Looks like the Spider's caught another fly

This past weekend the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA) history entered the octagon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Anderson Silva is to MMA as Wayne Gretzky is to hockey.

Anderson Silva is to MMA as Sugar Ray Robinson is to boxing.

If you’re late to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) here’s a quick summary. Since joining the UFC (the best MMA organization in the world) Silva has rattled off an impressive 13 consecutive victories. The feat is made more impressive when you consider eight of those wins have come as title defenses and as the old adage states: it’s easy to get to the top; it’s a lot harder to stay there.

Those eight victories were against hungry opponents. Fighters like Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson.

Fighting is such a mental battle and in each fight Sylva faced opponents who had win streaks of their own, opponents who were fully motivated, opponents who had worked their whole lives for a shot at the belt and each time, he soundly beat them.

If you watch the UFC then you probably love it. If you don’t watch the UFC, you probably hate it.

I can always understand the argument that no sport should allow competitors to gratuitously hit one another for sport. And as long as you believe fighting should be banned from every sport I think it’s a worthy argument.

However, there is something to be said about two athletes getting in the ring and battling until only one comes out.

It is, in my opinion, the purest form of competition in the world. I’m not defending or advocating the sport, I’m merely pointing out when you put two guys in a ring and tell them only one can be victorious, that’s pretty much the definition of competition.

What I don’t like is the argument from self-proclaimed “boxing purists.” I love the sweet science. I grew up watching the rise—and fall—of Iron Mike Tyson. But something did become abundantly clear to me as I continued to support the sport.

Boxing has major problems.

First of all, why can’t I ever seem to watch the best fighters fight each other?

Secondly, why do they allow these shameless, dirty promoters, who smell like used car salesmen and never stop blowing hot air be the face of their sport?

Thirdly, why do they not understand if you don’t re-invest back into your business that eventually you find yourself out of business?

And finally, why can’t I ever seem to watch the best fighter fight each other?

In the UFC the best are constantly fighting each other. The sport is designed to promote the top competition.

In the UFC the fighters are their own promoters. Many are college and university graduates and they realize that just like everything else in life, you are in charge of your own brand.

In the UFC Dana White is constantly re-investing back into his product. He hosts free fights, something boxing refuses to do. It gives newcomers to the sport an opportunity to see what MMA is all about, while at the same time familiarizing themselves with some of the best fighters in the game.

And finally, in the UFC, guys sign three, four or five fight deals, meaning they don’t get to pick and choose who they’re fighting—unlike boxing where the art of ducking a good fighter to make an extra buck bashing in some second-rate fighter is a rite of passage.

This weekend, Anderson “The Spider” Silva will fight Yushin “Thunder” Okami; a win will effectively mean Silva will have wiped out the middleweight (185 lbs) division. Many speculate his next fight will come against Canadian George “Rush” St. Pierre (GSP), and some—especially in this country—believe GSP can beat him.

The GSP vs. Silva fight certainly has appeal but makes no sense for GSP, who has repeatedly said he will only jump to middleweight as his body evolves and no longer lets him to fight at 170 lbs.

What people sometimes forget is Silva has fought at 205 lbs and won both times, defeating Forrest Griffin, who held the belt in the division for a cup of coffee and James Irvin, who tested positive for steroids after the fight. The point is GSP would essentially be moving up two weight classes to fight Silva. That, coupled with the fact, Silva is one of the best fighters in the world isn’t a good fit for GSP, who likes to wear down his opponents in the cage.

The fight this past weekend is a chance for Silva to avenge his last loss—if you can call it that.

The last time these two fighters met was at the Rumble on the Rock tournament in Hawaii. Silva quite literally stalks Okami around the ring for the first four minutes before the Japanese fighter finally scores a takedown. From there as Okami postures up to strike, Silva hits him with a heel kick from the bottom and knocks out Okami.

The fight ends with Okami picking up a disqualification win—hardly a loss and hardly a win.

When they do battle again in Rio there will be no mistakes from Silva. I expect a second-round TKO from the champ, who will use the first round to feel Okami out, finishing with a flurry to end the opening frame before sending the Japanese fighter to the canvas for good in the second round.

Sure as Swaggerville and Riderville are going to clash in an epic battle that will help the green nation right the ship in the CFL, Anderson “The Spider” Silva will run his win streak to 13, dismantling Yushin “Thunder” Okami and cementing himself as the best UFC fighter ever.