Leave Anderson Silva Alone!

Ok, the title is a little facetious, but really, it's time to move past the whole Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia saga.  Silva dominated the scoring in his fight against Maia and retained his crown.  Keeping the strap is what the fight was about, not entertaining Dana White and/or the fans.  Sure, we all love kill or be killed fighters like Wanderlei Silva, but with opponents as dangerous as the top contenders in the UFC, sometimes it's prudent to be safety-first.

Silva himself said as much:  "When it comes to fighting an opponent of Demian's caliber, who is very dangerous on the ground, then you have to be very careful in your strategy."

Unfortunately for Maia, he was unsuccessful in taking the fight to the ground where he could utilize his amazing BJJ skills.  And Silva didn't throw caution to wind looking for the finish.  He knew he was up on the cards and did what he had to do to win the fight.

"I did what I needed to do,"  Anderson explained.  "I'm not here to make excuses for anything. I did what I needed to do, my job was completed. First off, this is my job. The critics can say what they want. I'll keep training to get better, I don't having much more to say than that."

But sometimes a workman-like performance can generate heat from fans and from UFC president Dana White.  White was livid over Anderson's reluctance to engage Maia and he had a talk with his middleweight champion after the fight. The fans also weighed in with heavy criticism; Anderson was blasted for not only not finishing, but for his taunting of Maia.  Obviously the fans prefer to see the middleweight king talk with his fists not with his mouth.  But like the Spider said, getting the knockout is not always so easy.

"You all want to see a knockout in every fight, but it doesn't always happen. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't. It might seem easy to people who are watching, but the people who train every day know better."

That statement is fair enough, but equally fair is the right of fans to voice their displeasure.  We pay our money so we can boo or blog all we want.  Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.  With Anderson it seems to be happening with regular frequency.  We heard the same grumblings after UFC 90 and 97 when Anderson beat Cote and Leites.   He won but he didn't finish and the fans expect a fighter who is arguably the pound for pound best on the planet to finish fights in spectacular fashion.

He did not do that in the Maia fight or against Cote or Leites.  But really, that's not his style.  Anderson Silva is a counter-striker.  He is at his absolute best when facing someone who comes right at him ala Forrest Griffin in their fight.  Whenever Silva faces an opponent who doesn't rush straight in, there is a potential for the fight to be boring.  But in the end, it's Silva who has his hand raise, and that's what this sport is all about.

So go ahead and criticize the Spider, you paid your money, you have the right.  But just remember that his goal is to win the fight, not to excite the fans.

(Silva quotes from ATAMA's reporter Rudamire Moreno)