Let the speculation begin... Who will be Wanderlei Silva's next opponent in the UFC?

Question

UFC finally agreed on a contract with Wanderlei Silva. Who will be Silva's next opponent in the UFC?

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=7253

Answer 1

They would like it to be with Liddell but because he is fighting Jardine in September he might not be ready to fight in Dec which is when it looks like Silva will be fighting.


Silva Listed some names he would like to fight if he can't have liddell first.Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz and babalu were the two that came right off the bat.


He said that he wants no Easy matches but he wouldn't be opposed to a Tune Up Match(IE someone he should beat but at the same time someone who will challenge him in some aspect of his game and make him work for the win)

The two names that come to my mind right off the bat for that are

Wilson Gouveia
Alessio Sakara

I don't see Bonnar as an Option because I don't think the UFC wants to have him destroyed and that would be the most likely scenerio if he is in there with Silva. Bonnar has a tendency to take shots and while he is a tough guy Silva is very tough and always comes at you and has alot of power(more then anyone Bonnar has faced yet)

Answer 2

the MW branch is so screwed up, simply by fact as human beings climb the ladder in that branch, they save dropping to the 2nd maximum suitable fighter (Franklin) who has been destroyed by skill of the main suitable fighter (Silva) two times. Bisping is in all likelihood the main suitable determination interior the branch precise now, and fantastically doubt that he will bypass lower back upto LHW thinking how sturdy he's been because he dropped down. Now he has the potential benefit against maximum oppenents, and he seems lots speedier. Patrick Cote is on a three combat win streak, and that i think of if he beats Almeida at UFC 86, he could be in basic terms yet another win or 2 remote from a identify shot. Thales Leites in simple terms beat Nate Marquardt which provides him 4 wins in a row. If Cote wins his next combat, possibly Cote vs. Leites could be a descent combat for type one contender after Bisping gets his shot it is. the sole different combat that should quite get me excited approximately this branch precise now could be Rick Franklin vs. Dan Henderson! As for Wanderlei Silva shifting right down to MW, i think of that should be dazzling for the divivion, yet thinking he in simple terms destroyed Jardine, i doubt that's going to happen. If he had lost that combat i ought to have possibly considered it then. there is too many huge fights for him at LHW. Rematch with Liddell being the biggest. Plus he has 2 wins over the Rampage, so he in all likelihood figures he nonetheless belongs in that branch.

Answer 3

I'll miss the Japanese ring announcer calling out his name..

I'd love to see Bonnar get shipped home by Wandy, but that won't be the case. It'll most likely be Alexander or Sakara. Of course it could be someone new that they've just picked up like Eddie Sanchez for CroCop. Forrest is being used to garner Shogun a fanbase, so Dana must be hoping Houston Alexander picks up another win to feed him into Wanderlei.

Answer 4

A logical choice would be Stephan Bonnar.

Bonnar is coming off a couple losses and in on his way out. He still has enough name recognition to draw viewers and dude can take a punch and is good in submission. Not to mention he hasn't had a spotlight fight in a while.

Silva needs to make a name for himself in the UFC. Anyone who know Pride, knows Silva but he needs to take down a mid-level, big name fighter in the UFC.

I think Bonnar will be the sacrificial lamb in this one.

Answer 5

I don't see Bonnar being fed to Silva right now. I think they will do the same thing they did with Mirko "Cro Cop". They'll bring in some guy that's undefeated against a bunch of "cans", that way they can build him up more with the UFC fans and get his confidence up since he has suffered back-to-back knock out losses.

Answer 6

Very good question. I think that he will be thrown in with someone like houston alexander. noone that ufc would expect to beat wanderlei. his name is so big in mma that they will want crowds to turn out to see him beat someone's head in. but they do want it to seem like they are throwing good fighters his way, not just handing him easy opponents. so im thinking for his first fight, he might face the winner of sakara and alexander.

Answer 7

id love to see wandy vs rampage 3
i think we all know who will win, but it will get his name out there and show him what hes capable of
or a rematch with hollywood who ever loses at ufc 75

stephan bonnar would be a logical choice though or possibly tito if ortiz rashad 2 dont make it

Answer 8

For his first fight in the UFC, it will probably been someone from Pride. (If Rampage looses to Henderson, I say Rampage.) After that, I say he's 2nd fight will be against Chuck. (Dana will want to build up to that one since that's the fight everyone's been waiting for instead of using it right out the gate.)

Answer 9

throw him in the ring with ross pointon... his crazy-*** would fight anyone and get beaten up by anyone. haha. you know what i mean?