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Silva puts on a UFC 112-like performance during UFC 117 media session | read this item

Silva puts on a UFC 112-like performance during UFC 117 media session

July 28, 2010 � UFC Betting Staff � Jump to comments

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Boorish, disrespectful, clownish, obnoxious, rude and even insubordinate. Those are just some of the derogatory terms used to describe Anderson Silva’s behavior during the main event at UFC 112. Between the gyrating, dancing and his failure to engage during much of the fight, Silva sent Dana White over the edge, disrespected the UAE royal family (his new bosses) and turned off many fans. Silva showed a little contrition in the immediate aftermath but during a UFC 117 teleconference, to preview next weekend’s main event, it was good to find out the old Silva is still alive and well.

Showing once again he doesn’t get it, the UFC middleweight champ made gave plenty of one-word answers and mocked most of the questions. It’s the fight game. Part of your job is to sell the fight and in doing so raise your own profile. It’s fine Silva’s a jerk, we get that. But at least embrace it.

Floyd Mayweather is a genius. He gets it. As long as you pick a side, Floyd is happy. That’s why he’s making $25 million a fight. Silva is on the opposite end of the spectrum. His approach during an incredible 11-fight win streak is still why almost no one outside of MMA has any idea who he is. Chael Sonnen, who is the antithesis of Silva with the media and fans, gets it and wrapped things up nicely.

“He comes on here and says something stupid as if he’s saying some sort of Nobel Prize winning statement. He truly believes the answer he gave few minutes ago, that people are tuning in to see a fight, and not see anything else. He really means that,” Sonnen said (5:15 mark). “He feels like he’s taking the moral high ground.”

Just as he’s been doing for the last few months, Sonnen talked lots of trash during the call. Silva chose to basically mock every question he was asked and then hid behind the excuse that he refused to get into a war of words with his opponent. One problem: the majority of the questions were legitimate questions about the fight and had nothing to do with Sonnen flapping his gums.

“He couldn’t be anymore wrong,” Sonnen said. “Does he know anything about business? That’s not what people are tuning in to see. People don’t just tune in to see people fight. They want to know why they’re fighting? He couldn’t have this industry anymore backward.”

Silva came out firing blanks and it never got better. By the middle of the conference call, he had the media trying to push him, and his manager Ed Soares got suckered into battling on his behalf. ESPN’s Franklin McNeil did a brilliant job of pushing Soares into a position where he couldn’t win (1:25 mark). McNeil ended by just laughing at Soares and Silva. AOL Fanhouse’s Mike Chiapetta then pushed more (2:50 mark) by invoking his best Joe Pesci from “Goodfellas” (VIDEO – 2:50 mark). Soares said he had trouble understanding the question.

The one time Silva showed passion was when he said he didn’t care about White’s opinion.After UFC 112, White said Silva could face termination.

You get the feeling this is all going to end badly. Maybe we’re headed toward another cold war with Silva on the outside looking in, like Tito v. Dana.

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