Silva Wants to Eat Way to Heavyweight Contention

You’re the best “pound for pound” fighter in the world, whatever that means. You make excellent fighters look like skipping school girls. And you’re getting bored.

If that describes you, you might well be Anderson Silva, famed sculptor of noses. And if you are, manager Ed Soares and the UFC have got a deal for you: according to SportsIllustrated.com’s Josh Gross, the two have been conspiring to get Silva going in the heavyweight division, with an eye on Frank Mir as a possible first opponent.

If you’ve read the latest issue of Real Fighter, a magazine I see to print, you’ll note that author David Samuels’ excellent cover piece on Silva includes a glimpse of his Friday pre-fight meal. Not a spoiler, but both McDonald’s and Mars, Incorporated are involved. The guy clearly likes to eat. Whether that translates into success in a division full of men who spill over the 265 lb. weight limit is open to deliberation.

Smaller heavies like Randy Couture or division-straddling Brandon Vera? Could see it. Trying to get out from underneath Brock Lesnar as he suffocates you with one giant pectoral muscle? Not quite as compelling.

This is all vaporware at the moment: I would expect plans to change significantly if Mauricio “Shogun” Rua happens to defeat Silva’s friend Lyoto Machida on October 24. Being great in one division doesn’t necessarily trump 20-50 lbs. of mass. Ask B.J. Penn about that.