Is Anderson Silva’s Manager Doing More Harm Than Good?
Being a manager of one or more of the best fighters in the world can’t be an easy job. You must be constantly promoting your fighters while managing their massive egos at the same time, and when things don’t go their way, watch out, because you literally might get punched in the face. Being able to do all (and more) of these things has made Ed Soares one of the best managers in MMA. There is a reason why fighters like Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, the Nogueira brothers, etc have all hired him to manage their careers. He is really good at what he does.
Up until a few months ago, you never heard a peep out of Soares. Then Vitor Belfort returned to the UFC, TKO’d Rich Franklin and was immediately given a title shot. This didn’t sit well with Soares who let everyone know that he didn’t think that Belfort deserved a title shot. If it was up to him, there would have been a Middleweight tournament between Nate Marquardt, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson to determine the next number one contender. At the time, most people would have agreed that Henderson or Marquardt probably deserved a title shot before Belfort, but MMA is a business and Belfort was the better draw, or should I say a new draw.
Let’s jump ahead to today. Dan Henderson has jumped ship to Strikeforce, Belfort is definitely going to be fighting Silva at UFC 112 for the Middleweight title and Chael Sonnen beat Nate Marquardt to become the next number one contender. All the confusion of a few months ago is done. Not in Soares mind. He thinks Sonnen needs one more win to become the Middleweight number one contender according to an interview with www.sportsnet.ca:
“We are fine if this is what the UFC wants, but if you look at this logistically, Sonnen should fight Demian Maia first. Demian beat him up easily, by submission, so why not make them fight first, to determine who gets a shot at the title?”
“There’s not much to say about that (Sonnen referring to himself as the “alpha male”). It’s funny, but really, who actually listens to what Chael Sonnen has to say? The only time people listen is when he talks about Anderson. Who is he, really? If you walk down the street and you mention his name, does anyone really know who this guy is? Likely not, but if you mention Anderson Silva, people know the name.”
… “Chael’s also said a few things about Anderson’s choice of clothes and that he wears earrings, didn’t he? Sounds to us like he may have a crush on Anderson.”
Isn’t this the same thing we heard from Soares a few months ago when Belfort was announced as the new number one contender? Instead of making excuses of why your fighter shouldn’t fight a guy that just beat two top five Middleweights in the world, you should be welcoming the challenge. It’s getting to the point where Soares is making it sound like Anderson Silva is trying to duck opponents. Cagepotato.com makes the case:
Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Sonnen is a Republican, and the only man he has a crush on is America’s Greatest Patriot. Also, Soares and Silva’s opponent-pickiness act is getting very stale. Sure, Sonnen took a loss four fights ago — it’s not that fans have forgotten about it, it’s just that Sonnen is coming off back-to-back wins over top-5 middleweights (something that Anderson hasn’t done himself in two years), which should rightfully earn him a shot at the belt. Don’t forget that Sonnen just kicked the ass of the guy who kicked Maia’s ass, which builds his case even further. And what would happen if Maia beat Sonnen again in their hypothetical #1 contender fight? Would he get a title shot, or would he first have to win a rematch against Nate Marquardt before Ed Soares is completely satisfied? And what if Nate won that fight? Jesus, where are my pills.
Soares’s argument is a silly one that you could use to discredit virtually any title contender: Urijah Faber should have to beat Mike Brown before he gets to fight Jose Aldo, and Frank Edgar should have to beat Gray Maynard before he earns a shot at BJ Penn. Unfortunately, that line of thinking would rob fans of frequent title fights that they might actually want to see. Whatever happened to just fighting whoever they put in front of you?
In the long run, is Soares’ rambling going to hurt Silva’s legacy? Not at all. But if he keeps bitching the way he is, people are going to start believing all the negative things Sonnen has said about Silva. And Soares doesn’t want to have to deal with an angry Anderson Silva.
Chael did a great job against Marquart but silva is bigger faster and chael’s wrestling is just not enough. The only guys to give Silva a run for the money is Vitor Belfort & Nate Marquart. And well given Anderson Silva’s current position as best pound for pound fighter in the world, I think his management is doing just fine too.
Super post, Need to mark it on Digg
Thank you
Dougles