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[rivethead]

A cautionary tale, by rivethead. You heard it here first, folks.

I really think dana's going to book the fight with Mir, because Mir is a terrible matchup for Anderson. Regardless of his size, Mir doesn't have good enough grappling to get the fight to the ground, and even if it does, I don't know that he's got any significant advantage over Anderson.

But when you think about it, if you're going to cash in on Mir's popularity, there isn't a better time or place--if dana is still willing to back Anderson [phantom rumors of a recent 8-fight-contract extension notwithstanding]--because Mir still has the perception in the public eye of being a great boxer and whiz on the ground. Eventually, both of those things are going to be exposed [if not against Anderson, probably when he fights JDS] but Zuffa could get crazy mileage out of an Anderson fight.

Which actually makes the conspiracy theorist in me question whether 112 wasn't a deliberate, scripted performance: You've got Anderson, one of the four most talented fighters on the planet, but he's not a big draw. If you're dana, how do you fix that? You watch the vid of him clowning and doing impressions in practice, and you realize that is the equivalent of the charismatic, trash-talking soundbyte Anderson has thus far avoided, and other fighters have used to propel themselves into rarified buy-rates [at the cost of the integrity of the sport, but no matter, it's all about the benjys, boys]. And then you think about Maia, who is absolutely not a threat on the feet, and you talk to Soares and Anderson about putting on a performance that will get the whole MMA community buzzing. Again, assuming you're still dana [which is the last person I'd actually want to be] you want to make the whole thing believable, so you pretend to be disgusted and you storm out in the middle of the fight. So what do you get?

You've already got the guys who love Anderson so deeply and tenderly that he can do no wrong in their eyes, so that's a lock. Sure, they don't understand what p4p really means, but their checks clear, and that my friends, is the bottom line.

But with this performance, you've inspired a new crop of people who were appreciative of Anderson--but only mildly interested in buying a card where he headlines--to new heights of passion. Suddenly, you've got people who've never given a shit one way or another about him wanting to have his egotistical head smashed in, by anyone; anyone at all.

And if Soares continues to doubletalk and squirm his way out of legitimate contenders, so much the better. People who hate on Soares want to see Anderson lose as a result too, and Anderson fanboys will continue to dismiss what Ed says as completely unrelated to Anderson himself. And they both buy the ppvs in the process.

dana can pretend that he's as outraged and disgusted as any of the purists, because he walked out on a fight for the first time in his career. He can continue to promote [exploit] Anderson and feed him a mediocre HW like Mir and kill several birds with a single stone: The UFC can semi-unassailably boast Anderson as the #1 p4p fighter, you've inspired a multitude of apathetic fans into caring about him one way or the other, and you get to dive into a swimming pool full of cash from all those ppv buys.

And thus, this year's Anderson Silva becomes next year's brock lesnar.

Sure, it's a goofy conspiracy theory, and it probably isn't true. but if dana were half the business man his fanboys give him credit for being, he'll wish it was. What will be telling to me is if dana actually instigates any sort of public reprisal for Anderson's performance last Saturday. dana was the one who brought it up. He said he was disgusted, he said he'd make it up to the fans, he said he'd called in Soares and Anderson to his office. I have no clue as to what he can do to them...but if this is all hype that gently fades into the next overhyped card, I'll give my own whackjob theory a little more credit. If dana actually does something, well, I'm full of shit, but a lot of you already knew that before.



The sad thing, is that if this is true, it sucks. There is so much to like about Anderson, and he's a legitimate, well-rounded athlete with a world-class skillset, and something like this would reduce him to a caricature.

rh

[Adambomb]

While I don't think this is true, it may be what plays out. It would turn Anderson into one of the biggest draws in the sport, especially if he defeats a popular well-known heavyweight like Frank Mir. As great as Silva has been his drawing power doesn't correspond to his skill. People are pissed now and want to see him get beaten down...I've been one of them. Turning him into a villain will get many more people interested in his next fight, especially if they think there's a good chance he loses.

I think Mir at 265 could pose a lot of problems for Anderson. That size and strength could partially make up for a lack of elite wrestling. If it's at 235 though Mir's skill set isn't a whole lot different than that of Maia or Leites; he just has better boxing and inferior BJJ. It's a great matchup for Anderson and could turn him into a main stream phenomenon.

[TBEAR]

Huh??? I dont think it is true but very well could turn out that way, but I hope not.

[The Return Of......]

i dont think it was the original intention of anyone. i think dana really was pissed. but i also think dana loves money and that he is going to find a way to turn this and make money off of both silva fans and haters. if it was my company id consider the mir fight..........

then i would set up silva vs gsp on the lesnar vs carwin card and watch the ppv buy shatter any and all old records

[KevoOnTheRadio]

Hey Rivet, whenever you see Dana White, does the Imperial Death March go through your head? All I can picture is Dana White wearing a hooded cloak and whispering orders to Joe Silva as they walk through a flight hanger...

[Viper2076]

Umm...wow. Thats....interesting. I like it.

[Tyreas]

There are too many factors for this theory to be possible. The first being the location of the PPV in Abu Dhabi. Being the first show in the Middle East, I think Dana had a lot more to lose with a terrible Silva performance. Not to mention Flash Entertainment being less than thrilled with the comedy show. I found the fans to be incredibly respectful and even they turned on Silva.

I also think Dana was sincere when you said he would make it up to the fans. I mean what other options does he have? It might be a PR statement but he still seemed pissed. What that really amounts to is, whatever fight he puts out is "for the fans". It might have been the match-up he was going to do anyway but at least now its "for the fans".

Mir vs. Silva is a PPV worth buying for most fans. The fight doesn't hurt Mir at all as he is at least 3-4 solid wins away from a title shot. Those wins are unlikely. Silva is in desperate need of a challenge. I think Mir would present that just based on size alone. If he has learned anything in his fights with Lesnar/Carwin its that size can win you a fight. He would have to be retarded to not use it to his advantage against an incredibly smaller opponent.

[rivethead]

...next thing you're going to tell me is that the moon landing wasn't faked, isn't it?

rh

[Leucoethiops]

Conspiracy, sure. Interesting, sure. Honestly? Nothing would surprise me.

There may have been 'works' in the UFC.

I've had people (nutjobs) say Silva / Griffin was a work (not sure if I buy it); given Griffin went toe to toe with Jackson for 25 minutes, took bigger shots and still hung in there.

Some of the judging is awfully suspect... But I think it's suspected of being perpetrated by complete idiots.

[Tyreas]

Originally Posted by rivethead

...next thing you're going to tell me is that the moon landing wasn't faked, isn't it?

rh

Oh no, it was faked. We taped it in my backyard.