UFC 168: Weidman vs Silva 2

[Rey_Piste]

That's what I was saying pretty much was that if Anderson comes back and just wants a super fight for a big pay off, Jones is the only likely contender now. Of course the landscape in the division could be completely different by the time he does come back. OF course if I was Silva I'd still want to attempt to avenge 2 losses to Weidman.

[David]

Of course if I was Silva I'd still want to attempt to avenge 2 losses to Weidman.

Personally I'd love to see a proper conclusion to the Weidman situation (and please, let's not start the whole discussion again. I don't view either fight as satisfactory wins for Weidman. Let's just leave it at that). It's a fight I'd like to see regardless of the outcome of Weidman/Belfort.

 

Failing that, there will be takers in high-profile fights no doubt. Nick Diaz, Michael Bisping & even a bout or two at 205lbs as long as the opponent isn't named Jon Jones.

[jimufctna24]

Personally I'd love to see a proper conclusion to the Weidman situation (and please, let's not start the whole discussion again. I don't view either fight as satisfactory wins for Weidman. Let's just leave it at that). It's a fight I'd like to see regardless of the outcome of Weidman/Belfort.

Given how well the 2nd fight did at the box office, twinned with what Anderson says in this article

 

http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2014/01/13/anderso...man-at-ufc-168/

 

I would say Anderson vs Weidman 3 might happen. But first I think Anderson will have to beat a Bisping or Diaz, and Weidman will have to beat Belfort and maybe one more contender.

 

I think it could actually happen.

[David]

Personally I'd love to see a proper conclusion to the Weidman situation (and please, let's not start the whole discussion again. I don't view either fight as satisfactory wins for Weidman. Let's just leave it at that). It's a fight I'd like to see regardless of the outcome of Weidman/Belfort.

Given how well the 2nd fight did at the box office, twinned with what Anderson says in this article

 

http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2014/01/13/anderso...man-at-ufc-168/

 

I would say Anderson vs Weidman 3 might happen. But first I think Anderson will have to beat a Bisping or Diaz, and Weidman will have to beat Belfort and maybe one more contender.

 

I think it could actually happen.

I think if Weidman beats Belfort and is still champion when Anderson comes back, they may ask Anderson to fight someone else first, although that would run the risk of him losing again and killing the big third fight.

 

If Belfort wins, then I think we'll definitely see Anderson/Weidman again, with a view to Anderson/Belfort II when he wins ( )

[jimufctna24]

I think if Weidman beats Belfort and is still champion when Anderson comes back, they may ask Anderson to fight someone else first, although that would run the risk of him losing again and killing the big third fight.

 

If Belfort wins, then I think we'll definitely see Anderson/Weidman again, with a view to Anderson/Belfort II when he wins ( )

This is where you and Wand suggesting Diaz and Bisping come in, as even a below par Anderson should beat those two quite handily. I do not think either have the offensive wrestling or power to trouble Anderson greatly. Bisping also leaves too many gaps for Anderson to pounce on.

[David]

It's also a case of both Bisping & Diaz being marquee fights. If Anderson decides a run at the title is no longer in his plans then a few marquee fights before he retires would be the plan I guess.

 

He's mentioned wanting to do that before he lost to Weidman.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah even though Weidman is 2-0, they could easily get around booking a third fight just because of how the second one ended. When a fight ends on an injury like that, even though Weidman was bossing the fight beforehand, it still leaves things open for another fight.

 

If Anderson came back and Tiger Uppercutted Nick Diaz out cold or something, and Weidman had just wrecked Belfort and Machida or something in Anderson's absence, you could easily promote Weidman vs Silva 3. With the right undercard that could be fucking massive on PPV. Fill up the undercard with maybe a Rousey co-main and/or a high profile Conor McGregor fight (if those two keep winning), and you could be looking at something big. Or maybe even do a double header with Weidman vs Silva 3 and Jones vs someone (maybe his heavyweight debut, even?). I'm getting way ahead of myself. But my point is, if he's able to do it and come back at a level to have one more crack at Weidman, the story of him coming back from that horrific injury to get to that point would be amazing.

[lambyUK]

Yeah even though Weidman is 2-0, they could easily get around booking a third fight just because of how the second one ended. When a fight ends on an injury like that, even though Weidman was bossing the fight beforehand, it still leaves things open for another fight.

 

If Anderson came back and Tiger Uppercutted Nick Diaz out cold or something, and Weidman had just wrecked Belfort and Machida or something in Anderson's absence, you could easily promote Weidman vs Silva 3. With the right undercard that could be fucking massive on PPV. Fill up the undercard with maybe a Rousey co-main and/or a high profile Conor McGregor fight (if those two keep winning), and you could be looking at something big. Or maybe even do a double header with Weidman vs Silva 3 and Jones vs someone (maybe his heavyweight debut, even?). I'm getting way ahead of myself. But my point is, if he's able to do it and come back at a level to have one more crack at Weidman, the story of him coming back from that horrific injury to get to that point would be amazing.

 

The only way they would put Jones and Silva on the same card would be if they get cleared to fight in New York and at Madison Square garden.

 

Outside of that the two are on such huge PPV points that the UFC would probably have nothing left over haha.

 

In all seriousness, putting two of their biggest draws on one card wouldn't make financial sense to the UFC as it's not like a card with the two would draw double the amount with a card seperate of the two.

 

In relation to Silva, I think the safest fight for him to return are the already discussed Diaz and Bisping fights. Bisping has no takedowns and no knockout power, and I guess the same could be said for Diaz. Out of the two I would prefer to see the Diaz fight simply because I want to see Diaz back.

[jimufctna24]

Here is something I am wondering.

 

Weidman did win fair and square and bossed the first round, but the second round did look a bit different before Anderson's kick got checked. It was much more open with the striking, I do wonder what would have happened if it would have gone longer.

 

It is true Weidman did not attempt any takedowns or clinches in the 2nd round, but if Anderson could have get it a open striking bout for extended amounts of time, it could have gone differently. So I guess I would have some interest in a third fight from a sporting point of view, and not just a spectacle perspective.

[wandshogun09]

In all seriousness, putting two of their biggest draws on one card wouldn't make financial sense to the UFC as it's not like a card with the two would draw double the amount with a card seperate of the two.

 

True but is Jones that big a draw on his own really? They put Anderson and Ronda on this one together. Is Jones way ahead of Rousey as a PPV draw?

 

Of course we don't really know with Rousey yet. The Carmouche fight did pretty well but you could say that might've been down to a novelty thing of seeing the first UFC womens fight. And this fight she was on the same card as Weidman vs Silva 2. I guess we'll get some answers on her drawing power with this McMann fight where she'll be almost carrying the show.

 

Still, Jones isn't that big a star is he? You could stick him on a card with Anderson. Maybe if they do that Dallas stadium show, that'd be the time for a Anderson/Jones double main event.

 

But thinking about it, you're probably right. The way things stand they don't have too many big fights on the horizon. So they're probably wiser to spread them out. If this was 2013 where they had a bunch of big fights on the table, they could have probably done a monster show like that without it diluting upcoming cards so much.

[jimufctna24]

Jones is a big draw for the UFC in this climate, one of the few they can rely on to pull a respectable number on PPV. With the right opponent like Rashad he can do very well.

 

UFC put Lesnar and GSP on the same card, twice. One was a special occasion being UFC 100, but MSG will be seen as a special event also, so it could happen. You could argue that its a different time to 2009 when they had more strong PPV drawing cards, but as shown with putting Rousey and Anderson together, they are prepared to still do it.

 

They could have easily have split Anderson and Rousey, and done a PPV in earlier January headlined by Rousey vs Tate, but as it was their New Years card they decided not to, again as it was a special occasion.

 

Rousey is actually just as big a star as Jones, whether its a fad or not is another question.

[David]

Here is something I am wondering.

 

Weidman did win fair and square and bossed the first round, but the second round did look a bit different before Anderson's kick got checked. It was much more open with the striking, I do wonder what would have happened if it would have gone longer.

 

It is true Weidman did not attempt any takedowns or clinches in the 2nd round, but if Anderson could have get it a open striking bout for extended amounts of time, it could have gone differently. So I guess I would have some interest in a third fight from a sporting point of view, and not just a spectacle perspective.

According to what Anderson has been saying he seems to believe it was heading the same way as Anderson/Sonnen II, although not as lopsided perhaps.

 

He seems to think that Weidman's check was not intentional as part of his gameplan and simply reactionary, and that the fault lay with himself. He also seems to think that he had Weidman figured out and was on his way to a win. Who knows how it would have went though?

 

I mean, if Anderson had come out against Sonnen in either fight in round two and done that to his leg we'd have been saying that Sonnen was bossing him as well, wouldn't we?

 

Rousey is actually just as big a star as Jones, whether its a fad or not is another question.

Not in my household she ain't! She ranks slightly below Jacob Volkmann as far as star power round these parts

[wandshogun09]

Weidman did win fair and square and bossed the first round, but the second round did look a bit different before Anderson's kick got checked. It was much more open with the striking, I do wonder what would have happened if it would have gone longer.

 

It is true Weidman did not attempt any takedowns or clinches in the 2nd round

 

Yeah but it only went, what 90 seconds into the second round? And Anderson landed about two leg kicks in that time. One of which was the shin-shattering checked one. It's not enough for me to think Anderson could have turned it around. Maybe he could've landed some deathblow, we'll never know. But Weidman absolutely took him to school in the first round. Just because he didn't attempt a takedown in the first minute of round two, doesn't necessarily mean he was losing focus or letting Anderson back into the fight.

 

That's one thing I never got with Cain vs JDS 1 as well. Cain got a load of criticism after that loss, even from his own coach Javier Mendez and his boss Dana White. They were going 'he didn't follow the gameplan' or 'he fucked about on the outside too long.' Too long, what? The fight lasted a minute. There's such a thing as a feeling out period for some guys. Establishing range, finding your rhythm. He never scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds so they give him shit? I never got that. Weidman would've made himself a lot more predictable had he shot out and gone for endless takedowns at the start of every round. A guy like Anderson could time him with a knee or something for that. So he was smart to mix it up. I'm sure he'd have taken Anderson down again at the first opportunity.

 

And one difference between the first and second fights was that this time, Weidman still looked fresh as a daisy coming into round two. He wasn't rusty from a year layoff like he was in July. I think barring some one shot finish from Silva, that fight was only going to get worse for Anderson the longer it went.

 

I'd still be up for a third fight though. I'd still pick Weidman but I'd be hoping for a third time lucky result for Anderson.

[lambyUK]

The main difference David with the Sonnen and Weidman comparison is that whilst Sonnen was controlling Anderson in RD 1, he did no damage what so ever. He got Silva in full mount and more less did that. Weidman on the other hand had Silva out of his feet with a big punch to the side of the head and came close to finishing.

 

 

Wand, regarding PPV numbers. Lets say a decent Jones fight on his own probably can do what, 600-800k buys? Silva probably upwards of that. There's no way a Silva/Jones combo card would pull in 1.6 to 1.8m buys. Yes, they had a Rousey double card, but I personally believe it's because woman's MMA is still in it's early days in the UFC and having that fight (Rousey/Tate) headline the New year's card with no other big name would be extremely risky for the UFC.

[David]

I think barring some one shot finish from Silva, that fight was only going to get worse for Anderson the longer it went.

You think so? I honestly haven't changed my opinion since before the 2nd fight took place. If Anderson had kept the fight standing and wasn't arsing around, he would have won that fight by stoppage at some point.

 

Weidman would have had to be successful in the takedown, because he isn't on the same level as a serious Anderson Silva in the stand-up. No one in MMA is to be honest.