Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley have both been involved in criticized UFC title fights.
One of the biggest fights of the year takes place this Friday, as Jake Paul attempts to pull off a huge upset when facing Anthony Joshua on December 19.
The matchup that is by far the biggest challenge that ‘The Problem Child’ has faced to date will take place after two of his former opponents meet for the first time.
Anderson Silva will face replacement opponent Tyron Woodley at the Kaseya Center in Miami in a clash of ex-UFC champions.
While both men have very different styles and careers, there is a tendency that they both share which was crucial in them having success at the highest level in MMA.
Joe Rogan highlighted how Anderson Silva would make fights boring on purpose
Anderson Silva first won the UFC middleweight title in 2006 before going on to produce one of the most iconic runs in the history of the sport.
His upcoming bout against Tyron Woodley is an interesting clash of styles considering where they excelled in MMA, but there is one key similarity.
During an episode of his podcast in 2024, Joe Rogan spoke about one of Silva’s greatest strengths that he believes made him “invincible” during the peak of his career.
“If he made the fight boring, it was also a strategy because then you’d be anxious and you would maybe do something to try and pick up the pace, then he’d crack you,” the long-time UFC commentator said during the Joe Rogan Experience #2176. “He was just so smart that he didn’t care if people were booing.”
Forcing his opponents to initiate the action allowed the Brazilian to make them fight the way that he wanted so he could capitalize with his lethal counter striking.
Rogan added that he never agreed with Silva receiving criticism for this from the UFC when fights ended up underdelivering, which is something that Woodley also faced in his career.
The American was often happy to wait for his opponents to act, with his explosive power and wrestling being such a significant threat that he knew he didn’t need to be the one forcing anything to happen.
“I was always of the mind that he’s doing the 100% correct thing,” Rogan said about Silva. “He’s the best fighter and to fight the best, you’ve got to know when to attack and when not to attack and sometimes you don’t attack at all. If he does something out of character and forces it, that was not his style.”
Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley’s similarity could make for a dull fight on December 19
Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley both implemented styles that relied on their opponents to make things happen so they could capitalize on mistakes.
Both men were so effective at this and happy to stick to this approach that it produced some boring fights where opponents were cautious about opening up and paying the price for it.
Given that Silva and Woodley would likely prefer to play the counter-puncher role this Friday, it wouldn’t be surprising if there are rounds that don’t make for a great viewing experience.
That being said, it’ll be interesting to see whether one of them does decide to open up a bit more in order to lead the dance.