The gloved one

Anderson Silva received a lot of criticism for his lackluster (i.e. boring, non-knockout) wins over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. He jazzed things up at UFC 101 by out-dancing Forrest Griffin’s attacks and then laying him out on the mat in the first round. If the UFC wants to capitalize on that, build Silva up in the public eye, make him a household name, they need him to continue to be aggressive in the ring.

They also need him bring more of this kind of flashiness to the show before and after the fight. Look at these videos, especially the first one from back in his PRIDE FC days. Sure, all of PRIDE was a spectacle, but Silva was an exceptional showman who backed it up in the ring. He’s got personality, a sense of humour, and confidence, wow, how many people can be so relaxed as to do a full-on Michael Jackson impression on their way into a fight? It’s the kind of stuff that gets people out of their seats and on a fighter’s side before the first punch is even thrown.