Declarations, Declared
Philadelphia
has the reputation of being a tough city filled with diehard fight fans.
It is a city that embraces combat sports through several avenues.
Looking at the NHL in the 70′s, the Wachovia Center was home of Philadelphia
Flyer fan favourites, the Broad Street Bullies; a line up that intimidated
other teams with their violent, yet effective tactics on the ice.
For pundits of pugilism, the city has been home to a number of bouts
in the sweet science. Fans of the silver screen may recall the
familiar image of a man running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum
of Art, in the 1976 cinematic classic known as “Rocky.”
Pro wrestling fans will always remember the dingy bingo hall that spawned
ECW, a promotion that has often been referred to as the “grunge
movement” of pro wrestling. Now for MMA enthusiasts, UFC
101 at the Wachovia Center will be remembered as the place where title
holders defended their crown and reaffirmed their merit as champions.
Following
the performances of the athletes in the two featured contests, UFC 101
seemed to have been a relief for both the lightweight and middleweight
champion. By no means was either champion in danger of being removed
from the UFC. However, in regards to the scrutiny each man received
following their previous outings, a compelling victory was necessary
not only for themselves, but also for the divisions they represent.
In other words, if either Penn or Silva had not shown up to fight, a
large number of fans could have been turned off to their future bouts,
or there could have been a loss of interest for other fights in their
division (more so for Silva than Penn.)
When
looking at Penn’s situation prior to UFC 101, he had been involved in
one of the most highly anticipated contests when he faced George St-Pierre.
The hype was there, and I along with many others expected to see two
well conditioned warriors fight tooth and nail; but as we all know it
was a lopsided victory for St-Pierre. We can recall all the questioning
regarding Penn’s willingness to commit to training (an issue in the
past) as well as to the fight. Preceding his UFC 94 bout, Penn
had ruthlessly destroyed his last three opponents; but after his performance
against GSP, many critics wondered if Penn’s motivation had depleted.
Aside from defending the title, those insinuations could have been the
impetus that would cause Penn to come back stronger at UFC 101.
Against Florian, Penn certainly seemed to be in the same form as he
was, when he defeated Jens Pulver, Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson.
Though I am reiterating what has been said before, it seems that Penn
really comes into his own in the lightweight division and hopefully
this is where he’ll stay and continue to build his legacy.
As
a result of his win at UFC 101, Penn has widened the gap between himself
and any potential challenger in the lightweight division. While
Frankie Edgar shuffled the rankings after a victory over Sean Sherk,
he will need to challenge more of the top lightweights before making
a run for the title. On the other hand, newcomer to the division,
Diego Sanchez has defeated Stevenson and Guida and if we do our MMA
math, he could be the next logical choice to challenge Penn for his
belt.
Let’s
move up a few weight classes and look at a man who definitely created
more work for those who are in charge of writing the list of the best
pound for pound fighters. There is a lot to say for a man who
has been undefeated since 2006 and who has held the middleweight title
since UFC 64 on October 14th 2006 (also on the card, Florian’s
first title shot). If you were a gambler, it was a good night
to bet on Anderson Silva in his UFC debut, as he was labeled the underdog.
Silva soon made his name in the octagon after clearing out an entire
division and smashing the record of most consecutive wins and title
defenses in the UFC. Though a language barrier prevented him from
connecting with his English speaking fans, his knockout reel of victories
appealed to a greater audience which in turn granted him the adoration
of the public.
It
was in late 2008 heading into his fight with Patrick Cote that Silva
began to show signs of boredom. In what could have been attributed
to a lack of a challenge that resulted in a loss of motivation, it appeared
that Silva had entered a slippery slope in the eyes of the fans.
We saw a more lighthearted version of Silva instead of the killer instinct
that we were all used to (some went so far as to say that it
was a personal victory for Cote to last until the third round).
Following the bout with Cote, fans were once again disappointed with
the outcome of Silva versus Leites. Again, we saw a carefree Silva
who emphasized his efforts in toying with the Nova Uniao black belt.
Though Silva could not be blamed for the actions of an opponent who
would not engage, many (myself included) felt that Silva was more than
skilled enough to end the fight early. The lingering criticism
was that Silva had defeated higher skilled opponents with such ease
(Henderson, Franklin, Marquardt) yet he seemed to be procrastinating
in his bout with Leites. Following this match up, Silva broke
the record for most consecutive wins in the octagon, but his performance
and post fight remarks towards the audience overshadowed his record
breaking accomplishment. It was now the second time fans and analysts
alike were unimpressed with Silva’s performance. Though Silva
and his management defended his actions during the fight, it seemed
as though supporters were jumping off the bandwagon. However when
you look back to what he has done, this is a man who in my opinion revitalized
interest in the middleweight division, but after defeating all challengers,
it was he that needed to be challenged. What better way to rekindle
the fans interests as well as Silva’s motivation than to give him a
gutsy opponent like Forrest Griffin.
We
enter UFC 101 and as they say, the third time is a charm. The
Anderson Silva everyone was waiting to see was back and gave a performance
that would have made the Broad Street Bullies proud. In what mimicked
a Philadelphia street fight, the Brazilian bomber quickly imposed his
force on Griffin and disposed of the former light heavyweight champion
in the first round. Silva had made his declaration at UFC 101,
by defeating one of the top light heavyweights in the division.
With a shocking knockout over one of the largest opponents he has faced,
it is a true testament to Silva’s skills and power. It is not
everyday that we see a fighter move up in weight and embarrass former
champion. Though Silva taunted Griffin with his fancy footwork,
it was more than evident that the Spider’s killer instinct had been
awakened.
While
there have been references that Silva will continue his journey through
the 205lb category, there are a few challenges rising in the middleweight
division. It seems as though Dan Henderson will get another crack
at Silva, and the winner of Maia versus Marquardt could be waiting in
the wings. With his recent win, Silva has opened up new opportunities
with a number of challenges in two separate divisions. With the
amount of star power in the light heavyweight division, the Spider should
have all the motivation he needs to put on impressive performances;
but it will be intriguing to see of he can continue weaving his path
of destruction at 205.
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