Silva Considers Staying Put

Jake RossenJul 28, 2010

After tossing out quotes about moving to heavyweight to challenge Frank Mir (bad idea) to cutting to 170 lbs. to face Georges St. Pierre (almost as bad), Anderson Silva has finally found a happy medium: staying exactly where he is.

"If you want to beat me up, make weight and come fight me in my category, my division," he said during a conference call Tuesday. (More accurately, this is what translator Ed Soares said Tuesday: Anderson might have been talking about hamburgers.)

This is a deadening attitude considering Silva’s near-complete lack of opposition at 185 lbs. Assuming he beats Chael Sonnen next Saturday, only Vitor Belfort is left. After that, we’d be treated to a series of pointless rematches or bouts against talent that would be at the excitement level of St. Pierre/Dan Hardy: Joe Rogan could not pop his eyes out far enough to convince anyone Alan Belcher has a chance.

The only fights that make sense for Silva from a historical and audience-pleasing perspective are St. Pierre and Mauricio Rua. If he’s unwilling to consider either one, he’d be better off retiring as the only undefeated fighter with more than 10 fights in the UFC’s history. That says something. Fighting underqualified opposition does not.