OK so obviously, age took Anderson's speed...but where is the technique?

[campbecc]

he was always one of those guys that depended on reflexes and speed.

 

[superpunch]

Anderson is like Roy Jones.

Roy jones didnt have the fundamentals to keep himself competitive in his later years like hopkins did. Neither did Andy.

He used his athleticism, reflexes to dominate guys. Sure he was technically ahead of his time too but those MMA times sucked when you have Forrest griffin and franklin as champion. Anderson was like Ali fighting in rocky marcianos era. Of course he looked like a god.

HE wasn't competitive in his later years?? He peaked in his mid 30s lol. He didn't become UFC champ until his 30s. Yeah, he wasn't dominant at 40+ but those are some high standards..

 

[moreorless87]

Anderson is like Roy Jones.

Roy jones didnt have the fundamentals to keep himself competitive in his later years like hopkins did. Neither did Andy.

He used his athleticism, reflexes to dominate guys. Sure he was technically ahead of his time too but those MMA times sucked when you have Forrest griffin and franklin as champion. Anderson was like Ali fighting in rocky marcianos era. Of course he looked like a god.

I don't think Anderson ever really had defence like RJJ or Ali though, he pulled that shoulder rolling showboat a few times when he knew opponents were desperate/sloppy but you watch say the second Franklin or Hendo fights its mostly a case he just walks though their offence. What he's lost is IMHO more chin and his own offensive capability.

Franklin and Forrest would still both be top 10 fighters today though IMHO.

 

[Christhammer]

Father time spares no one





VS

 

[Roljo]

But this is about technique...he never ran to brawl...ever.

Yes he did, it was better executed is all.

 

[Hotei]

The most frustrating episode was the way Anderson threw himself into these punches by Hall...

First they show us his great highlight from Forrest Griffin fight, then we get a fight where Spider impersonates Forrest Griffin...

Technique is not some abastract quality, without proper reflexes and speed his technique just doesn't work. Another MMA great like Fedor showed the exact same thing. Once reflexes, speed and power left him he started to look like a head hunter brawler.

 

[grimballer]

The guys been fighting for over 2 decades...

It’s a mix of old age + the game passing him by.

What was working 10/15 years ago doesn’t work now + his chin is gone

 

[cade187]

He just misses the matrix, but can’t the way back in

 

[Number 8]

Age took his will to win fights... Technique is probably still there.

 

[Kono dio da!]

He fought a younger guy who studied his game coming. Hall probably apes some of silva's technique as do a lot of "strikers" today. It could sub conscious or conscious. In my mind, NOT studying silva as a striking based fighter, even as an accomplished karateka/kickboxer, would be akin to NOT studying and learning from khabib as a wrestler/smesh/gnp type fighter.

Silva's skills are still there but it doesn't matter because the sport, talent and best practices have passed him by. It's sad but it happens. His tricks won't work on anyone anymore. The same way i believe dominick cruz will struggle against dillashaw in a rematch, cory, sterling, etc. The same way aldo struggled against Marlon. Silva codified striking and younger guys improved upon it. Maybe with his speed, power and reflexes he probably could've made a difference and finsihed hall, but even then, though i don't think much of hall at all, he always always would've been a tough fight regardless of what version silva shows up. As would Izzy, a six foot plus conor etc or any other "flowy", "woo can't touch me" type striker.

 

[HHJ]

Something tells med Anderson kind of threw the fight. He had a beef with Dana and wanted a more worthy opponent for his last fight, he got Hall and felt dissed and didn’t even try.

I dont believe that. Thats no reason for him to purposely get his ass kicked.

 

[HHJ]

The problem with Anderson is that he still believes in his mind that he can fight without defence and has the speed to avoid punches. He is still fighting in the same way as he did before.
You can see that he has still the skills but he didn't change his game to his age.
He would have won easily if his mind made a switch and become more defensive and aware of the lack of speed and movement.
Old Anderson still beats most of the guys if he adjust his style to his age and less speed.

It is FAR too late for him to change the way he fights.

 

[HHJ]

Imagine if he just took the Bentley after the Bonnar fight and retired.

Traded 7 years with his kids for 7 losses..........

7 paychecks for his family

 

[HHJ]

Part of being old isn't just becoming slower and having less reflexes, it's also becoming stupid. You can see every shot fighter around 40 except Randy and Hendo become really stupid. You get less intelligent every year as you get older, and eventually in your 60s or 70s you're diagnosed with an actual clinical problem. But no one at 50 is more intelligent, more wise yes, than they were when they were 25.

 

[HHJ]

The guy is pushing 46 for Ch ----s sake. Anderson should've left after the Bisping fight. That's all I needed to see. His legacy in one piece as one of the upper tier goats.(]- you cant take it away but hes trying so hard to tarnish it. It's a bit frustrating)

He is not trying to tarnish it. He is doing his job which is to make money. Since he can avoid getting kod or even taking that much damage,and keeps being offered fights,why wouldnt he keep going?

 

[Franklin U.]

He is not trying to tarnish it. He is doing his job which is to make money. Since he can avoid getting kod or even taking that much damage,and keeps being offered fights,why wouldnt he keep going?

C'mon bro.... when I write in that context, I'm writing figuratively. I mean - I don't actually think hes TRYING to tarnish his legacy and I know it's a continued paycheck but still....... what is he clearing now? I hope he made a fortune and was able to neutralize a chunk of it ( or even make a bit). Hes Anderson Silva. I'm sure hell be in the business one way or another for a very long. In my eyes, his legacy isn't tarnished but I'm not everybody.

 

[Madmick]

Sheesh. Why are we overthinking this? He's 45.

When your technique depends on superior speed, and that speed evaporates, your technique no longer works. Much of Silva's technique was athleticism-dependent. Some might say PED-dependent.

 

[superpunch]

What do you think dementia is? You think it just happens magically when you're 70? No, it happens year by year, and at a certain point it's called dementia. Just like your bones get weaker and weaker every year, and at a certain point it's called osteoporosis. Your brain degrades along with your body every year, and eventually it's so bad it's called an actual medical problem.

At 70, you're not as intelligent as you were at 45, and at 45 not as intelligent as you were at 25.

All these guys fighting at 45 like Chuck, Anderson, BJ, etc. aren't mentally the same people they were when they were 25. A lifetime of getting hit in the head didn't help, and some of it's just aging too. They're not degraded mentally enough to be diagnosed with anything yet. But just like you can see the degradation in Anderson's weaker bones, which aren't diagnosable as osteoporosis yet, when pitted against a 25 year old's bones... you can also see a difference in his reasoning and problem solving ability in terms of his fight IQ in the cage. When Anderson doesn't go for the kill shot, it's not all because of worse reflexes; his instinct has actually gotten dumber as a result of age.

You see this shit in the cage. A 25 year old BJ would always have been too intelligent to try the tippy toes thing. A 25 year old Chuck, the difference is obvious. He'd have seen the video of him moving like a slug before the Tito fight, and thought oh fuck, bad idea. 45 -- less brain power.

You see it in high level everything that uses your head. If you're a high level mathematician, for example, you notice the extra horse power than a 25 year old's brain has over a 40 year olds. If you're a programmer, you're not the same programmer at 50-60 that you were at 30. You just aren't. If you push your brain to high level performance for a living, you notice the degradation in yourself. It's very real, and you see the effect of all this shit in the cage.

 

[BigggerNog]

Anderson had a granite chin in his prime. If not for that, he would just be a journeyman.

This might be the dumbest thing I’ve read on sherdog...and I’ve been reading posts in the war room lol.

Fighters didn’t even throw front kicks to the face before Silva. He literally changed the striking game in the sport.

 

[Yashabo]

Fighters didn’t even throw front kicks to the face before Silva

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