It really is amazing to see how much talk there is about Anderson Silva after this fight. Remember the initial reaction from everyone after his UFC 112 fight? People were swearing up and down that they would never pay to see him fight again, Dana White went on Jim Rome’s ESPN show and said he would cut him if he had another clown act performance, so on and so forth. But look what’s happened — the UFC 112 fight has only added to Anderson’s mystique with the fans and talking heads. He’s transformed from this incredible pound-for-pound best champion to a guy who 90% of the population wants to see him get his ass kicked by somebody, anybody, any time he fights in the future. The question to complete that equation now is whether or not people will pay to see an ass-kicking attempt or if fans will sit on the sidelines and wait to hear about it before perhaps ordering a replay or not ordering a show on PPV.
Transcript of the video clip:
KENNY RICE: “We like to do this because we never said anything on this show that we would not say to the fighter or anybody else involved if we actually saw them in person. We have second-guessed the fight, panelists have second-guessed the fight, some other fighters have. Demian Maia is here with us, today. Finally, let’s talk about probably the most controversial fight that didn’t involve a judges’ decision and of course was his fight for the belt with Anderson Silva. Ron Kruck has the reaction from some other Monday Morning Quarterbacks who also happen to be fighters.”
FRANK MIR: “I felt it was disrespectful towards Maia. I know Maia personally. I can’t imagine him upsetting anybody or saying anything bad about anybody. I think that the reason why we’re all upset is because I think if [Anderson Silva] wanted to be a showman, just knock people out.”
MAYHEM MILLER: “Yeah, you know, he showed off and shuck and jived and whatever, but you know I think he was just partially [frustrated], I mean he figured he was going to take Maia out. I don’t really fault him for that. He thought he was going to take him out but he gassed himself out do the cha-cha slide, you know what I’m saying?”
FRANKIE EDGAR: “I mean I’ve heard all the hoopla and all of that but you know a lot of people give him flack for this and that but as soon as he goes knocks someone out, everybody forgets about it.”
HERSCHEL WALKER: “I don’t blame Anderson at all. What I got to do is blame the opponent. Your opponent has got to take it to him and when Anderson was getting down, bowing down, getting down, the guy should have attacked him.”
MATT SERRA: “I don’t know what the hell’s going on. He might have tried to… he was doing good in the beginning and then it just got weird. I don’t know, man. You tell me what the hell was that!”
CUNG LE: “It’s the not first time, I believe he’s done that once or twice before so you know I don’t think it’s good for the sport.”
ROBBIE LAWLER: “Well I didn’t really like the way he acted in the ring but Demian’s going to push the issue. If he doesn’t like it, do something about it.”
DAN HENDERSON: “It is unfortunate because he has a lot of talent and he just you know didn’t use it for whatever reason and you know I think it’s almost disrespectful to his opponent and you know the fans.”
BOBBY LASHLEY: “I think that Anderson Silva, I think he’s a great champion and I don’t see anything wrong with what he did. He went out there and had some great shots and if you look at the fight afterwards, Maia’s face was tore up. So he did piece him apart all the way through the fight and like I said, if you’re fighting for the title you have to go take the title from the champion.”
TREVOR PRANGLEY: “I think it was disgusting. I think it was disrespectful to Maia and to the sport and to the fans. I don’t think anybody paid to see that, you know what I mean? It’s… if you’re that much better than the guy you should finish him fast and don’t go out there and try to make a fool out of him, I just think it’s very disrespectful.”
RON KRUCK: “Guys, even though the Silva/Maia fight was almost two months ago, it’s still a very hot topic in the MMA world. I’m sure your guest has an opinion on the fight as well. Back to you in L.A.”
KENNY RICE: “All right, and first off, compliments to Demian who sat here like a true gentleman and professional that he is and listened to everybody else talk about your fight for the belt with Anderson Silva and what you could have done differently or his antics, were they over the top. How do you feel about this, now a couple of months to let it all absorb?”
DEMIAN MAIA: “OK, the first few rounds I think the fight was like you know I’m analyzing the fight. If I’m analyzing the fight, it’s like the first rounds I think I was respecting him too much, I think it was like OK if the guy catches me with a punch he’s going to be knock me out, so I respected him too much. He didn’t commit too much also but he landed some good jabs and one kick or two. So, in the end of third round I turned and I started to you know go more to fight and you know try to get the belt, but I think I could turn a little bit before my way of fight. I think he was disrespectful for not just because, you know people in the United States they don’t understand what he was talking, you know why he was talking during the fight is just… it’s OK if you do his clowning and his stuff you know because it’s his way of game but the problem is like why he’s talking you know [expletive] you know and bad things…”
KENNY RICE: “What did he say?”
DEMIAN MAIA: “He said a lot of you know bad things. I don’t want to even want to say but he was saying like bad things, I don’t know why because I never had any issue with him you know. It’s small things but never, actually we have many friends that they are big fans of him and big fans of mine, we train together, but I never you know I don’t have nothing against him but I just think you know before the fight he came to me, ‘hey, how are you doing?’ and then after you know looks like fake for me you know and Anthony (Johnson) was saying one thing, not about Anderson, but he said that you know about one guy. OK, this guy, he talks bad [expletive] on another guy but he’s himself you know, so as soon as you are yourself it’s OK but I don’t like fake people and for me he was just fake. He’s a fake humble guy, you know. He’s like, ‘ohohohohoh’. And then after he’s like… he starts talking [expletive]. He doesn’t know or he’s bi-polar, I don’t know, he doesn’t know why he does, you know.”
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