The prospect of Wanderlei Silva vs Vitor Belfort II is on the horizon and the truly head scratching question is not so much who will win, but rather why such a mismatch on paper is being treated as a legitimate contest. Wanderlei Silva is a declining, chinny brawler whose aggression and swinging wild has been working against him since 2006, while Vitor Belfort is a heavy-handed boxer who decimated Silva a decade ago before the PRIDE superman began his physical decline.
The sport of MMA is a beautiful and fascinating one, but it is a combat sport and so we often have to realize that it is almost as rotten as boxing. Big name fighters are fed stylistic dream match ups, while hardworking fighters without fan interest are sought out simply to lose in the most spectacular fashion possible. In the sport of MMA, where skill sets are so lop-sided and there are so many areas to the fight, putting on glorified exhibitions is an easier task than in any other combat sport. Of course, there is always the chance of an upset, but often the man with the better skill set can be assured to come out on top. Tailor made match ups are far from a crime, and only to be expected in any combat sport, but should always be well considered by the fan before getting caught up in hype.
Examples are not in short supply - just recently Chael Sonnen was matched against one dimensional brawler Brian Stann in order to announce his return to the UFC with a bang. Here are some of the most transparent hype building match ups in recent memory.
Wanderlei Silva vs Vitor Belfort II
Gift match for whom?
Vitor Belfort.
How?
Wanderlei's looping punches and straight forward charges leave colossal gaps for a competent boxer to shoot through. Where Cro Cop ended Silva's image as a world class MMA striker by side stepping the swinging Brazilian's charges, Belfort could easily trade blow for blow and come off the better. Silva has been chinny since his early days, but recently proved vulnerable to even light-fisted Michael Bisping and Cung Le. What's more is that Belfort has already destroyed Silva once before, and neither of their styles has changed all that much since.
Why is this match happening?
Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva are legends in Brazil, and will doubtless gain much attention as the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter Brazil. What's more, the rivalry angle of this match can be played up enormously. Brazilian fighters are always feuding and reconciling (anyone remember when Wanderlei vs Anderson was the talk of the internet?), drama comes naturally to them and will likely make everyone forget the cold, hard logic around this match.
Vitor needs another stunning knockout victory without risking his record against a competent wrestler. When fights go past the opening exchanges, he looks lackluster.
Most hilarious factor?
Vitor Belfort is 7 - 1 in his last 8. Wanderlei Silva is 3 - 5 in his own and looked vulnerable in the most recent two wins. This match makes absolutely no sense from a realistic sporting point of view, only from an entertainment one.
Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson
Gift match for whom?
Kimbo Slice
How?
Kimbo Slice was a one dimensional brawler. He had a big punch and few other skills for MMA.
James Thompson has the worst chin in the heavyweight division and British level wrestling.
Why did this match happen?
Kimbo Slice was the marquee attraction for EliteXC, the famously corrupt promotion under the Pro-Elite banner. After Kimbo's massacring Bo Cantrell and Tank Abbott, EliteXC realised that they would need to have him fight fighters with some notable wins in the last decade to sell the brawler to discerning MMA fans.
Most hilarious factor?
Even with the odds stacked in his favor, Slice couldn't knock out the glass jawed Brit. After getting laid on for much of the second round while being hit with 30 unanswered, wheezing elbows, Kimbo eventually finished with an unspectacular TKO by opening Thompson's cauliflower ear. The legend of Kimbo's punching power, all that he had, went up in smoke.
Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir
Gift match for whom?
Brock Lesnar
How?
Frank Mir already had a history of being pounded out on his back after he lost his first submission attempts. Ian Freeman did it, Marcio Cruz did it, and Brandon Vera finished him by trapping him in half guard and TKOing him.
Why did this match happen?
Brock Lesnar was anticipated to be a huge draw even in his debut with the UFC, but management wanted more than that. They wanted to build him up to a title shot in record time. Mir was an ex-champion who had looked unspectacular in his matches since his return from a tragic motorcycle accident. As mentioned before, he has also always struggled when trapped under competent positional grapplers. Mir also had little to no striking ability, and his wrestling was sub-par. Brock Lesnar was stylistically tailor made to lay on Mir for either three rounds or until he could hammerfist Mir into unconsciousness. It only took half an hour of Countdown to UFC footage for everyone to forget Mir's recent slump and believe he was a top ten fighter.
Most hilarious factor?
It's always funny when a gift match up backfires on the promoter. A chance stand up and inexperience had Lesnar caught in a kneebar in Mir's only seconds of effective offense throughout the short match. The UFC PR department rolled with the punch however, and both men were suddenly top ten prospects, setting up a rematch for the title which went exactly the same way as the first, but with Lesnar not giving Mir the space to move.
Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin
Gift match for whom?
Anderson Silva
How?
Anderson Silva is a counter-puncher to the point of inactivity if his opponent doesn't oblige him. Forrest Griffin has pillow fists and relentless aggression. Anderson could make a fool of Forrest without fear of getting hurt. Both are world class fighters, but Forrest's lack of wrestling meant he couldn't get this fight to the ground even if he wanted to. Add to this the understanding that he and UFC management apparently had that he would run at Silva and it seems almost as shady as the aforementioned EliteXC offering Seth Petruzelli a bonus for standing with Kimbo Slice.
Why did this match happen?
Anderson Silva is the greatest fighter on the planet, but he does himself no favors when he refuses to engage with Jiu-Jitsu players or people who won't throw the first punch. After a pair of spectacularly unimpressive performances against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, it was necessary for him to make a big splash. A fight at 205lbs against a legitimate contender would do this. But why would they pick one of the multitude of well rounded wrestlers or power punchers such as Quinton Jackson or even Matt Hammill for him to meet when they had a number 2 ranked lightheavweight who was tailor-made to stand with and lose to him.
Most hilarious moment?
The most hilarious moment of this fight was the many MMA fans who didn't realize it was Anderson's stylistic match up that made him so incredible here and so lackluster in his last two title defenses. What is even more impressive is the amount of weight fans and spectators put on "motivation". The Griffin win was put down to want of a challenge, while the mediocre performances against lesser competition at middleweight were put down to lack of interest. When Silva met Demian Maia in his next fight and again refused to engage, it became obvious to all but the most stubborn fanatics that styles make fights.
Even for the greatest fighter on earth.
Anderson Silva's striking tactics and techniques will be broken down in Jack Slack's upcoming ebook: "Advanced Striking: Tactics of Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA Masters" which will be available around Easter.
Jack Slack can be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA
No comments:
Post a Comment