mma / Columns
411 Fact or Fiction MMA: Is Wanderlei Silva Wasting His Time With His Ban Appeal?
411Welcome back to another edition of 411 Fact or Fiction MMA, and I’m your host, Wyatt Beougher! Last week, I was pressed into duty at the last minute against Mark Radulich, and I can honestly say that he pushed me to my limits discussing UFC 200, Demetrious Johnson’s legacy, and more, and when the voting closed, it proved to be a draw, with myself, Mark, and the draw option all receiving 11 votes! Great effort from Mark, and I’ll have to schedule a rematch down the line so that we can have a decisive winner. This week, Evan Zivin and Jonathan Solomon will square off, and they’ll be writing about Bellator capturing the spirit of PRIDE, a couple of old fighters, and Luke Rockhold’s recent comments about Conor McGregor, among other things. This should be a knock-down, drag-out war of the words, so let’s get to the action!
TALE OF THE TAPE
RED CORNER
Evan “White Tiger” Zivin
Contributor, 411 MMA Zone
0-2-1
VS
BLUE CORNER
“Juggernaut” Jonathan Solomon
Contributor/Rankings Compiler, 411 MMA Zone
1-2-0
1.) In spite of her fight on Saturday being a non-title affair because her opponent missed weight and claims that the UFC isn’t on her agenda, if Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger continues to win impressively, it is only a matter of time before she makes the jump to the Octagon.
Evan Zivin: FACT More than likely. From the way that Tonya has been fighting and winning, there’s no question that UFC should be interested in signing her. It seems like the only barrier to Tonya’s entering the UFC may be Tonya herself, with her well-documented dislike of the UFC and certain decisionmakers in the organization. The thing about opinions, though, is that they can change, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the bigger paydays and the chance to fight top competition and become champion on the biggest stage in the MMA world may soon become enticing enough for her to make a deal with the devil and take an offer she can’t refuse. If she wants to stay put in Invicta right now, then more power to her, but I’m sure we’ll see her in the UFC at least once before she retires.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT The UFC only has so many legitimate challengers in the bantamweight division. So, if there are any quality fighters in Invicta, logic says they will end up in the Octagon before too long. Evinger is definitely one of the top fighters at 135 not under a UFC deal. Plus, she’s one of the female fighters who were there when female MMA began growing (her pro debut was the first sanctioned women’s MMA fight in California). Besides money (I guess this would be the primary reason for her to go to UFC, though I’m not sure how much better it would be), simple recognition of competing in the world’s number one fight promotion makes me want to see Evinger in their division.
2.) Between the kickboxing bouts, the one-night light heavyweight tournament, and hiring Lenne Hardt, Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1 will feel more like a PRIDE show than any event since the promotion closed its doors.
Evan Zivin: FICTION I doubt it. Right now, it just feels like a Bellator show with Glory sharing the ride and not offering much in return. Aside from the fact that there’s a lot more MMA on the show than kickboxing, which doesn’t do much to help expose that sport to the MMA fanbase, the most heavily hyped of the kickboxing fights on the card is Paul Daley vs. Fernando Gonzalez, a kickboxing fight between two MMA fighters. Where’s the fun in that? Where’s the big MMA vs. kickboxing showdown? Where’s the silly mixed rules fight? PRIDE was full of nonsense like that and it’s what made the promotion so much fun. I mean, the tournament is neat and all but Bellator used to do those all the time so it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal.
The closest we’ve come to a wild, PRIDE-style show since the promotion closed down is probably the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye shows they do on New Year’s. Those events are mostly MMA but they have put on some interesting kickboxing fights and pro wrestling contests in past years. Dream did stuff like that too, since that promotion was pretty much PRIDE 2: Revenge of the Fallen. Also, you can never compare Bellator to PRIDE unless they start using PRIDE rules. So, unless we see Liam McGeary defend his light heavyweight championship by soccer kicking Tito Ortiz in the face, all comparisons to PRIDE are pointless.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT There have been some shows out of Japan (forgetting specifics), whether they were DREAM shows, K-1 shows, or others elsewhere in Asia, that felt like PRIDE cards at times. But I can’t wait for this big show Friday. Scott Coker knows how to produce an entertaining broadcast and the decision to take Bellator (even if for one night) down this path spells nothing but fun. As for the news of Lenne Hardt, the UFC had a glorious opportunity that they let slide by when they did not bring her in when they went to Japan. So, Coker and Bellator will have her live in San Jose and we can all have memories of PRIDE rush back.
3.) While the details and overall tone of Tim Sylvia’s recent interview regarding his exit from the UFC in 2008 aren’t surprising at all, his claim that he would be a top twenty heavyweight if he were still in shape seem dubious considering his post-UFC career.
Evan Zivin: FICTION It’s hard to say but it’s possible that Tim could still be a ranked UFC heavyweight. Almost all of his losses after he left UFC (and after the Fedor loss) were at super heavyweight. When Tim was in shape and working with a good camp and fighting like a champion and not just swinging for the fences, he was a successful fighter. He still could be. I mean, Andrei Arlovski could have been retired by now, but he got himself back into shape and hooked up with a good camp and now he’s a title contender again. And Frank Mir? Well, I guess he’s not in the greatest shape but he can still compete with the best in the UFC.
It’s not like this is the lightweight division, where everybody can beat everybody else. At heavyweight, there are a couple of really good fighters at the top, and then there’s everyone else. Do I see an in-shape Tim Sylvia being able to compete with guys like Roy Nelson or Bigfoot Silva or Mark Hunt? Sure, and, if he’s motivated enough, I could see him winning some of those fights. I know it’s the cool thing to mock Timmeh, but I think that, with the right motivation and coaching, he could be ranked at heavyweight. At the very least, he could be good enough to beat guys like Shawn Jordan or Jared Rosholt.
Jonathan Solomon: FICTION At first, I was going to agree with the statement. Entering 2016 soon, Tim Sylvia’s level in MMA is not in the UFC or Bellator. He has not won a fight since 2012, but he has found his place traveling the world and taking fights in Russia and Asia. I don’t know if there’s money in being the name fighter on smaller regional shows in the United States, but that is likely his best bet at staying active and picking up wins. However, in the last 411 MMA Rankings for the heavyweights (last week), Frank Mir and Todd Duffee were borderline Top 15 fighters. Todd Duffee is not a good fighter. He’s got some power, but he’s not a threat to any quality heavyweight. Frank Mir would likely beat Sylvia again. Is Sylvia so much worse than the likes of Damian Grabowski, Brendan Schaub and the like? I’m sure we can name 20 heavyweights better than Sylvia, but if he put together a win streak somewhere and was in good shape (forget great), his name would be in this mix.
SWITCH!
4.) Paul Daley is essentially correct in saying that Josh Koscheck needs a rematch with Daley more than he needs a rematch with Koscheck.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT There is no doubt Daley’s sentiment is correct. Josh Koscheck, for all intents and purposes, should be retired at this point. He will turn 38 years old in November and is 0-5 in fights since the spring of 2012. More than three years have gone by since he last won an MMA bout. Sure, Daley may not be fighting competition like Johny Hendricks, Matt Brown, or Robbie Lawler, but he’s remained active in recent years and is 2-1 since 2014.
Evan Zivin: FACT It could be argued that Paul needs Josh more, since the rivalry with Josh resulted in one of the biggest fights Paul has ever been in, the fight that may have been his peak as far as being a top welterweight goes (except for maybe his fight with Nick Diaz), but right now, Paul is in a much better position. It’s clear that Bellator values Paul a lot and believes he could be an important part of the company moving forward. He may very well get a title shot after his kickboxing fight on Friday. There’s been no talk of title shots for Josh Koscheck. He’s entering the promotion on a five-fight losing streak and needs a win to get himself going again. If he gets that win, though? Then things could get interesting, especially if Bellator does make moves towards Daley vs. Koscheck 2. It’s a fight that both men could use to give their careers a boost but, at the moment, Josh definitely needs that boost more than Paul does.
5.) At 39 years old, having only won two fights in the past five years (and with a 4-5 record since PRIDE closed up shop), and embroiled in a bitter contract feud with UFC, Wanderlei Silva is wasting his time by fighting the lifetime ban placed upon him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Jonathan Solomon: FICTION Wanderlei Silva, at one point in time, was one of the most beloved fighters in MMA. And also one of the most entertaining fighters of his generation and a hell of a personality, which made it fun to follow him in PRIDE and the UFC. However, his actions in 2014, which saw him literally run from a random drug test in Nevada will forever taint his reputation, career, and legacy. The lifelong ban issued by the Nevada Athletic Commission was a breath of fresh air when we’re more accustomed to fighters who might deserve severe punishments for their actions skirt such punishments. As to Silva’s intent to get that ban overturned, why not? There is no lower his career can go, and if he chooses to waste his time, energy, and perhaps money on this situation, let the man do just that.
Evan Zivin: FICTION I can’t say that Wanderlei is wasting his time because I don’t know how Wanderlei would be spending his time if he wasn’t trying to fight the Nevada Athletic Commission. [Editor’s Note: Touche. Well-played, Zivin, well-played. -W] Wanderlei did have a valid case before regarding the commission overstepping its bounds, and a judge agreed, but with the changes the commission has enacted since then, who knows what will happen now. It’s not like Wanderlei wants to fight again. I’m sure this whole situation, and the fact that UFC won’t let him out of his contract, has killed any desire he had left to compete one more time. As long as this battle isn’t getting in the way of any upcoming fights, I don’t really care what Wanderlei does. If he wants to fight the power, then fight on, my brother. Rage against that machine.
6.) While it’s understandable that Luke Rockhold frequently discusses his upcoming opponent Chris Weidman in interviews, when he starts downplaying Conor McGregor’s abilities, it comes across as sour grapes that he doesn’t have the same kind of following that McGregor has generated.
Jonathan Solomon: FACT I’m not exactly positive why Rockhold opened up about McGregor. Beyond the fact they’re never ever going to fight, it’s not even a case of Rockhold being a teammate of a top featherweight contender who may end up fighting the Irishman. Besides, Rockhold doesn’t like all the talking Conor does because he’s not a champion? Pot, meet kettle.
Evan Zivin: FICTION I didn’t read that in Luke’s comments at all. He was just saying what we’re all thinking: Conor is entertaining at times and extremely annoying at others. Could there be some jealousy there? It’s possible but does being as popular as Conor really matter that much to Luke? He still has the same opportunity coming up as Conor: to become the champion of his weight class. That’s really all that matters, right? And the criticisms he made towards Conor are valid. Conor beat Chad Mendes, but, in doing so, he revealed a lot of flaws in his game. Also, he isn’t on Ronda Rousey’s level, comparatively speaking. Not in terms of skill, in terms of dominating his weight class, or in terms of mainstream popularity. He may get there, though. Time will tell on that one.
As for Luke, maybe he should take a few tips from Conor, get himself a couple of three-piece suits, and, one day, he can become as big as the Notorious One. Or he can just go on more awful reality dating shows. I hear the kids these days love those.
So who won? Was Evan able to sway you to vote for him to earn his first win, or did Jonathan even his record up? You’ve got until midnight eastern on Saturday to vote, so make sure you make your voice heard!
And that’s it for today, but we’ll be back next week with another contest! As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see featured in a future edition, leave your statement in the comments and I’ll add it in. Let me know what you thought in the comments or on Twitter. And please, be sure to vote!
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