Former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva has some harsh words for the new UFC owner WME-IMG. Remember, the new owners paid over four billion dollars to Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta to get the ownership of UFC. ‘The Spider’ believes they are slowing turning the UFC into entertainment rather than the sport in order to recoup most of their investment.
“I think they just took a big risk because the face of the UFC was always Dana (White) and Lorenzo. When you don’t have Dana and Lorenzo, the good cop and the bad cop, it’s kind of up in the air. But let’s be positive. I believe everything will be alright.”
“The Spider” is optimistic, but believes that the way WME-IMG views the sport is the reason why fighters like Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza haven’t gotten a shot at the UFC championship yet.”
“It’s a company that is worried about entertainment. It’s not a company with a history in martial arts, the philosophy of the fight. That’s one of the reasons why ‘Jacare’ is not fighting for the title because, for them, it’s not something profitable, that will bring the entertainment they need.”
“This is what they did their entire lives, work with entertainment. We have to understand that. It’s hard because we think about the martial arts, what is correct. For the show, some fights make sense and others don’t. They end up losing some fans but gain some.”
“I think they are trying to make it more entertainment and less martial arts. MMA doesn’t have the martial art philosophy, but it’s becoming less sport and turning into entertainment.”
The Legend also believes even though he has retired from the UFC, he deserved more from his previous fight, which was controversially handed to Michael Bisping. Now he thinks if UFC decides to offer him a rematch he wouldn’t hesitate to step inside the Octagon once again.
Silva said: “I’d really like to fight Bisping. I think I deserve to fight Bisping, for the belt or not, for everything I’ve done in the sport, but that’s not something that will change my life if it doesn’t happen.”
“‘Jacare’ is in the line, fighting, going after this (chance). But for the UFC it’s a business, and for the business (side), I believe a rematch with Bisping for the belt would sell more. By the sport’s rules, ‘Jacare’ is the one who should fight for the belt now.”
Silva is not interested in the championship belt that Bisping holds right now, he wouldn’t care even if it’s a non-title fight. Even if he wins the belt he would happily hand over the belt to the UFC and walk away from the division.
“If I fought for the title and won, I’d leave the division,” “The Spider” said. “Maybe fight one or twice more, move up (to light heavyweight) or go down (to welterweight). We’ve done some tests with my team and the lowest weight I made was 170, 171, so that could be a possibility.”