ROUNDTABLE: Which fights would you prioritize for Anderson Silva if he only has two or three more fights left?

Which fights would you prioritize for Anderson Silva if he only has two or three more fights left?

ROBERT VALLEJOS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Being that Anderson Silva seems to have a little bit left in the tank, I would not use him to make young guys. Instead, I think he can be used against other legends in pseudo-fantasy bouts. If the UFC does not want GSP to directly enter into the Welterweight Division, a fight against Silva could do big business.

ADAM TINDAL, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think I’d like to see Anderson simply retire. He picked up a win over a top young gun in Derek Brunson and that should be enough for him to ride off into the sunset. His legacy is cemented firmly in place and I’m sure he has made enough money to live comfortably for the foreseeable future. In the Brunson fight he just didn’t look all there physically. Sure, his skill set will always be good enough to compete with and beat the best this world has to offer, but time doesn’t slow down and his body was looking kind of soft. At his age, I believe it to best for him to finish on a good note.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I would try to make his fights appearing on the Fox network cards a top priority. Everyone knows he’s no longer a title contender, so they should try to get as much attention onto the others on the cards as they can. Pair Silva fights with lesser known but exciting fighters to try to give them more exposure. As for who he fights, to be blunt, it doesn’t really matter all that much. He’s not going to beat any of the top guys so you might as well try to make the biggest fights you can. A rematch with Vitor Belfort sounds interesting. Maybe a fight with Kelvin Gastelum? I’d put him in fights with guys near the bottom of the top 10 so any of those guys would work.

BRANDON SLOAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

This is one of the more tricky situations the UFC match-makers have at the moment. We have an absolute legend, perhaps the greatest fighter of all time who is without a doubt on the back nine of his career. He looked mediocre in a controversial decision win against Derek Brunson, so what do you do? You can’t give him Yoel Romero because nobody wants to see a potential old man massacre like B.J. Penn vs. Yair Rodriguez. So what then? Does he jump the ranks and get a title shot? Seems a little far-fetched, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be.

If we are looking to protect Silva from a monster like Romero and we can’t have him fight a lower ranking opponent like Uriah Hall, then why not set up a rematch between him and Michael Bisping? A lot of people believe Silva won the first fight. How great would it be so see him redeem his legacy and reclaim his title? If he were to win the championship against Bisping, they could then make the super super fights. They could put him in against Conor McGregor or GSP. If none of those present themselves, then you can have him square up against his pal Jacare making his last fight a somewhat passing of the torch or you can feed him to the beast Yoel Romero. It sounds a bit far-fetched to give Anderson a title shot, but hey, he’s a First Ballot Hall of Famer, so why not give him the chance to go out on top?

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