Anderson Silva Will Need To Vacate Title, If He Beats Sonnen And Belfort
Posted on May 7, 2010, 12:54 PM by comonsonMONTREAL – With any fighter in any division, looking beyond that competitor's next matchup is never a safe thing to do.That's true even with the seemingly unbeatable UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (26-4 MMA, 11-0 UFC), who faces top contender Chael Sonnen (24-10-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC 117 in August.But when you're 11-0 in the UFC, a different set of rules tends to apply. And while UFC president Dana White believes Sonnen may prove Silva's toughest test in recent memory, he does have an idea of where a win would take "The Spider.""In my opinion, [Anderson's] got Chael, who's earned that title shot, and he's got Vitor Belfort," White said on Thursday. "Once he fights those two guys, he's cleaned out that division, and I will press very hard for him to move to 205 pounds."Don't think for a minute that White is looking past Sonnen. The outspoken Oregonian has turned heads in recent months with five wins in six fights – a run that includes one-sided victories over top contenders Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami and Dan Miller.It's just that Belfort (19-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC), the hard-hitting Brazilian, was already scheduled to face Silva in April before an injury to "The Phenom" allowed Maia to step in.Despite the fact that Belfort has yet to compete in the UFC at 185 pounds, and despite the fact that Silva's camp openly questioned Belfort's worthiness as a title challenger, White believes it's the next logical matchup if the champion retains his belt."Vitor is a worthy opponent that I think people will want to see," White said. "He's a former champion at 205 pounds. He's a legend in the sport. I've had my issues with Vitor in the past, too, but to say that Vitor isn't a top contender at 185 is crazy."I'm just saying, in my opinion, [Anderson's] got two more fights at 185."Some MMA pundits have suggested that Silva is already at a point where a move to light heavyweight is necessity. They argue that Silva's complacency in recent outings proves he needs a tougher challenge, or that he should be forced in the division as a means of punishment for his recent sub-par performances. They say there are no big-money fights left in the wight class.White said neither of those is the right reason for a switch."I believe that when you make a move like that, for me, it's always all about legacy," White said. "It's never about money or any of that [expletive], so you have to clean out the division."And White believes Silva is two wins away from that mark. In the end, it's Silva's decision to make, but White makes clear what he'll be suggesting for his middleweight champ.Of course, there's one caveat."What he wants to do I think is keep his 185-pound title and fight at 205, which you can't do," White said. "You have to vacate that title and move up."
Comments
Good shout, there will be no more competition at 185 if he beats those two
great article....dana is right i think all mma fans agree that anderson silva at lhw is a better fit
Belfort vs Silva is like my dream match, hopefully that happens
I dont think he should have to vacate his title. If people want to see him move up and for some good fights fine. Its my opinion though that they should allow him to fight at 205 while still defending his MW title. I mean damn, let him reign. Let him set records for longest reign and make the record unreachable for future contenders if thats what he wants!! I know people, myself included, want to see closer contended Silva fights but it is irresponsible to put that fault on The Spider for being great. If anything, it is Dana's responsibility to go out and get some more 185 contenders if the division has been cleaned out. If you got a guy that is unbeatable in his weight class, then guess what?!?! He just raised the bar!! So now his competition needs to put up or shut up!! Guess its time for the recruiters to hit the circuits and find a real contender!! It just sounds stupid to me that people put this on Silva!! Like him or not, just think about it objectively for once and keep your emotions to yourselves!!
If Dana makes Anderson Silva vacate his MW title, it will be the biggest compliment Dana can pay to A.S even without saying anything to him in my opinion. However, I can agree that you made a good point because If he is in a position to set some unreachable records, then he should be given the opportunity to keep defending his MW title until he loses. To be honest, I still would like to see him contend for the title in the LHW division, but i guess Shogun or someone else would have to beat Machida first.
I'd love to see Anderson Silva permanently move up to the LWH division.
Yes, there are alot of exciting fights there for him. It should be his decision tho if he wants to vacate his title. The thing I wanna ask is this.... When he cleans out the LHW division then what? Is everyone gonna say the same thing about Silva moving to HW?
Nah, i agree with you. I do want to see him move up, but I still think that he should continue to defend his MW title until he loses. Well, that's IF anyone will ever beat him in the MW division I'm not sure that's going to happen anytime soon. If he can hold 2 belts in two different weight classes, Let him do it. Guys like Anderson Silva don't come around that often.
you're crazy... Silva's career doesn't have NEARLY enough time to clean out the LHW division... I'd agree he's able to beat every1 in LHW but hed actually have to fight in everytime and it'd start to catch up to him... if he was mid 20's I'd say he can clean out the LHW division too but look at how long it took to clear out the Middleweight division and their NO WHERE near the depth of LHW. Silva is undoubtedly the most talented fighter in MMA p4p king so I'd love him to move to LHW and win the belt before he retires but he'd never clear the whole division...
i totally agree i think silva can make history and become a double champion. could imagine the match up for silva at lhw too. but when it comes down to it it this ain't boxing it's mma the ufc will tell him pick 1 or the other which is annoying.
I don't understand why other fighters have held titles in more than one wt class or attempted it but for A.S. Dana demands that he vacate the title.
That is what I was thinking? Didn't BJ Penn attempt this just like yesterday?
I don't agree with a move to make him vacate the title if he wins 2 more fights at Middleweight, as great as it would be to see him fight more LHW matches. Unless someone can beat him he can retire as the Middleweight champion as far as I am concerned. "Cleaning out the division" is a general statement, and disrespectful towards the rest of the current MW division. Plus there will always be new up and comers at MW. I think it should be Silva's decision, and no-one elses. Anyone can be beaten, including Silva, and White shouldn't even be talking about this sort of move, as he appears to be indicating that Silva is untouchable at MW.
i think anderson silva does need to go to LHW. he would be a great contender for that division
While I'm not exactly for forcing a fighter to vacate the title (it sort of cheapens the belt, in my opinion) and I definitely think that superior fighters should be allowed to continue to excel, I do see some arguments against having one fighter have two belts (simultaneously). So let's say anderson keeps his MW title, and gets the LHW title also. That means that each of those individual divisions will have a title defence around every eight months if Anderson were to alternate each fight between the two. I can see how fighters in one of those two divisions would feel a bit robbed, knowing that the belt the ultimately want is only available to P of the title shots compared to the other belts (under normal circumstances). I would rather have "busier" belts that have to be defended more regularly. So it's a give and take. If anything the fact that this issue even exists only showcases the phenomenally exceptional talent that is Anderson Silva. And of course really the whole two belts issue is more of a non issue as long as Machida is title holder (who Silva has claimed he will NEVER fight) . . . but who knows that could all change tomorrow!
and oh yeah can anyone say Silva v Bones Jones? I could puke with anticipation.