So when Anderson Silva decides to test those amazing striking skills of his against a man that never engages in a boring fight at UFC 101, we can probably expect some serious fireworks. The question is, who's packing the M-80?
What Forrest Griffin (16-5) brings to the table: Griffin is unquestionably one of the toughest guys to ever fight in the UFC. This is a guy that's won a fight with a broken arm before. He was victorious in one of the most amazing slugfests of all-time when he defeated Stephan Bonnar in the TUF 1 Championship, propelling MMA to bigger and better things. That toughness is going to come in handy against Silva's dreaded striking skills.
Beyond the toughness, Griffin possesses well above average and underrated striking skills himself. He also has solid wrestling, is very strong, and is also solid with his submissions. That plus a size advantage and some outstanding cardio and heart- Randy Couture has regularly called Griffin one of the hardest working fighters he's ever seen- should help against one of the better fighters in the world today.
In terms of true weaknesses, Griffin doesn't really have any. It's just a question as to whether your strengths are better than his.
What Anderson Silva (24-4) brings to the table: Silva may be the most proficient and deadly striker in the history of MMA. He's pinpoint accurate with his strikes and can do pretty much anything on his feet (clinch, kick, use his hands and elbows) as good as anyone and better than most. What's more, he has black belt level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills that along with some long limbs- which serve him well striking as well- make him a nightmare from the guard.
If there is a relative weakness in Silva's game, it's that his wrestling is not well-above average. He can be taken down. Of course, that's only a relative weakness, as taking him down isn't exactly easy to do either.
Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva Prediction at UFC 101: Griffin is a bigger and longer opponent than most that Silva has faced. Further, he's not going to just sit back and let "The Spider" pick him apart in spots from the outside. In other words, Griffin is not going to be another Thalies Leites in this one. That said, Griffin, as good a striker as he is, is not as technically talented or fast as his adversary. So if this stays a striking contest, Silva should dominate.
The question is, will Griffin's game plan be to put Silva on his back? There he might try to avoid submissions and ground and pound his way to victory. It could be done. But the reality is that Dan Henderson, a man with an Olympic caliber wrestling background, tried that against Silva as well. The problem is that every round they start standing up, as Henderson found out in the second.
In the end, expect Griffin to do some damage to his opponent on the ground. But the stand up exchanges will be more numerous and should offer an advantage to the current UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva will probably hurt his opponent at times. But give Griffin's legendary toughness some props here.
Anderson Silva wins via unanimous decision in a very good fight.
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