Strickland vs prime Anderson Silva

[Conor Strickland]

How do you see this fight going?

 

[Fire Belly]

You're kidding right?

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Matrix Silva ices him

 

[that Indian]

You're kidding right?

He is.

 

[marvinparsons]

I think that's a terrible match-up for Strickland. Anderson eventually flat lines him, similar to Perreira.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

Likely boring fight that Anderson wins easily

 

[avenue94]

Anderson wins a horrid stinker, with maybe a 30% chance of getting outpointed in an ugly fight where Silva tries to showboat and win a few big moments.

Silva is an amazing fighter but people really gloss over his indifference to leading. If Bisping was able to outbox and outstrategize a faded but stylistically intact Silva, Strickland has a more than zero chance of doing the same.

 

[Viking Power]

Anderson wins a horrid stinker, with maybe a 30% chance of getting outpointed in an ugly fight where Silva tries to showboat and win a few big moments.

Silva is an amazing fighter but people really gloss over his indifference to leading. If Bisping was able to outbox and outstrategize a faded but stylistically intact Silva, Strickland has a more than zero chance of doing the same.

Finally, a reasonable take.

 

[Randy Fandy Fo Fanders]

honestly, I just don’t see how Anderson‘s entire arsenal of deadly weapons would be any match for Sean‘s jab.

 

[MRT]

A not-so-subtle 'Anderson > Izzy' thread? lol

 

[marvinparsons]

Anderson wins a horrid stinker, with maybe a 30% chance of getting outpointed in an ugly fight where Silva tries to showboat and win a few big moments.

Silva is an amazing fighter but people really gloss over his indifference to leading. If Bisping was able to outbox and outstrategize a faded but stylistically intact Silva, Strickland has a more than zero chance of doing the same.

Anderson was 40 when that happened. He was, in his prime, extremely fast.

 

[avenue94]

Finally, a reasonable take.

Thanks lol. I have Silva as the greatest MW I've ever seen, but the most effective part of his game was his ground and pound. And I'm not saying that as a diss, most fighters would really benefit from that part of his style.

It's just wild that all the What If fights that people wonder about with Silva are terrible. Like...Romero vs Silva? Dear god, it'd be a 5 round dance off.

 

[avenue94]

Anderson was 40 when that happened. He was, in his prime, extremely fast.

I don't disagree. But he was the same style fighter. In his prime, he backed up to the fence and had sketchy cage craft that relied on his reflexes for defense, as opposed to something systemic or coherent that would age well. It's why Aldo is streets ahead as a defensive fighter and aged so much better.

To put it in concrete terms, if Bisping fought Silva prime for prime, Bisping gets knocked out after a couple rounds where he wins by simply landing more jabs and glancing shots while Silva goofs off on the fence. Put it this way, prime Silva had a horrid fight with Maia. What's stopping him from doing the same against Strickland?

 

[marvinparsons]

I don't disagree. But he was the same style fighter. In his prime, he backed up to the fence and had sketchy cage craft that relied on his reflexes for defense, as opposed to something systemic or coherent that would age well. It's why Aldo is streets ahead as a defensive fighter and aged so much better.

To put it in concrete terms, if Bisping fought Silva prime for prime, Bisping gets knocked out after a couple rounds where he wins by simply landing more jabs and glancing shots while Silva goofs off on the fence. Put it this way, prime Silva had a horrid fight with Maia. What's stopping him from doing the same against Strickland?

He still easily beat Maia. It wasn't even close. If Strickland gets aggressive, he gets countered by young/fast Anderson. It'd look the same as the Perreira fight.

Could Anderson be lulled into a stinker and get outpointed? In theory, sure. But nobody did that to him in his prime and he fought better guys than Strickland.

 

[Gamer007]

Sean would get absolutely starched; it would get sad to watch.

He literally has two punches in his arsenal and has never faced anyone close to Silva in the boxing department. Silva doesn't throw looping punches very much. He is far faster, quicker, and more powerful with his straits. Sean doesn't even roll much or move his head; he would get pinned right on the chin from a strait and go down.

His boxing would get Silva's respect in the first few minutes, but after that it would get bad.


Izzy and Alex are very good strikers, but they are at least a couple levels below Silva in the boxing department. Sean doesn't put on the forward pressure or speed that would force Silva into another gear, like Vitor (and even Vitor got easily slept). Silva would just pitter patter until he turns it up and inevitable lands because Sean while good defensively, isn't nearly mobile enough to survive, especially when he has no ground game to reliably fall back on (can't just fall to your back like Maia did).

Also, fighter psyche plays a big factor. Anderson would humiliate tough guys like Leben or Irvin for example, but Anderson absolutely destroyed guys who had the "I'm going to give it my best shot", type of mentality. The same way Alex brought that intimidation factor to Sean, it'd be the same with Silva. The psyche of Sean would need to be bolstered with positive reinforcement as evidenced by the fight itself (Sean having success against Izzy), except Silva isn't going to give Sean those moments, it would just be a quick descent to the shadow realm.

Anderson Silva via KO 2nd Round.
- Sean dropped in the first
- GnP KO finish

 

[Flower2dPeople]

Thales Leites/Demian Maia level where no one would commit to any significant offense.

 

[moreorless87]

Anderson wins a horrid stinker, with maybe a 30% chance of getting outpointed in an ugly fight where Silva tries to showboat and win a few big moments.

Silva is an amazing fighter but people really gloss over his indifference to leading. If Bisping was able to outbox and outstrategize a faded but stylistically intact Silva, Strickland has a more than zero chance of doing the same.

I would say it depends a bit on which era of Silva were talking about, as his UFC run went on and "The Matrix" hype built he became more and more of a counter fighter but earlier Silva as say vs Franklin was much more aggressive.

Stickland would probably land a good deal on him but I suspect the earlier Silva would probably out chin and overwhelm him.

 

[Shaolin Alan]

"Stop. Get some help."

-Michael Jeffrey Jordan

 

[idlePulse]

Prime Silva's speed, counter-striking and sheer confidence would have likely been too much for Sean's consistent/complacent leaning fighting style.

 

[Laheys'Liquorland]

Lol no one has Silva's kicks today.
Sean wouldn't know what defend.
Easy night.

Better question is DDP vs Silva.....