|
| |
|
|
|
The Sandman looks forward to stepping into the cage with Anderson Silva |
|
|
|
Written by Neil Davidson, THE CANADIAN PRESS
|
|
Saturday, 05 July 2008 |
Related Items
No keywords found
LAS VEGAS - James (The Sandman) Irvin needed just eight seconds to knock out Houston (The Assassin) Alexander last time out and the California light-heavyweight says he didn't need that long to accept a fight with mixed martial arts superstar Anderson Silva when the offer came out of the blue.
Having cleaned out the 185-pound division, middleweight champion Silva was looking for a new challenge and opted for a trip to the 205-pound ranks. The UFC was also searching for something special for a planned July 19 TV card in Las Vegas designed to take some of the shine off Affliction's debut pay-per-view show the same night in Anaheim, Calif.
While Irvin (14-4-1) said yes immediately, others backed off. He says at least three name fighters turned down the bout with the Brazilian.
"I was kind of disappointed. You hear all these fighters say 'I'll fight anyone any time. I want to fight the best.' Not if it's Anderson Silva, I guess," he said.
"I wanted to sign on the dotted line. I didn't want to lose the fight. This is a dream fight for me. I'd have thought other people would have felt the same way. Obviously not."
The reason for that trepidation is pretty clear. The 33-year-old Silva is dangerous everywhere in the cage. He is 6-0 in the UFC (22-4 overall), needing a total of 31 minutes 48 seconds to dispatch those opponents, none of whom made it out of the second round. Only four survived the first.
An evening with Silva means pain - and possibly reconstructive surgery.
Former middleweight champion Rich Franklin lost his title and a rematch to Silva, who battered him so comprehensively that doctors had to work on Franklin's nose after both bouts. Franklin, a talented fighter in his own right, is now looking at moving back to light-heavyweight.
Both Silva and Irvin are listed at 6-2. Silva is lean and lanky, combining a black belt in jiu-jitsu with a blitzkrieg striking attack that features flying fists, elbows and knees. Irvin is physically more solid, a former hard-hitting college strong safety with a good chin and heavy hands.
Irvin, 29, says he sees doubt "in a lot of people's faces." But where others see no chance of winning, Irvin believes he has nothing to lose.
"I'm going to go in there and I'm going to try and take the rifle out of his hands and I'm going to try and hunt him down the whole time," he explained. "I have nothing to prove, I have nothing to lose. It's a win-win fight for me. ... I think I'm going to shock a lot of people, I plan on it."
Irvin normally walks around at 230 and expects to outweigh Silva by 20 pounds fight night. He hopes that extra weight will help him control the Brazilian. He also wonders whether a bulkier Silva will be as explosive.
"I just don't see how he can be 15 pounds heavier, let alone 20 pounds, and still be in the same kind of condition and have the same kind of zip on his punches. That's something I'm backing on. ... Him walking around at 205, he's just not going to be as quick as he is at 185. At 185, he's a monster, he's like a hand grenade just waiting to go off all the time. I don't think at 205 he's going to be the same."
Irvin, for his part, can't remember last time he weighted 185.
"Seems like I'd didn't start weighing myself until I weighed 200," he said.
This is the last fight on Irvin's current contract and Irvin says the UFC has sweetened the deal given the opposition.
"People want to know 'What's your game plan against him?"' said Irvin who initially thought he was being offered a fight against light-heavyweight Wanderlei (The Axe Murder) Silva when his manger brought up the name.
"What game plan can I have against the guy? He's better than me on the ground, he's better than me standing up. What am I going to do?"
The good news, says Irvin, is that it's not a jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai fight. It's MMA, which encompasses everything at the same time.
And Irvin says he will be the easy to find - holding his ground in the middle of the cage.
"I plan on having to take a lot of shots from him, but I'll get to land mine eventually."
He expects to take a lot of damage, But he also expects to win.
UFC president Dana White says Silva's championship belt will not be on the line against Irvin. Silva will return to the middleweight ranks to defend his title, probably against Japan's Yushin Okami, at UFC 88 in Atlanta on Sept. 6. The Brazilian wants to fight again two months later.
While Irvin is honoured that the UFC asked him to step up against Silva, he is miffed that his name was spelled wrong at a sign on The Palms, which is hosting the July 19 card.
"Irvin isn't too hard to spell. They had a 'w' in there," Irvin complained.
The gaffe reminded him of the movie "Invincible" when teacher-bartender Vince Papale tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles and comes in to see his name misspelled on his locker.
"So if people are already looking past me like that, that's wonderful," Irvin said,
Irvin is 4-3 in the UFC and 3-1 in the WEC. Prior to the emphatic knockout of Alexander, he endured a tumultuous 2007.
At UFC 79 in December, he emerged dizzy but victorious after a disqualification win over Luiz Cane, who was penalized for an illegal knee to the head. During the ensuing concussion, he temporarily forgot his address and phone number.
At UFC 71 in May, he suffered a bad knee injury in a TKO loss to Thiago Silva that required surgery to insert three ligaments from a cadaver.
"It's been so up and down. I seem to win in dramatic fashion and then lose just as big," he said.
After beating Alexander, he was sidelined again by a broken toe suffered training in Thailand for a planned UFC 85 main event with Rashad Evans.
Irvin is no stranger to knee injuries or ill fortune in the cage. In June 2006, a Strikeforce bout with Bobby Southworth ended as a no-contest after just 17 seconds when a door opened and both fighters fell out of the cage.
Irvin hurt his knee, which had already suffered during a football career that culminated in a scholarship to Azusa Pacific. He also had ankle surgery during his football days.
Short notice in setting up the July 19 card means Irvin has had to fit a normal 10-week training camp into six. His toe is still healing but he promises nothing will stop meeting Silva.
"I would fight if I lost an eyeball for this fight," he said.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
|
|
|
Who's Online
We have 143 guests and 10 members online
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
