DWright
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jan 7, 2005 18:30:58 GMT -5
Posts: 3,839
|
Post by DWright on Dec 29, 2008 15:24:49 GMT -5
I'm curious then, who exactly would you like to see Anderson Silva beat? Rich Franklin? - He destroyed him, twice. Dan Henderson? - Done Nate Marquardt? - Done Patrick Cote? - Was winning before injury. The MW isn't exactly "stacked" and Silva doesn't exactly have elite fighters knocking at the door. The only people he could face now: Damien Maia - Still needs that "big" win to get a title shot, IMO. Feeding him to Silva now, takes away a potentially big fight. Michael Bisping - Just dropped to MW, wasn't impressive against Leben, winner of Bisping/Henderson will get title shot. Yushin Okami - Needs to prove he can beat a top tier MW. Lost to Franklin. There aren't many Middleweights that deserve a shot, BECAUSE Silva has ran through them, with ease. (I kept Leites off this list because they're scheduled to fight) I'm not saying Anderson Silva hasn't beaten anyone impressive. He did well against Dan Henderson. All I'm saying is Patrick Cote and James Irvin are far from legitimate forces in either weight class and I don't think beating any one fighter would make anyone fighter of the year. I'm also not saying any of the guys I listed are candidates for fighter of the year. My point was that if someone was to argue that by beating any two guys at Middleweight means they destroyed the Middleweight Division and are the fighter of the year, you would then have to say that all of the guys on my list qualify for that just as much as Anderson Silva. As for who Silva should face, I personally feel his rightful place is at 205 at this point. He seems to fit better at that weight class and there's a lot more serious competition for him there. Sure, that might hold up the Middleweight Division for a while, but look at the good putting the Heavyweight Title on ice for a year has done for that division. I think you'd agree if you gave guys like Bisping, Maia, Okami, Leites, and theoretically Henderson a year to sort out the pecking order, it'd be a lot better than just handing Leities a title shot without having really done that much. I should again point out that I'm not hating on Anderson Silva whatsoever. All I'm saying is that I don't think you can really argue for him being fighter of the year when other fighters have faced much stiffer competition, had much more important fights, and achieved much more than beating two gatekeepers and Dan Henderson. I'm not saying he's fighter of the year, but you're making it seem like it's his fault he's not facing anyone. He has no one else to fight. He's destroyed all elite, and any legit MW in his division. Now there are more coming up...none of which are ready. Gatekeepers or not, guys like Cote, Marquardt, etc still deserve at least the chance to fight for the title, at least once. You can't let them build their careers and build on victories and then say-- "well, we don't think you can beat Silva...so we won't even let you try." At the same time, you can't fault Silva for fighting them. |
|
|
|
Post by Codesters on Dec 29, 2008 15:41:42 GMT -5
ughhh....I gotta say Silva.  |
|
|
|
Post by Swarm on Dec 29, 2008 16:43:52 GMT -5
I'm not saying he's fighter of the year, but you're making it seem like it's his fault he's not facing anyone. He has no one else to fight. He's destroyed all elite, and any legit MW in his division. Now there are more coming up...none of which are ready. I wasn't trying to give the impression he was ducking top level talent or anything. I really hold the UFC accountable more than anything. I mean, they advertise him as the best and the world while Dana White goes around and slams Fedor for not fighting top level talent, and yet we continue to see Anderson Silva face guys who aren't even remotely close to being legitimate challengers to him. And really I find it kind of bizarre when you look at the caliber of opponents guys like George St. Pierre, Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin, and Rashad Evans have faced without getting as much "best fighter in the world" hooplah. Gatekeepers or not, guys like Cote, Marquardt, etc still deserve at least the chance to fight for the title, at least once. You can't let them build their careers and build on victories and then say-- "well, we don't think you can beat Silva...so we won't even let you try." At the same time, you can't fault Silva for fighting them. I can understand Silva's defense against Marquardt a little more than Cote. I mean Cote was 4-4 when he got that title shot. And his win over Almeida was far from the most impressive performance of his career. |
|
|
|
Post by Kliquid on Dec 29, 2008 17:12:09 GMT -5
I mean, they advertise him as the best and the world while Dana White goes around and slams Fedor for not fighting top level talent, and yet we continue to see Anderson Silva face guys who aren't even remotely close to being legitimate challengers to him. I think we all know that Dana White is a stupid, arrogant jackass. |
|
|
|
Post by CBT on Dec 30, 2008 2:17:55 GMT -5
I don't like him.... it's strange, such an outside's perspective but, I don't like that he's so dominant. My pick is Anderson Silva. To deny his dominance would be like surfing in a typhoon and missing every wave.  |
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Old School™ on Dec 30, 2008 10:59:13 GMT -5
I gotta say Anderson Silva as well. If not him, then Georges St. Pierre. Both are on fire and have had one hell of a year.
|
|
BIGticket5
Main Eventer
add me: www.myspace/rostafer_23
Joined on: Jan 26, 2002 20:01:11 GMT -5
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by BIGticket5 on Jan 1, 2009 1:21:05 GMT -5
You want me to pick the FIGHTER of the year, or do you want me to pick who had the most IMPACT on the year? If Impact...please put up Brock Lesnar, so I can vote for him... agree with both points. for fighter of the year i picked the spider, but brock had the most impact. |
|
BigEvilNerd
Main Eventer
Joined on: Sept 15, 2003 17:00:45 GMT -5
Posts: 4,659
|
Post by BigEvilNerd on Jan 1, 2009 16:26:56 GMT -5
I'm not saying he's fighter of the year, but you're making it seem like it's his fault he's not facing anyone. He has no one else to fight. He's destroyed all elite, and any legit MW in his division. Now there are more coming up...none of which are ready. I wasn't trying to give the impression he was ducking top level talent or anything. I really hold the UFC accountable more than anything. I mean, they advertise him as the best and the world while Dana White goes around and slams Fedor for not fighting top level talent, and yet we continue to see Anderson Silva face guys who aren't even remotely close to being legitimate challengers to him. And really I find it kind of bizarre when you look at the caliber of opponents guys like George St. Pierre, Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin, and Rashad Evans have faced without getting as much "best fighter in the world" hooplah. Gatekeepers or not, guys like Cote, Marquardt, etc still deserve at least the chance to fight for the title, at least once. You can't let them build their careers and build on victories and then say-- "well, we don't think you can beat Silva...so we won't even let you try." At the same time, you can't fault Silva for fighting them. I can understand Silva's defense against Marquardt a little more than Cote. I mean Cote was 4-4 when he got that title shot. And his win over Almeida was far from the most impressive performance of his career. You've made the most solid points of this whole thread. I think anyone nominating Silva isn't looking at his year objectively enough. It's not his FAULT he's not facing better competition, or that the MW division is just in a complete dearth of top names right now, but it still is fair game to hold it against him as far as nominating him for fighter of the year. In the MW division, this year, Silva has faced ONE very good, top 10 opponent: Henderson. Other than that he's fought the 4-4 in the UFC Patrick Cote, whose "big" UFC wins have come over the likes of Grove, Scott Smith, and the just-returning Almeida. The Irvin fight was at 205, and Irvin is not a top level opponent. So basing a nomination for Silva on him 'destroying' the middleweight division is ridiculous. That'd be like saying Fedor should be nominated because he 'dominated' the heavyweight division with his one win over Tim this year. Anyway, I had Mousasi in mind before I clicked the thread; gotta go that route. |
|
