ANDERSON SILVA'S TRICK OR TREAT
By The Yacman, Ron Yacovetti
Host of MMA WITH YAC & J ON BRAWLERSTV.COM
It was UFC 90 night. It was also a big birthday bash for a very talented fighter and jiu-jitsu guy I have become good friends with, none other than Scott 'Einstein' Epstein. Many know him from his episode of the TapouT Show. An episode, hate him or not, that still rates amongst the highest of all of them, if not THE highest for sure.
Surrounding me were not only a crowd of MMA fans, as we packed in an upstairs room of a Sunset Strip Bar in Hollywood, CA, but also more jiu-jitsu guys trained under Eddie Bravo than an striker would be comfortable with.
A few others there were also MMA media guys like me, and as excited to see Anderson Silva back in action as anyone.
But what we ended up seeing did NOT look like the Anderson 'the spider' Silva that we've come to know, love and recognize. He seemed to be someone else.
Did he look tired? (as some speculated his lackluster showing could be the result of) - NO
Did he look scared, intimidated or confused as to how to execute against Patrick Cote? - NO
So what exactly happened?
I won't try to act as if I DO KNOW what went down. I don't know either, but we media folk can sure speculate our asses off and I'm about to do just that. But this line of thought is rooted in ideas that came from Anderson himself.
Perhaps it was just one week early, but just like the rest of America, Halloween time is when we 'become' someone else...we take on the persona, look and mannerisms of someone we often look up to or idolize.
For Anderson Silva, such a man to emulate seems to be all-time boxing great, Roy Jones Jr. And if you look again at Anderson Silva's performance that night, it looked somewhat like the same hand gesturing, showboating and slick periodic striking that made Roy Jones almost harder to fight than an actual ghost.
But Roy Jones fought 10 or 12 round fights, not 5. And Roy, to his credit, fought in longer spurts more often than what we saw at UFC 90, in the main event. But make no mistake about it, Anderson sure did do some of the hand and arm postures and distraction moves any Roy Jones fan would recognize like their own reflection in a mirror.
Plus...Anderson recently said he MAY retire sooner and he also said he was planning to fight Roy when he DID retire. That plan alone is indicative of a lot. Roy Jones, especially should be beat Joe Calzaghe (and he sure should), will still only have a limited window of time to sit atop the lightheavyweight or even supermiddleweight division. So much like the urgency felt by those clamoring to see Couture versus Emelianenko, so too is Anderson Silva before his pugilistic idol is no-one to have taken on anymore.
And lastly, one typical Roy Jones Jr. game plan would be to test a guy early, see what he can and can't do, what he can and can't take as well as what distractions he'd take like bait. Then, as Jones would open up his attack, if he felt the opponent would be around for the long haul, maybe due to a granite chin, he's slowly and systematically break the guy down and win a lopsided decision. In Roy's later stage career up until now, he would often not look as good or do as much if he felt less than challenged. This to me is the other circumstancial piece of evidence from UFC 90.
Anderson Sillva really was not overly challenged by Patrick Cote. He sure didn't seem to think so himself. Now this is no reflection on the talent and ability of Cote in a negative light. He is a bad ass, tough as it gets guy. But like the brilliant Joe Rogan himself said, Anderson is like Roy Jones in his prime, just far beyond the competitors in his time. I agree 100% with this statement by Rogan. Anderson even has the aura of invincibility Roy had for 11 years until finally suffering a legitimate loss.
Dana may have a little trouble trying to challenge Anderson in order to avoid what looked to many of us in that crowded Hollywood bar, like Anderson Silva was carrying Patrick Cote, putting on a show as if he had nine more rounds to go. It is a serious situation. Roy Jones made history in trying to find a challenge, becoming the first fighter in over 100 years of boxing to go pro at middleweight, then win a heavyweight title. So perhaps, Silva verus Emelianenko would satisfy Mr. The Spider a little more.
It was at the very least, odd, to see so little an attack or swarming output by Silva that night. The ending was almost as if divine intervention stepped in and said to Silva, "Ok, if you're not going to use the talents you've been blessed with tonight, let's just end this thing already" - and BAM, Cote's knee is shot.
So, with one week between UFC 90 and the big candy grab holiday, Halloween, it sure did seem like Anderson Silva became one of his heroes that night, Roy Jones Jr., in the same way my son will be Spiderman. He tried it on, he played the part and it sure was convincing. I sure would love the next Anderson Silva match to have a little more treat and a lot less trick.
PS: Please check out my all new web TV series, MMA WITH YAC & J, on www.brawlerstv.com (also syndicated on www.bjpenn.com)
PLUS CHECK OUT THE CLIP FROM SHOW # 1 LAST WEEK, BELOW!
- Yacman
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2 months ago
We are going to end up seeing Silva vs Liddell whether we like it or not. Then he'll win surely, defend his Middleweight title once more, to avenge his Okami loss, before he goes back up and takes on whoever the Champ is at that time. I would honestly LOVE to see him fight Shogun before he retires, but that all depends on Shoguns ability to Shogun Coleman and whomever else he should face before that fight.
from 2 months ago
Great insights and ideas for Anderson. I'm down for those fights too! Thanks! Check out the show too :)
2 months ago
Great story, love the way you personalized it. However, I think Anderson did wish to go to the fifth round with Cote to show he can do it. If it had gone five rounds and neither fighter had the big KO opportunity he was looking for, the decision would have gone to Anderson, even though the blows Patrick absorbed were impressive indicators that he could not be knocked down or out. Remember how Georges St. Pierre stated that at least he knew he could go the distance when he beat Jon Fitch? Why is it so hard to believe that Anderson would not like to be able to say the same thing--especially to the people who have said that he may not HAVE the cardio to last five rounds?
from 2 months ago
I hear ya but to quote my buddy Scott 'Einstein' Epstein, "The point of the fight is to finish and win as soon as you are able to, not absorb punishment and drag it out" - To me, when he puts on a show unlike the one his resume advertises, it leaves you with a sense of bait and switch. Why add the idea that you couldn't knock someone out to your rep, so you can display cardio? I simply saw it as Anderson toying, carrying and holding back. He could've overwhelmed and beat Cote.
Thanks so much for the well-thought out and spoken comment too. You make us all rethink our reasoning. It's great!
Yacman
2 months ago
The Yac is back! I was wondering if you left us for bigger and better things. Looks like you are finding better things and still here as well.
Great concept for the article man. You've got the inside stuff as Ahmad Rashad would say (little basketball reference). Anything with reference to Roy Jones Jr. puts a smile on my face.
Hope to hear more from you soon. Keep up the stellar work. POTD
2 months ago
Hey Brian,
Thanks so much. I have been in a frenzy since ProElite collapsed. I was taken on by the late Evan Tanner's management company, they have a press release out on my speaking out on ProElite, since I was there from the start to about the very end, so I have been interviewed a few times already now. Talking to BJ Penn about workin on some things...supposedly being interviewed by Real Fighter Mag this week...just insane...so I'd fallen off the blog-wagon.
Did ya see the new show clip? all the new clips are going on www.brawlerstv.com -
What's new with you? Fill me in!
Yacman
2 months ago
The video, F'in hilarious
from 2 months ago
haha thanks. We're doing the format used on The Daily Show on Comedy Central for an MMA show. Hell if they can make politics more mainstream...right? go to that URL there's more and tomm night, new clips come up - every WED night new show clips!
thanks again! stay in touch!
2 months ago
Whats with Rogans beard again??..something about Evan Tanner ..I missed that part of the ppv..fill me in>.please/GREAT JOB ON "THE SPIDER" .. HE IS MY HERO..LOL..
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