Few fighters have burst onto the UFC scene like Anderson Silva did. An overwhelming KO victory over Chris Leben in his UFC debut was followed by him demolishing Rich Franklin to become the UFC Middleweight Champion in only his second fight with the promotion. He then proceeded to tear through the UFC’s middleweight division, with his dominance confirmed when he defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 82 to unify the PRIDE and UFC Middleweight Titles.
And on paper his third year with the UFC has been just as successful as the first two. He successfully defended his title two more times and now has the longest winning streak in UFC history. And with his 1 minute KO of James Irvin he successfully won his first fight at light heavyweight and opened up the possibility of him becoming a fixture in the UFC’s most prestigious division.
And yet watching Anderson Silva over the past year has been confusing at best, downright exasperating at worst. Though he was in no danger of losing to either Cote or Leites, in neither fight did he look his dominating best. Indeed his performances in both fights draw criticism from fans who resented a safety-first fighting style that many saw as lethargic and complacent. This coupled with talk of retirement and his desire to fight Roy Jones in a boxing match many fans have begun to doubt his commitment to Mixed Martial Arts or his desire to fulfil his undoubted potential.
At his best, Anderson Silva is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet. While his ‘best pound for pound fighter’ was largely a UFC marketing ploy nobody can deny that he can be one of the most exciting fighters in mixed martial arts. And yet, his drawing ability lags behind his ability in the cage. With the exception of UFC 97 where the draw was really Chuck Liddell’s ‘retirement fight’, none of his headline fights have drawn huge numbers on Pay Per-View. His relative lack of drawing power has seen him fall behind other champions in the UFC when it comes to pay-offs something that has undoubtedly fuelled his disillusionment with the UFC.
Regardless of what happens in his match with Forest Griffin, the two most talked about match-ups for Anderson Silva are a rematch with Dan Henderson and a dream match with Welterweight Champion George St. Pierre. Both these match-ups and Saturday’s fight with Forest Griffin are an indictment of how cold an ‘act’ Anderson Silva has become. The marketing of Griffin vs Silva has been focused on Griffin’s reputation for having all-out fights and his ability force Silva to stop playing it safe and have a ‘good’ fight. The renewed interest in a fight with Dan Henderson is simply down to Henderson coming off a successful stint as a TUF 9 Team Coach and his devastating KO of fellow coach Michael Bisping. And the desire for a dream-match between George St Pierre and Anderson Silva is driven by the lack of challengers for GSP in the welterweight division and intrigue at how he would do when placed in BJ Penn’s shoes.
In a weird way, the result of this fight probably doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Whether he wins or loses he will be defending his Middleweight Title against Dan Henderson later this year and the possibility of a fight with George St. Pierre is more dependent on him retaining his title than his winning streak. His reputation amongst the fans won’t be damaged by a loss due to Forest Griffin’s reputation for pulling off upsets and his inexperience at light heavyweight. A loss to Griffin would probably put an end to his forays in the light heavyweight division, but if you assume his next two fights will be against Henderson and St-Pierre (I admit the latter is a big assumption) then unless he changes his mind and renews his contract then he’s simply not got the fights to become a fixture at light heavyweight.
What is at stake is his reputation and drawing ability. It should be insane to talk about a fighter having a lot to prove when he has cleared out his division, is currently on a 9-fight winning streak and will step into the Octagon on Saturday the overwhelming favourite in a fight outside his natural weight class. But the future of Anderson Silva as a marquee fighter within the UFC is dependent on him rediscovering the intensity he showed in his first 7 UFC fights and putting in a performance that convinces UFC fans that he still has the desire of a champion. If he puts in a committed performance then win or lose he’ll step out of the Octagon a reinvigorated fighter who has proven he can rise to the occasion.
