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.
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