Five Middleweights who could beat Anderson Silva
Posted on July 10, 2011, 05:48 PM by Ryan Ventura
Chael Sonnen’s comments in his recent interview with Ariel Helwani on MMAFighting.com got me thinking. The always animated and controversial UFC Middleweight made comments regarding pound for pound rankings. Now I know rankings are purely subjective, based on fans and writers personal opinions, backed up of course by statistics. But for these “fantasy” rankings, there is one thing that almost all writers, fans, and so called experts can agree with. Anderson Silva is on the top of the food chain and it seems like he cannot be beat.
So who can truly dethrone The Spider and take away that belt he wears around his waist? To me personally, the only man that can really beat him is himself. It happens to all fighters, it happens to all greats in all sports. Age catches up to you, mentally you can lose your will to perform, you also eventually lose your physical gifts like speed and strength. 2004 was the last time Anderson Silva decisively loss. JMMA veteran Ryo Chonan beat The Spider with a spectacular Flying Scissor Heel Hook during PRIDE Shockwave 2004.
With a few minor bumps in the road, for five years Anderson has been undefeated. The longest undefeated streak since the legendary “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko. Eventually legends and future hall of famers must fall. After days of doing my homework on some Middleweights who could beat the Black House King, I have chosen a list of five. I want to really hear your thoughts on the matter. Do you agree with my list, do you disagree, and why? Let’s take this conversation further and don’t hesitate to drop your two cents in the comment box.
5. Brian Stann
Why Brian Stann?
The decorated Marine may not has as much experience as Silva, but he is extremely hungry to take his game to the next level. Not only has he showed to have very heavy and accurate hands, but he has shown some solid grappling ability as well. With a Greg Jackson plan in the back of his head, he possibly could beat the current pound for pound king. However, if he can’t catch The Spider he is doomed, and if it goes to the ground let’s not forget Silva’s Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira BJJ Black belt that he keeps as his trump card.
4. Vitor Belfort
Why Vitor Belfort?
I know, Vitor was defeated with a Steven Seagal super special kick, but I don’t believe lightning will strike twice. Vitor isn’t only an explosive boxer, but a very decorated grappler as well with his own BJJ & Judo black belts. If the two were to fight again, Vitor will be much more prepared for Silva’s unpredictability. But its Silva’s brand of fighting that makes training and preparation very difficult. To avoid getting punted in the chin again, Vitor needs to use his angles, have his hands high, and chin low to keep the Spider from striking down the pipe.
3. Chael Sonnen
Why Chael Sonnen?
How can any Mixed Martial Arts fan forget their epic bout from UFC 117? The trash talking politician / “gangster” from Oregon seemed to have backed up every word he said to hype the fight. But with just a matter of seconds remaining from him tasting Middleweight gold, Silva pulls out one of the most memorable Triangle Chokes ever seen in the sport. If the two were ever to meet again, Chael has shown the world some cracks in the pound for pound king’s armor. Wrestling seems to be something Silva has struggled with in the past. If Mr. Sonnen can try to avoid being in the Spider’s dangerous guard, we could see him grind his way to victory.
2. Yushin Okami
Why Yushin Okami?
Before Yushin or Anderson fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, they competed at the Rumble on the Rock 175lbs tournament which also featured the likes of Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, and Frank Trigg. Silva lost his bout with Okami due to a kick to the face while Yushin’s knees were on the ground. The two will meet in a long awaited rematch at UFC 134 in Rio.
Now Yushin fighting Anderson for the title in The Spider’s home country will make it a very hostile environment for the Japanese superstar. But lately, to improve his already solid wrestling game, he has been working with former opponent Chael Sonnen. If “Thunder” can use a similar game plan to that of Chael Sonnen’s, the result could look like his fight with Nate Marquardt. We could very well witness one of the biggest upsets in this sport’s history.
1. Jacare Souza
Why Jacare Souza?
The current Strikeforce Middleweight champion is one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters to ever enter into the sport of MMA. Jacare not only has one of the best ground grappling pedigrees in the game today, his level of striking has improved leaps and bounds. Not only does Jacare have an already dangerous arsenal of weapons in his repertoire, the two know each other very well being in the famous Black House camp. Anderson Silva has even cornered for Jacare during many of Souza’s fights.
The two know each other very well in a way that none of these fighters mentioned on this list. It would be a battle of student vs. teacher, with both knowing very well of each other’s weaknesses. However, this bout may never happen at all. With the two being friends from the same camp, we might never see a champion vs. champion bout between the two Brazilians. But if the price is right, who knows in the future we could have a similar situation to Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz.
Photo: Anderson Silva celebrates his victory over Travis Lutter at the Ultimate Fighting Champion Championship UFC 67 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on Feb. 3, 2007. Credit: Francis Specker
Comments
they will all get owned
i stopped doubting Silva along time ago. When he is healthy and hungry i really dont see any Middleweight who can take away the belt right now.
hes so good that he pretty much beat 3 out of the 5 guys who were on a list of "people who can beat Anderson Silva"
Dan Henderson maybe the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion but he should still be on this list. Henderson is a good wrestler with good hands and a excellent chin. Even though he got choked out 2nd round against Anderson he did put up a good fight.
do u not remember what happend to hendo when they last fought?
owned.
silva has way too much striking technique
you mean the henderson who lost from shields?
Im excited about Stann, im not saying he can beat Silva, but we dont know how good he can be, now that he is out of the military, and training full time. He was promising even while he was juggling two careers. I cant wait to see how he develops.
stann is a striker he wont survive long with silva who has possibly the best stand up in the game
He said he is looking forward to watching Stann develop as a fighter, not that he could take Silva now. I agree with him, Stann has been looking outstanding as of late and also look forward to seeing him grow.
Read my comment again then think about it bitch
you are still THE BITCH
now turn fcuck around
your a bitch.....
Souza fight will never happen. Wheres Michael Bisping?
not on this list
"Where's Michael Bisping" LOLOLOLOL
Did you read what that the article was about. Fighters that may have a chance to beat Anderson.. Please respond to this cause I really want to here how you think Bisping could defeat Anderson.
Where is Bisping on the other list you know the one that shows all the fighters Silva would murder with no problem at all with out ever being in danger!
I agree with the list but not the order
1- Chael Sonnen already beat Silva , he just didnt get out of the fight with the win. that was a very lazy submission pull by Silva after 20mins on his guard, and Sonnen is the easiest guy to submit in the 185 division, if Sonnen finally learns bjj defense the belt is his.
2- Vitor Belfort vs Silva is a 50/50 , anyone can KO anyone if the right strike land with those 2 amazing strikers, in a rematch i will have to say the same thing i said before the first who ever lands first win.
3- Jacare Sousa Bjj is the best in the division, rumors were that Sousa own Silva on the ground while training at black house, so if they ever fight , its just a matter of if Sousa can take Silva down , if not then he would get KO.
4- Brian Stann , i been saying his the next big thing at Middleweight he already looks very sharp , his heavy hands could be a problem to Silva, i believe he just needs 1 more year to reach his potential and then he can challenge Silva as a very legit contender.
5- Okami has a slim chance , and he has one only because he trains with Chael Sonnen , if he could take Silva down and GnP him he could get a Decision, but it would not be easy at all.
Good list and great points, i don't get why it got weaks
the article either got a lot of poor votes it says who could beat Silva and everyone jump and vote with weaks and poors
I didn't knew Silva got that many Nuthuggers
Really all Okami has to do is take him down and control him to win. We know Silva's wrestling defense is weak and if Okami can take him down and stay active enough to not be stood up for five rounds he could beat Silva. It would not be very exciting but he would walk away with the belt.
that's one of the worst lists possible. sonnen the twice convicted cheater, bigot and convicted felon has no chance. mental toughness is something you can't learn is what you're born with. he couldn't beat silva at his worst, cheating no less. vitor maybe with a lucky punch, but then that's just it, luck. sousa is the only one on the list that could because he has the weapons. the problem with everyone else is no one has the stand up he has. sonnen's lucky punch wasn't enough and in the third it started to show how big the difference really is. sonnen is a lifetime loser and that is evident in his silvers. second is first loser. maybe that's why you like him.
I think Silva will stay undefeated at MW until he retires, but they have to find a way to do the Sonnen rematch.
he probably meant undefeated at MW in the ufc
If you wanna get technical, he hasn't lost in the last four years.
From what we know about Anderson's strengths and weaknesses, I believe a solid catch wrestler would have the best shot at dethroning "The Spider." I say this because we know wrestling appears to be his weak point, but he makes up for it with his jits. So a good catch wrestler combines strong wrestling with aggressive jits, which should allow him to survive in Silva's guard. With that being said, I can't really think of one at Middleweight. Jake Shields was the closest thing to it, but he's at Welterweight now and doesn't quite have the style of wrestling necessary.... Not to mention the huge gap in striking.
i agree, I'd give Jacare the best shot on that list. Top BJJ, good wrestling and athleticism.
definitely agree with you, on Jacare, if he could get it to the ground he has a chance but it could end up being Demian Maia all over again
Alan belcher might also
not yet for belcher , he'll get better and bea contennder though
Every fighter has a shot at beating Silva in the MW division once they get in the cage with him. With That being said, he will still retire undefeated in the UFC IMO.
i can beat anderson silva with a bat on the 2nd thought i dont think i still can
Is this a serious article??? there must not be any news right now Lol....nobody on that list can beat Anderson Silva!!!
Keyword in this article is "could". Also this part here bro that I wrote:
"To me personally, the only man that can really beat him is himself. It happens to all fighters, it happens to all greats in all sports. Age catches up to you, mentally you can lose your will to perform, you also eventually lose your physical gifts like speed and strength. "
Thanks for the article Ryan, it was needed.
You know the sport is getting loopy when it is politically incorrect to even contemplate the 'possible' loss of an MMA god.
Perversely, I do get pleasure from the slack jaws of amazed fans when their heroes inevitably tumble. Anderson Silva is an amazing fighter and an all-time great--but he is human and he can be beaten.
I don't know that he will be beaten, but I do not consider it sacrilege to assess Silva's competition--and even express an opinion that some may have a chance.
I agree, I am a big Silva fan but he can be beaten although I doubt someone can beat him twice in a row. I think if he gets beaten there is no one in the division that can maintain a record like his facing the same competition.
If you read the piece, I said nothing bad about Anderson. In fact, I did nothing but praise him. Is it wrong to encourage people to think for themselves and make conscious decisions?
Am I being an unprofessional writer for encouraging this debate / discussion? And if you can do better than me, you sir are more than welcome to write a piece on Lowkick 2.0.
Imo stann will become a threat real soon and off course the rematch with sonnen, i've never seen anderson is so much trouble !
Belfort, jacare and okami, i don't see them win, but a fight is a fight is a fight.
Hoping to see the rematch and give stann one or two more wins than fight for the title.
i'm not really sure regarding chael sonnen
yes, sonnen might gave us an interesting and dominating 4 and a half round during his fight against silva
but remember, at that time sonnen was positive steroid and silva got cracked rib
but i still want to see a rematch between them
To be fair the rib wasn't cracked. It was bruised and swelled, but that shit will STILL hurt like hell and throw your game off(which explains his odd fighting style in the third round where he was uncharacteristically aggressive with some flashier moves).
Not one person mentioned Lombard?! The Mike Tyson of MMA hahaha! I'd love to se him fight AS.
The one who can beat him is not on the list!!!!
Georges St. Pierre....ever heard of him...?!!
Where is Bisping's name?
dumbest thing ever 1st off silva already beat 2 of the 5 vitor and sonnen and after aug itll be 3 of the 5! and so far everyone in the ufc that has said they can beat silva has lost! i think its funny hoe chael says silva doing a triangle choke/armbar wasnt a win!! lol! like when maia, forrest,jermany horn all choke him out with the same move! lol
Sonnen:Yes
Vitor:Yes
Okami:Maybe
Souza:Maybe
Stann:Hell No
Out of that entire list Jacare is the only guy whom I think COULD beat Silva(and that's a HUUUUUUUGE ****ing could).
1. Chael has no sub defense to speak of, got busted for PED's and was fighting and injured Silva(yes it was confirmed, you can google it) and STILL lost. I don't see him doing any better in a rematch.
2. As highly as Vitor's striking was sold he couldn't land a single hit on Silva with the initial blitz nor when he had him mounted(Silva boobed and weaved out of range and dodged every hit, again google is your friend). He's a good fighter, but I knew Silva would dispatch him just like he does everyone else.
3. Okami didn't well the first time around and I don't see him doing any better. Whatever striking improvement he's made will be irrelevant since Silva is much better and has the reach advantage and he's an inferior wrestler to Chael. Add on the fact that Silva REALLY seems to hate him and I'll be amazed if Silva lets go any further than the first or second.
4. Really, Brian Stann? I don't see him being anywhere NEAR Silva's level and by the time he gets close Silva would have likely retired. He's a good prospect, but I don't him beating the Spider either.
5. Jacare has a fairly good chance since he has an e improving standup game and probably the best ground game south of Roger Gracie along with some fairly good wrestling. If I had to bet on anyone beating Silva it would be him.
Silva's already beaten Sonnen and Belfort so they shouldn't even be mentioned as potential contenders. Stann hasn't a hope against Silva. Souza is the only one there who deserves a shot and could actually beat him if he were able to transfer the fight to the ground (which I think he could). The simple fact is that Silva is a big fish in a small pound and until he moves to LHW he's just playing it safe by embarrassing considerably lesser skilled opponents. It's time he fought someone like Shogun or even Jones.
#5...nope
#4 belfort was the only guy I thought could take anderson just cus his speed and power. Buuuuut as long as anderson has feet...its not gonna happen
#3 hahahaha maybe with some better peds and if they can via twitter
#2 nope
#1. Doubt it
Hector Lombard???