Is Wanderlei Silva Dropping Down to Middleweight?

There have been rumors swirling over the past week that Wanderlei Silva was contemplating a drop down to the Middleweight division. MMAbay (link below) claims tonight that they have been told by sources close to Silva that he will indeed be fighting at 185 pounds in 2009.

This move (if true) makes sense for a number of reasons.

First off, Wanderlei Silva faced an uncertain future at 205 after being knocked out by Quinton Jackson last weekend. Silva has lost four of his last five fights, and would likely benefit from a fresh start in another division. There were no obvious matches for Silva at 205.

Second, Silva seems to be a more natural fit at 185. He has always been a "small" light heavyweight, always coming in below 205 pounds. This is a huge disadvantage for Silva compared to a fighter like Forrest Griffin, who is a very big light heavyweight. Griffin needs to cut substantially in order to make weight, and by the time that he takes to the Octagon, he has a significant weight advantage over most opponents. This can not be overlooked.

Third, the inclusion of Silva into the Middleweight division will help to bolster a division that has been single-handedly destroyed by Anderson Silva. Suddenly you have names like Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Bisping and Henderson occupying a division which is in dire need of a talent infusion. You can make a pretty strong argument that with the exception of Anderson Silva, the middleweight division has the shallowest pool of talent. Wanderlei Silva would help to change that.

Fourth - the possibility of an Anderson Silva / Wanderlei Silva fight at 185 is enough to make any MMA fan salivate. This would be an epic match-up that would be sure to draw a very big buyrate.

Wanderlei Silva is 32 years old and still has a number of good years left in him. Making the switch to 185 makes sense for a number of reasons - as soon as this news is confirmed, we'll post another article.

Source: MMABay - Wanderlei Silva to Drop to Middleweight in 2009

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