Anderson Silva Opens as Slight Favorite Over Conor McGregor in Potential Superfight

Former UFC middleweight Anderson Silva called out former two-weight division champion Conor McGregor last week after the Irishman called the Brazilian legend as the current GOAT of MMA.

In a Tweet by the Notorious One, he also said that he will pass Silva once his career is over and that he will be the GOAT, easily. Said, McGregor:

“The array of finishes, across 2 divisions, with champion status in 1, Anderson Silva is No.1 MMA GOAT. My array of finishes, across 3 divisions, with champion status in 2, I’m No.2. If not tied 1. However still active, No.1 is fully secured by career end. And easily.”

The 45-year old Brazilian replied with an Instagram post that praised the Irishman but at the same time called out McGregor for a super fight:

“SUPER FIGHT 176.37LBS. I have a huge admiration for the great athlete that Conor is and I believe this super-fight would be something historic for the sport, neither of us has anything else to prove. I believe UFC and (MMA) fans would like to watch this great martial spectacle, testing my martial skills against him would be fantastic.”

As expected, McGregor accepted the challenge and right there and then, the MMA world went into a frenzy. And soon, the betting odds for the potential super fight were released. As per online sportsbook Bovada, Silva is a slight -125 favorite against McGregor, who came back at -105. A $100 bet on Silva would net $80 and $92.50 for McGregor.

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1265995682390904834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It’s not often that you get McGregor as an underdog in the UFC. In a dozen UFC bouts, McGregor has closed out as the underdog only twice. These happened when he challenged Jose Aldo for the featherweight title at UFC 194 and when he faced Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight strap at UFC 229. McGregor knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds while he suffered a fourth-round submission loss to Khabib.

As for Anderson Silva, the Spider is widely regarded as the GOAT of MMA. During his prime, he won 16 consecutive bouts from 2006 to 2012, including 10 consecutive successful title defenses. Since then, Silva has won just once in his last eight bouts and it’s a surprise why Bovada has him as the slight favorite here. The last time that Silva was a betting favorite was when he fought Michael Bisping in 2016.

Let’s take a look at this potential super fight:

Anderson “The Spider” Silva

Anderson Silva is the former UFC middleweight champion and #1 pound for pound fighter in the promotion. He held the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days that began in 2006 and ended in 2013. He won 16 consecutive bouts during that period, the longest winning streak in UFC history. But since losing his title to Chris Weidman at UFC 162, Silva has won just twice in his last eight fights with one of those wins overturned to a no-contest after he failed a drug test.

Silva has a record fo 34-10 with 22 knockouts and four wins via submission. The Spider stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 77 ½ inches while fighting as a southpaw. He has wins over notable fighters like Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, Demian Maia, Stephan Bonnar, and Nick Diaz. His last win came against Derek Bunson at UFC 208 in 2017.

Conor “Notorious” McGregor

Conor McGregor took the UFC by storm. The Irishman vacated the Cage Warriors lightweight title to join the UFC in 2013. He won six straight bouts, including five by knockout to earn a shot at Jose Aldo’s featherweight title. He knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds and he would become the promotion’s first fighter to hold two world titles concurrently when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to annex the UFC lightweight title. However, McGregor’s golden run ended when he was dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

McGregor has a record of 22-4 with 19 knockouts and one submission win. The Irishman stands 5-7 tall and has a reach of 74 inches and he is also a southpaw fighter. McGregor has wins over Aldo, Alvarez, Nate Diaz, Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, and Chad Mendes. In his last fight, McGregor knocked out Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 last January 18, 2020.

How Would This Fight Play Out?

When you look at the styles of both fighters, you would agree with me that this will be a striking battle. Silva was one of the best strikers ever and McGregor’s striking is one of the best in the game today.

The Spider was a master of reading his opponents’ movements before taking advantage of their weaknesses. He would stand in front of his foes and dare them to hit him with his hands down or behind his back. In his prime, he would avoid most of these punches and when his opponents get discouraged, Silva would fire back and launch his offense.

McGregor also has a similar style. He has a very high fight IQ that enables him to decipher his opponents’ tendencies and hit them where they are most weak. The Irishman has a very powerful left hand that has dropped many opponents. But unlike Silva who deflects his opponents’ punches with head movement, McGregor uses excellent footwork to get away from danger before landing his counter left hand.

I think the two biggest factors in this fight are Silva’s age and his length. McGregor has dominated his opponents on the feet because he’s usually had a longer reach than them. The only opponent who was rangier than McGregor was Nate Diaz, who at 76 inches of reach, beat him in their first encounter. Silva is even longer at 77.5 inches and the Spider has arguably better striking skills than Nate Diaz.

However, Silva is already 45 years old and way past his prime. He’s lost seven out of his last eight fights and although he’s been competitive against the likes of Daniel Cormier and Israel Adesanya, he was knocked out by Jared Cannonier in his last fight.

Silva though is an excellent fighter on the floor and although he only has four wins via submission, he is a BJJ black belt and has terrific grappling. If he decides to take this fight to the ground, we could see McGregor suffer the same fate he did against Nurmagomedov as the Irishman doesn’t have ground offense and has little defense when he is on his back.

All factors considered though, I think the younger fighter takes this. McGregor is still hungry for success while Silva is merely fighting to prolong his career. I like the Irishman as the underdog here.

PREDICTION: CONOR MCGREGOR