B3SSA 0 Postado October 28, 2008 Oct-26-2008 UFC 90 Musings By Michael DiSanto INJURY CAPS OFF UNUSUAL TITLE BOUT Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the world, pound for pound. There is no legitimate argument to the contrary. Yet, Saturday night, he found himself in against someone many believed to be an overmatched opponent, but who turned out to be an extremely game Patrick Cote. Silva’s respect for his foe was evident by the champion’s decision to circle the ring for more than a minute to open the fight rather than engage his foe in a gunfight. At times, it seemed as if Silva was more interested in feinting and dancing than fighting, but there is no doubt that the longest reigning middleweight champion in history was playing a tactical game with Cote, waiting for the perfect moment to begin his ballet of violence (props to Joe Rogan for coining that phrase). Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards, as Cote, who suffered an injury to his right knee in the second round, had the injured joint fail him early in the third, causing him to collapse in pain without any hope of finishing the fight. But the bout itself was far from insignificant. For the first time in eight UFC bouts, Silva did not appear to be the human wrecking machine that fans love and fighters fear. That raises a series of questions that will definitely linger over Silva’s head until he returns to action. Why did he choose to be so tactical in the first two rounds, allowing Cote to be the first Silva opponent to survive into the third round since 2004? Did he suffer an injury in training, preventing him from filling up his deep gas tank? Was he toying with his foe, hoping to showcase his array of talents for Illinois fans seeing him for the first time? Was he being extra cautious because of Cote’s granite chin and murderous right hand? Did he take Cote lightly during training – after all, some have suggested that the champion is starting to struggle to find motivation in the division that he rules so ruthlessly? Or, did adding additional muscle over the summer to move up to 205 lbs and face James Irvin come back to haunt him? Silva had to shed that additional muscle when preparing to fight Cote so that he could make the 185-lb middleweight limit, meaning he likely cut more weight for this fight than any other fight in his UFC career. Losing the extra weight can have a detrimental effect on a fighter’s conditioning and his confidence. The world got a vivid example of that phenomenon when boxer Roy Jones Jr. bulked up with 20 extra lbs to win the heavyweight boxing championship, and when he tried to shed that extra muscle a few months later to return to his previous division, Jones didn’t have the same speed, power or cardio that he was accustomed to. Only Silva knows for sure why he chose to be so cautious early on. If I had to venture a guess, it would be a mix between shedding the extra weight, which likely took a toll on his body, and a healthy respect for Cote’s homerun power. Silva probably expected that he could win the fight whenever he wanted, provided he didn’t walk into a fight-ending bomb, so he decided to lull Cote into a false sense of confidence by having the Canadian chase him around the ring early before planting to defend his ground in the middle rounds. Following that game plan would allow him to easily fight the full five rounds, if needed. And he needed to make sure he had the gas to go the distance, because Cote had never before been stopped by strikes. Silva is in the midst of the most successful middleweight championship run in history. He is in the process of finding his place among the all-time greats, so continuing to rack up win after win is the only thing that matters at this point in his career. A loss at this point would be devastating, so he needs to make sure that he is properly motivated for all bouts going forward. Thus, if he deems the 185-lb division as devoid of challenges, then the clear answer is to make a permanent move to 205 lbs. I guarantee that he will be motivated when faced with fighting guys like Forrest Griffin, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans or Wanderlei Silva. Fonte: UFC http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=15458 Compartilhar este post Link para o post Compartilhar em outros sites
renan silva 0 Postado October 28, 2008 nao acredito na falta de motivação de anderson... acho que ele quis brincar demais, acho que passou dos limites, e perdeu a oportunidade de seguir como o melhor "pound-for-pound" do mundo sem muitos questionamentos...pq agora, essas perguntas de : será que foi por isso, será que por aquilo, vao realmente permanecer...até que ele lute outra vez...acredito que na proxima luta dele, ele virá daquele jeito pra esculhambar quem seja Compartilhar este post Link para o post Compartilhar em outros sites
