***spoilers*** UFC News and Discussion Thread

[Cactus Drags]

Here's the thing regarding Anderson Silva.

It doesn't matter for two seconds if you're the best in the world, if you act the way that he does. He was a champion for christ sake, breaking records here there and everywhere. This attitude that people have towards him? It didn't start last night - it's been there and it's especially been there ever since the showboating act he did with Maia. It was a piss poor way to fight and a piss poor attitude for someone who by then was a major ambassador for the sport.

And now you have people going around saying that Anderson Silva could only lose if there was a fix in or if he threw the fight himself. Him throwing the fight? I don't know.. it's more believable than some kind of fix - but his comments before and after the bout aren't a clear indicator to me as to whether or not he meant to go in there and lose. If anything, to me it's a buffer if he did - and if so, that's a terrible thing to do to his opponent. And not even in the playful "oh, you MMA fighters" way that these guys go at each other outside of the ring. Now there's a big section of people out there who don't legitimately look at Chris Weidman's reign as legitimate now... all because Silva wanted to dance around, pretend he's hurt, etc.

If he truly wanted to stop with being the champion, vacate the damn title and leave both you and whatever opponent you would've faced with some dignity.

I couldn't have put it better myself, that's my exact problem with it. It's just a disgraceful lack of respect for other fighters, and I hate how there's so many apologists defending him because he's the greatest fighter. I don't know about you, but when I see someone billed as the greatest fighter on a card, I want to see that guy actually fight, not prat around and make a complete farce of the sport.

[Gazz]

Silva forgot the first two rules of fighting.

1. Respect your opponent.

2. Keep your guard up.

I roll with higher level belts all the time, black belt guys who could beat me with no hands and their eyes shut, but they still don't clown around and that's just training. I'd be pissed off if they did and so would a lot, if not all the other professors, coaches and students.

GSP and Aldo certainly would never do it, Jones, maybe in the future, the potential arrogance is already there.

[Benjamin]

Man, watching that left hook again and seeing Anderson's eyes roll into the back of his head is gold.

[Summers]

Silva forgot the first two rules of fighting.

1. Respect your opponent.

2. Keep your guard up.

I roll with higher level belts all the time, black belt guys who could beat me with no hands and their eyes shut, but they still don't clown around and that's just training. I'd be pissed off if they did and so would a lot, if not all the other professors, coaches and students.

GSP and Aldo certainly would never do it, Jones, maybe in the future, the potential arrogance is already there.

I kinda disagree, yanno. Silva's "disrespect" was mindgames. I imagine he did respect the guys he was in there with, but part of his thing was toying with them, and playing with them. Making them feel uneasy, and making people look at him as untouchable and unbeatable.. Obviously cost him, but it was how he decided he wanted to handle his fights.

[Rich]

Here's the thing regarding Anderson Silva.

It doesn't matter for two seconds if you're the best in the world, if you act the way that he does. He was a champion for christ sake, breaking records here there and everywhere. This attitude that people have towards him? It didn't start last night - it's been there and it's especially been there ever since the showboating act he did with Maia. It was a piss poor way to fight and a piss poor attitude for someone who by then was a major ambassador for the sport.

And now you have people going around saying that Anderson Silva could only lose if there was a fix in or if he threw the fight himself. Him throwing the fight? I don't know.. it's more believable than some kind of fix - but his comments before and after the bout aren't a clear indicator to me as to whether or not he meant to go in there and lose. If anything, to me it's a buffer if he did - and if so, that's a terrible thing to do to his opponent. And not even in the playful "oh, you MMA fighters" way that these guys go at each other outside of the ring. Now there's a big section of people out there who don't legitimately look at Chris Weidman's reign as legitimate now... all because Silva wanted to dance around, pretend he's hurt, etc.

If he truly wanted to stop with being the champion, vacate the damn title and leave both you and whatever opponent you would've faced with some dignity.

I couldn't have put it better myself, that's my exact problem with it. It's just a disgraceful lack of respect for other fighters, and I hate how there's so many apologists defending him because he's the greatest fighter. I don't know about you, but when I see someone billed as the greatest fighter on a card, I want to see that guy actually fight, not prat around and make a complete farce of the sport.

He was basically copying Roy Jones Jr, and nobody who is a boxing fan see's him as anything other than one of the greats, Ali showboated, yet barely anybody reacts like this to him. Lets be honest, the reaction his been disporportional to the crime, and Anderson got what he deserved as he is no longer champion. if Weidman is to be considered a legitmate champion he would have to defend the belt as that is often what people get called on, it happened to Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar, they had cries of a lack of legitimacyand then went and have gone on to be great champions. Weidman, if he is as good as he thinks he is, will be able to defent the belt and that is when he will be called legitimate.

[Toe]

I just saw it as strategy. Silva wanted the fight standing, so his taunting was a way to keep the fight standing.

[apsham]

Of course it was a strategy. That's a given from the start considering.. that's what he did in the fight. I don't think that really changes anything that people have been saying. It just got away from him and really wasn't all that great of one against Weidman.

[EddieG]

Anderson Silva was asked how the perfect fight against Chris Weidman would go, at 5:00

[Benjamin]

You're crazy if you're going to believe anything that comes out of Anderson Silva's mouth. I'm still pissed at whoever taught him what the word "hespect" means.

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, that post-fight interview was a load of drivel, and all it did was try and downplay what Weidman did.

[gunnar hendershow]

He basically buried the belt. It was like he was HHH.

[Rafael]

Trying to make excuses for the loss of the BRAZILIAN HERO!, some newspapers said Anderson Silva bet $1,000,000 on Chris Weidman winning the fight.

[Walker]

Surely it's illegal to place a bet on something if you directly influence the outcome? People get in trouble for that.

Unless you mean he told someone to place a bet on his behalf, which is still probably illegal but at least a greyer area.

[GoN_]

Just watched the fight. What an asshole... Laughed hard at the end.

[Rafael]

Surely it's illegal to place a bet on something if you directly influence the outcome? People get in trouble for that.

Unless you mean he told someone to place a bet on his behalf, which is still probably illegal but at least a greyer area.

Yup, I think someone did it in his behalf.

[Gazz]

Betting a million on Weidman still wouldn't have made him as much as a super fight.

[Drock007]

Betting a million on Weidman still wouldn't have made him as much as a super fight.

Im guessing he would of won more just winning the fight, with all the under the table bonuses and stuff

[Rich]

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Brazilian media's reporting is short of the mark. For instance they were reporting that only 20% of the tickets for Saturdays card had been sold earlier in the week. I think there were a few more people in the arena than the reported 2,500 tickets that had been sold.

[gunnar hendershow]

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Brazilian media's reporting is short of the mark. For instance they were reporting that only 20% of the tickets for Saturdays card had been sold earlier in the week. I think there were a few more people in the arena than the reported 2,500 tickets that had been sold.

I think it just sounded louder on TV because UFC borrowed the Goldberg chants from WCW. I thought it was weird hearing that all night.

[GhostMachine]

I'm sick of reading comments by people at various places saying the fight was fixed or that Silva threw the fight. All that happened is that his showboating and taunting finally bit him in the ass, which was bound to eventually happen.

I also don't like comments I've seen comparing Silva to Muhammad Ali, because of the showboating. Ali did it to be entertaining and as part of his rope-a-dope fighting style. Silva does it to lure opponents in to his counterpunching fighting style. The big difference is that Silva comes off as a dick.