Everyone knew Anderson “The Spider” Silva was a fighter of unusual ability even before he first entered the octagon. But nobody could have guessed the degree to which he would dominate the Middleweight division. The world caught a glimpse at Ultimate Fight Night Five when The Spider dismantled Chris Leben. Soon thereafter, it was announced that Anderson Silva would fight Rich Franklin for the Middleweight title at UFC 64.
The outcome was remarkable-not because Franklin lost, but because Franklin was outclassed. Silva’s dominance was immediate and severe. That was just the beginning. Since then, Silva has walked through Travis Lutter, Nathan Marquardt, Rich Franklin again at UFC 77 and Dan Henderson.
So what does a fighter do when he sits atop a division, looks down from his seat as champion and sees no rising contenders? Easy. He jumps weight classes.
Silva’s boredom was evident in March when there was talk of a fight with Roy Jones, Jr, but no contracts were signed. Easy. Two months later, Silva had a meeting withUFC president Dana White, who told MMAWeekly , “This guy [Silva] sat down at a meeting with us, literally two months ago, and said ‘you’re not fighting me enough, I want to fight more.’” The result was the offer to fight James Irvin at 205lbs. Silva accepted.
In a recent interview with Tatame.com, Silva said that he does not intend to stay in the Light-Heavyweight Division. “I am only doing it because I was asked and I think I can,” Silvasiad, “I have no desire to dispute this belt because Lyoto [Machida] has alreayd proven that it belongs to him. I am taking the fight because I like to fight and I like the challenges.”
According to Dana White, this is just the beginning. After the July 19 fight with Irvin, Silva will drop back to 185lbs. to defend the Middleweight Title againstYushin Okami at UFC 88 on September 6. If he gets through Okami , Silva will fight Patrick Cote, after which he may jump weight classes again. “He wants to keep sticking his foot in the 205 division to feel it out…I think he wants both belts,” White said.
While there is little doubt that Silva could establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Light-Heavyweight Division, the question remains: Does Silva want to? It doesn’t look like it, but only time will tell. For Dana White, it could be marketing gold. A fight with a dominant Middleweight champion in pursuit of the Light-Heavyweight title would sell a lot of tickets and Pay-Per-Views, especially if the fighter across the cage is a Chuck Liddell, a Forest Griffin, or a Rashad Evans.
The MMA world will have to wait and see. Anderson Silva’s fight ton July 19 against James Irvin may offer a glimpse into The Spider’s future and the future of the Light-Heavyweight division.