Anderson Silva vs James Irvin @205 on July 19th

RockemSockem · 06-17-2008, 08:00 PM

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin to headline July 19 UFC event | MMAjunkie.com

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (21-4 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will make his light-heavyweight debut and take on veteran fighter James Irvin (14-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at a July 19 UFC event.

MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) confirmed the fight this afternoon with a source very close to the event; it was first reported today by MMARated.com. MMAjunkie.com has also confirmed that the event will be titled UFC Fight Night 14 (and the Sept. 17 Spike TV event will now be titled UFC Fight Night 15).

The event, which will air on Spike TV, was only recently put together -- likely to combat Affliction's star-studded debut "Banned" show, which features a main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia.

Additionally, Dave Meltzer is reporting that UFC president Dana White has confirmed the Silva-Irvin fight and also that Hermes Franca (18-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC) vs. Frankie Edgar (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) -- a fight originally scheduled for UFC 87 -- will be added to the July 19 fight card.

On Monday we passed along reports of the possible event (see: initial report). Although Brandon Vera vs. Wanderlei Silva had been considered as a main event, Silva reportedly wasn't physically prepared for the bout.

Instead, the event will feature Silva, who's proven to be nearly unstoppable in the UFC's 185-pound division. Insiders say the UFC had briefly considered matching Silva up with former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, though the bout never came to fruition. He'll now fight Irvin in a non-title fight. The selection of the veteran Irvin is peculiar, to say the least.

Irvin, who made his UFC debut in 2005, is 5-3 in the organization and 3-1 in his past four UFC fights. He most recently defeated Houston Alexander with an eight-second knockout (via Superman punch). However, he's never been considered one of the division's top contenders, and on a few occasions, openly stated that he was possibly one loss away from losing his UFC contract.

The event will take place in Las Vegas, most likely at The Palms Casino Resort.

On the same night, "Affliction: Banned" will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. In addition to Emelianenko and Sylvia, the fight card features notables such as Josh Barnett, Matt Lindland, Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and others. The event airs on pay per view with a $39.95 price tag.

Official announcement of the UFC event could come on Wednesday. UFC President Dana White is expected finally to announce the "big news" he's been trumpeting for the past few weeks. He's reportedly revealing the news to employees at 3 p.m. ET (noon PT) and then to the public.

theEmpiric · 06-17-2008, 08:02 PM

Wow, defiantly a peculiar match up for Silva's first LHW appearance.

Definitely interested in this!

HaVoK · 06-17-2008, 08:05 PM

I am going to be entertained with the fight....but this matchup is just dumb too me. Its not a big enough name for Anderson Silva to jump up to fight, and is this Silva "moving" up to LHW or just a one-time fight, pretty much stalling for another middleweight number 1 contender?

TapOrNap · 06-17-2008, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVoK

I am going to be entertained with the fight....but this matchup is just dumb too me. Its not a big enough name for Anderson Silva to jump up to fight, and is this Silva "moving" up to LHW or just a one-time fight, pretty much stalling for another middleweight number 1 contender?

I was thinking the same thing. But, maybe it is a "testing of the waters" fight and Dana is not sure how Silva will fare against larger fighters.

Badman · 06-17-2008, 08:50 PM

If this is indeed true, it is a stupid move. Why would you have the UFC Middleweight champ moving up in weight for a non-title fight?

If the UFC, as they claim, is the Major League of MMA, can't they find a suitable opponent for him? Is their MW roster THAT lacking? If so, SIGN SOMEONE!

I don't see any benefit for this fight. A Champion should compete in his weight class, and defend his title. What happens if he gets hurt? Do we wait for another year for a MW title fight?

Oh wait, the UFC does it all the time in all weight classes. My bad...

ToeZup · 06-17-2008, 09:18 PM

I'm so surprised Silva isn't fighting Okami. Hopefully after this little weight class jump against Irvin he will. I'm with you guys it is a weird match up for sure.
They definitely have my attention though. I'll be watching both shows through the magic of dvr.

BrntWS6 · 06-17-2008, 09:34 PM

Doesn't suprise me that they don't want to headline Okami at all, neither one speak english, and Okami is boring to watch.

Tinker Bell · 06-17-2008, 09:59 PM

This fight is very intriguing! Silva being faster, more accurate; an overall superior striker should be able to dispatch of Irvin quickly most would assume. Irvin on the other hand has some serious power, so he can possibly KO Anderson.

giguer · 06-17-2008, 10:14 PM

What happen if Irwin win over Silva...

Do we still believe after that he's the best p4p?

SmashingMachine · 06-17-2008, 10:16 PM

I think if they're going to do this fight they need to pit him against someone like Wand, Chuck, Machida or someone who's one of the main contenders in the LHW division.

Jenkins83 · 06-17-2008, 10:22 PM

Should be an easy win for Anderson. Irvin has more power, but Anderson's striking is faster and much more precise. He's going to pick Irvin apart. Anderson by KO/TKO first or second round. Will be interesting to see how Anderson does without having to cut any weight, although he probably doesn't need to cut that much to make 185 anyway.

Pitbull · 06-17-2008, 10:35 PM

Very excited about the move. I think Anderson will relinquish the MW title and make a permanent move to LHW.

Oh and...Anderson wins by TKO/KO.

PS- I added a poll to the thread.

twigz · 06-17-2008, 11:06 PM

A. Silva by KO 1st round.....

CounterPuncher · 06-17-2008, 11:11 PM

I voted Silva. I don't think he will have too much trouble with Irvin.

I'm still not sure why he's not fighting someone higher ranked in the division though.

fullonshred · 06-17-2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CounterPuncher

I voted Silva. I don't think he will have too much trouble with Irvin.

I'm still not sure why he's not fighting someone higher ranked in the division though.

Seems pretty obvious to me. Clearly they are feeding Silva a guy they are sure he will beat. They don't want him losing at all, much less in his first fight at 205. The one I feel bad for is James Irvin. What did he do to deserve this?

It would make me laugh like a blood-drunk hyena if Irvin managed to land a lucky bomb and stop Anderson cold.

BTW, I think Silva has a helluva chin. Hendo cracked him with a few solid shots and they didn't seem to faze Anderson at all.

stillstanding · 06-18-2008, 12:02 AM

Anderson is precise with his strikes and he is intelligent enough to stay away from Irvins power. I see Anderson taking this in the 2nd.

Oh, Twigz! Your Mini-Twigz photo is awesome.

Mulla · 06-18-2008, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fullonshred

The one I feel bad for is James Irvin. What did he do to deserve this?

I dunno man, it seems like a win-win situation for Irvin imo.

If he loses, then he lost to the no.1 p4p fighter in the world and no-ones really surprised. He'll still get respect for stepping up at short notice and more publicity from being in the main event.

If he manages to pull of the upset then everyone's gonna know who he is and he's definately gonna be seen as a top contender who de-railed the seemingly unbeatable champ.

IMO Anderson's the guy who has a lot to lose. Like I said, if he beats Irvin no one will be surprised, but if he loses to someone who isnt even ranked? Thats gonna hurt his stock, whether it was in his proper weight class or not.

Crashsti · 06-18-2008, 08:32 AM

Anderson is good, but he's good at 185. Now we're going to find out if he's just as good at 205. I know Silva beat Dan Henderson who has fought at
205lbs.. However Henderson is'nt anywhere near the striker that James Irvin is. Even if the fight goes to the ground, Irvin is likely to have a considerable weight advantage, depending on what Anderson weights in at. Lots of new variables to take into consideration.

Malf · 06-18-2008, 09:05 AM

I could see Anderson being 170 - 205 champion lol. No, seriously........I could. I'm not his biggest fan, but he seems THAT good. I think GSP may be able to go up to 185 and use his wrestling to get a win, but then again, Hendo couldn't do that, so who knows. One thing I do know is that The Sandman is going to sleep.

nublood · 06-18-2008, 09:23 AM

I'm gonna have to go with Irvin just for parody's sake. I'm still jonesing for somebody to beat Silva lol. Irvin might have the most KO power of anybody he's faced yet in the UFC.