Anderson Silva a possible light heavyweight return?

I don't think Anderson would go back to the light heavyweight division because I think he is already doing so well in the middleweight divison. I think he should stay and retire at the middleweight division or?

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Posted by DBockman

I don't think Anderson would go back to the light heavyweight division because I think he is already doing so well in the middleweight divison. I think he should stay and retire at the middleweight division or?

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He is staying put. With Machida pulling the Miyagi Do KO and getting back in the mix, and Anderson having Okami, and possibly GSP is GSP stops avoiding that fight, Anderson has no need to move up.

I dont understand why people think fighters should move up in weight to fight. The weight classes are here so people can fight others in similar size and fight at a weight that they feel the best in. Silva clearly feels like he can fight the best he can at middle weight. Anyways I would be surprise if he does move up again this late in his career.

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Posted by Lay-n-PrayNINJA

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Posted by DBockman

I don't think Anderson would go back to the light heavyweight division because I think he is already doing so well in the middleweight divison. I think he should stay and retire at the middleweight division or?

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He is staying put. With Machida pulling the Miyagi Do KO and getting back in the mix, and Anderson having Okami, and possibly GSP is GSP stops avoiding that fight, Anderson has no need to move up.

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I dont see how you think gsp is avoiding that fight, he cant fight him if dana doesnt wanna make the match yet, he had to give okami a shot first logically okami deserves it before gsp, plus gsp had one last statement to make when he beat sheilds the fight will happen soon enough.

he used to fightv in the lightheavyweight division bu i dont think he was comfortable at that 205 weight'

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Posted by Taylor8766

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Posted by Lay-n-PrayNINJA

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Posted by DBockman

I don't think Anderson would go back to the light heavyweight division because I think he is already doing so well in the middleweight divison. I think he should stay and retire at the middleweight division or?

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He is staying put. With Machida pulling the Miyagi Do KO and getting back in the mix, and Anderson having Okami, and possibly GSP is GSP stops avoiding that fight, Anderson has no need to move up.

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I dont see how you think gsp is avoiding that fight, he cant fight him if dana doesnt wanna make the match yet, he had to give okami a shot first logically okami deserves it before gsp, plus gsp had one last statement to make when he beat sheilds the fight will happen soon enough.

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Dana and Zuffa were originally going to push for GSP/Anderson IF Anderson beat Vitor (check) and GSP beat Shileds (check). Once GSP started being reluctant every time he was asked about it, Zuffa started calling it a "dream fight".....

They needed a headliner for Brazil, and GSP/Anderson would have been EPIC in Rio. They waited until AFTER GSP beat Shields to make Okami/Anderson "official"...

It's been 2+ years GSP has been "bulking up"....let's go already.

Why is it ok for Anderson not to want to move to LHW, even though he has done so in the past but GSP is a coward for not wanting to move up to MW for the first time and get thrown to the wolves?

Extreme double standard as far as I can tell. It is not like GSP is some massive WW that nobody else can touch physically. I can name 6 or 7 WWs right now who are larger than GSP yet I can't think of a single MW that is larger than Anderson.

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Posted by VILLIN

Why is it ok for Anderson not to want to move to LHW, even though he has done so in the past but GSP is a coward for not wanting to move up to MW for the first time and get thrown to the wolves?

Extreme double standard as far as I can tell. It is not like GSP is some massive WW that nobody else can touch physically. I can name 6 or 7 WWs right now who are larger than GSP yet I can't think of a single MW that is larger than Anderson.

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Let me help then....

1. There is NO ONE at LHW that compares to Silva at MW. These are the CLEAR #1/2 p4p fighters in the world, who have both almost completely cleaned out their divisions....

2. You have some serious confusion about size. In MMA they are WEIGHT classes, not height and reach classes. Anderson is FAR from the biggest MW out there. Rich Franklin was bigger than he is, and remeber the "big" is fighting weight not height or reach.

Franklin
Sonnen
Belfort
Lutter

All bigger than Anderson on fight night.

GSP is on the record, as is his new nutritionist, saying that he was 195 starting his final cut against Shields, on the MONDAY before the fight, and that he would be back over 190 on fight night.

Anderson, given the language barrier, doesn't speak much to his exact fighting weight, but he and Soares have said the following in recent fights:

Anderson was 194 a full MONTH before he fought Maia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DoMmrSZ410
@ :40 seconds

Anderson also said he would hit 185 BEFORE he even flew to UAE for Maia. They flew out a week before the fight.....the same time GSP was 195, and cutting 25 pounds....

Here is Anderson during the complete off season (three months after the Irvin fight at 205, and three months+ before he fought Maia) saying he is walking around at 207:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-LE285uTQ
@5:20 mark

Anderson is ~195-200 on fight night at 185. GSP is 190-195 when fighting at WELTER WEIGHT. There is a very minimal difference in the cage. That difference would be even less if they met at a catch weight.


Hope that helps with the size(weight) thing. As far as Anderson fighting at LHW, he has VERY close friends at LHW, and there is no challenge like Anderson is at LHW. Bones has not even defended ONCE, and we want to compare him to the #1/2 p4p fighters in the world?

I believe Nog said something a few weeks back that Anderson was interested in 205 after Okami. That plus Gsp's reluctance to fight at 185 makes me think that there actually is a pretty high chance that Anderson moves up to 205.

With silva fighting okami. After he has truly cleaned it out
After gsp fights diaz he has cleaned his out

Have them fight or

Have gsp vacate welter go to middleweight
Have silva vacate middle go to lightheavy