Anderson (photo) says he called Dana White and tried to save UFC 151. Photo: Josh Hedges
UFC 151 was canceled last week due to injury to Dan Henderson and the lack of an opponent to face Jon Jones for the organization's light heavyweight belt. But the Brazilian Anderson Silva, owner of the middleweight belt, tried to save the event, offering to face any UFC light heavyweight.
Spider, as the Brazilian is known, said he called Dana White, president of the UFC, and offered to face any athlete in the light heavyweight division who was not trained.
“When I heard the news, I called Dana (White) and said I would fight in the top category against someone who wasn't trained either. In addition to the big fight, there are many other fighters who depend on it. I was worried about this, because I have already experienced this situation in smaller events”, he said. Anderson Silva, who criticized Jones' attitude in rejecting facing Chael Sonnen, the only athlete who agreed to face him with just eight days to go before the duel, at UFC 151.
“You have all the preparation to fight a certain athlete. When it changes, it changes a little. I thought he could have fought Chael, but that's an option he has too. He prepared to fight with the Dan Henderson. His whole team thought it was better for him not to fight,” he added.
Comments
3 responses to “Anderson Silva explains how he tried to save UFC 151”
Leave a comment
You need to login to post a comment.
Anderson Silva would have offered to save UFC 151, as long as he didn't have to face JJ or any fighter who was trained, this after UFC had been cancelled!
They're turning the UFC into a children's theater and those of us who pay pay per view are going to have to watch all this nonsense again?
It took AS two years to create the courage and accept Sonnen's challenge, and when he accepted he won without much difficulty, now he doesn't accept a challenge from a fighter in his category and wants to fight with guys from the lower category who are smaller and lighter, perhaps to take some advantage.
Georges St. Pierre has suffered two injuries and two years without fighting, and as if that weren't enough, he has a line of fighters in his category waiting for him.
This leads me to think; Who would AS be interested in challenging? Nobody.
In this case, AS would be stuck right in the middle of the middleweight category that is paralyzed and fighting for the title will be difficult in these times!
I and many others are MMA fans and we like to watch exciting fights, but we have no interest in seeing a fighter on the Faustão or Gugu or any other show!
Champion is a title that is won by guys who don't choose an opponent and must continue to do so so that the sport doesn't lose its appeal and interest among the public.
AS better look up to guys like Júnior Cigano and Cain Velasquez to remember what it means to have the spirit of a champion!
AS already said that he would only fight again in 2013, as he needed to take some time off after the exhausting fight against Chael Sonnen. According to unofficial information, he would be preparing for his last UFC fight, which would be an exciting fight with former champion Sarah. Kaufman after his managers Ed Soares and Jorge Guimarães refused a combined weight fight against the current Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey (Rousey is a very dangerous and aggressive athlete and could seriously injure or even rip off the spider's arm.)
AS would already be developing a fight plan together with Steven Seagal for a victory over Kaufman and to close his MMA career with a flourish!
After this year's fight AS intends to make a copy of the belt in Paraguay and send the original to Dana White, so he won't be without it. And finally, Silva will be able to start his work at Globo in a super season of the Didi program, which according to unofficial sources he has already signed with Globo.
That's my hero.
Silva knows how to run away when things get bad!
Very strange. If AS can accept facing any light heavyweight now, why can't he accept moving up a category in the future to face Jon Jones? answer: FEAR.
Better to stay quiet with your belt than risk running into Jones, right? But it's what everyone would like to see, to know who is the best. And he would make a lot of money, without a doubt.