Anderson Silva's Vegas act

Last night in Montreal, Anderson Silva, the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion, defended his title against Thales Leites. The fight went the distance--five rounds--and Silva easily dominated the judges' scorecards.

The fans at the event, however, were booing. At my house, most of us were going, "WTF?"

Thales, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and world champion, knew going into the fight that could not afford to exchange strikes with Silva. He needed to take down Silva and hope to submit the champ. He managed a few take-downs, but Silva wouldn't stay there and always got back to his feet.

Silva, who's renowned as a counter-puncher, needed Leites to attack him. Leites would not.

So, each fighter executed his strategy well, Silva did better at his, and Silva won.

The result was frequently boring. What was fascinating, however, was the way Silva behaved in the final seven or eight minutes of the fight. By that point, he was clearly going to win, and Leites was desperately trying to lure him to the ground. Silva wouldn't go, but he started playing with Leites, at one point karate-chopping Leites' ankle when Leites was on the ground, and a couple of times punching Leites in the thigh.

As MMA fans are wont to do, Kyle and I were discussing this odd behavior; after all, who punches a standing opponent in the thigh? I thought Silva was amusing himself while taking no chances. Kyle had a more extreme view: Silva had transcended fighting and now was doing something new, like a jazz musician riffing entirely for his own benefit.

We both agreed Silva could fight again almost immediately. I said he that at this pace, and given that he sustained zero damage, he could fight next month. Kyle correctly observed that Silva could fight the next night!

We were also bemoaning the lack of 185-pounders who would be a contest for him.

The answer came to Kyle: Silva should host his own daily fight show in Vegas!

Think about it: Anderson Silva's Fight Night! Each night, a different middleweight--and when we run out of them, a person from the live audience, maybe a lucky lottery winner--gets in the octagon with Silva and loses to him. Silva would need to do additional training to stay in shape, because only five rounds of work a day wouldn't be enough, but the draw for him and the UFC and the televising network, at least for the first season, would be huge.

For the second season, we might have to up the ante, maybe let the less experienced fighters bring small clubs into the cage, but this show could have legs.

Anderson Silva, Showtime, and HBO, are you listening? If you need a pair of development executives, Kyle and I are available for a very reasonable fee--and a few points, of course. It would only be fair.