Mike Thomas Brown VS Jose Aldo

This, My interweb friends, is the undisputed world champion at 145 pounds. Naysayers in japan may point out Norifumi Yamamoto as their prime example, but the bar has been set high in the states with Mike Brown defeating long-time belt-holder Uriah Faber in not one but two contests. His next challenge, and that is putting it mildly, is in the form of Jose Aldo, a hard-hitting phenom with hurricane speed and laser-point accuracy. While Aldo has been relatively untested during his career, his 8 second flying knee demolition of a very game Cub Swanson has made his stock risen tremendously as of late. Almost immediately after those 8 seconds, a relatively shallow division at 145 was being rummaged through, and with Aldo coming off such a spectacular KO, and Mike Brown holding the belt, Joe Silva decided that he would create a clash of epic proportions.

This fight has vast implications that not many people realize. Uriah Faber, in my mind, is a non-issue, due to his hands and penchant for unorthodox striking that always seems to get him in trouble, Everyone else in that 145 fish pond has been weighed and measured in some form. There are a few notable exceptions. Mackens Semerzier, who, with his upset triangle choke victory over fellow blue-chip prospect Wagnney Fabiano, put himself in line for a title run after a few more spectacular victories. Fabiano, in his own right has had a tremendous run of competitive glory, and was expected to run right through Semerzier, and got caught within 2 minutes within the first round.

L.C Davis, Raphael Assunscau, Leonard Garcia, and Josh Grispi are a few more blue-chippers trying to make names for themselves, and in this highly polarizing division, seeing anyone of them rise to the top is not beyond the realm of possibility. Seeing as how my competition, at least at first, will be comin in the 145 lbs division, i see all these contenders as prodigies in their own right, ready to take on all comers, on a days notice if neccesary.

The State of the Middleweight Division

Anderson Silva seems to have a way of working his agenda through the confines of his organization, but what remains to be seen is his ability to deflect criticism brought down upon himself by his actions. An elbow injury, that seems to be reoccurring and non-existent, all at the same time, is having a dramatic effect on the UFC's ability to contstruct a legitimate bracket for contenders ready and willing to wrest his belt away from him.

Dan Henderson is the latest casualty, as one would say, in Silva's posturing. His lack of desire to fight, even in a fairly nonsensical match against Vitor Belfort, has forced Henderson to seek opportunities elsewhere. Whether he remains in the UFC is to be seen, but a contract with Strikeforce seems to be imminent at this point. On the other side of this bracket, Nate Marquardt has put together a string of impressive victories and earned, in many peoples opinions, a title shot eliminator bout at the very least. A Henderson VS Marquardt bout in my mind seems to be the most effective way of settling a conundrum Silva has created for himself, but he seems to be dis-interested in fighting either, due to his victories over each in the past.

Henderson, for all his accomplishments and significant victories, is on the tail end of his career and looking for some substantial paydays to last him into the future, which is why I don't begrudge him for holding out in contract negotiations. However, his ability to perform in the cage against a game Anderson Silva seems to be in line with his first attempt, being overwhelmed after holding his own for a short period of time.

Nate Marquardt, however, has become a far more complete fighter since the UFC threw him into the lions den against the most ferocious fighter he had seen at that point. His time spent with Greg Jackson's camp has molded him into a legitimate contender to take away the current champions belt, and I dont see Anderson Silva having an answer to Marquardt's striking from mid-range and takedown ability. Nate has jiu jitsu practitioners of Anderson Silva's level at Jacksons camp, and I dont see Silva's ground game being a factor in that fight.

Basically, this entire rant is based off of Anderson Silva's un-willingness to fight contenders in his division, instead choosing to raise himself upon a pedestal, in terms of asking to fight heavyweight fights, like his mentioning of a Frank Mir bout. He, at least in my opinion, has come to the conclusion that his ability to finish opponents in his own weight class has far exceeded his wildest dreams, and larger challenges loom, waiting in the wings. It is in this fans opinion that if not for a Henderson VS Marquardt title eliminator, Anderson Silva must fight Nate Marquardt before trying his hand at moving up in weight to light heavy and testing the waters there. A win over a notoriously fragile James Irvin, and everyones favorite glass-jawed gladiator, Forrest Griffin, does not give him the right to make demands upon the organization that is providing him with the means to support himself.