On Anderson Silva: Or I Know Why The Caged Fighter Sings
April 19, 2009
Watching the Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites showdown from Montreal, the performance or lack thereof left the impression that there was more than met the eye when judging the uninspiring bout that took place. While Anderson’s natural disposition as a counter puncher and Thales Leites’ reticence to engage the fight led to a somewhat lackluster main event, I was left with the feeling that Silva’s performance may to some degree hearken back to Randy Couture situation that plagued the UFC in the past.
The heart of the Couture matter was a situation that was two fold by most folk’s estimation: an inability to deliver a high profile match up with Fedor Emilianenko and a contractual situation the left Randy unhappy. I don’t think the situation is all that different with Anderson. Much like Randy’s fascination with a match-up Fedor, Anderson has a dream match-up with Roy Jones Jr. that has captured his imagination. The UFC and Dana White in particular have been a roadblock to Silva attaining this dream fight. The Jones fight popped up as possible mega-fight for Silva after the Dan Henderson fight last year and was a distinct bone of contention with UFC management. Industry rumors indicate that Silva even explored the option of getting a boxing license and challenging his Zuffa contract under the Ali act in order to make the fight happen, before ultimately being talked down from the ledge by his management. Silva subsequently re-signed with the UFC but the Jones fight has never been far from his mind, as it has been mentioned constantly by Anderson since that time. Silva’s ultimate lack of control over his own destiny is a bone of contention in my mind and may be the source of some of the dis-motivation that has made itself evident in his last few fights. Being so much chattel, albeit well paid chattel, is a not a role embraced by all and one that leads to a grating on the relationship between the fighter and promoter.
The monetary situation is also playing a role to some degree I feel. Randy felt like he was one of the top fighters in the company and wanted to be paid as such. The UFC told him he was, but the grapevine amongst fighters told him something different. The UFC’s policy on having their athletes know their true value is much akin to the growing of mushrooms: keep them in the dark and feed them lots of bullshit. Anderson re-negotiated his contract and built into the contract was a clause that gave him a cut of PPV revenue. Not giving the fighter a true assessment of his appeal on PPV when negotiating (or outright misleading him) and subsequently booking him into fights that ensure a reinforcement of that poor drawing record present a scenario that undercuts the legs of the fighter’s financial well being. This coupled with the opportunity cost of a Jones fight foregone ( a paycheck that would surely dwarf his pay in the UFC) is another scenario that leads to fighter discontent. I think that is what has happened in this instance, though the UFC has taken efforts to increase the appeal of Silva. Silva has benefited from efforts of UFC President Dana White to market him as the best pound for pound fighter in MMA, and he was the focus of free TV card on Spike last year to boost his profile and appeal to UFC fans. These efforts seem to have been for naught, though, as Silva has continued to draw in the same 300k to 350k level on PPV.
As with the Couture case, the UFC seems to have sowed the seeds of discontent and are now reaping the whirlwind so to speak. While in the past the UFC has had the luxury of home grown athletes that haven’t pushed the envelope like Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, and Rich Franklin, as the UFC grows and the revenues increase they will continue to have cases such as Couture and what I believe is the case with Silva. While the Couture and Silva cases are unique on their own merits, how the UFC handles similar cases in the future will be key. Will a iron hand and a lack of financial transparency with its fighters continue to be the desired path for UFC brass?
