Ed Soares Believes The Superfights Can Still Happen
Although former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva put all of the promotion’s hopes for a blockbuster superfight on hold when he lost to Chris Weidman at UFC 162, the chance still remains that one or more of those bouts could go down. They are no doubt put on hiatus for the time being as Silva seeks to gain redemption with a rematch against Weidman this December 28th.
And while the embattled former champ assured us last week that he’s back, he’ll have to prove that against the young, well-rounded champion. If he does, then there is still potential for a match with new no. 1 pound-for-pound king Jon Jones. Silva’s manager Ed Soares recently appeared on Sherdog Radio to address the potential of these bouts. When asked if the superfights are truly off the table, he replied:
“I think that’s ridiculous. I think the superfights are still on the table. I think right now the superfights are in the future, but right now what should be on everyone’s mind should be the rematch with Chris Weidman.”
“If he comes back and beats Chris Weidman. I don’t see the reason why the superfights can’t happen.”
It’s tough to say if either the superfight with Jones or GSP will happen, because Weidman is the furthest thing from an easy out. With Silva’s mystique of an untouchable fighter crushed by one massive left hook, he’ll probably never regain that air of invincibility.
However, if he does silence the critics by coming back and handing Weidman a convincing defeat, I think the only logical move for the UFC to make is to book Silva against Jones. Silva recently said that he doesn’t think he can defeat Jones, and if he can’t beat Weidman, then he’s probably right. I’ve also heard Weidman put forth the idea of him fighting Jones, saying that he would accept the fight in a heartbeat.
If he can beat Anderson Silva for a second time, a superfight with Weidman vs. Jones could turn into a huge event. It’s definitely not the superfight we all thought we’d be seeing, but it could be one heck of a bout. What do you think?
