Let's not start with the obvious subject of discussion that has flooded the media for the entire day today, since the fight aired early and I began my day with it, I have hours of pent up thoughts to say about Anderson Silva. To avoid spoiling the fight results for any of my readers that waiting to catch the event tonight, I've been staying silent all day and leaving my thoughts simply to my picks, which I'm SO GLAD weren't all right.
Like Dana White said in the post fight press conference , there were really good fighters that went out there tonight, put on a great show, fought the great fight and I want to first highlight the good before diving into the bad.
First up Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie. I wanted Gracie to win, I really did but age, not training for a couple years and being away from the octagon/ring will put you behind on your game. With that said, I was right in my picking of Matt Hughes (despite the fact that I can't stand the guy), and we'll see if Gracie has it in him to train harder, come back and put on a different show. Lol @ Gracie having Hughes help him get up though. Didn't quite know what to make of that. I'll never lay the age card on anyone as guys like Randy Couture, Nogueira and Coleman have all proved that you can lose, win, lose come back and take it even more.
Co-Main event.. oh for those that know me know that I lavished in seeing Frankie Edgar come out on top. Stacked against by 7 to 1 odds, Edgar out boxed who Freddie Roach calls "the MMA fighter with the best boxing", BJ Penn. Although Penn showed his improved cardio when fighting Florian and Diego Sanchez, his more recognizable tired self came through during the 5th round. Yet Edgar kept his quick footwork, consistent movement (bobbing and weaving) and maintained speed throughout all five rounds.
I remember when I had more time to play games and used to build my characters, I always found agility heroes to come out on top over strength heroes in the long run. Speed over strength! Tying back to today's fight, Edgar's speed won him his fight today. I have to say I was shocked that the fight didn't go to the ground at all, despite Edgard being able to take Penn down, but I'm glad it stayed standing up as I haven't seen too many stand up fights as of late.
Now for the main event, if it can be called that. I always make clear my disdain for trash talking fighters that just act like douchebags to hype up their own game or a particular fight, but tonight Anderson Silva took it to whole other level.
Despite disliking it, I understand the pre-fight banter, the up-talking one's game, the words exchanged in challenging your opponents tactics or qualifications, but never in my years of watching fights, and apparently Joe Rogan and Dana White's as well, have I ever seen a fighter go all five rounds showboating, clowning around and taking on behavior that a person wouldn't even exude in a casual spar match. I watched this fight earlier this afternoon and have spent a lot of today just boiling, because as an avid fight fan and sports fan in general, there's nothing I utterly hate, detest, hell infinitely loathe more than unsportsmanlike conduct and tonight wasn't Silva's first attempt at becoming a comedian. During his last bout with Forrest Griffin during UFC 101 he mildly did the same thing, which was cycle the ring and taunt Griffin prior to engaging.
I'm not a bloodseeker like your typical Affliction wearing, meat head UFC Fan. I wrote about how I felt how people should lay off being hard on GSP for not submitting Dan Hardy. But the difference is that, that was a fight, two fighters engaged, despite any prior shit talking, duked it out and the better man won.
Tonight, everyone knew who the better man was, I mean seriously we all knew that unless Demian Maia could take this to the ground, he had no chance against Silva, but he went in there dealt with the taunting, and fought through a broken nose and fractured eye socket.
It got so old so quick that by the second round the crowd went from laughing to booing, and later started cheering Maia or GSP instead of Silva.
In the postfight conference, Dana White says that the UFC is not a "fucking comedy show" and that "showboating and that despicable behavior" isn't what the sport or the UFC is about. Silva said that he was upset at a comment Maia made in the countdown and he wanted to make Maia pay. I agree with Dana White when he says "if you're that good then be like Mike Tyson, go in and take the guy out in two minutes"..." I'd rather people not buy a fight b/c Anderson Silva finishes a guy in 2 minutes, then not buy a fight because Anderson Silva acts like an asshole." Amen to that. I don't always agree with everything Dana White says or does, but tonight he was dead on with his responses.
Many people are saying that because Silva is the best, he deserves to act how he wants, and again I just stress that this is a Mixed Martial Arts sport not the WWF (WWE). A little mid fight taunting is tolerable but ALL FIVE ROUNDS.. geez give me a break. To the point where even Dan Miragliotta had to pull Silva aside to say knock this shit off.
When I sit and think about the cockiest fighters in both Boxing and MMA, no matter how big of trash talkers they were, none have ever went all rounds clowning around. Needless to say I have some very firm thoughts on this but I just genuinely feel that you be modest, fight with a lot of heart and still be the best.
To watch the post fight conference visit. http://www.ufc.com/live