FWP: Silva vs. Griffin

Is it Saturday yet?

From the time this fight was announced, Zak Woods from Watch Kalib Run and I have been talking about it incessantly. Every time we've done a podcast since the announcement, it has somehow come up.

And why wouldn't it?

The UFC wants to see "The Old Anderson Silva" back in action and there is no one better to potentially bring that out of him than Forrest Griffin.

This is going to be awesome... maybe.

Anderson "The Spider" Silva (24-4) versus Forrest Griffin (16-5)

Before I get too excited, I must offer up this disclaimer:

This fight has the potential to be pretty boring in all honesty. If Anderson Silva remains defensively-minded like he has been the last few fights and Forrest Griffin looks to stick and move, this could be 15 minutes of pawing at one another.

With that out of the way, let's focus on how explosive this fight could turn out to be.

There isn't a more dangerous striker on the planet than Anderson Silva. Maybe some people have forgotten that in the boredom that was his last two fights, but I haven't.

As Griffin said on UFC Countdown, Anderson Silva makes great fighters look bad. See Franklin, Rich. Twice.

What makes him even deadlier is that he doesn't have to be the aggressor to take your head off. In his first fight at 205, Silva shuffled around the outside, picking at James Irvin and letting "The Sandman" bring the fight to him.

You know the rest: leg kick, catch, WHAMMO!

In the same way that some diminish Silva's greatness following his last two outings, Griffin's tremendous all-around skills often get skipped over because he's such an entertaining character and endearing fan favorite.

Make no mistake about it: Forrest Griffin could beat Anderson Silva. Anyone who thinks otherwise should contact Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson, the last two heavy favorites to be upset by "The Original Ultimate Fighter."

This fight is undoubtedly going to come down to game plans.

Griffin, who everyone was thrilled to hear announced as the man chosen to challenge Silva, should actually eschew the brawling style that endeared him to so many at the beginning of his career and maintain the style he's employed since he was knocked out by Keith Jardine.

I know he lost the belt to Rashad Evans last time out, but he was controlling that fight through the first two rounds by picking his spots and striking effectively from the outside.

As for Silva, the truth is that he could probably employ any game plan he wants and have success; he's just that damn talented.

We've seen that Griffin can be knocked out, so maybe that will be the spark to rekindle the fire in the UFC Middleweight champ and bring about a return to the stalking, predatory "Spider" that everyone has been longing for.

However, he could also just stick and move, pick his spots and wait for counterstriking opportunities.

And that's the beauty of this fight and why it is so highly anticipated.

Until the opening bell sounds and the fight begins, nobody has any real idea what is going to happen.