‘The Spider’ as he is known garners respect from fighters and fans alike like no other fighter. After Jones finished Machida, the majority of fan interest swung away from Silva facing St-Pierre and toward Silva moving up to light heavyweight to face Jones. #ufcvegas12, — Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) November 1, 2020. pic.twitter.com/9fcUsCdUOU, — Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) October 31, 2020. Thiago Santos is favored to win the fight, much in part due to his efforts against Jon Jones in his last outing. What people got to realize is that Anderson Silva’s 37 years old. It was nothing more than a pipe dream, to be sure, because a large percentage of fans still wanted to see Silva vs. St-Pierre. Silva stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Jon Jones. Though his last fight did not go the way he would’ve hoped, he has left an unparalleled legacy in the sport that will take a herculean effort to match. White appeared to want no part of Silva vs. Jones. Besides working with the MMA writing team, Kevin is a core member of the Middleweight Marvin Vettori who has been struggling to find a fight took to Twitter to slander the two men involved in the main event for not accepting a fight against him. My best bet would be the Super Bowl weekend card, an event that is traditionally held in Las Vegas. The title fight saw Jones defeat Rua by TKO in Round 3 - a beating to Rua which ESPN's Jeff Wagenheim had never seen before. I don't believe that report is accurate. Jon Jones next fight will be at Heavyweight and it won't be against no "Buentello". Silva had successfully competed at 205 twice in the UFC, easily defeating James Irvin and embarrassing Forrest Griffin. That didn't stop the discussion of the Jones vs. Silva idea from becoming even more substantial, and White threw kerosene on the flames when he announced with a smile at the UFC 159 post-fight press conference that he'd just gotten off the phone with Silva: That actually did happen tonight. When I was talking shit, that was because I couldn’t allow myself to put him on a pedestal mentally otherwise I wouldn’t of fought to the best of my ability. El campeón medio Israel Adesanya se levanta para aplaudir a Anderson Silva en su despedida del @UFCEspanol #UFCVegas12 pic.twitter.com/xy6ViQdE1J, — C. Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) November 1, 2020. It was one of the more memorable moments in the history of the promotion. Even though both men said they were interested in the idea of a catchweight bout, you could tell that the excitement wasn't really there. Conor McGregor believes there’s currently a debate to be had about who is the greatest fighter in MMA history. The Brazilian star made a statement on his UFC debut and never looked back from then on. Giving away what could potentially be the biggest-money fight in UFC history on free television isn't the smartest of business decisions, after all. Dan Henderson had returned to the UFC from Strikeforce in December 2011, earning a title shot by beating Rua in one of the UFC's all-time classic fights. Thirty-seven years old. When asked about the potential of a Jones fight by Brazilian outlet Esportes, Silva was far more direct: No chance. years. Anderson Silva's been doing it since like 2006. The interview took place the same week that Jones went to Broomfield, Colo., and broke Brandon Vera's face in multiple places during the first round of their UFC Live on Versus main event. What a great career for the Spider! Anderson Silva has picked a side in the ongoing feud between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya.The feud first started when Adesanya called out Jones. Seeing him destroy his opponents with such creativity and relative ease was mind blowing and I think everyone in mixed martial arts felt the same way. If it was indeed Anderson Silva’s last fight in the UFC, he adds himself to a list of greats that have retired this year. Masvidal vs. Edwards and more ➡️, Conor calls out Kamaru on Twitter for using a combination similar to his: 'Can’t be copying my words and my shots', Usman ends the Masvidal talk Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who has admitted his admiration for ‘The Spider’ was in attendance for his idol’s final fight. Jon Jones woulda walked through Izzy last night and took him down at will.. Dos Anjos is scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev on November 14. Jones, it seemed, had once again cleared out his division of any substantial challengers. Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, and Adesanya the reigning middleweight champion, are two of the fiercest rivals in MMA at present—to the point that a future fight between them seemed almost inevitable. Jon Jones at UFC 159 vs Chael Sonnen. Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier is no longer interested in a potential super fight between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya. Normally I beat around the bush, but it's going to happen for sure. His style is just so amazing and he’s so creative. Chris Weidman will end the Jon Jones era just like he did with Anderson Silva — ‘He’s beatable’ New, 95 comments By Jesse Holland Sep 26, 2019, 12:12pm EDT At the UFC 145 post-fight press conference, White maintained that Silva was still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but admitted that Jones was inching closer to that top spot. If Jon Jones goes on to become the game's biggest drawing card, UFC 172 will likely be looked back at as the turning point. But last night showed he ain't no Anderson Silva! In fact, Jones would win the light heavyweight championship from Rua one year later. Anderson was a huge inspiration to me throughout his whole career. I had to think of him as nothing more than another opponent and find reasons to disrespect him and discredit his accomplishments. But I truly admire Anderson Silva. Just do it. McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) insists he will go down as the top fighter ever seen in the sport, with his accomplishments outlasting those of Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva. Almost in tears watch Uriah & Anderson embrace after the fight! As long as he wins that fight, and so long as Silva beats Weidman, then Jones and Silva will face off in early 2014. Silva stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Jon Jones. Weidman also sees an unflattering similarity between Silva … ... Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, they failed drug tests. Do your best. UFC legend Anderson Silva is still interested in having a boxing match with Roy Jones Jr. Silva (34-11) is preparing to face former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr … Until Anderson Silva loses and is knocked off that top notch, or until we (make a fight with) him and Jon Jones, I … Time goes so fast!!!! UFC 162 Results: Anderson Silva-Jon Jones superfight makes more sense now than ever New, 126 comments David St. Martin makes a case for a Silva-Jones superfight and asks whether titles even matter. I think I have the capabilities of doing it. Fought like a warrior and made us all proud anyway. ... Jon Jones approaches the Anderson Silva … Jones was moved to the UFC 152 main event, where he faced middleweight contender Vitor Belfort. Hard-hitting Brazilian Thiago Santos made a little piece of history at UFC 239 as he became the first man to beat Jon Jones in a title fight – in the eyes of one judge. Then he could take a boat and sail into the sunset. But, as you can see from the Google Trends report on the "Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva," the idea of Jones taking on Silva in a superfight morphed from obscurity into a real popular debate topic, and it all happened when Jones marched through Bader and Rua in consecutive months. At the beginning of 2010, that started to change. I watched Anderson fight Forrest Griffin in my first ufc event ever. But if Fox is adamant on televising the event on their network, Silva vs. Jones will not take place on that night. Three months after Jones defeated Evans, Silva would finish archrival Chael Sonnen in the second round of their UFC 148 main event. Always respectfull and skill that will never be forgotten. But the light heavyweight champion had another respected opponent in front of him. Thug Rose comes back strong 2. Realizing that could be Anderson’s last go! ... Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, they failed drug tests. So why did UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones agree to coach opposite Sonnen on The Ultimate Fighter 17 and ultimately face him … Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated reported the event will instead be held in New Jersey in conjunction with the Super Bowl the following day. Former double champion Daniel Cormier and ‘The Spider’s’ paths crossed at UFC 200. Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva put on one of the best fights ever in the middleweight division at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Silva in London. from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two He's in a different weight class, we are friends and we won't fight each other. And to me, this was my world title fight. He was scheduled to face Jones in September 2012 at UFC 151, but an injury suffered in training camp forced him to withdraw. After the fight like usually in most fights the animosity is gone and it’s all respect. And that, as they say, appeared to be that. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- The Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones super fight will likely never happen inside the Octagon, but they shared a ring … I’d have never thought we’d share the octagon one day! I think Khabib really could’ve supplanted Jon Jones for me, but I’m just telling you: The most skilled, best fighter that I’ve ever seen in UFC history is Jon Jones. It did happen. Kevin Binoy is an MMA author at EssentiallySports. Well that would of done me just fine. ‘The Big Ticket’ shared on social media the emotions that went through him realizing it would be ‘The Spider’s’ last fight in the octagon. @SpiderAnderson absolute legend!! But you can rest assured that, barring any kind of crazy injury or an abrupt retirement from Silva, the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport will finally meet each other in the Octagon next year. When all is said and done, though, he’s it will be a closed case. But just because I said some harsh words doesn’t change the fact that I have incredible respect for him. There will continue to be skilled fighters and champions in the UFC. I don’t see that fight happening anytime soon. The fans wanted the fight, and White finally seemed to be warming to the idea. Jon Jones has responded to Conor McGregor's claims that he is the 'MMA GOAT, aiming digs at both Anderson Silva and Jones over their failed drugs tests. Silva, who's moonlighted at 205 pounds during his current reign with wins over Forrest Griffin and James Irvin, called Jones "amazing" but said fans jumped the gun in pairing them. Here’s Anderson and I getting stitched up backstage sharing a handshake. The former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones took to Twitter to show his appreciation for the Brazilian fighter. Both men are among the best ever at 185 pounds. The fight was immediately called off and Hall … Fellow Brazilian fighter Rafael dos Anjos took to Twitter to appreciate a fantastic career. Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are two of the most dominant forces the sport of mixed martial arts has ever known, and now they are both up for the 2012 ESPY for "Best Fighter… By the time Jones was finished making his third consecutive champion appear as though they didn't belong in the same cage with him, Silva had finished Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami in destructive fashion, cementing himself as the unquestioned greatest fighter of all time. Now that you know the history, you probably have one question: Will this fight ever happen? A new tide was rolling in; fans were still interested in the idea of Silva fighting St-Pierre, but the Canadian's unwillingness to move up to 185 pounds put a damper on things. Those two appearances made the fans believe that Silva could easily compete with the best at light heavyweight, and Jones was the best. Wow! I would need to do some serious soul-searching to know that I'd beat Anderson Silva's [butt]. He hasn’t lost and has been champion since 2006. Yes, and it's going to happen in 2014. Silva was the gold standard that fighters aimed to reach; he has inspired many of the current fighters to take up the sport. Nice seeing the fight between the two fighters that both turned me down and then accepted fighting each other. But if he gets past this test with Weidman, we could see this [Jones] super fight this year. Once again, it seemed as though Silva had no challengers remaining who could conceivably toss him from the middleweight throne, and fans again began to demand that he face either St-Pierre or Jones. Leading up to our fight, in typical fashion I talked a lot of shit. #UFCVegas12 , — Walt Harris (@thebigticket205) November 1, 2020. But just as Adesanya was compared to Jon Jones, he was also compared to Silva, the former pound-for-pound great and ex-division king. They’re in two different weight classes. He could end his career like that — fight in a different weight class. “You’re the reason why I’m doing this. It also brought about the first-ever UFC event cancellation when White and Joe Silva could not find a replacement opponent that Jones thought suitable. If that event remains a pay-per-view, then Jones vs. Silva is the perfect fight to make. The UFC president also said Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones was another possibility that didn't come to fruition Anderson Silva, who suffered a … And though Silva had a July fight with Chris Weidman on the docket, White continued to fan the flames: Silva has a fight coming up on July 6, he's fighting Chris Weidman. But perhaps nuances were being lost in translation. I would be happy with that. He was looking great. #respect, A post shared by Mikebisping (@mikebisping) on Oct 30, 2020 at 9:18pm PDT. ", — Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 1, 2020. Following the fight, we saw him applauding the two men for their efforts. Shortly after Jones' historic title win, former Sports Illustrated reporter Steven Marrocco asked Silva for his thoughts on facing the new light heavyweight champion: That, of course, comes as bad news for those recently amped for a meeting between Silva and Jon Jones. Bellator’s two-division champion Patricio Freire ‘Pitbull’ took to Twitter to applaud the career Anderson has had. Jones easily beat Sonnen, but suffered a nasty toe injury in the process. Since then the two have been trading shots at each other on frequent occasion. You’re still one of the greatest,” an emotional Hall says to Silva. Francis Ngannou wants to fight Jon Jones, despite Dana White’s doubts (March 28) ... “If you want to talk about a money fight, if GSP wants a money fight, he fights Anderson Silva. One of the best ever! Jones survived a first-round armbar attempt from Belfort before moving on to finish him by submission. At the time, Jones still had an oft-delayed bout with former teammate Evans on the horizon, and Silva had a rematch with Chael Sonnen that would be a pay-per-view bonanza. Anderson Silva will replace Jon Jones in Saturday’s light heavyweight fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 after the interim champion, Jones, was … Though he did not win the fight, he won a lot more fans over with his willingness to step in at the last minute. More and more fans began to clamor for the superfight, lighting up messageboard communities around the world and giving their predictions on who would win. Anderson had an amazing career. Such, though, is not the case with a potential Jones-Silva match. 1 pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Here's what I believe will happen: Jones will return later this summer and face Alexander Gustafsson. The reigning UFC middleweight and welterweight champions weren't just the best in their respective weight classes; they were the absolute best in the world. When we fought in 2016 it wasn’t for the belt but it was for something possibly bigger. One year before he'd defeat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to become the youngest UFC champion in history, the official website of Jackson-Winklejohn's MMA gym posted an interview with Jonny "Bones" Jones in which the future champion was asked who he looked up to from a fighting perspective: Jon Jones: Yeah, Anderson Silva inspires me a lot. My answer? Usman vs. Conginton No. In doing so, White also mentioned the possibility of pairing Jones and Silva: It's incredible – (Jones) did it in one year, ... Anderson Silva's been doing it since like 2006. One day, I said it first here. Anderson Silva managed to offset his Chute Box Muay Thai with a prestigious BJJ black belt from friend and training partner, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. 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