I didn't watch it live but when I heard Anderson Silva finally lost over the weekend after two-thousand-some days as UFC middleweight champion, my first thought was "I bet he got clocked while he was dancing around the ring with his arms down."
Sure enough, that's what happened.
Silva is who I think of when somebody says the letters "UFC" or "MMA." He's Michael Jordanish, Tiger Woodish, ubiquitous. I'm not an expert on these things, but maybe that makes me qualified to weigh in on just how big a deal Silva is: just as you didn't need to watch basketball to know the name Michael Jordan, you don't need to be a big UFC fan to know how dominant Anderson Silva has been the last bunch of years.
In fact he's more like Muhammad Ali than those other guys. He's enjoyable to watch in the same way Ali was. He dances, he bobs, he toys with his opponents and he operates with clinical skill. He can punch people while he moves away from them. He can grab limbs in mid-strike. It's almost like he operates in bullet time from "The Matrix."
I'm not saying anything new here. But it may be worth considering that Silva's downfall as he ages will mirror that of Ali. Because of the differences between boxing and MMA, it's unlikely that Silva will suffer the horrific effects of having one's brain rattled by punches for 20-plus years as Ali does, but because both men rely on their quickness, agility and sharpness in the ring/octagon for success, the slowing effect of age may bring Silva down from his peak as fast as it did Ali.
Anderson Silva is now 38 years old. He may have the skill and determination required to adopt a fighting style more appropriate for his advancing age, but he may not bother. What else is there left for him to prove? I just hope if he continues fighting (which he's indicated he will), he doesn't fall into a sad shadow of his former self, dancing slowly around the octagon taking head shots with his hands at his waist. Joe Rogan is right, Anderson Silva is the best.
Sure enough, that's what happened.
Silva is who I think of when somebody says the letters "UFC" or "MMA." He's Michael Jordanish, Tiger Woodish, ubiquitous. I'm not an expert on these things, but maybe that makes me qualified to weigh in on just how big a deal Silva is: just as you didn't need to watch basketball to know the name Michael Jordan, you don't need to be a big UFC fan to know how dominant Anderson Silva has been the last bunch of years.
In fact he's more like Muhammad Ali than those other guys. He's enjoyable to watch in the same way Ali was. He dances, he bobs, he toys with his opponents and he operates with clinical skill. He can punch people while he moves away from them. He can grab limbs in mid-strike. It's almost like he operates in bullet time from "The Matrix."
I'm not saying anything new here. But it may be worth considering that Silva's downfall as he ages will mirror that of Ali. Because of the differences between boxing and MMA, it's unlikely that Silva will suffer the horrific effects of having one's brain rattled by punches for 20-plus years as Ali does, but because both men rely on their quickness, agility and sharpness in the ring/octagon for success, the slowing effect of age may bring Silva down from his peak as fast as it did Ali.
Anderson Silva is now 38 years old. He may have the skill and determination required to adopt a fighting style more appropriate for his advancing age, but he may not bother. What else is there left for him to prove? I just hope if he continues fighting (which he's indicated he will), he doesn't fall into a sad shadow of his former self, dancing slowly around the octagon taking head shots with his hands at his waist. Joe Rogan is right, Anderson Silva is the best.
