The UFC is in a fragile position right now given the injuries that have claimed multiple victims and cards since late spring of this year and continues spilling into the fall months. We have to treat this situation like a mogwai, making sure these fighter’s do not eat after midnite, stay away from bright lights, and for the love of Vader, do not get them wet! If everything plays out, we have solid cards to look forward to before (and after) the Mayan catastrophe in December; we will still be operational on 12/22, don’t fret friends.
Staying optimistic and hopeful is one thing but we will not jinx anything post UFC 153, a card that was decent with the original main event of Jose Aldo vs. Eric Koch for the featherweight title, then it got pumped with rawesome as Koch bowed out (injury) and Frankie Edgar stepped in….good right? It was until both fighters pulled out of the main event, only to have the co-main event get squashed on the same day when Rampage Jackson walked away (injury…again) and the card was left on the operating table, gushing out and fading fast.
Enter: Anderson Silva. The man is not only the greatest fighter ever to participate in mixed martial arts but is the closest thing we have to Bruce Wayne; a superhero with no “powers” but just raw talent and skill. Filling in to save a card in his own country of Brazil, the UFC middleweight champion is venturing once again into the light heavyweight division to do battle with “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar. Despite opening with the odds stacked heavily against him (Silva favored 14:1) Bonnar is no slouch and will give everything he has in this main event which could end in an upset that would alter the face of the sport as we know it.
Stop yelling at the screen telling me how wrong I am and give Bonnar a chance. He has gone on to build a name for himself, much because of the war he had with Forrest Griffin on the “TUF Season One” finale and has always been a fan favorite and company man, remaining on the Zuffa roster at times when we scratched our heads asking why. Truth is, Bonnar should be credited with the success of MMA and the UFC more than his hairy chested counterpart in Griffin; he is half the equation but in my opinion, the better of the two and if he loses in Rio to Silva, this fighter won’t run out of the octagon like a spoiled child.
The current trend of fighters going outside of their normal classes in order to save cards from injury or other cancellations needs to be looked at not only as something fighters should all be ready for, but also show Dana White and Joe Silva that fans love the idea of a “superfight” more than a champion fight, after they have conspired and scheduled who they think is a worthy challenger for the respective title on the line. Am I wrong? Personally, I know more people are open to purchasing the pay per view now than when it was scheduled as Aldo vs. Koch or even Aldo vs. Edgar.
The days of selling tickets and numbers based on a belt defense are gone. The sport needs a revival from the point winning and wrestle-humping that has taken over in the past few years and we need to see more catchweight fights. Let us view fighters who are willing to put everything they have on the line, not just for the fans entertainment but because they want to put on a show and prove why they individually feel they are the best in the world of MMA.
Vitor Belfort demonstrated the mentioned thought best in his fight against Jon Jones. He not only exposed a weakness in the champion’s game of jiu jitsu defense but was able to last almost five rounds before submitting to an Americana.
Who would you like to see in a catchweight bout? Do you think Bonnar has a chance against Anderson on October 13? Let is know in the comments below!
