Silva vs.Bisping On UFC Fight Pass

UFC President Dana White has announced that former UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson "the Spider "Silva, will be making his UFC return against Michael "the Count" Bisping in London.  The fight will take place on February 27 and air exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.  This fight will be the first fight for Silva since his five round clash with Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in January.  This should be an excited fight that is years in the making.

Who wins in the Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping bout?

Anderson Silva

Michael Bisping

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Is the Bisping/Silva fight a big enough draw to get you to subscribe to UFC Fight Pass?

Yes

No

I already have Fight Pass and will be watching it.

I have Fight Pass already, but will not be watching it.

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Anderson Silva Returning in 2015

Former UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, was last seen in action at UFC 168 in which he tried to recover the UFC title that he lost at UFC 162 to Chris Weidman.  During their clash, Anderson Silva broke his leg throwing a kick that was checked by Chris Weidman.  Since that moment Silva has been out of action trying to recover from his injury.  Silva quickly underwent surgery and has slowly been recovering and even sharing videos of him training on his various social media accounts.  This week, Anderson Silva's doctor in Brazil has cleared him to begin training and resuming his MMA career.  MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryan sat down with Silva and asked him about his future in MMA.



Silva is expecting to return in 2015 and doesn't yet have an opponent in mind yet.  Many are buzzing about possibly seeing a bout that has seemed to elude the UFC fans for years--a fight between Silva and Michael Bisping.  I personally wouldn't mind seeing Silva go up to 205lb for a fourth time or possibly see him face Vitor Belfort or Rich Franklin in a rematch.  Franklin believes that he could defeat Silva if he got his hands on Silva for a third time.  Franklin has one last fight on his contract and I wouldn't be opposed to another round of Silva and Franklin.  If Penn can get a third shot at Edgar in a similar situation, why shouldn't we see Franklin try to redeem himself against the man who took his title?  Also a super fight with Georges St. Pierre has been buzzed about, but I'd rather see a clash with Franklin, Belfort or Bisping over a fight with GSP.  Who would you all like to see the Spider face?

Silva Still Wants to Compete/Possible Super Fight with Georges

According to Anderson Silva's manager, Ed Soares, Anderson Silva is doing better than expected in his recovery.  At UFC 168, Silva was competing to get his UFC Middleweight title back from Chris Weidman, the man who took it back at UFC 162.  In the second round of their fight, Silva threw a leg kick at Weidman, who checked the kick, which caused it to break.  Silva went into surgery that same night to repair the broken leg and the surgery was a success.  Soares has stated that Silva is able to walk with crutches and able to move the toes of his broken leg.

Soares stated that Silva is still in fighting spirits and could possibly be back training as early as six to nine months.  Silva's camp already has an opponent in mind for his return and that man would be former UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges St-Pierre.  GSP announced a leave of absence from the sport not long after his title defense at UFC 167 in November against Johny Hendricks.

This wouldn't be the first time that a fight between the two of former champions has been spoken of.  For years the two dominant champions had been mentioned in the same sentence as the words 'super fight.'  Both men had practically cleared out their entire weight classes before GSP's leave of absence and Silva's injury.  It is very likely that GSP will return and Silva has already shown his interest in still competing, so this match is completely doable especially considering that at one time Anderson Silva fought as small at 168 lbs and 174 lbs.  Silva and GSP could meet at one of their respectful weights or in a catchweight bout somewhere in between.  I think that it would be an amazing crowd-pleaser and put the two most dominant champs in the cage with each other.   It is very unlikely that Silva will be fighting for the UFC Middleweight Championship and GSP will probably have to win a few fights before he gets another crack at his title that he vacated, so why not have them return against each other as long as GSP and the UFC complies.  When asked about a fight with Silva not long before announcing his temporary leave from the sport, GSP stated that he would prefer to continue his legacy in the welterweight division  and defending his belt.

It is a fight that I wouldn't mind seeing and I think that it would be a big money fight for the UFC and a bigger super fight than some that have come before it.  It would be a good fight at 180 lb catchweight.

Would you like to see a fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre upon their returns?

Yes

No

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New Options in the Middleweight Realm

With Anderson Silva passing the torch to Chris Weidman with his recent fight-stopping injury, there are new possible fights in the UFC's Middleweight Division.  Though the injury to Silva is tragic if not sad for any MMA fan, it is not a complete loss to followers of the UFC.  If Silva were to have won his fight, we would've been seeing a rematch of a fight that we had already seen in the last few years with Vitor Belfort guarenteed a title shot against the winner.  Vitor Belfort has improved since his last fight with Silva, but the fight against Silva was a quick knockout not a closely contended fight.  Though both Silva and Belfort are knockout artists, one could not convince me that Belfort would even stand a chance against Silva in a rematch.

With Silva away and probably never getting a title shot or even fighting again at the current age of 38, Weidman and the UFC can finally move on.  One of the beautiful things manifesting from such an ugly ending, is a fresh match up between Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman.  Had Weidman not won against Silva this past weekend we may have never seen or considered a match between the two of these amazing competitors.  It will be a mtach that will showcase the champion's raw athleticism and great wrestling against Vitor Belfort's experience, striking and amazing power-striking. I predict that Weidman will get the better of Belfort in their match, but with Belfort anything is possible.

There are other options lurking about at 185 lbs like former Strikeforce Middleweight Jacare Souza who is 2-0 in his UFC career after his TKO victory over Yushin Okami. Silva had said before that he would never face his teamates Jacare Souza and Lyoto Machida if the UFC wished to have him face either man for any reason. He even went as far as to say that he would surrender the title so that Souza or Machida could fight for the belt had that time come.  Souza has great killer instincts and finishing abilities. His two wins in the UFC were both stoppages, one a submission and the second a TKO. Souza 100% has a chance to potentially stop Weidman or any other man to wear the UFC Middleweight Championship. He faces Francis Carmont who is on a six-fightwin streak since joining the UFC.

Who remembers the words 'the Machida era?' I do. I would love to see the Machida Era truly start considering the original era at 205 was derailed by Shogun Rua by way of KO. Lyoto Machida was guanteed to be the man to face Jon Jones for the UFC on many occassians and then it wouldnt fall through. I believe that Lyoto Machida was definitely the second best 205 lb fighter in the UFC, after Jones, before he fled to the UFC's Middleweight Division following a poor judge's decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163. In his middleweight debut, Machida ran through Mark Munoz with a head kick knock out. He is now set to face Gegard Mussasi in early 2014 and with a victory over Gegard we could possibly see Machida fighting for the title in late 2014 or early 2015.

Other fighters who could potentially get title shots soon would be Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Mark Munoz. 

UFC 168: Salaries

Main Card:

Chris Weidman ($200,000 + $200,000 =
$400,000) def. Anderson Silva
($600,000)
Ronda Rousey ($50,000 + $50,000 =
$100,000) def. Miesha Tate ($28,000)
Travis Browne ($28,000 + $28,000 =
$56,000) def. Josh Barnett ($170,000)
Jim Miller ($46,000 + $46,000 = $92,000)
def. Fabricio Camoes ($8,000)
Dustin Poirier ($23,000 + $23,000 =
$46,000) def. Diego Brandao ($20,000)

Preliminary Card:

Uriah Hall ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000)
def. Chris Leben ($51,000)
Michael Johnson ($18,000 + $18,000 =
$36,000) def. Gleison Tibau ($39,000)
Dennis Siver ($33,000 + $33,000 =
$66,000) def. Manny Gamburyan
($25,000)
John Howard ($16,000 + $16,000 =
$32,000) def. Siyar Bahadurzada
($17,000)
William Macario ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Bobby Voelker ($12,000)
Robert Peralta ($12,000 + $12,000 =
$24,000) def. Estevan Payan ($10,000)

UFC 168: Recap

Despite UFC 167 being the 20th anniversary for the UFC, tonight's event had just as much pressure to be a five-star event.  The main card featured a night in which there was not a single fight that went the distance.  Also in the prelims we got a chance to see Uriah Hall rise back from the brink of being cut to making Leben quit between rounds.

The first fight on the main card was between Dustin Poirier and Diego Brandao.  It was a fight in which Dustin Poirier used great speed in his stand-up game which eventually got him the victory via TKO due to strikes.  It would be a great match to see him face off against Frankie Edgar after he faces Penn or possibly in a rematch against Cub Swanson who beat him via unanimous decision.  Another option for Poirier would be a clash with fellow UFC 168 winner, Dennis Siver, who defeated Manny Gamburyan by decision in the prelims.

Next on the card was a fight in the lightweight divison in which Jim Miller took on Fabricio Camoes.  Miller was able to submit Camoes off of his back with an armbar in the first round.  I think a good fight to make for Miller would be against Donald Cerrone if he beats Martins in there clash early 2014.

The evening kept rolling with another fight in the UFC's Heavyweight Division.  Travis Browne and Josh Barnett met in the center of the Octagon and instantly went to work.  Travis Browne got the better of the stand-up striking exchanges which led Barnett to look for a takedown.  While Barnett shot for the take down and pressed Browne against the cage, Browne landed a knee and a series of elbow strikes to the side of Barnett's head, which left him out cold.  Dana White has already announced that Browne's next opponent will be submission specialist, Fabricio Werdum.

The next match was the most exciting fight of the evening in the first title fight of the night, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.  Tate and Rousey came out swinging to the fences as soon as the fight began. Both women were landing clean shots until the fight inevitably went to the ground.  For three rounds, Rousey and Tate scrambled on the ground for position.  There were times that Tate was in conntrol and Rousey and vise-versa.  It took Ronda Rousey five armbar attempts at the armbar before the final one was enough for Tate to tap in the third.  Miesha Tate's grappling defense was one of the best performances of submission defense that I have seen in a long time.  Tate gave Rousey her toughest fight in her MMA career.  The fight between Rousey and Tate was just as exciting if not more exciting as the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight title fight.  After the fight, Dana White announced that Rousey would be returning to action very shortly to headline the UFC 170 card and defend her title against Sara McMann.  It will feature two Olympic medalists from the same year fighting for the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship.

The main event was between Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva who both had a lot to prove in their fight.  For Weidman it was an opportunity to prove that his first victory wasn't a fluke.  For Silva it was an opportunity to prove that he could beat the only man to beat him in the UFC.  As soon as Silva came out to exactly the same song that he used at UFC 162, it felt like deja vu.  Anderson Silva was in the blue corner for the first time since he won the title at UFC 64.  When the fight began Weidman was able to get a takedown early in the first round.  Silva was able to get back up instantly but was forced to get into a clinching situation with Weidman.  Weidman got the better of the clinch game and eventually dropped Silva and controlled him with great ground and pound from the guard.  Silva was able to use his jiu jitsu in order to survive the barrage of punches until the round ended.  In the second round we saw Silva get looser on his feet and began to look more comfortable.  The second wouldn't last that long as Silva threw two kicks that would seal his fate.  The first one he threw was speculated to have fractured his leg when it was checked by Weidman and the second one thrown broke Silva's leg.

Chris Weidman successfully defended his UFC Middleweight Championship via TKO by way of checked leg kick.  Vitor Belfort will be the next man to face Weidman for the belt.  This could be the last time that we saw Anderson Silva in the UFC.  We hope to see a healthy Anderson Silva whether he fights again or not.

UFC 168 Results

Main Card:

Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva due to injury (leg fracture) Round 2
Ronda Rousey def. Meisha Tate via submission Round 3
Travis Browne def. Josh Barnett via TKO (elbow strikes) Round 1
Jim Miller def. Fabricio Camoes via submission (armbar) Round 1
Dustin Poirier def. Diego Brandao via TKO (punches) Round 1

Preliminary Card:

Uriah Hall def. Chris Leben via TKO (corner stoppage) Round 1
Michael Johnson def. Gleison Tibau via KO (punches) Round 1
Dennis Siver def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision
John Howard def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision
William Macario Patolino def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision
Robbie Peralta def. Estevan Payan via KO (punches) Round 3
145 lbs.: Estevan Payan vs. Robbie Peralta -- Peralta wins by KO (punches) - 0:12 rd. 3

UFC 168: Weigh-in Results

Main Card:

UFC Middleweight Championship: Chris Weidman (184) vs. Anderson Silva (185)
UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship: Ronda Rousey (135) vs. Miesha Tate (135)
Josh Barnett (252) vs. Travis Browne (242)
Jim Miller (156) vs. Fabrício Camões (156)
Dustin Poirier (146) vs. Diego Brandao (153)

Preliminary Card:

Chris Leben (185.5) vs. Uriah Hall (185)
Gleison Tibau (156) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
Dennis Siver (145) vs. Manvel Gamburyan (146)
John Howard (171) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (171)
William Patolino (171) vs. Bobby Voelker (171)
Robbie Peralta (145.5) vs. Estevan Payan (145)

UFC 168: Extended Preview

Will Anderson Silva be able to win his title back from Chris Weidman?--Tough Spar MMA

Yes--he will do it in impressive fashion

Yes--he will do so, but it will be a tough fight

No--Weidman will finish him again

No--Weidman by decision

Poll Maker

Roy Jones Jr. Still Interested in Silva Fight

Boxing living legend, Roy Jones Jr. Has expressed that he still has a desire to face Anderson Silva in the ring despite Silva's loss to Chris Weidman this summer.  Jones stated that he took his upcoming fight this December against Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf to help get him prepared for a fight with Silva.  Jones hasn't fought in almoat a year and is treating this fight as a warm up fight.

I think that a fight with Anderson Silva in a boxing match could be fun, but I dont think it really benefits either one of the combat sport legends. If one beata the other no one truly wins seeing as both men are at the second end of their careers. It would be a fight for the fans with no solidification of any sorts.  Jones Jr. wins: he beat a fighter out of his prime. Silva wins: he beat a fighter out of his prime. This match means nothing now that both, men are aged and on their way out of their primary sports soon.

A few years a ago the boxer versus mixed martial artist debate was played out and it wasn't pretty at all. James Toney took on Randy Couture in an MMA fight inaide the UFC in which you saw Randy Cooture make James Toney look like a school child against a man. We don't need to see that again. It did nothing good for combat sports whether youre an MMA fan or a boxing fan. It pleases no one. That fight just solidifies my theory. My theory is a boxer can't beat an MMA fightwr in an MMA fight and an MMA fighter cant beat a boxer in boxing match. It is what it is. The idea of the fight of course grabs my curiosity just a bit as to how well Silva would fair against Jones Jr., but I just know he would loseand quite frankly it juat wouldn't be a world class fight what so ever. It would be a fight that favors the boxing community and would even the score between MMA and boxing 1-1 if the fight were to happen.

If news were to break that Nick Diaz or Chris Lytle wanted an exhibition fight against a pro, you would have my undivided attention. In this case, it's a dream fight that would not go as most bandwagon casual fight fans qould expect. It would be a one-sided victory for Jones Jr.

Jon Jones Wants Velasquez in 2014 and Retirement at 30

With Georges St-Pierre talking about possible retirement, fellow UFC Champion Jon Jones is speaking about his retirement as well, but he isn't finished yet.  Jon Jones, who is 26, is looking to retire by the time that he is 30.  Before doing that, he would like to put on a super fight against Cain Velasquez before the end of 2014.  With the Silva super fight pretty much diminished, Jones has admitted that he has really been considering a fight with Cain Velasquez, the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.

A fight with Anderson Silva was something that the UFC was seriously considering if both Silva and Jones had survived their recent title defenses, but Silva failed to defend his title against Weidman.  A fight with Cain Velasquez could be another great move for the UFC to make to get people to tune in. It will be a while before this fight could happen considering both men have contenders lined up in front of them already and both men having injuries.

Which Superfight would you prefer to see Jon Jones in?--Tough Spar MMA

Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez

Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva

Other

Please Specify:

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Sonnen Interview

UFC Releases Okami

It was announced today that the UFC has released longtime Middleweight contender Yushin Okami.

Yushin Okami has been one of the most noteable faces in the UFC's Middleweight Division since his debut in 2006. He has faced both of the UFC's most decorated champions in the form of former champions Rich Franklin and Anderson Silva.  Yushin Okami has been in there with the best 185lbers and beaten the best in the process. He holds victories over some if the best guys in the division.

Okami is coming off of a tko loss to Ronaldo Jacare Souza at UFC Fight night 28. Tushing Okami leaves the organization as the #6 Middleweight in the UFC with a UFC record of 13-5. Yushin Okami was a part of the UFC's first event in Brazil in which he challeneged Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight title.