Dana White: "The media and fans dont grasp how good Silva is..."

[bhp02]

Its hilarious people keep trying to dismiss Fedor from the GOAT discussion in favor of Silva. People forget that during Fedor's undefeated reign, Pride was the number one promotion, not the UFC. The talent was all in Pride. The competition was much more fierce, the rules much more brutal, and sometimes fighters had to fight more than once in a night. Fedor totally dominated the sport and beat some of the all time greats at the height of their careers.

historically speaking you are correct, but so was royce,
rickson, Ali, wandy, cc, etc, etc at their peaks.

today, there's probably 10 guys in the Ufc that would clobber fedor. some guys, like as, who would be lighter than fedor.

 

[bhp02]

I remember being on this forum when it was a travesty to knock Fedor. Seriously Fedor had so people in awe on this forum it was sick. Partially it was because he was an old school pride fighter.. so was Silva but somehow Fedor epitamized the scene more.

The fact is Anderson is the GOAT but Fedor wasn't far behind and is a legend in his own right. Just because he lost some fights after he got old doesnt make him any less great. The man dominated his sport.

Its just a matter of opinion that most of us have.. and that is that what Silva has done is more impressive.

who is older fedor ? or Andersen ?
who can float Like a butterfly ?

 

[Dbreiden83080]

How did this whole thread turn into Fedor fans whining exactly??

 

[Shawnkcdrums]

Why can't a fighter fight some fights....make some cash..retire and move on. Why does this forum have to compare them to every other fighter? If the fighters read this stuff...they would laugh for weeks.

 

[Negative Zero]

I agree with Dana. All he has ever shown is that he is incomparably good. Fedor was too, who really knows who would win or who is objectively better? I have them at #1 and #1, if I had to compare them and I never do. If Anderson goes on winning for a lot longer I'd have to give it to him for sure.

 

[Cptn1NSAN0]

WAR SILVA

 

[Deleted member 110072]

Its hilarious people keep trying to dismiss Fedor from the GOAT discussion in favor of Silva. People forget that during Fedor's undefeated reign, Pride was the number one promotion, not the UFC. The talent was all in Pride. The competition was much more fierce, the rules much more brutal, and sometimes fighters had to fight more than once in a night. Fedor totally dominated the sport and beat some of the all time greats at the height of their careers.

What seems even stranger to me is that Fedor is constantly called on "ducking" opposition but really I'd argue that Silva has consistantly avoided his biggest potential tests thoughout his UFC career.

Hendo was a big win for Silva but from that point on it was clear that his big tests were at LHW. This didnt involve him stepping up a division and being grossly undersized ala BJ, it involve him fighting guys like Shogun, Rashad, Machida, Hendo again etc who were of a similar size to him.

You look at Andersons big wins at MW and how would they be viewed for a top LHW?

Hendo - Good win certainly although until recently Dan was more a "win some lose some" fighter vs the very top opponants.

Franklin - Top 20ish maybe? when he's fought the elite LHW(Machida, Forrest, Hendo) he's come up short.

Vitor - Same story as Franklin but with alot more loses to top LHW's.

Harder to judge Sonnen, Okami, Maia, Leties directly with LHW but if guys like Rashad were fighting them the wins would not IMHO be viewed as "massive". The skill sets they display are for me clearly inferior to those at the top of LHW, either very one dimentional or "jack of all trades".

Silva to me hasnt just followed RRJ in fighting style but also in career choices, that is he's taken a very boxing like route of facing the lesser challanges while depending on promoter hype to sell fights. As a fighter I respect his abilties and I'v enjoyed the career he's had but as a potential GOAT he's simpley not challanged himself enough yet to claim that crown for me.

 

[DaGenius]

There is no doubt that most people wont really appreciate anderson silva until he is gone. Not at all. Just watch, enjoy and appreciate guys

 

[Deleted member 110072]

There is no doubt that most people wont really appreciate anderson silva until he is gone. Not at all. Just watch, enjoy and appreciate guys

I'd say just the reverse, when he's gone Dana will have somebody new to hype and much of the appreciation of Anderson will vanish as a result.

 

[BLACKLAC**]

I'd say just the reverse, when he's gone Dana will have somebody new to hype and much of the appreciation of Anderson will vanish as a result.

Nah, That may be happening with fedor but I don't see it happening with A.Silva.

 

[BLACKLAC**]

How did this whole thread turn into Fedor fans whining exactly??

No one ever talks about fedor anymore. They are butthurt.

 

[Kanster]

Oh the irony...

 

[Deleted member 110072]

Nah, That may be happening with fedor but I don't see it happening with A.Silva.

Fedor's certainly lost some interest from the average fan but the #1 reason for that has been that more and more the average fan likes what the UFC and its attendant media tells him to like and right now thats Anderson.

Now the UFC might not rubbish Silva the way it has Fedor(unless he moves to fight somewhere else) but when he's no longer bringing in the money the hype will largely vanish. Suddenly someone like Jones or JDS will get it instead and much of the easily led fanbase will go along with it.

Just look at the difference in say Chuck's popularity compaired to Fedor's, he'e dropped off the face of the earth exactly because so much of that popularity was dependant on short term UFC hype.

 

[tntkid]

Great quotes from fighters that respect Fedor's accomplishments.

The only people that choose to shit on Fedor are Dana mainly because he could not sign him & mma fans that were not born during Fedor's epic run.

-"Fedor is the best pfp fighter in the world." - Randy Couture, UFC HW Champion

-"Fedor is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world aside from bj Penn, those 2 are the best fighters in the world." - Rampage Jackson, UFC LHW Champion

-"It's FEDOR dude!" - Eric Pele

-"He is the BEST." - Mark Coleman, former UFC HW Champion and Pride GP Champion

-"The best in the world, no doubt." - Phil Baroni

-"Look, I've fought many people from around the world, so I've seen many strong fighters. But like him, never." - Renato Sobral

-"Fedor is on top now, it's hard to beat him now." - Pedro Rizzo

-"NOBODY wants to fight Fedor." - Wanderlei Silva, former Pride MW Champion and GP winner

-"Our great champion, he is the BEST in the world." - Josh Barnett, former UFC HW Champion and ADCC Champion

-"Fedor has no equals in Sambo or MMA." - Aleksander Mikhailin, 3-time World Judo Champion and Fedor's former training partner

-"Fedor would be absolutely great in K-1." - Ernesto Hoost, 4-time K-1 World Champion

-"Fedor has no weakness! I have seen so many fights, and even the best fighters in the world have a flaw in their game but I have yet to find one in Fedor Emelianenko." - Bas Rutten, former king of Pancrase and UFC HW Champion FSN

-"Probably the best ever lived....he's a living legend right now and I don't think there's a man on this planet who can beat him; the man is unreal. Pound for pound the best in the world." - Diego Sanchez, hooterandgreenway radio show

-"Fedor is my favorite." - BJ Penn, former UFC Welterweight Champion and BJJ world Champion, NWFS 7/9/06

-"Fedor is the most incredible fighter you'll ever see." - Frank Trigg

-"Fedor is pound-for-pound best in the world." - Shamada (Pride referee)

-"Fedor is a machine." - Don Frye

-"The best fighter to climb into ANY areana is Emelianenko fedor. He is in his own league and you can't compare nobody." - Kevin Randleman, former UFC HW Champion

-"Fedor is just too dominant, too good at punching people in the face. The way he punches people man he's trying to kill people, with both hands. He's in a whole different class by himself." - Brandon Vera

-"He is the best and undefeated... His striking game and his ground game is the best, so that's why he is the best... He is the sh*t " - Mark Hunt, K-1 World Champion

-"He's the total package; looks can be deceiving. He's incredibly strong, his hips are amazing, probably his best asset. Hard to hold down, hard to do anything with the guy.........shit he's just the best, that's why he's the best. He gets in position to throw the big bombs, he throws just as hard on the ground as he does on the feet. That's why he's the world Champion." - Mark Coleman

-"He's the fastest I've ever seen. Much faster than Mirko. And he's got a great reaction. Technically he may not have such a big advantage, but physically he is the fastest heavy guy in MMA history. He tries a punch, misses it, then immediately shoots again, Cro Cop for example didn't even see them coming. He must practise that a lot, because it's not easy to improvise that kind of thing. He is really with a good combination of styles, he can go from one art to the other, that's what makes him different." – Antonio Rodorigo Nogueira

-"He has a fast eye, good for counter-attacking. And in every fight he shows up with something new under his sleeve. Against Filipovic he used a great clinch-strike combo: he'd go for the uchi-mata, quickly following with a powerful hook." - Pedro Rizzo

Liddell: 'I'll fight anyone, Silva? Yeah sure, Quinton Jackson? Sure, Randy Couture? Sure'
Reporter: 'What about Fedor Emelianenko?'
Liddell: 'Well if I'll have to...I'll fight him...if I have to'

“I think that guy is the baddest motherfucker on the plant, that guy’s a savage. He’s one of those rare heavyweights that’s dangerous in all positions” – Joe Rogan

Reporter: ‘Who is the pound for pound best fighter?’
Georges St Pierre: ‘Fedor Emelianenko’

Reporter: A lot of debate surrounding who is the best heavyweight, Fedor never fought in the UFC. Who is the best heavyweight other than yourself?
Cain Velasquez: ‘…He was definitely the best’

Tim Sylvia: ‘The guy’s a stud, I have never been hit that hard before’

Reporter: Who is your idol
Ronda Rousey: Fedor Emelianenko, he is the best.

Junior Dos Santos: ‘Fedor is the greatest, no doubt about it. For me, its a question of admiration, he's the biggest of all time. He is a heavyweight who used to beat everybody. He was for sure "The Baddest Man on the Planet". If he comes back would be incredible for the sport. I am a big fan of him.’

Karyn Bryant: ‘How do you feel about being called the black fedor?’

Cormier: ‘I think it is cool man and I am extremely honoured, I respect Fedor a ton’

Oscar De la Hoya: “we are seeing a fighter that comes once in a lifetime”

Thanks to TheSpartan for getting most of the quotes

 

[nope]

No one ever talks about fedor anymore. They are butthurt.

sure, 60 pages of silva fans talking about fedor
you did it too though

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

it isn't just that Anderson will not fight Jones in 2012, to be the goat, Anderson should have been fighting at lhw since beating Hendo and moving up to fight Irvin for counter-Fedor programming in 2008 at best, or since Lyoto lost to Shogun in early 2010, at worst. Since then, his best fights were against guys whose careers stalled at lhw, and moved to mw and found success. I don't think Anderson would be undefeated if he fought all the guys Lyoto fought at 205, even excluding Jones. The heavier the guys get, the stronger guys get, and the room for error gets smaller, and hw is where the biggest baddest guys are. for me, fedor's unparralled success fighting at HW will always give him the edge over guys fighting at the lighter weights. Anderson is amazing though, and it has been great to watch his 6.5 year run in the UFC winning the way he has.

 

[Saskatoonmike**]

Even if Anderson did fight that guy you would do nothing but discredit him anyway. You know how I know? Dan Henderson....

lol at what an MMA noob you are if you think Hendo is an MMA wrestler with endless cardio.

 

[FlyThai**]

lol at what an MMA noob you are if you think Hendo is an MMA wrestler with endless cardio.

Anderson finished Hendo before he "gassed" so what's the big point?

He has sub defense and he is a good wrestler. So what's your point?

 

[FlyThai**]

sure, 60 pages of silva fans talking about fedor
you did it too though

I'd argue there are far more Fedor fans on this thread than any other fanbase

 

[Saskatoonmike**]

Anderson finished Hendo before he "gassed" so what's the big point?

He has sub defense and he is a good wrestler. So what's your point?

When certain fighters like Hendo and Bj grapple for even one round, they slow incrementally after. You might not see it, and I might not see it, but a guy like Anderson sees it clearly.

Why do guys like Lutter and Hendo and SOnnen take Anderson down so frikkin easily in the first round when they are fresh? Anderson does not gas in fights. Even when Sonnen ragdolled him for most of 5 rounds, anderson looked, for the first time, a little beat up, but he was still deadly. Still able to act on any mistake.

Henderson slows when he grapples at all (so does BJ), and you simply cannot do that against Anderson. he is too good. he will pick it up immediately and time his strike to kill you.

i am not suggesting Anderson would not kill a Kos, Bendo, Rashad, Davis, GSP type grappler as he certainly has the skill to. But I am saying they would not provide that killer that very clear opening his wrestling based opponents at MW have. they would not gas, they would not have very average sub defense. Instead of beiting them in their weakness he would have to beat them in their strengths and as one of the best fighters of all time he would certainly be capable of it. I just want to see it. That is why it is important to see elites fight elites as they need to beat each other in each others strengths, not just in their weak areas.