By Jason Kelly
www.twitter.com/jaykaymma“He front-kicked him in the face,” Joe Rogan announced with intense excitement when Anderson “The Spider” Silva knocked out Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort at UFC 126.
The devastating kick instantly changed the tune of every Belfort fan inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Silva showed the world once again why he is considered one of the elite fighters in the sport of MMA, but the question remains: Who is left for Anderson Silva to fight?
The UFC middleweight champion has debunked every challenge the UFC has thrown his way. We have watched Silva stifle his opponents with precise striking, we all suffered through “The Spider’s” unsportsmanlike antics, and he proved his will when he fought through adversity and injury for almost five rounds before submitting Chael Sonnen.
No matter what your opinion is, the truth is that Silva has accomplished everything required to be among the best this sport has to offer, and once again challengers are wearing thin for the Brazilian.
Silva has three opponents left that make sense and solidify his legacy if he comes out victorious in each fight.
Yushin Okami
The UFC has neglected Yushin Okami’s title shot long enough. The Japanese standout holds a 10-2 mark in the Octagon, losing only to Rich Franklin and Sonnen, and Okami is currently riding a three-fight win streak. But Silva’s unfinished business with Okami is the vital reason this fight needs to occur.
When the two met in January 2006 at “Rumble on the Rock 8” Silva was decisively winning the first round. Okami was outclassed on his feet and only after three attempts did he finally achieve a takedown. Once they hit the mat Silva inadvertently kicked Okami in the face while the Japanese star’s knees were on the canvas, which made the strike illegal and chalked a loss on Silva’s record.
That was Silva’s most recent defeat. Add the fact that Okami is extremely relevant in the UFC 185-pound division, and having the two scrap again, in the Octagon, makes sense.
Okami is a physically stronger fighter than he was when they first locked up in 2006 and he is an expert in the wrestler style that has shown the most success against Silva. The champ, meanwhile, has proven to be one of the world’s preeminent mixed martial artists and, with the thought of vengeance on his mind, it’s a safe prediction that the Black House fighter to come with all cylinders firing.
Having Okami as Silva’s next opponent would also allow Georges St-Pierre the time to gain the weight to compete against Silva at 185 pounds, bringing us to our next bout.
Georges St-Pierre
From the fight fans that “instruct” the fighters they see on television perched on a bar stool to the most dedicated MMA fanatics, all that is wanted is Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre.
St-Pierre is at the top of his game right now, and a fight between he and Silva is something everyone desires prior to “The Spider” losing his edge. Both men can make the claim of cleaning out their respective divisions, capturing and defending multiple UFC championship belts, and having difficulty finding competition that will pose a problem in the cage.
Silva would be the biggest opponent St-Pierre has ever faced. Silva’s unpredictable striking skill set is something for which GSP could not easily plan. The Canadian has a heck of a control game, and if he could take the knockout artist down and keep him there, Silva could be in trouble. If not, Silva would win and have one last fight that hypothetically would need to happen.
Jon Jones
If Jon Jones became the UFC light heavyweight champion and Silva was victorious against Okami and St-Pierre, we would have the possibility of this paramount fight.
Jones carries the same mystique that Silva held when he entered the UFC five years ago. People quickly took notice of the greatness of “Bones” as his respectable foes were getting dominated, the same way Silva fans jumped on board after his first fight with Franklin. Silva held the UFC middleweight belt before Jones was even training in an MMA gym and to see two generations of influential fighters engage in battle inside the Octagon would be monumental for the sport.
Jones has the length, speed and strength to compete with Silva, along with the explosiveness, unpredictability and dexterity to match the Brazilian legend. The sum of those elements equals a fight that is rare in the 20 years of MMA: the best of two eras in one fight while they are both still at the pinnacle of their game.
In a perfect world, these scenarios would play out exactly like that, but the world is not perfect. As of now, these three fights are nothing more than a wish. However, the possibility of Silva fighting Jones, St-Pierre and Okami before his retirement seems plausible.
Silva could leave this sport today and go down as one of the finest mixed martial artists to ever walk the planet. Long before Rogan announced Silva’s tremendous front kick, he declared Silva’s style a “ballet of violence.” Silva’s spectacles, good or bad, are incredible to watch, and to anyone who doubts him, watch Silva kick someone in the face.
http://mmadiehards.com/features/anderson-silva-three-who-should-visit-the-spiders-web/
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