UFC 101 Anderson's next fight

[AE14]

Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva (not Thiago Silva) targeted for UFC 101 | MMAjunkie.com

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will apparently scrap a UFC 101 bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and top contender Thiago Silva (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in favor of a Griffin vs. Anderson Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC) match-up.

Sources close to the organization today told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) a meeting was held last week to discuss the Anderson Silva vs. Griffin bout and that verbal agreements may now be in place.

Anderson Silva, fresh off a heavily criticized title defense over Thales Leites at UFC 97, will now move up a weight class for the non-title fight with Griffin.

Although not officially announced by the organization, UFC 101 takes place Aug. 8, most likely at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The event also features a UFC lightweight title fight between title-holder B.J. Penn and top contender Kenny Florian.

Rumors of the potential Anderson Silva vs. Griffin bout began showing up last week after some cryptic emails were sent to a variety of MMA news outlets. The flames were fanned when seemingly unsubstantiated reports of the rumored fight were posted on a few MMA message boards over the weekend.

Although the fight is now close to official (but not signed), a source close to Thiago Silva told MMAjunkie.com the fighter was unaware his fight with Griffin had been scratched. Even as of this morning, the fighter was apparently under the impression he was still scheduled to fight Griffin at UFC 101.

MMAjunkie.com first reported in March that the UFC had lined up the Thiago Silva vs. Griffin fight, which many considered a bout that would determined the light heavyweight division's No. 1 contender after Quinton Jackson. Jackson is scheduled to fight the winner of a UFC 98 bout between current champ Evans and Lyoto Machida later this summer.

The source isn't sure if Thiago Silva will remain on the UFC 101 card with a new opponent or if he'll be shifted to another event.

As for Anderson Silva, UFC officials wasted no time scheduling him for his next fight. He most recently fought on April 18 as a headliner for UFC 97. He entered the fight as a significant favorite, and though he won a lopsided unanimous-decision victory, Anderson Silva was criticized for what seemed a conservative game plan in which he opted not to follow Leites, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, to the ground.

UFC President Dana White called the fight "embarrassing" and "disappointing," and he openly questioned if Anderson Silva needed another challenge at 205 pounds. The fighter, who picked up a UFC record ninth straight victory with the Leites win, moved up to 205 pounds in July 2008 for a non-title fight with James Irvin, and the Brazilian striker has made no secret of his intentions to move up a weight class again in the future.

The UFC has apparently obliged.

Good matchup, and are very interested in seeing Anderson against a much bigger fighter

 

[Rodja]

There is some contention about this because the original source is less than credible.

 

[AE14]

I hope it works out, we shall see

 

[Rodja]

I'm tired of the Anderson hype machine. Way too many people buying into the hype.

 

[dynomite]

but for the moment lets just pretend that this article is true. That fight will be awesome. Our wishes of Anderson fighting someone with balls will finally come true.

 

[Rodja]

Guess it is true

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AnADAHy0fIrcCZ5c3UBaLg45nYcB?slug=ki-silvagriffin042909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

[Jessep76]

101 just got interesting! I just pee'd a little... in my pants.

 

[AE14]

glad it turned out to be true. Anderson better bring a good plan, Forrest will be huge (weight wise) come fight time

 

[AE14]

interesting article too, as he wants to fight Fedor and I wonder who the other 185er is that White is talking about signing

 

[Rodja]

interesting article too, as he wants to fight Fedor and I wonder who the other 185er is that White is talking about signing

I wish he would fight Fedor so Dana would shut the hell up. The only other MW I can think of would be Mousasi (although I think he is moving up to LHW), Lawler, or Vitor. Maybe Manhoef or Jacare, but they are virtual unknowns to the US MMA audience.

 

[AE14]

I can't see another 185er out there who can stay with him. 205 is the only move imo.

 

[Mulletsoldier]

I can't see another 185er out there who can stay with him. 205 is the only move imo.

As long as they do not pull a Leites, I would like to see Mousassi and/or Maia against A. Silva.

 

[AE14]

I could see Maia trying the same nonsense. As on his feet, Maia stands little chance.

 

[bigwhiteguy29]

shoot i jsut hate waiting im getting so excited! oh well better go hit some pads.

my only guesses were Lawler, and Vitor.

What happened to FOrrest and Thiago, was it never for sure?

 

[Jessep76]

It was talked about but this is much better!
I'd be pretty surprised if Lawler came back. Or was asked back for that matter. Same with Vitor. Granted I have no clue as to why UFC signs fighters then stops bringing them back and then brings them back once more like Uno for instance.

 

[Rodja]

It was talked about but this is much better!
I'd be pretty surprised if Lawler came back. Or was asked back for that matter. Same with Vitor. Granted I have no clue as to why UFC signs fighters then stops bringing them back and then brings them back once more like Uno for instance.

Vitor has never been an exclusive UFC fighter. He's fought for Pride, Strikeforce, Affliction, Cage Rage, and UFC.

 

[bla55]

I'm pumped about this fight... This will really be a good test. If Anderson pulls a win on this he'll have then defeated a very recent tittle holder on a heavier division. This will be crucial to show if he's really a great fighter or if it really is due to a thin division.

I'm excited.

 

[Mick81]

I like how they've matched Silva up with someone who will bring the fight, Forrest won't quit either, so it should be a good fight to watch.

I wonder how long it will take the UFC to match Silva up for a title shot at 205, if he gets past Forrest.

 

[SVT01]

yea i just saw this on ufc.com

this will be a damn good fight......i personally am tired of silva this silva that.....the leites fight was a huge letdown....all leites wanted to do was lay on his back and try to get silva on the ground and whenever silva had a chance to engage on him he wouldnt.....he's been fighting too conservative lately and way too hyped up....i'd like to see forrest get another W after losin his belt and we all know the more shots he takes the more he fights(the rampage fight for the title)

we shall see!!

 

[0-hero]

Id love to see Vitor in there, it would be a barn burner.

 

[AE14]

Id love to see Vitor in there, it would be a barn burner.

Vitor is an interesting option at 185, maybe not for Silva per se, but against some of the other top guys, it could be exciting

 

[0-hero]

Again though like a lot of fighters these days, your asking yourself which version is going to turn up.

We havent really seen Silva under pressure from a technical striker with fast hand speed (Vitor) but we do know he is seemingly a better counter puncher than taking the fight to the opposition.

I also think alves could go up easily depending on how he does against GSP.

A few years ago id have thrown Vera into the mix hes still looking soft at 205.

Also im from the UK so id like to see him fight Bisping, Mike would lose no doubt in my mind but i want him tested hard as hes never really been "beat up" i would like the hype or otherwise settled.

 

[AE14]

I like Bisping, but I am not sure he makes it by Hendo, no matter how much trash Bisping talks

 

[0-hero]

Agreed its not a UK Vs US thing but i really have never liked Hendo and would like to see him get KO'd.

If it had been Franklin Vs Bisping, id actually be routing for Rich.

As for the trash talking, hes always been the same, even in cage rage the guy had a big mouth but often backed it up.

I think being the first major UK success in the UFC he feels an obligation to put us on the map through any means, i know Ian freeman is well known but he didnt recieve the push Mike has.

I think Dana knows he will never hold the belt so hes not concerned if hes not all that marketable to the US guys, hes just using him to get exposure here in the UK and its working.

Problem is now though in the UK, everyone has a tapout t shirt on in the streets and everyone trains "UFC".

 

[Jessep76]

Again though like a lot of fighters these days, your asking yourself which version is going to turn up.

We havent really seen Silva under pressure from a technical striker with fast hand speed (Vitor) but we do know he is seemingly a better counter puncher than taking the fight to the opposition.

I also think alves could go up easily depending on how he does against GSP.

A few years ago id have thrown Vera into the mix hes still looking soft at 205.

Also im from the UK so id like to see him fight Bisping, Mike would lose no doubt in my mind but i want him tested hard as hes never really been "beat up" i would like the hype or otherwise settled.

I think the Matt Hamell vs Bisping was a great fight. I'd love to see a rematch between the two. It was really close anyway. He was definitely pushed in that fight. One thing is certain IMO is that it would be an exciting fight for however long it would last against Silva. Hendo I'm not so sure. I think Dan will take him to the ground and try for a quick finish. I hope not though.
Vera is looking better granted the last guy he looked great against didn't belong in the ring that night. If you are implying that he'd maybe look sharper at 185 then I might have to agree if that is possible.

 

[SpargelJanusz]

Anderson Silva, standing a notch below 6'2'', certainly did not look the 206 lbs he supposedly weighed in at when fighting the sandman.

And Griffin is an even bigger guy - from a pure physical standpoint, the cards here are in Griffin's favour.

 

[bla55]

Anderson Silva, standing a notch below 6'2'', certainly did not look the 206 lbs he supposedly weighed in at when fighting the sandman.

And Griffin is an even bigger guy - from a pure physical standpoint, the cards here are in Griffin's favour.

True. 100% agree. But then, what if Anderson wins? That's the big pickle IMO.

 

[0-hero]

Anderson and Dana have stated he cuts from 230lbs a few times in interviews.

I wonder what Griffin is come fight night.

 

[Rodja]

Anderson and Dana have stated he cuts from 230lbs a few times in interviews.

I wonder what Griffin is come fight night.

I call bullshit on that one. There is no way that he walks around at 230. Griffin walks around in the 230-240 range, so I'd say he is around 225-230 come fight time.

 

[Jessep76]

Call me crazy but I thought anderson walked around at just above 205. I thought maybe Goldberg said something like that when he was putting sandman to sleep.
Like 210 abouts?

 

[bla55]

I'd say around the 210's as well.

Sh!t, look at the trouble Wandy has to cut down to 185 from walking around at 230 with close to no BF on.

 

[Rodja]

I'd say around the 210's as well.

Sh!t, look at the trouble Wandy has to cut down to 185 from walking around at 230 with close to no BF on.

Wand walks around at ~210. He has never been a huge LHW, even in Pride.

 

[0-hero]

He dont look 230 to me granted but it wouldnt suprise me given some of the weight these guys cut.

He weighed in at 205 against the sandman and still looked 185, hes a freak for sure.

 

[Rodja]

He dont look 230 to me granted but it wouldnt suprise me given some of the weight these guys cut.

He weighed in at 205 against the sandman and still looked 185, hes a freak for sure.

He's fought as low as 167. No F'ing way he walks around at 230. Traditionally, Brazilians are not big weight cutters; that is really more of a US MMA thing.

 

[JZ7757]

I think we all should know that you cannot take anythign Goldberg says very seriously, lol.

Roja is right about the weight cutting (except for Tibau, lol). This stems from the US wrestling pedigree.

I believe Anderson has said around 213-218lbs max is his walk around weight. Should be an awesome fight and Forest could pull off the UD upset (3 rounds) if he is very careful and has a good game plan.

 

[SpargelJanusz]

Anderson Silva said himself he walks around at 210, sometimes 215 pounds .... I wonder, where does he hide it? He looks almost thin, as if his natural weight was around 180 lbs.

 

[luclyluciano]

I don't see Griffin winning this although I want someone to end the Anderson Hype.........he is very good.

 

[Emerge]

I don't get this match up. If they are trying to get excitement from Silva, why put him against Forrest? Forrest isn't the same fighter that he was when he fought Bonnar. After getting knocked out by Jardine, he got much more cautious. I suspect he'll be even more cautious after his last KO.

Then again, Griffin will atleast stand there with Silva, even if he just goes for the quick combos and then resets.

Vitor would interest me. He looked great against what's his face, and he's always been very quick and strong with his punching abilities. Isn't he also a BJJ black belt?

 

[luclyluciano]

I don't get this match up. If they are trying to get excitement from Silva, why put him against Forrest? Forrest isn't the same fighter that he was when he fought Bonnar. After getting knocked out by Jardine, he got much more cautious. I suspect he'll be even more cautious after his last KO.

Then again, Griffin will atleast stand there with Silva, even if he just goes for the quick combos and then resets.

Vitor would interest me. He looked great against what's his face, and he's always been very quick and strong with his punching abilities. Isn't he also a BJJ black belt?

X2 on that one.

 

[bigwhiteguy29]

WANDY said he walks around at 208!!!! omg how you that guy say 230. anderson prolly weighed 203 3 months before the james irvin fight with lots and lots of water. i think hes at 210 then cuts for a slow 2 weeks and then a lil faster 2 weeks for 185. if you saw anderson on the ultimate fighter training with bader he looked big and creatine like.

 

[Rodja]

I don't get this match up. If they are trying to get excitement from Silva, why put him against Forrest? Forrest isn't the same fighter that he was when he fought Bonnar. After getting knocked out by Jardine, he got much more cautious. I suspect he'll be even more cautious after his last KO.

Then again, Griffin will atleast stand there with Silva, even if he just goes for the quick combos and then resets.

Vitor would interest me. He looked great against what's his face, and he's always been very quick and strong with his punching abilities. Isn't he also a BJJ black belt?

He's been a BJJ BB (under the late Carlson Gracie) for over a decade, but you rarely see his ground game.

 

[0-hero]

Ive suggested Vitor on a few boards and got torn to shreds, only here has is been considered as a legit match up.

Cant be anyworse than cote ffs.

 

[Mulletsoldier]

Ive suggested Vitor on a few boards and got torn to shreds, only here has is been considered as a legit match up.

Cant be anyworse than cote ffs.

Cote engaged Anderson, had relatively effective striking [what did occur] and controlled the Octagon during the three rounds prior to his injury. He also took two or three clean and open shots from Anderson [one was a headkick] without buckling. If Anderson had actually engaged with a fighter who was trying to engage with him, that fight would have been good.

 

[JZ7757]

^^exactly. I think Cote certainly did a much better job than Laites. For the Cote fight, I think if Anderson did less dancing and more exchanging (and maybe felt threatened) that fight would have been good. Do I think Cote could have pulled off the win? Not really, but it would have been a better fight.

I think with this Forest fight, given his name/reputation/tenactity, combined with the last two fights and criticism Anderson has been hearing, this will be an awesome fight. Anderson will not be able to (nor I suspect want to) dance around the Oct for three rounds.

 

[Mulletsoldier]

^^exactly. I think Cote certainly did a much better job than Laites. For the Cote fight, I think if Anderson did less dancing and more exchanging (and maybe felt threatened) that fight would have been good. Do I think Cote could have pulled off the win? Not really, but it would have been a better fight.

Definitely. I feel the exact same way. Cote was willing to engage and pressing the action; Anderson chose to dance!

I think with this Forest fight, given his name/reputation/tenactity, combined with the last two fights and criticism Anderson has been hearing, this will be an awesome fight. Anderson will not be able to (nor I suspect want to) dance around the Oct for three rounds.

Word, and; if Anderson chooses to Chippendale instead of fight, his fights will always be put on the undercard from now on, until he reverses that trend.

 

[JZ7757]

^Bummer is it is only three rounds = less Chippendaling, unfortunitly. lol

 

[0-hero]

Cote engaged Anderson, had relatively effective striking [what did occur] and controlled the Octagon during the three rounds prior to his injury. He also took two or three clean and open shots from Anderson [one was a headkick] without buckling. If Anderson had actually engaged with a fighter who was trying to engage with him, that fight would have been good.

Thats cool, we'll agree to disagree.

 

[bigwhiteguy29]

would they ever put on title match on the undercard? i dont think so. lowest it would go is one up from the opeing main card and it would have to be a stacked card with other title matches and huge grudge big name matches

 

[Mulletsoldier]

would they ever put on title match on the undercard? i dont think so. lowest it would go is one up from the opeing main card and it would have to be a stacked card with other title matches and huge grudge big name matches

The undercard is everything aside from the main event, bwg; and so, the fight immediately prior to the "main event" is considered part of the undercard.

And yes, I think Dana would employ a strategy like that: placing Anderson's title matches only on PPV events with others vying for titles, or; on free events such as the 'Page v., Hendo fight.

After these past two fights, Anderson has little-to-no draw for the TUF'er and/or casual MMA fan; the fans that are providing the gates and PPV draw in earnest. Appreciation for a tactician, smart-fighting, and MMA purism aside, Anderson has been highly disappointing from an entertainment perspective his last two fights: as much as matches are made on records, they are made to be entertainment (as Volcom said). Anderson is no longer entertaining; and so, he is no longer the maincard!

 

[SpargelJanusz]

Anderson Silva vs Vitor(io) Belfort would rule. I still love how the Phenom devasted Matt "the worn out" Lindland.