Who Should Anderson Silva Face In His Return Fight?
Questions surrounding former Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva have been swirling since his December UFC 168 rematch with Chris Weidman. The match ended in more brutal fashion than their UFC 162 meeting, this time Silva was carried from the ring with a broken leg. Long considered the best fighter on the planet; Silva has suffered a fall from grace like many before him.
For the first time in almost a year, Silva could be talked about in a fight that doesn’t include Chris Weidman. Although UFC 168 may not mark the last time we see Silva and Weidman go at it, it would be great to see Silva go up against someone new. ‘The Spider’ and ‘The All American’ have been riding the hype train of their rivalry for a long time now, and Weidman has Vitor Belfort to look forward to next.
Word from the Silva camp is that ‘The Spider’ will return, so let’s speculate about whom he should fight in the return bout. I suppose the answer to that question will depend on how the title picture plays out. At present, Belfort and Weidman are set to collide in May/June time; Silva could well be training again by September. That being said, Silva needs a tune up fight in my opinion.
It’s already common knowledge that Silva and Lyoto Machida wouldn’t fight each other, so that leaves potential top five match ups with Michael Bisping, Ronaldo Souza and possibly even a scrap with Luke Rockhold or Mark Munoz. One option that people are forgetting is a third match with Weidman if he loses to Belfort.
Say Belfort knocks out Weidman in dominant fashion, the argument could easily be made that he and Silva should fight for the right to party with ‘The Phenom’ for the MW strap. If Weidman is able to conquer Belfort, a rematch between the two Brazilian legends could also prove a viable option. The truth is, Silva has a lot of clout-regardless of his two recent losses; he could probably get any fight he wanted.
For my money I’d like to see Silva in a rematch with Belfort if he loses. If the top five remains as it is now, a bout against Rockhold or Bisping could be a relevant and PPV worthy scrap. Ronaldo Souza is another interesting fight, although ‘Jacare’ is hot property right now and could prove to be Silva’s final fight if he is able to topple the former p4p king.
Personal preference aside, I will be excited to see Silva fight any of the top ten Middleweights. ‘The Spider’ could always choose to call it quits in the meantime, a decision which most would respect, but something tells me there is plenty more fight left in Silva. Whether his heart gets the better of his head is yet to be seen, but the bottom line is that I don’t want to see the former 185lb. boss take any more punishment than is needed.
