Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at the unusual end to the title reign of Anderson Silva at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Silva kisses title reign goodbye
– “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” – Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part II
It was relief, not disappointment that seemed to be the emotion from Anderson Silva after his loss to Chris Weidman. It was an unfortunate end to a great reign for The Spider. He elevated the UFC by his complete dominance over a division. Unlike GSP post-Serra, Silva put on some memorable highlight reel finishes. But with his impressive wins came an heir of invincibility and arrogance. This was highlighted by an irritating grandstanding performance at UFC 112 where he denigrated the talents of Demian Maia. Despite threats of cutting Silva after his antics in Abu Dhabi, Dana White did nothing. The Spider was just that good. He added an occasional showboat move here and there since 112 to add a degree of difficulty to his fights. Last July he gave away the first round in his highly anticipated rematch with Chael Sonnen but proceeded to end him in the second.
But Saturday was something Silva’s legacy did not need. A foolish end to what should be a respected title reign. One has to wonder if Silva, who always appears to be in control in the Octagon, chose his own demise. His immediate response to questions of a rematch was that he didn’t want one. While we have to believe he will change his mind, maybe the pressures of being considered the GOAT have weighed him down. Then again, would the GOAT ever do such a stupid thing in the Octagon and actually be a “goat”.
It’s perplexing to understand Silva. He’s a martial artist but shouldn’t a martial artist not disrespect his opponent let alone underestimate him? Moreover, his antics disrespected the event and platform he was given. Yes, the idea was to intimidate Weidman on Saturday. And to a certain extent, I understand the “no sell” of punches and smiling at Weidman. It was part of Silva’s game plan – have Weidman melt under the pressure. But, unlike others, Weidman stayed the course and did not fall into too much of a trap (although he did attempt to no sell punches too).
Weidman’s game plan was not tricky when it came to what to do if Silva clowned him: Punch him in the face. Or in his chest as his corner told him. Not too hard to understand.
The UFC immediate plans go out the window here. Superfights against Jones or GSP are out of the question. An immediate rematch appears to be the only choice for Silva. The Super Bowl card in New Jersey in 2014 appears to be the most practicable time for a rematch. It will be coupled with Fox’s plan for a weekend of events to accompany its rights to the big game.
Looking at it with the glass half full, the UFC gets an American champion from New York with a great backstory. Weidman’s story of having no home after Hurricane Sandy will be eaten up by mainstream media outlets. He can also be the poster boy for another run at legalizing MMA in New York. The UFC will have to build up the Weidman brand in order for him to get at or near the Anderson Silva level. Yet, it can build from the ground up with Weidman although this will take multiple PPVs to get him a following.
Edgar gets needed win against Oliveira
In one of the Fight of the Nights, Frankie Edgar had one of the best performances of the night against a game Charles Oliveira. Both fighters constantly moved through the match and despite losing, Oliveira showed that he’s a threat in the Featherweight division.
Frankie looked sharp and I would suggest a meeting with Cub Swanson to see who gets to face the Featherweight champion.
Munoz transformation complete
“I ate because I was sad, sad because I ate.” Mark Munoz paraphrased from the character Fat Bastard of the Austin Powers movie series in an interview earlier in the week to underscore his battle with depression which caused him to balloon up in weight. Munoz lost over 60 pounds and looked phenomenal at the weigh-ins. Moreover, he dominated a tough Tim Boetsch.
Maybe added motivation for Munoz was the fact that Chris Weidman, the guy who destroyed him about a year earlier, was in the main event.
Attendance and gate
MMA Junkie reports that the attendance for the event was 12,399 for a gate of $4.862 million. These numbers were announced at the post-UFC162 press conference. The numbers are unofficial but White had indicated similar numbers earlier in the week. UFC 160 had attendance of 12,380 for a gate of $2.9 million
Bonuses
Bonuses awarded were given $50,000 each. With no submission of the night, the UFC decided to award two Fight of the Nights. Thus, it paid out an extra $50,000.
FOTN: Edgar v. Oliveira, Swanson v. Dennis Siver
KO of the Night: Chris Weidman
Weidman was the obvious choice, but I would have liked to see Gabriel Gonzaga here too.
Promotion of the Fight
It was interesting that the UFC decided to utilize other fighters to establish the credibility of Chris Weidman by using other fighters to speak about how good he is. The fact that so many fighters picked Weidman (and the UFC sent out a press release stating this) told you that he may be something special. But, the UFC marketing was probably needed considering Weidman had been out for a year and although the Munoz KO was impressive, Munoz was heavy and battling injuries.
Speaking of Munoz, it was interesting how much press Munoz received with his “Husky Boy” pictures. He spoke out about his depression and how he overcame it. Certainly a good story and it almost trumped Chris Weidman during fight week.
Weidman appeared on the Jim Rome Show but there seemed to be little, if any, other national media for Weidman or Silva for that matter.
Sponsorships
Octagon sponsors included MetroPCS, TapouT, Ultimate Poker, Xyience, Dodge, Alienware, the 20th Century Fox release of The Wolverine and Bud Light in the center and at the prep point. Dodge had a new logo for the Octagon, its Dodge “Ram” and its signature tag line, “Guts, Glory, Ram” on one of the corner posts. Bud Light also did something new with its logo.
Tyron Woodley introduced The Wolverine clip which was shown right before the main event. Interesting the UFC chose Woodley to do this intro.
Anderson Silva was sponsored by Burger King, Wizard, Nike, Axe Body Spray and Vicks. The Vicks sponsorship is interesting but perhaps he could use it on his chin after being knocked out by Weidman. The Axe Body Spray may explain the weigh-in “kiss”. Silva also had new Nike t-shirts as well as ads for Nike Pro Combat.
Chris Weidman was sponsored by Bad Boy Clothing, Muscle Milk, Profile Performance, Air Force Reserve and American Ethanol.
Other notable sponsorships:
Chris Leben was sponsored by Sisu Mouthgards. Tim Kennedy had RangerUp and RevGear.
It appeared that Frankie Edgar was sponsored by the UFC as his corner wore UFC hats and the UFC was the biggest logo on his fight banner. In addition, he had Alienware and Affliction.
Among his sponsors, Cub Swanson was sponsored by PowerBuilt Golf.
Mark Munoz was sponsored by Lunarpages. The same sponsor for Jake Ellenberger, his training partner. He also donned the Oklahoma State colors. A nice added touch. He was also sponsored by Triumph United, Osiris Shoes and Virus Action Sports Performance clothing.
Post UFC 162 Headlines
Chris Weidman, Frankie Edgar, Charles Oliveira, Mark Munoz and Cub Swanson all had impressive nights. Despite Oliveira’s loss, the UFC found a gem and he’s only 23. Edgar and Swanson add some spice to a Featherweight division that just got harder for Jose Aldo.
Munoz has a great story and its a likely “wait and see” on how his path to a title shot occurs (or does not occur). He’ll have to string together a couple more wins before he can be in the picture. And at 35, the window of opportunity may be slight.
Weidman was the star of the night. Regardless of how it was accomplished, he proved the fighters that sung his praises. Now, its up to the UFC to make him a star.
On the flip side, the more compelling story may be what happens with Anderson Silva. The fight will be analyzed and overanalyzed by all of us but whether it was overconfidence, stupidity or boredom with fighting, Silva’s performance was inexcusable. With a 10 fight contract still in place, it will be interesting to see what Silva does from here on out. Its likely that there will be a rematch and we’ll see a more focused, serious Anderson Silva, but he’ll be facing a more confident and experienced Chris Weidman.
Odds and Ends
– Silva was paid $600K with a $200K win bonus if he would have defeated Weidman. Weidman earned $24K and $24K for a total of $48K.
– What would happen to your shin if you tried to check an Edson Barboza leg kick?.
– Fitting that Munoz wore a “Keep Olympic Wrestling” Shirt with his logo and he displayed the best wrestling in the Octagon of his career.
– For Dave Herman last night, BJJ does not exist if you get hit in the face first.
– With the craziness of the Weidman-Silva fight, Tim Kennedy must be happy to go through the night unscathed by scrutiny although Dave Meltzer indicated on The Figure Four podcast this morning that Dana White yelled at him in front of everyone at the fighter meeting.
– Steven Segal was sitting next to Mike Tyson last night. It would have been interesting to hear the conversation between the two.
– One of the better things that happened with Silva losing, the talk of him fighting Roy Jones, Jr. in a boxing match should go away.
– The UFC handed out 11,000 towels to fans attending UFC 162 and let them pick between a U.S. flag towel or Brazil. A good promo for the event and a way to highlight the main event.
Conclusion
As we indicated in our PPV History, the event was solely based on Anderson Silva. While Edgar-Oliveira was a great fight, Edgar is not a PPV draw. As Meltzer pointed out, and many logically will conclude, the PPV replay will likely boost PPV sales simply because people who originally passed on the PPV because of the lack of interest will now gladly spend it to see Silva’s knockout and the other exciting fights on the card. With that being said, its likely that the original live PPV buys will be around 600,000.
aintitthetruth says
silvas behavior is not inexcusable. Like he said he has done everything there is to do. I don’t blame him for clowning around. When you reach a fedor like level if greatness you can do no wrong and he was probably bored fighting. 38 is old for fighting anyway. I’m not sure what awaits in finishing out his contract but it will be a long time before we see another fedor or silva type. Maybe silva will actually try in his next fight.
aintitthetruth says
There’s not too much incentive when your win bonus is only a third of your base pay. I’m sure his sponsors plugged the gap. Silva is officially riding the mma gravy train. He doesn’t even have to try to get paid. what a hustler. And I mean that in a good way. He hustled white and has been for sometime. His abu dhabi win was his greatest hustle though.
BrainSmasher says
Lame excuses from noobs and Silva fans. He was clowning because he was getting his ass kicked. He was getting beat to the punch and was unable to land anything meaningful on Weidman. Weidmans youth and threat of takedowns was to much. Silva was only clowning as a way to distract from him being uneffective and not scoring. Rey Sefo used to do this all the time once he got old and was just a punching bag. It makes everyone think He is in contro, and not losing and makes Weidman’s punches look weak. But as we saw he was hurting Silva. Even when you would taunt Weidman he was bring his hands up trying to block the punches. It was all an act. HE was getting hurt bad. He was even begging Weidman to stand with him between rounds because the GnP and the takedown threat was throwing him off his game. Silva was beign Frustrated by Weidman from the moment the bell rang.
I cant find the punch stats. But Silva could land his hands at all. Weidman threw twice as many strikes and landed twice as many punches.
It would be a huge mistake for Silva to do an auto rematch. Weidman will beat him 99/100 times. Silva knows he was in trouble. That’s why he admitted Weidman was better after the fight. HE knows why he was clowning. He will lose again. Coming off this loss he has no prayer of winning a rematch. He needs a few wins to have a chance in hell. Confidence is important to a fighter. HE needs some wins and to hope someone else beats Weidman. IF he does the Auto rematch he will lose and he will be done at 185. HE will be in a Rich Franklin position where he is 0-2 and can never fight Weidman again. He will be 1 loss from retirement. Because he has been on top to long for moonlight as a non main event fighter.
He should fight Bisping, Wandy, Vitor, Stann, or Cung Le next.
Tops of says
I agree…he just looked bored and frustrated….I think he is rebelling against the UFC control over him….he has Leverage now….he’s no longer champ no plans to be a champ..but hey you give me 10 fights and pay me for all fights…lol
Instead of other way around….
He has a street mentality and wants freedom and not be a slave…10 fight deal might have sucked….look at mayweather the dude retired years ago…got bored…went back…fought once a year….but 250 million 6 fight deal…made him motivated again..fighting more than once a year….
fighters when they reach the top and goal then it must be some other goal that can motivate them…
It all started years ago when Dana refuse to allow him to go and box Roy jones….he achieved so much in mma and wants to try and challenge himself in a different sport…which shows his a real warrior…..and get paid more for it…..
He is a anti repression……and repression is what Dana is doing…
Tops of says
I agree with ainth the truth and not b.s. I mean…..
BrainSmasher says
Of course you do. You girls share a 1/3 of a brain.
So tell me again how Silva is now not a Slave because he isnt champ? He could have signed a small deal and dropped the belt if he wouldnt out from under the UFC. Instead he signed for 10 fights meaning he is t going anywhere. Belt or not. He got his ass kicked, like us in the know, knew he would.
The only thing losing the belt did was put his cut of PPV in jeopardy and take a hit in sponsorships.
Tops of says
He is not a slave because he dosent play what Dana wants him to do….Dana wants a rematch…..and in fact talking in behalf of silva by stating he thinks Silva would agree after a while(very controlling)…which means Dana is going to force a rematch….silva won’t follow him…he dosent want a rematch…he is his own person…
“like us in the know”……US meaning dana’s disciple? Hahaha….
Silva is the opposite of you b.s. You just follow the UFC and Dana …whatever they say you beleive…
Weidman wants a rematch because he was not satisfied with a win with the best p4p was clowning around….you want to beat the champ at his best when you beat him
Usually the champ wants a rematch and the challenger not that much with the result that happened…
Tops of says
P4p champ should have more than 600k base pay….cheap really cheap….And he sees his counterpart in boxing getting 250M……
It’s a good thing Volkmam,Kennedy,Munoz talked about the real fighters pay(an insiders perspective) not (us in know lol)…because majority of mainstream fans were surprised that they get paid so low….friends who have been watching mma when it was still NHb with extreme fighting,early UFC,vale Tudo days and has not been updated with today’s mma were all shocked that UFC pays so low they thought UFC fighters are big time millionaires…..
Because UFC spend so much money to make the sport look bigger that it really is….and now it is being exposed…I’m sure more fighters would be speaking out soon…
Tops of says
250m for 6 fights
Sampson Simpson says
What a joke of a fight. Some of my casual MMA watching friends admitted the “sport” has become a complete joke.
A talentless guy trying to do his best Pernell Whitaker impression and gets embarrassingly knocked out in theprocess
Chris says
I thought Dana was lying about the gate Tops?
http://mmapayout.com/2013/07/mayweather-canelo-ppv-set-at-75/
Diego says
Disagree entirely with BS’s post. I would take the time to post an in-depth reply but it’s easier if you just read his post and think the exact opposite.
I will however, add the Fighmetric stats which completely disprove BS’s BS:
“I cant find the punch stats. But Silva could [not] land his hands at all. Weidman threw twice as many strikes and landed twice as many punches.”
Weidman: Sig. strikes: 16 of 43 (37%) Tot. strikes: 26 of 55 Takedowns 1 of 3
Silva: Sig. strikes: 14 of 24 (58%) Tot. strikes: 20 of 32 Takedowns 0 of 0
Diego says
I hope there’s a rematch and I hope fans all think like BS, because if the odds are at all close I’m putting down a lot of money on Silva. I will bet literally dozens of dollars…
Diego says
Simple Sampson,
I agree with the first part of your statement – Silva when he chooses to makes the sport look like a joke, which pisses off everyone involved in the sport except Ed Soares. Last night was another vintage, “what the hell is he doing?” performance.
Nice try with the “talentless” comment. Even you aren’t simple enough to believe that.
michael says
“The Vicks sponsorship is interesting but perhaps he could use it on his chin after being knocked out by Weidman. The Axe Body Spray may explain the weigh-in “kiss”.”
hehehehe, very good analysis, Jason 🙂
Diego says
“He got his ass kicked, like us in the know, knew he would.”
I just read that. That’s hilarious…”like us in the know”…How much money did you make on this fight BS? I mean if you’re “in the know” you must have cleaned up. Weidman was at +195, that’s pretty good – if you’re “in the know”.
BrainSmasher says
I don’t bet online anymore. To hard to fund the account and risky. However I can show you quotes of my picking Weidman to beat Silva going back a year ago. Just because you are a front runner who can’t break down fights objectively doesn’t mean i can’t.
BrainSmasher says
Also I said hands. Fight metric stats included kicks which I clearly wasn’t talking about. That is why I did t include them. Compustrike did t have them on their site and I think they charge for the service.
If you want to bet on the rematch. I am up for it. I’ll show you why I pick correct fights at a higher rate than the Sportsbooks.
BrainSmasher says
Tops
Weidman wants a rematch because Silva is the easiest fight for him. He knows Silva can’t beat him and would rather do it again rather than fight Vitor.
Tops of says
Hahaha…easiest fight for him? That’s a good one……weidman was less aggressive in the 2nd round and he showed a lot of hesitation even thou the guy had his hands down…and clowning around….sonnen in they’re first fight really gave Anderson problems…not weidman….the best part was when Anderson got out of the corner and called him back and went back inside the corner…and the sarcasm of saying weidmans is the best in the world is a mock on everybody….that’s why Weidman wants a rematch,Dana wants a rematch….silva dosent haha.
Check out the news they call it
Fox sports: silva costs himself the titile vs weidman
Anderson Silvia’s hubris causes his downfall—yahoo
UFC needs silva to stick around for weidman rematch—USA today
Look at the headlines in mainstream media…it wasn’t weidman but it was Silvia’s clowning around…that’s the reason weidman wants a rematch…
If sonnen won in the first fight…then it would say sonnen won the belt…beat the champ…silva did not clown around in that fight….
Tops of says
That’s the leverage I’m talking about…it’s street hustle on silva’s part…no rematch….UFC wants it ,weidman wants it(he just had an interview hours ago and he’s focusing on the rematch haha..unfulfilling win),silva dosent want it…..
From USA today
“The way it normally works in the figt business!the person who gets knocked out shows Up at the press conference later trying to convince the promoter!the media and the fans that he deserves a rematch
Not the other way around”.
aintitthetruth says
Weidman beat him fair and square, but wants a rematch because his win was not satisfying (to anyone). Silva is in everyones head. It could have been bonnar who knocked him while trying to do his matrix routine, but weidman was the right guy at the right time, it was his lucky day. this loss only elevates silva and shows that he is in control of his destiny and not white.
aintitthetruth says
I’m not upset that he lost. everyone loses. I just remember thinking “i’ll be damned.”
Diego says
“Also I said hands.”
OK, then I guess kicks don’t count. Make sure you tell that to Vitor Belfort.
aintitthetruth says
I like how a certain mma site put kennedy in their top ten, and another doesn’t have him in their top ten, or even fringe contender list (basically a to fifteen). He sure is a polarizing fighter suddenly. Since the to fifteen site is bigger i’m sure there was some kind of pressure to omit kennedy in favor of even more obscure guys.
BrainSmasher says
Diego don’t be a fool. I never said they dont count. But they don’t for the point I was making. Leg kicks are easier to land and they do not reflect the speed Silva was lacking. Weidman wasn’t trying to slip his kicks and they has no effect on the fight up to that point. The difference in the fight was Silva was not quick enough to land his punches or avoid Chris’ punches.
aintitthetruth says
You sound like cecil peoples talking about how he could tell leg kids don’t hurt. Basically you sound like a fool.
BrainSmasher says
Peoples said Leg kicks don’t count in the scoring. I never said that. In this fight they had yet to play a factor in THIS fight. His ability to land or not land leg kicks is not what caused him to lose this fight. IT was his ability to land his punches that decided THIS fight. IF the stats didn’t include kicks. Then the states should show exactly what I am talking about. IS that clear for you or are you still to stupid to understand?
aintitthetruth says
you are the one with the intelligence issues. you inferred that kicks arent meaningful, which is similar to the line cecil peoples toed. if they aren’t meaningful why do they show up in the stats cecil?
Diego says
http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/07/anderson-silva-already-2-to-1-favorite-over-chris-weidman-in-potential-rematch
I hope people agree with BS and start driving that line down. I want to bet long money on Silva.
Diego says
The best analysis I’ve heard yet, from the MMAJunkie article:
“There are tons of ‘what-if’s,’ but if Silva played around and KO’d Weidman or beat him, people would be calling Weidman overrated,” Oddessa said. “Silva’s now the media machine’s ‘overrated.’ As usual, hindsight will be 100 percent when they fight again, and everyone will have a strong opinion either way.”
BrainSmasher says
I have already made you an offer for a bet. There are to many fools who what to discredit what unfolded right in front of their eyes. Its comical how delusional you are. Let me explain this to you. Most of the experts and just about every fighter picked Weidman to win this fight. Silva was a 2-1 favorite despite that. Of couse all the experts were right. So what do the sore losers do? They make excuses. So now Silva was clowning around and didn’t take it serious or his heart wasn’t into it or he wasn’t motivated. So now they are once again betting their money on him. Why are they doing this? If they really believed the excuses they say. They how do they know Silva will not do the same in the next fight? How do they know he isn’t going to dance around, or his heart will be in it, or he will be motivated? They don’t know that. Because the sole reason they are betting on him is past hype and fanaticism.
You ignore that Silva was getting his ass kicked before he started his antics. You ignore the smile on his face all the way up to the fight and even at times in the fight. You ignore that he fought that way verses everyone he has fought. You ignore the fact that that is how he fights and he, just like everyone else, cant fight any different and be more effective. Fighters fight the way they do for a reason.
Lets make a friendly wager. Even money. We both bet $50. I got Chris and you take SIlva. Loser sends money via Paypal. Now you don’t have to wait for the odds to be bet down.
BrainSmasher says
Also who cares about Odessa. His favorites win like 67% of the time. I am right over the last 5 years at about 71% even including smaller non UFC events which are more difficult. I have always been able to beat sportsbooks.
aintitthetruth says
you live in a fantasy world.
BrainSmasher says
Just because my reality is Heaven compared to your reality. Doesn’t mean my reality doesn’t exist.