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LYMAN: After playing with fire for far too long, Anderson Silva got burned at UFC 162
http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Staff_Editorials_19/article_17557.shtml?utm_source=scribol.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scribol.com#.UdscIW0yBdA
By: Cameron Lyman, MMATorch Columnist
"Does he always do this?" she said to me. "Yeah, he's a f***ing alien", I said. We were of course talking about Anderon Silva hanging his hands and leaning back, dodging a rushing Chris Weidman's shots like Neo in The Matrix. The next thing I knew, the greatest pound for pound fighter was unconscious and now the former UFC Middleweight Champion.
Leading up to this fight, in a room full of newcomers and casual observers, someone asked me to break down the fight. "You never know what he is going to do. Whatever it is, we will see something spectacular. He hasn't put on a bad performance in awhile and when he did, he just clowned someone for five rounds. But I guess if you want a prediction, Silva will keep his distance for the first minute and size Weidman up, figure out his timing. After a minute, minute and a half, he will land a big strike and watch for him to open up after about three minutes. Weidman though, won't give him the time and space to do that. Look for him to go for a takedown early and try to control Silva."
Going into this fight, this was the only thing I could be sure of. Anderson Silva is a truly puzzling character. While sometimes we watch Silva wondering "what the hell is he doing," we know without certainty that he is doing exactly what he wants to do. The question here was "What was he going to do this time?"
Like I had thought, Weidman had gone for an early takedown and was successful. Quickly he started landing some big shots and this began to look like Silva was facing Chael Sonnen, but with power. After controlling the champ for a while, Weidman switched to his submission game. At this point I was starting to get a little worried for the Champ. However, Silva defended and was able to get back to his feet. Right away, Silva started his game of showboating to get into Weidman's head. He hung his hands, and stuck his chin out. However, he was losing the round. There was nothing to be cocky about... yet.
He backed himself into the cage and Weidman went for another takedown but Silva easily shrugged it off. After another clinch, Silva was again able to avoid the takedown and the fighters made their way to the middle of the cage. With under two minutes left, Silva started opening up the striking. He changed between landing shots, taunting Weidman and countering. He had made Weidman fight his fight, backing up and firing back punishing leg kicks. Suddenly it looked like Weidman had just realized that he was fighting Anderson Silva.
"Look at Weidman. He's shook! I guarantee the adrenaline dump is going to kill him," I said as the first round closed out with Silva stalking and taunting a bewildered Chris Weidman. I remarked about how quickly the UFC made us forget that only two fights ago, Weidman was badly gassed in a fight with Demian Maia. Hear me now people: Right then and there, in his mind, Anderson Silva won the fight. He was able to take what Weidman had to offer and got Weidman to fight his fight. On top of that, he was able to rob Weidman of his confidence as he has done time and time again. For the former champ, this was all too familiar. He knew that if he wanted to, he could win the fight.
As the second round was about to start, Silva was begging Weidman to give him a challenge. Moving around the ring, Silva took one of Weidman's shots and pretended to be hurt, with wobbly limbs. I thought to myself, Dana White must be losing his mind right now. This is looking like the Silva-Maia. Floating like a butterfly, Silva moved around the cage and again shrugged off a Weidman takedown. Hanging his hands, Silva moved around and twice landed some big leg kicks and lazily went for his highlight reel front kick finish.
And then Weidman landed a left while Silva pretended to be hurt. He dropped his hands, bent his knees, and stuck his chin out directly in front of the challenger. Weidman lands a shot and Silva leans out of the way of two more. The third one caught the champ on the chin, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell to the canvas. Rushing in, Herb Dean stopped Weidman as he bounced Anderson Silva's unconscious head off the canvas with his fists.
Immediately I felt ill. That's not what was supposed to happen. Or was it? "He wanted to lose" I said in total disbelief. After digesting what happened last night, I have a slightly different viewpoint. Silva didn't want to lose, he wanted to be challenged. He had done to Weidman what he had done to all the others. Now all he had to do was go for the finish. Just don't pull an Abu Dhabi...
Going back to the Thales Laites fight, and even arguably the first Sonnen fight, Silva has decided what was going to happen in his fights with super human ability. If he wants to finish you, he will. At 38 years of age, with sixteen straight UFC wins over six years, again, here he is telling his opponent "Come on! Let's go. Finish me! Here is my chin on a platter." Unfortunately for him, Weidman was able to oblige the disinterested champ as he played limbo with the challenger's fists.
With every passing win, the questions have always been, "Who can beat Anderson Silva and how are they going to do it?" Silva has refused us the answer to that question (not to mention all of the bubbling superfight talks that have surrounded him for years) by burning himself on a pyre. While the fight world may be abuzz with questions, the only one I'm wondering about is this: "Will the Spider emerge a phoenix?"
[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Staff_Editorials_19/article_17557.shtml?utm_source=scribol.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scribol.com#.UdscIW0yBdA
By: Cameron Lyman, MMATorch Columnist
"Does he always do this?" she said to me. "Yeah, he's a f***ing alien", I said. We were of course talking about Anderon Silva hanging his hands and leaning back, dodging a rushing Chris Weidman's shots like Neo in The Matrix. The next thing I knew, the greatest pound for pound fighter was unconscious and now the former UFC Middleweight Champion.
Leading up to this fight, in a room full of newcomers and casual observers, someone asked me to break down the fight. "You never know what he is going to do. Whatever it is, we will see something spectacular. He hasn't put on a bad performance in awhile and when he did, he just clowned someone for five rounds. But I guess if you want a prediction, Silva will keep his distance for the first minute and size Weidman up, figure out his timing. After a minute, minute and a half, he will land a big strike and watch for him to open up after about three minutes. Weidman though, won't give him the time and space to do that. Look for him to go for a takedown early and try to control Silva."
Going into this fight, this was the only thing I could be sure of. Anderson Silva is a truly puzzling character. While sometimes we watch Silva wondering "what the hell is he doing," we know without certainty that he is doing exactly what he wants to do. The question here was "What was he going to do this time?"
Like I had thought, Weidman had gone for an early takedown and was successful. Quickly he started landing some big shots and this began to look like Silva was facing Chael Sonnen, but with power. After controlling the champ for a while, Weidman switched to his submission game. At this point I was starting to get a little worried for the Champ. However, Silva defended and was able to get back to his feet. Right away, Silva started his game of showboating to get into Weidman's head. He hung his hands, and stuck his chin out. However, he was losing the round. There was nothing to be cocky about... yet.
He backed himself into the cage and Weidman went for another takedown but Silva easily shrugged it off. After another clinch, Silva was again able to avoid the takedown and the fighters made their way to the middle of the cage. With under two minutes left, Silva started opening up the striking. He changed between landing shots, taunting Weidman and countering. He had made Weidman fight his fight, backing up and firing back punishing leg kicks. Suddenly it looked like Weidman had just realized that he was fighting Anderson Silva.
"Look at Weidman. He's shook! I guarantee the adrenaline dump is going to kill him," I said as the first round closed out with Silva stalking and taunting a bewildered Chris Weidman. I remarked about how quickly the UFC made us forget that only two fights ago, Weidman was badly gassed in a fight with Demian Maia. Hear me now people: Right then and there, in his mind, Anderson Silva won the fight. He was able to take what Weidman had to offer and got Weidman to fight his fight. On top of that, he was able to rob Weidman of his confidence as he has done time and time again. For the former champ, this was all too familiar. He knew that if he wanted to, he could win the fight.
As the second round was about to start, Silva was begging Weidman to give him a challenge. Moving around the ring, Silva took one of Weidman's shots and pretended to be hurt, with wobbly limbs. I thought to myself, Dana White must be losing his mind right now. This is looking like the Silva-Maia. Floating like a butterfly, Silva moved around the cage and again shrugged off a Weidman takedown. Hanging his hands, Silva moved around and twice landed some big leg kicks and lazily went for his highlight reel front kick finish.
And then Weidman landed a left while Silva pretended to be hurt. He dropped his hands, bent his knees, and stuck his chin out directly in front of the challenger. Weidman lands a shot and Silva leans out of the way of two more. The third one caught the champ on the chin, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell to the canvas. Rushing in, Herb Dean stopped Weidman as he bounced Anderson Silva's unconscious head off the canvas with his fists.
Immediately I felt ill. That's not what was supposed to happen. Or was it? "He wanted to lose" I said in total disbelief. After digesting what happened last night, I have a slightly different viewpoint. Silva didn't want to lose, he wanted to be challenged. He had done to Weidman what he had done to all the others. Now all he had to do was go for the finish. Just don't pull an Abu Dhabi...
Going back to the Thales Laites fight, and even arguably the first Sonnen fight, Silva has decided what was going to happen in his fights with super human ability. If he wants to finish you, he will. At 38 years of age, with sixteen straight UFC wins over six years, again, here he is telling his opponent "Come on! Let's go. Finish me! Here is my chin on a platter." Unfortunately for him, Weidman was able to oblige the disinterested champ as he played limbo with the challenger's fists.
With every passing win, the questions have always been, "Who can beat Anderson Silva and how are they going to do it?" Silva has refused us the answer to that question (not to mention all of the bubbling superfight talks that have surrounded him for years) by burning himself on a pyre. While the fight world may be abuzz with questions, the only one I'm wondering about is this: "Will the Spider emerge a phoenix?"
[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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