Soares: Silva vs. Griffin at UFC 101 is "the type of fight we want to take"

[Guest baseball25]

The recent news that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva's next fight will be against former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin may have come as a shock to most, but Silva's manager, Ed Soares, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the fight is exactly what "The Spider" has needed.

"I think Forrest Griffin is a big light heavyweight, and I think it's going to be a great fight," Soares said. "He's a guy that makes it exciting. He leaves everything out in the octagon, and that's the type of fight we want to take."

The UFC today officially announced the bout for UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.

While Griffin had been expected to face Thiago Silva at the event, Soares said Anderson Silva proved to be a better fit for all parties involved.

"We kind of came to the UFC, and we wanted to do a fight at 205 (pounds)," Soares said. "(UFC President) Dana White threw out the option (of Forrest Griffin), and I thought it was a great option.

"Forrest is an incredible fighter, a guy who is a complete fighter."

Anderson Silva's past two victories over Thales Leites and Patrick Cote have been widely panned by both fans and media alike. While Soares has been openly critical of the gameplan those two fighters brought to the cage – Leites in particular – he believes Griffin will provide the sort of test both him and his client hope to face.

"Forrest brings it every time," Soares said. "He comes to fight, and I think that's a fight we want to take. He's a big name, and he is a former light-heavyweight champion."

Soares said there wasn't much discussion from either Anderson Silva or the UFC before making the bout. Griffin's name was the first brought to the table, and the bout made sense for both the fighter and the organizaton.

"[White] threw that name out, and we thought it was great," Soares said. "We're like, 'Hey, that sounds good.'"

While the Anderson Silva vs. Griffin contest was the first bout to be made official for UFC 101, it is not expected to headline the event. That honor will most likely fall to UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and his title defense against current No. 1 contender Kenny Florian.

Soares said he and Silva were not concerned about sharing the spotlight.

"No, not at all," Soares said. "It doesn't make a difference to us. If Penn vs. Florian ends up being the main event, that's fine with us. They're fighting for the belt. They deserve to be the main event. That's for the title."

The bout will be Silva's second foray into the light heavyweight division. "The Spider" earned a 61-second TKO victory over then-205-pounder James Irvin in July 2008.

And while Griffin has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the sport's biggest light heavyweight fighters, Soares said the middleweight champ is unconcerned at a potential size disparity.

"Anderson can add on the weight pretty quickly," Soares said. "He piled it on within a month to fight James Irvin. We got asked to fight on Father's Day (2008), and the fight was July 19. I think he'll be fine."

Soares also laid to rest any concerns that a successful run at 205-pounds could leave Silva uninterested in defending his middleweight title.

"That's his title," Soares said. "He's got to defend it."

Besides, as Soares explains, there's no need for Silva to make a run at the light heavyweight crown.

"The 205-pound belt, the way Anderson feels is that it belongs to Lyoto Machida," Soares said. "Lyoto is our teammate, so we wouldn't be interested in that."

With just four fights left on his UFC contract, and rumors running rampant that Silva might be thinking ahead to retirement or a possible boxing match with Roy Jones Jr., speculation abounds each time the UFC champ books another fight.

Soares refused to speculate on what Ailva's future may hold, but he believes this UFC 101 fight with Forrest Griffin is a step in the right direction.

"For us, it's all about fighting the biggest names that we can and taking on the biggest challenges," Soares said. "This is definitely the type of fight that we want to take."

[Critter]

The building of a good fight....Silva won't let it last time this, not with all the crap he heard about not giving 100% from Dana White...I'll take Silva in the 2nd via TKO "Strikes".....