Apparently it was posted on Mia's twitter page. Thoughts ? Personally I think Silva is done at 185 and I would prefer to see him face on of the top 205 guys.
Anyone know if they offered the fight to Sonnen first?...They must've done and maybe the cut prevented it from happening because it just seems an odd decision to go with Maia....especially if you compare their respective performances from last weekend. Maia is probably my favourite UFC fighter, but i'm struggling to see how he takes Silva down....and in between those hopeful attempts, he'll be getting bashed up from Silva's far superior striking.
Sonnen is on medical suspension. This fight is a mismatch. Hopefully it's not a repeat of the Leites fight.
Maia beat Sonnen. He should get a title shot first, though they should have fought for it. The circumstances didn't allow it.
I think Maia is a live dog...just as long as he doesn't run face first into Anderson's fist like he did against Nate. His BJJ is as good as anybody's in MMA. If he can take Silva down, it'll get real interesting. TFK
I think the Maia fight will happen along the lines of the Thales Leites fight (Initially dull, Anderson won't be taken down)...except Anderson will then decide he's bored and start throwing punches and elbows...maybe even a knee. Maia gets crunched before it goes the distance.
It does have the potential to be a stinker if Silva plays it cautious. But I just don't see Maia flopping on the ground like Leites. He's too good of a fighter. TFK
BJJ will always have a place in MMA. Its just too dangerous from sooo many diferent situations. But the time of a fighter only being great in one discipline in MMA has come and gone. Just as the stand up fighter needs much more. Silva is a perfect example. He was getting subbed by very average submission fighters in Pride. He was forced to learn takedown defense and ground skills and it made him the fighter he is today. But I agree, I see this as a fairly easy win for Silva. Maia would really have to "catch" him with a sub to win.
Maia doesn't have the tools to beat Silva. In a grappling match, no doubt Maia would have an edge, but he is never getting Silva to the ground. His takedowns are nothing special, his striking is crap. Maia is world class when it comes to grappling, unfortunately for him, he's far too one dimentional when it comes to MMA. For Maia to win, he would have to pull off something crazy, like a flying sub of some sort.
Would it be Silva playing it cautious if he doesn't go to the mat and makes Meia stand with him, or would it be Meia being cautious if he doesn't want to engage on the feet and constantly tries to pull the fight to the mat?
