Along Came A Spider

This fight happened over a week ago and I'm now just getting around to posting about it. I feel like I have to because this was one of the greatest fights I've seen from the greatest fighter out there and I am probably the person on this blog to carry the MMA torch. Anderson "The Spider" Silva is the UFC's Middleweight title holder. Silva has an undefeated UFC record (the only title holder with that distinction) and has pretty much manhandled everybody that has been placed in front of him.

The guy he fought in the video is James Irvin. Irvin is a light heavyweight fighter and a good one at that. The weight difference between the two classes is about 20 pounds. Silva put on 20 pounds of weight so he could move up and fight a light heavyweight contender and provide himself with a challenge he doesn't feel he was getting at middleweight. Irvin is nowhere near the best light heavyweight the UFC has to offer but he is an up-and-coming star who is known for his devastating power. Irvin is not known to have a glass jaw. Silva, who is a Muay-Thai specialist but also excels at Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and wrestling, effectively went toe to toe with a heavy hitter and dropped him with one punch.

This just illustrates how versatile a fighter Silva is. I would love to seem him expand on his foray into light heavyweight and continue to challenge himself. Fighters tend to retire when they feel like there's nothing left to prove. It would be a shame for the MMA world to lose such a graceful and respectful star.

Silva post-fight quote:

“I’m a Muay Thai fighter, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. I didn’t come up to the 205-pound division to disrespect any fighters, but if you stand up and exchange Muay Thai, this is what happens.”