*Living in the Shadow of The Spider

(photo courtesy of mmahammer.net)

When Chael Sonnen lost his rematch to Anderson "The Spider" Silva at UFC 148, a statement was made. Not just in the context of a super-hyped main event, but it was a familiar story that has become a tragedy for so many middleweight fighters living in the Anderson Silva era. To compete in the UFC’s middleweight division is to compete for second place, and that is a stigma that grows more influential with every Silva victory.

One by one, world-class fighters have been handed their dreams back to them by the champ. Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia, Sonnen, and the legendary Vitor Belfort are among a laundry list of fighters who have all tried, and failed, to decipher the seemingly unstoppable Spider. Silva has even ventured up to light heavyweight and dominated former champs like Forrest Griffin, just for kicks. It’s created a desolate wasteland in the division, with a serious lack of legitimate contenders left. Many have simply jumped a weight class up or down to try their chances elsewhere (although with Jon Jones and GSP reigning at light heavy and welterweight respectively, their chances may not be much better there either).

(photo courtesy of fcfighter.com)

Chael Sonnen is a living representation of what it means to compete against a talent of Silva’s level. “The American Gangster” is easily the next best competitor at 185 lbs. He proved this by utterly dominating the champ in their first meeting, and even in round one of the rematch. Despite what were certainly his best efforts, Sonnen still couldn’t find a way to put the champ away, and that has to have a massive effect on him mentally. There are even rumblings that Sonnen may be done with the sport completely after this latest loss, and realistically, who can blame him?

At 35 years old, Sonnen, who is still widely considered the world number two, is likely another two or three fights away from earning third title shot. That’s about 18 to 24 months of training and competition just to get another crack at his arch-nemesis Silva. That’s an arduous grind for a guy his age, one that he already had some difficulty completing this time around. Sonnen barely made his way through Michael Bisping en route to his latest Silva rematch, and Bisping isn’t really considered a serious contender at the moment. Evidently the seeds of self-doubt have not just been planted in Sonnen’s mind, they’ve been cultivated, and after UFC 148, no one can blame him if that doubt is now in full bloom.

(photo courtesy of blog.betdsi.com)

It’s a culture similar to that of the PGA during Tiger Woods’ era of domination, or the NBA when the Jordan-led Bulls were reeling off multiple championships. There is just no answer to that level of brilliance. It may even be a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the more contenders Silva eats up, the less inclined anyone is going to be to think they’re going to be the one to solve him. Fighters, after all, are only human.

(photo courtesy of espncdn.com)

Just ask Rich Franklin, the man who looked so strong as title holder before the Spider came along. Franklin was knocked out twice against Silva, and has never made his way back to the title picture since. Now, at age 37, Franklin finds himself caught between two weight classes, and with little chance of ever holding UFC gold ever again. Fighting Silva sent him into MMA limbo, the same place Sonnen seems to find himself now.

(photo courtesy of herald-review.com)

The second UFC 148 came to a close with a flurry of Silva strikes, the speculation began over who would be next up to take a swing at the middleweight strap. The problem is, there isn’t really a logical answer. Are Mark Munoz, Chris Weidman, or even Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold really legitimate contenders? None have shown the skill level of a Chael Sonnen, but there is literally no one else left.  

Rashad Evans, via Twitter, has expressed an interest in dropping down to middleweight to take on Silva. Now that would provide a tough and interesting matchup, but coming off a tough loss to Jon Jones, Evans can’t reasonably be expected to be given a title shot in his first fight at 185 lbs.

(photo courtesy of cagepotato.com)

This is life in the Anderson Silva era. The man has established a standard of utter domination that has reverberated through the sport on literally every level. His division has been completely cleaned out, contenders are rightfully afraid, and those he destroys come to question their place in the sport altogether. 

(photo courtesy of fotosnovas.org)

There will always be another fight, another matchup, and one day there will be another champ. Whether or not that champ will actually take the belt from Silva is another story altogether. One thing is for certain; there will never be another Anderson Silva. He is unequivocally the greatest UFC fighter of all-time, and it’s possible that the only opponent that may be able to beat him is time itself. 

*Dunk-Off Underlines NBA Anti-Canadianism

Why don't they just call it "Dunk Idol", and have Steven Tyler and J-Lo decide the best dunks? The results of the NBA Slam Dunk competition more resemble America's favorite popularity contest than a legitimate judgement of slam dunk creativity. Blake Griffin was the media darling heading into the All-Star festivities, even before his best friend died and endeared him to fans everywhere. The NBA got the result they were looking for and Griffin walked away champion, even though his dunks really were nothing that special (a 360? really? no dunk that can be pulled off in a game should be in a dunk competition). 

Maybe I'm speaking out of Torontonian bias here, but Demar DeRozan's first dunk was arguably the best of the round, and was unfairly under-rated by a panel of judges who, like most of the NBA, likely don't see Toronto as a genuine basketball market. This underlines a larger problem around the league in the perception of Canada's only team. 

Tracy McGrady recently made comments about fans in Toronto "not even knowing what they're booing about", heating up the discussion about Toronto's attitude towards former players, and the NBA's attitude towards the Great Frozen North in general. Trust me Tracy, we know why we're booing you. It's the same reason we boo your cousin Vince, the same reason we boo Hedo, and Benedict Arnold-Bosh: You're all douche bags.

It isn't Toronto undervaluing or misunderstanding the politics of the sport of basketball, but the famed ignorance of the American public rearing it's ugly head in the form of spoiled basketball players not wanting to be cast-offs to the island of misfit toys known as the T-dot. There is a prevailing notion that we somehow are uneducated fans, or that we only know about hockey. We may know hockey in and out, and it may be the big ticket north of the border, but Torontonians are some of the most knowledgeable sports fans in North America.

The perceived indifference of fans stems from mismanaged teams that leave very little to cheer about, not from ignorance to the nuances of the game. If anything, that should be an indication of our sophistication, but these ego maniacal morons can't wrap their narrow minds around the concept of being wrong. Of having carried themselves in a less than classy fashion. Of having disrespected the franchise that made them millionaires, and the adoring fan base that made them stars in the first place.

If there is one thing that defines Toronto as a sports market, it's that we are suckers for our stars. We latch our hopes and dreams onto them and label them as "ours". When the revolving door spins around, as it always seems to do in this city, we can't help but feel betrayed because we held up our end of the bargain.

When DeRozan scored a 44 on his first dunk, the city of Toronto collectively shook it's head. That dunk was creative, original, and took an amazing amount of skill. The people he was beaten by pulled off dunks that mostly had been done before. There was nothing special about them, but the theatrics that were employed; the flag-bearers, the double net, the choir, were what won them points. Not dunking skill. Why is it that a hometown guy can't even get his due respect just because he's wearing that god awful word on the front of his jersey? Toronto.

The NBA obviously had an agenda with this event. In Blake Griffin they have a fresh new superstar to market. They have a solid gold story to play on with his friend having passed away only days before the competition (all due respect to the poor young man's family). And what better way to have a coming out party for the NBA's most exciting dunker than to hand over a gift-wrapped slam dunk championship? I have seen dozens of people dunk over cars, and actually over the car, not half-assing it over the hood, which Griffin really didn't need to do. He has the hops to have pulled the move off properly. Not only that, but McGee looked as if he wasn't even trying to win with his final dunk. It was certifiable SLACK.

DeRozan was screwed out of his due two years in a row, and likely won't have another chance to showcase his talents at the next All-Star weekend, and it really is a shame. He's got the skill and athleticism to be a legitimate star in this league, but never had a fair shake at showing it on one of the biggest stages.

The NBA's credibility as a league seems to dwindle yearly, with a crooked match-fixing ref, labour disputes on the horizon, and self-indulgent stars ganging up to set a dangerous precedent that will condemn the notion of parity for years to come. Unfortunately, we here in Toronto are regarded as idiots, quite possibly because we are the only market in the league that doesn't buy the NBA's bullshit.