Anderson Silva wants to fight Frank Mir

[Mr. IWS]

Stay away Frank. As Bas Rutten says....Don't Do it!



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... z0OpJd99SQ (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/josh_gross/08/20/anderson.silva.heavyweight/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OpJd99SQ)

Rumour has it that UFC middleweight champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva is looking to move up to heavyweight to challenge former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. Well he did say he wanted a challenge now didn’t he?

According to SportsIllustarted.com representatives of the Brazilian have already approached the UFC about another move up in weight and were the ones that mentioned Frank Mir as a possible opponent.

With very little left for him at middleweight and the UFC running the risk of him tearing through their star packed light heavyweight division, the promotion may have very little option than to match him with the big boys

Anderson Silva wants big-money event fights. And he's willing to work at heavyweight to make sure they happen.
Prior to Silva's flooring Forrest Griffin earlier this month in Philadelphia, SI.com confirmed that Silva's representatives had spoken with Zuffa about the heralded UFC middleweight champion moving up to heavyweight for the first time in his career.
Not only that, they already had an opponent in mind: Frank Mir.
Disinterested by middleweight contenders Nathan Marquardt, Demian Maia and Dan Henderson, and unwilling to fight close friend Lyoto Machida at light heavyweight -- where Silva could conceivably knock off challengers and make a disaster out of the UFC's marquee division -- "The Spider" needs new, challenging scenarios to stay motivated. A move to heavyweight would certainly achieve that, and according to Silva's manager Ed Soares, the UFC was receptive to the idea.
Based on longevity and dominance, the label of MMA's best fighter has arguably belonged to Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko for the past few years. However, the gap between Emelianenko and Silva has closed to a photo finish. And if the UFC can be convinced that a move to heavyweight is the right plan as 185 sorts itself out, Silva could set himself up to supplant Emelianenko as the sport's best.
It would indeed be impressive for a former world champion at 167 pounds to climb all the way to heavyweight, where blockbusters against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, or, dare we say it, Brock Lesnar, a fight Silva would accept if the money is right, could materialize.
Beyond legacy issues, which media and fans tend to focus on more than fighters, the move up could drastically improve Silva's paydays, which would increase with the size of his opponents and corresponding pay-per-view numbers.
For all those reasons, I like the move.
Sure, the organization's middleweight division features several threats. But outside of Maia, we've already seen Silva brush most challengers aside. Silva's team argues that Henderson, Marquardt and Maia aren't deserving. They want the Marquardt-Maia winner to fight Henderson to establish a true contender in the division. I don't think it's a terrible idea. There shouldn't be any disagreement that Marquardt or Maia against Henderson would be a perfect bout to use the Nevada option of five-round non-title fights (more on that to come).
Otherwise, the one challenger rarely mentioned these days is Yushin Okami, whom Silva should fight before he leaves the division for good. Outside of that, you're talking about Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, both great names and potential draws who are just emerging at 185.
The best bouts might come at light heavyweight -- Silva vs. Rampage; Rashad; Shogun; and down the road, Jon Jones or Gegard Mousasi -- but with Silva and Machida refusing to fight, an extended stay at 205 doesn't make sense. By the sound of things, the talented Brazilians won't compete no matter how much pressure comes down from Dana White and the UFC.
"I'm gonna say there's no way they fight," said Soares, who also manages Machida.
What does that leave? Heavyweight.
Who wouldn't want to see whether Silva at his walk-around 215 to 220 pounds is good enough to defeat opponents regardless of weight? Pound for pound personified, I say. A win or two in the division would embolden fans and media with enough hope that Silva could be the one to stop Lesnar.
The pound-for-pound king an underdog? Imagine that.

[SPX]

I heard about this. I think that Silva's eventually going to bite off more than he can chew. Not only is Mir a heavyweight, but he's a pretty big heavyweight at that.

Personally, I've never liked Silva's attitude much and have never really thought that he's the "humble warrior" that he portrays himself to be. I'd like to see him fight Lyoto and would hope and pray that Lyoto owns his ass.

[Nuoz]

This is crazy. Totally unfair and i bet anderson is being pressured to go up in weight. Why did the ufc pressure Silva to move up, but lets a guy like GSP sit on the 170 division totally unchallenged? This sucks ass if you are an anderson silva fan. The guy is the best, but putting him agaisnt guys like lesnar and so can only have one outcome, Silva will be destroyed and hurt bad, and he should really just stay planted at 185. He already went up twice and destroyed 2 guys way bigger than him, and i doubt he will go to heavyweight, this rumor is probably false.

[Mr. IWS]

Nuoz, welcome to the forum man!

I can see him hanging around with Mir for a while, but your right. Putting him in with guys like Lesnar? That shouldnt even get sanctioned by an athletic commision.

That said, I still love a Pride style freak show every now and then...LOL

[SPX]

This is crazy. Totally unfair and i bet anderson is being pressured to go up in weight. Why did the ufc pressure Silva to move up, but lets a guy like GSP sit on the 170 division totally unchallenged? This sucks ass if you are an anderson silva fan. The guy is the best, but putting him agaisnt guys like lesnar and so can only have one outcome, Silva will be destroyed and hurt bad, and he should really just stay planted at 185. He already went up twice and destroyed 2 guys way bigger than him, and i doubt he will go to heavyweight, this rumor is probably false.

From what I understand, Anderson's manager confirmed that he is interested in fighting Mir and said he wanted to do so because he wanted to be "challenged." I've also heard that Anderson approached the UFC--not the other way around--about vacating the MW belt and moving to LHW permanently. The problem though is that Lyoto is the champ there and they don't want to fight each other.

I think they should fight. That's the only way to determine who's the best between those two and to see if Machida really is unstoppable.

[SPX]

Nuoz, welcome to the forum man!

I can see him hanging around with Mir for a while, but your right. Putting him in with guys like Lesnar? That shouldnt even get sanctioned by an athletic commision.

That said, I still love a Pride style freak show every now and then...LOL

I seriously doubt Silva would ever agree to fight Lesnar. I'd definitely be interested in seeing it, though.

[Mr. IWS]

Mir Responds


A brief break from UFC 102 coverage: last week, SportsIllustrated.com’s Josh Gross circulated a report that had Anderson Silva and management kicking around the idea of a heavyweight bout.

Their ideal opponent? Depending on how Silva decides to pack on weight, diabetes. Second choice: Frank Mir.

If that sounds like an audacious plan, Mir himself doesn’t see it that way. His theories on Silva’s pseudo-challenge and how the hypothetical fight might transpire below.

Sherdog.com: What was your reaction to the news that Anderson Silva was singling you out?

Frank Mir: It would be a pleasure. It would be like saying you get to go in there and hit Tom Brady. Certain people in our sport have certain abilities, and he’s obviously going to be a legend. He’s never sparred with me, so the only way I can get to work with him is to beat him down in a fight. I look at it as a huge honor.

Sherdog.com: Why do you think they floated your name specifically?

Mir: I think he feels that out of all the heavyweights, I’d be the least likely to shoot on him before anybody else. Stylistically, it’s to his advantage. If he’s going to fight a heavyweight, standing up and trying to pick him apart is probably his best avenue for victory. Which heavyweight is less likely to take him down? I probably have one of the weaker shots in the heavyweight division. Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin -- all those guys wrestled in college at high levels. I only wrestled for two years in high school. If you’re going to stop someone’s shot, it’s probably easier to stop mine. I’ve also shown in my last couple of fights that I like to stand up.

Sherdog.com: So you’d stand with him?

Mir: Yeah, as long as I could. If he rings my bell, I’m going to go ahead and try to take him down. But why would I want to take him down right off the bat? I want to move around with the guy. Some of the things he did, I don’t even believe. When I watched the Forrest [Griffin] fight, it looked like I was watching a movie. Some people see that and they’re afraid of it. When I saw Mike Tyson fight when I was a kid and everyone was terrified, I was a 12-year-old going, “Wow, what would it feel like to fight him? How great would that be?”

I’m curious. I want to see what it feels like. I want to test myself against them.
Frank Mir wants to test
himself against Anderson Silva.
Sherdog.com: What about the idea that there’s really no upside to fighting a middleweight, even if it is Anderson? If you beat him, you’re supposed to. If you don’t, you’re losing to a smaller guy.

Mir: Yeah, a lot of people wouldn’t do it. A lot of people wouldn’t have the balls to step in there and take such a huge risk. What if I lose? Who cares, man? Go to war, go to battle and get something out of it. Going into a fight with Anderson, I will gain things on a personal level. It might not make sense to people on paper, it might not make sense financially or career-wise, but it makes sense to me.

If Bruce Lee were reincarnated tomorrow, I would fight him. He weighs 135 lbs. and it might not make sense to people, but a lot of hardcore martial artists would understand why I would want to do it.

Sherdog.com: Do you think Anderson has knockout power against heavyweights?

Mir: That punch he landed on James Irvin look like it landed pretty solidly. I have to think he does hit pretty hard. With those little gloves, it doesn’t take a lot.

Sherdog.com: Has anyone in a position of power actually approached you about this?

Mir: No. Not yet. I’ve even tried to ask a few people and they go, “Well, just worry about Cheick Kongo right now.” As soon as I heard about it, I was calling up my manager and asking, “Hey, is this serious? Because if it is, I want to let you know, please, full steam ahead.” Why wouldn’t I want it? It’s not like you’re asking me to fight Miguel Torres. If he shows up at 220 pounds, I’m between 245 and 255 pounds. That’s not an outrageous size difference.

If I were him and wanted to pick a heavyweight, I’d probably pick Mirko "Cro Cop" first, since you know “Cro Cop” would stand with him the entire time. But I think I’m a good and intelligent choice for him. Brock or Shane would be a dumb choice. They’re not going to stand with him. They’re going to pinch him against the cage, strip him down, and beat him to death. It’s not going to prove anything.

Me and him, we can move around and play a cat and mouse game. I’d be looking to land the heavier, more powerful shots, and he’d be looking to pick me apart, looking for angles. I think it makes for a very exciting, interesting match-up.

Sherdog.com: And on the ground?

Mir: I’d rip his shoulder out of his socket. I roll with jiu-jitsu guys who are better technically than me in jiu-jitsu, but if I catch something, there’s no getting it back.

[natman2939]

I think Frank could potentially be the easiest fight at HW for Anderson, he's already been ko'd by Vera (though his stand up has improved since then we're talking about Anderson f'n Silva here)

with that in mind though...if Frank is anywhere in the +250 or above range, it's not a terrible bet because with his bjj and strength, he could very well put Anderson on the ground and do what Lutter almost did.

PS: thanks for the PM invite to these forums, looking forward to this but even more so FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! ROLL TIDE!

[SPX]

I think Frank could potentially be the easiest fight at HW for Anderson, he's already been ko'd by Vera (though his stand up has improved since then we're talking about Anderson f'n Silva here)

with that in mind though...if Frank is anywhere in the +250 or above range, it's not a terrible bet because with his bjj and strength, he could very well put Anderson on the ground and do what Lutter almost did.

PS: thanks for the PM invite to these forums, looking forward to this but even more so FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! ROLL TIDE!

What up, Natman? Good to see you over here from the SD. (I'm shadow_priest_x over there . . . we've exchanged a PM before, I think.)

You need to keep in mind that Mir was KOd by Vera in a much more fragile part of his life. That was still pretty recently after the motorcycle accident.

I think Silva would be the favorite in this fight, but if he keeps this shit up, he's going to bite off more than he can chew.

[natman2939]

oh hey shadow_priest_x (wanna buy some gold lol)

yea you know the more I think about it...if odds are right, I'd put money on Mir. I'd pick Anderson to win but a 20 or so on MIr wouldn't feel too wrong.

It's not a 3 or 4 figure golden opportunity but it is HW and against a great grappler (which is what people have always thought Anderson's downfall would be)

[SPX]

oh hey shadow_priest_x (wanna buy some gold lol)

Ha ha, dude, that always kind of cracked me up when I read your sig.


yea you know the more I think about it...if odds are right, I'd put money on Mir. I'd pick Anderson to win but a 20 or so on MIr wouldn't feel too wrong.

It's not a 3 or 4 figure golden opportunity but it is HW and against a great grappler (which is what people have always thought Anderson's downfall would be)

Like you say, if the odds are right. . .

I just don't know that Silva will have the power behind his punch to do to Mir what he did to Griffin. But I could see Mir just laying on top of him and what the fuck is Silva gonna do? I think it would actually be good for Mir to come in heavy for this fight.

I still think that Silva would probably be the favorite, but like I said, eventually he's going to bite off more than he can chew. What's next? Lesnar? Lesnar would fuck Silva up.

[Mr. IWS]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/2638719/Anderson-Bring-me-Mir-next.html
ANDERSON SILVA has targeted former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir as his next Octagon scalp.

After cleaning out the middleweight division — and refusing to fight his friend Lyoto Machida for the light heavyweight title — Silva has set his sights on the biggest fighters in MMA.

Speaking to Fighters Only Magazine, the Brazilian laughed off claims he needs elbow surgery and insisted he is ready to fight whenever the UFC requires him to.

He said: "I don't know anything at all about any elbow injury — I wonder who hurt me?

"I'm 200 per cent healthy and there's no injury. The UFC can set the next fight whenever they want — I'm ready.

"I'm interested in fighting Frank Mir. He can be the next one."

Last month, Mir, 30, told Sherdog he would be keen on facing Silva, claiming a move up to the heavyweight division would not pose too much of a problem to the 34-year-old.

Mir said: "It would be a pleasure to fight Anderson Silva. If he shows up at 220 pounds, I'm between 245 and 255 pounds. That's not an outrageous size difference.

"I'd be looking to land the heavier, more powerful shots, and he'd be looking to pick me apart, looking for angles.

"But if the fight hit the ground, I'd rip his shoulder out of his socket. I roll with jiu-jitsu guys who are better technically than me in jiu-jitsu, but if I catch something, there's no getting it back."

Mir is scheduled to face Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 on December 12, but the UFC have refused to rule out a clash between him and Silva taking place in the new year.

Middleweight champ Silva, 34, is unbeaten in eight fights since winning the crown three years ago and is undefeated in 10 bouts since joining the UFC in June 2006.

He has beaten top contenders including Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson and destroyed Rich Franklin — who many consider the world's No2 MMA fighter at 185lbs — TWICE.

Indeed, The Spider's dominance has been so emphatic that he has already stepped up to the light-heavyweight division in an attempt to find a bigger challenge.

At UFC Fight Night 14 in July 2008, he fought James Irwin and knocked out the American in just 61 seconds.

Then, last month, Silva took on former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and made quick work of the 30-year-old — knocking him out in the first round.

[zY|]

oh hey shadow_priest_x (wanna buy some gold lol)

Ha ha, dude, that always kind of cracked me up when I read your sig.


yea you know the more I think about it...if odds are right, I'd put money on Mir. I'd pick Anderson to win but a 20 or so on MIr wouldn't feel too wrong.

It's not a 3 or 4 figure golden opportunity but it is HW and against a great grappler (which is what people have always thought Anderson's downfall would be)

Like you say, if the odds are right. . .

I just don't know that Silva will have the power behind his punch to do to Mir what he did to Griffin. But I could see Mir just laying on top of him and what the fuck is Silva gonna do? I think it would actually be good for Mir to come in heavy for this fight.

I still think that Silva would probably be the favorite, but like I said, eventually he's going to bite off more than he can chew. What's next? Lesnar? Lesnar would fuck Silva up.

Nah, I'm sure Silva could put Mir's lights out pretty easily. If there's one thing Frank Mir doesn't like, it's getting punched in the face. That said, if he can get Anderson down I think he has a very good chance of submitting him, if only on sheer strength alone. Frank Mir breaks people.