Mike Swick Wastes No Time: “I want Anderson Silva next!�
Suffice to say, it didn’t take Anderson Silva long to establish himself as the unquestioned king of the sport’s deepest division.
In less than four combined minutes, the fearsome Brazilian striker disposed of the iron-jawed Chris Leben and then violently removed the UFC middleweight championship from the clutches of pound-for-pound great Rich Franklin.
That is the type of UFC debut that has a way of sending willing and eager future opponents scurrying in search of easier fights. However, 185-pound contender Mike Swick wants to make it crystal clear that he does not fall into that group.
“I want to fight Anderson Silva for the title in my next fight,” he said without hesitation. “I don’t want any more elimination fights or tune-ups. I want Silva next.”
To most, that may sound like hubris. But Swick takes a more philosophical view of the situation.
“The thing is that Silva is a great challenge for me,” Swick said. “I got into the sport to challenge myself by fighting the best fighters in the world. I’ve waited my whole life for an opportunity like this. I would get to fight for the title against a guy who is an absolute beast–a guy that everyone is afraid of. It doesn’t get more challenging than that, so it would be the ultimate fight for me.”
Fighting for a UFC title almost certainly qualifies as the ultimate fight for any mixed martial artist. Still, Swick is nobody’s fool. He is well aware that MMA is more than just a sport. It is also a business for the handful of professionals that call the UFC their full-time job, one that requires athletes to win often and impressively if they want to continue to flourish in their chosen profession.
Thus, it is hard to imagine Swick campaigning for a fight unless he was very confident of his chances.
“Silva is the type of fighter that I like to fight,” he said. “He’s not going to come out passively, which fits well with my style because it lets me be aggressive and it makes for an exciting fight for the fans. Also, his style is very reminiscent of Muay Thai, and I am really comfortable fighting guys with a Muay Thai style. So this is the exact fight I want.”
And it is a fight that Swick firmly believes that he deserves.
“The UFC positioned my fight with David Loiseau as a fight to determine the No. 1 contender,” he explained. “The announcers said that numerous times in the broadcast. He was the former No. 1 contender and I beat him. Sure, I had a bad night and didn’t look that great. But either way I still won the fight. And I won my previous four fights in just over five total minutes, so I’m entitled to one bad night. Whether people think I’m ready or whatever the case, I deserve the title shot. I don’t know any other middleweight in the UFC that deserves a title fight more than I do.”
Swick has a point. He has amassed a perfect 5-0 record inside the Octagon. No other fighter in the division can boast an equal or better current winning streak. And his recent decision win over David Loiseau at UFC 63 certainly felt like a title elimination bout, whether or not it was formally sanctioned as such by UFC president Dana White.
Of course, it is hard to argue that anyone is more deserving of a title shot than Franklin. Fourteen months as champion, including two successful title defenses, has to count for something. Franklin, however, is unavailable for the near future due to a badly broken nose suffered at UFC 64.
Swick, therefore, seems like the logical choice. But nothing in life is simple, including the question of who should get first crack at the new 185-pound champion.
“I have ligament damage in my hand from the Loiseau fight, so I can’t punch at the moment,” Swick admitted, raising doubt over whether he could fight as soon as UFC 66 on December 30. “I can operate my hand enough to do technique work and stuff, but I can’t spar or do full-speed grappling until the hand heals. It should heal pretty quickly. The question is whether the UFC will wait and give me the first shot at Silva or if the next TUF winner will be first in line.”
Source: UFC.com
