year he became UFC MW champ in 2006. A guy who weighted-in at 198lbs for a LHW bout with Cormier.

While Jones is one of the bigger LHWs ever.

That's why GSP received more criticism. Because he is no former LW let alone LW champion. Because he would not be in 20+lbs dissadvantage in fight night, unlike Silva vs Jones.

 

[dc007]

He didn’t want any of Jones and that’s fine. He was incredible and a GOAT candidate for everything he accomplished

 

[pankrat]

AS was bigger than all the LHW champs of that era. Yet because he fought at MW people treated it like it was a crazy challenge to move up to fight low ranked LHWs.
.

Dude, just stop.
Anderson Silva is a former WW champ who actually fought at WW (ROTR tournament) the very same year he became UFC MW champ in 2006.
A guy who weighted-in at 198lbs for a LHW bout with Cormier.
These are facts. What you have is textbook shertard eye tests.

Dissapointing, coming from a guy logged in a MMA forum for a decade, that labels himself as "historian"

 

[GoshiShun17]

This assumes you think he beats the LHW champ. I don't agree, I think he loses to the LHW Big 4 except Shogun. Not sure he beats Thiago Silva either tbh that guys been essentially erased from history.

AS going to LHW to fight guys ranked out of the top 10 and getting more credit than he'd get for a title defense was crafty. Him fighting Forrest at LHW(by far the most beatable big name LHW) was really GSP cherrypicking Bisping minus the belt. AS was bigger than all the LHW champs of that era and the one he wasn't bigger than him Forrest was more reliant on his size than AS was. Yet because he fought at MW people treated it like it was a crazy challenge to move up to fight low ranked LHWs.

He'd beat Chuck probably with ease but Chuck was dethroned in the beginning of AS's reign.

LOL @ You not being sure if Anderson would beat Thiago Silva. The only LHW other than Jones, that could be favored of Anderson would be Rashad.

Rashad at his peak, was very well conditioned, fast, and athletic. And he wouldn't have been willing to stand and trade with Anderson any longer than necessary. He also transitioned from the striking to the double leg very smoothly.

 

[pankrat]

LOL @ You not being sure if Anderson would beat Thiago Silva. The only LHW other than Jones, that could be favored of Anderson would be Rashad.

Rashad at his peak, was very well conditioned, fast, and athletic. And he wouldn't have been willing to stand and trade with Anderson any longer than necessary. He also transitioned from the striking to the double leg very smoothly.

Shogun would be Silva's toughest match up at LHW pre-Jones era imo.

Rashad was an athletic counter-striker who was also very hittable by good technicians. The Machida fight is the most obvious case, but the strikes differential with Thiago Silva was also 31-12 in favour of Thiago, got KD by Rampage, was arguably losing to Griffin until the 3rd round. Everything from his low stance to his reactive style leads me to think that the chances Silva connects a killer blow with any of his limbs is pretty high.

Shogun, on the other hand, is much more composed and crafty standing,and also a threat with clinch/GnP.

 

[GoshiShun17]

Shogun would be Silva's toughest match up at LHW pre-Jones era imo.

Rashad was an athletic counter-striker who was also very hittable by good technicians. The Machida fight is the most obvious case, but the strikes differential with Thiago Silva was also 31-12 in favour of Thiago, got KD by Rampage, was arguably losing to Griffin until the 3rd round. Everything from his low stance to his reactive style leads me to think that the chances Silva connects a killer blow with any of his limbs is pretty high.

Shogun, on the other hand, is much more composed and crafty standing,and also a threat with clinch/GnP.

When it came to striking, it seemed Rashad was never 100% confident or comfortable especially after losing to Machida.

For example, in his fight against Rampage he clearly had a speed advantage and stunned Rampage early but refused to explore the option of trading on the feet. The only time I've seen Rashad willing to trade was with other pure wrestlers with less fighting instincts than him, like Phil Davis.

Still, I never really saw Shogun as much of a threat to Anderson. Especially not on the feet. Even in his best performances, Shogun got really sloppy at times. He'd definitely look to take Anderson down though.

 

[jooohnmatrix]

I really doubt one of the most successful
And talented fighters of all time will give a hoot about what we think in saying that I really wish the boxing fight against that YouTuber never happened!

 

[ILove4MinutesHyuna]

Anderson was probably the most dominant UFC champ. Over the first 7 years in the UFC beginning with Leban up to the first Weidman fight. He had 16 fights, 14 of them finishes. What is most amazing is that at least half of those finishes are super memorable and you see gifs of them all the time. He would have the record for most defenses but Dana kept making him fight at LHW cause of no challengers at MW. He did all this arriving in the UFC at age 31.

 

[don't ask]

Maybe because Silva is a former WW champ who actually fought at WW (ROTR tournament) the very same year he became UFC MW champ in 2006. A guy who weighted-in at 198lbs for a LHW bout with Cormier.

While Jones is one of the bigger LHWs ever.

That's why GSP received more criticism. Because he is no former LW let alone LW champion. Because he would not be in 20+lbs dissadvantage in fight night, unlike Silva vs Jones.

Silva was not offering to fight down at 170, though. He was demanding GSP come up in weight while refusing to move up himself. GSP, meanwhile, was doing what I wish every champ would do and just focus on cleaning out their division.

 

[HHJ]

Silva was not offering to fight down at 170, though. He was demanding GSP come up in weight while refusing to move up himself. GSP, meanwhile, was doing what I wish every champ would do and just focus on cleaning out their division.

I believe GSP initially was going to do it,but then thought better of it,or was convinced not to. He had his own kingdom to run,and he was giving Silva every advantage by meeting him at MW. It was the right move not to take it,and the only people who say otherwise just wanted to see Silva beat him,and arent concerned with fair play.

If people want to bitch about Silva being a WW a million yrs ago,then he should have moved down to meet GSP at WW.

 

[pankrat]

Silva was not offering to fight down at 170, though. He was demanding GSP come up in weight while refusing to move up himself. GSP, meanwhile, was doing what I wish every champ would do and just focus on cleaning out their division.

Now you change the narrative...
Why not try to be honest since the beggining, mate?

Both cleaned up their division. If anything, even more so Silva who has more defenses.

Now you pretend that the challenge should come from severe dehydration in order to make weight. Holly shit WTF is that. Did you EVER asked any champ to try and be double champ moving down in weight? No you didnt. Be fkn real dude

Silva offered a cathweight btw. GSP still didnt want to know anything about it.

Me and most people didnt really criticize GSP for not challenging Silva. It was a high task. But if any criticism, including from Dana, was put in GSP was for very obiovus reason, stop being denial and dishonest about it.

Next time, get this right so you dont expose yourself so much with that weak/blatanly dishonest Jones analogy:

Silva is a former WW champ who actually fought at WW (ROTR tournament) the very same year he became UFC MW champ in 2006. A guy who weighted-in at 198lbs for a LHW bout with Cormier.

While Jones is one of the bigger LHWs ever.

That's why GSP received more criticism. Because he is no former LW let alone LW champion. Because he would not be in 20+lbs dissadvantage in fight night, unlike Silva vs Jones.

 

[pankrat]

If people want to bitch about Silva being a WW a million yrs ago,then he should have moved down to meet GSP at WW.

Million years ago no, literally just months before becoming UFC MW champ.

I personally dont criticize GSP for not moving up.
But the fanboys who pretend to draw the analogy with Silva-Jones need to either educate themselves, or stop being dishonest bitches.

Those who retort to "then Silva should have moved down to meet GSP at WW" are next level dishonest bitches. Like off the charts. I bet all my money you have NEVER asked any champion in 132.344 posts you have to try and be double-champ by going down in weight. Only here. Why is that? Be real dude

 

[fedorthegoat777]

Aldo in his prime had a better shot at it.

Aldo wanted it, Dana said no. Only his boy Conor could do that.

 

[HavokHarmon]

Well... that's true, but weren't Silva and Dana pushing for a GSP superfight?

To me, one of the things that tarnished Silva's legacy isn't that he didn't challenge for the 205 belt, it's that he was trying to line up a fight with GSP while refusing to fight Jon Jones. GSP didn't deserve any criticism from that particular debacle, but Dana made sure he received plenty of it.

Jones didn’t win the title until 2011 and it would be another year or so before he had cleared through the former champs. Silva lost his title in 2013 so realistically he only had about a year where he could have gone up and made that super fight happen, 2 if we really push it. And at that point it was the tail end of Silva’s career, he was on the wrong side of 30 by the time Jones was champ.

GSP on the other hand was champ for nearly the same amount of time as Silva with both of them winning their titles in 2006. GSP would lose his first defense in 2007 but then regain it that same year. And here the age factor was reversed with the lighter champion being the younger man.

Title Reigns:
GSP-2006-2007,2007-2012
Silva-2006-2013
Jones-2011-2015,2018-2019

I agree about GSP getting too much hate for not going up, people on here acting like he was somehow obligated to make the jump to mw is ridiculous but it still isn’t the same thing as saying Silva should have gone up to fight a guy he barely overlapped with as champ.

 

[don't ask]

Now you change the narrative...
Why not try to be honest since the beggining, mate?

Both cleaned up their division. If anything, even more so Silva who has more defenses.

Now you pretend that the challenge should come from severe dehydration in order to make weight. Holly shit WTF is that. Did you EVER asked any champ to try and be double champ moving down in weight? No you didnt. Be fkn real dude

Silva offered a cathweight btw. GSP still didnt want to know anything about it.

Me and most people didnt really criticize GSP for not challenging Silva. It was a high task. But if any criticism, including from Dana, was put in GSP was for very obiovus reason, stop being denial and dishonest about it.

Next time, get this right so you dont expose yourself so much with that weak/blatanly dishonest Jones analogy:

What are you even talking about? You're the one who said it was relevant that Silva used to fight at 170 as a reason he shouldn't be expected to fight at 205 and I pointed out that he wasn't challenging GSP at 170, so if GSP can be criticized for not fighting someone with a size advantage, so can Silva. Especially since he DID fight at 205 several times.

 

[don't ask]

Jones didn’t win the title until 2011 and it would be another year or so before he had cleared through the former champs. Silva lost his title in 2013 so realistically he only had about a year where he could have gone up and made that super fight happen, 2 if we really push it. And at that point it was the tail end of Silva’s career, he was on the wrong side of 30 by the time Jones was champ.

GSP on the other hand was champ for nearly the same amount of time as Silva with both of them winning their titles in 2006. GSP would lose his first defense in 2007 but then regain it that same year. And here the age factor was reversed with the lighter champion being the younger man.

Title Reigns:
GSP-2006-2007,2007-2012
Silva-2006-2013
Jones-2011-2015,2018-2019

I agree about GSP getting too much hate for not going up, people on here acting like he was somehow obligated to make the jump to mw is ridiculous but it still isn’t the same thing as saying Silva should have gone up to fight a guy he barely overlapped with as champ.

The only reason I specified Jones is because Silva explicitly stated he wouldn't fight Jones. At the time, no one knew he was at the tail end of his career and it was simply a case of Silva wanting to fight a smaller fighter, but refusing to be the smaller fighter in a Jones fight.