What’s the story?
Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva has been regarded as the best pound for pound fighter in the history of MMA. He has been one of the longest reigning champions in the history of the UFC. The 41-year-old legend has not won a fight inside the Octagon since his victory against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 in 2012. His last fight was against Daniel Cormier which he accepted on a short notice and lost by unanimous decision.
Now the legend is lined up to fight against dangerous and rising middleweight contender Derek Brunson at UFC 208. In an interview with Sportztv, ‘The Spider’ expressed that experience will be on his side heading into the fight and outlined how he is planning to use it to his advantage,
“He’s very young and that helps a lot, but we don't usually focus on an opponent’s strong suits, we look for their weak spots. We need to be very careful around him, because he’s so dynamic. He has very goo wrestling, so we are training a lot of ground techniques and we are working on what I do best. Footwork, movement and using my experience.”
“My patience and timing will help me focus on my speciality, which is my striking. It will be a very interesting fight to test everything we have been drilling and training over the years. He’s so dynamic and never stands still.”
In case you didn’t know...
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva has a professional MMA record of 33-8-0 (W-L-D) and holds the record of 10 successful title defenses. He also had a 17 fight winning streak which was snapped by Chris Weidman. ‘The Spider’ is on a losing streak ever since, losing four out of his last five fights. A victory over Nick Diaz in UFC 183 was later overturned to a no-contest, as Silva tested positive for PEDs in his sample.
Derek Brunson holds a professional MMA record of 16-4-0 (W-L-D) and is a rising contender in the middleweight division. He was on a 5 fight winning streak, out of which four were first round knockouts, before losing to Robert Whittaker in the first round of his last fight at UFC 101.
The heart of the matter
The legend is ready to get on with his winning ways. He is known for his confident striking ability, but he gets too carried away many times and starts to mock his opponents.But in this fight he will have to be very careful of the dynamic and dangerous Derek Brunson, who holds explosive knockout power. It’s been very long since the legend has notched up a win and would like to change that in this fight. But to come out on top, ‘The Spider’ will have to use every ounce of experience he has accumulated over the years.
What next?
‘Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva is set to go head-to-head against a dynamic Derek Brunson at UFC 208, which is headline by the inaugural women’s lightweight title bout between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Derek Brunson is a very dangerous opponent for anyone, let alone 41-year-old legend Anderson Silva. This is one fight he can’t afford to lose, as his last victory was way back in 2012. ‘The Spider’ can’t risk fighting with his hands on his side, which he normally does against all his opponents. The key to winning this fight will be for Silva to stay focused and alert at all times and not start playing games with Brunson.
Can Silva resist the temptation of showboating and stay focused?
