The ‘Legendary’ Tim Sylvia
Jake Rossen May 26, 2010
No definition of “legend” in sports is ever going to be universally
accepted, but here’s a pretty good start: you can’t give yourself
the title.
Fresh off a win over Mariusz Pudzianowski on Friday, Tim Sylvia analyzed his performance by calling himself “something of a legend in MMA.” The quote followed him to a Sherdog.com radio spot, where Sylvia elaborated on his self-imposed status.
“I know what I’ve done,” he said. “I know no one else has been a
five-time UFC heavyweight champ besides Randy [Couture]. As soon as
Brock [Lesnar] defends it and makes that, then he’s in that
division too, but no one else is. Not even [Andrei] Arlovski.”
Sylvia’s 2002-08 UFC run was credible enough: he ran through Ricco Rodriguez, Wes Correira, and Gan McGee, but he suffered submission losses against Frank Mir and Arlovski. The same gawky, stilt-legged frame that made his boxing such a hassle for opponents limited his mobility on the ground. A solid champion who made a lot of fighters’ lives miserable? Absolutely. A guy they’re going to create a bust out of 1,000 years from now? Not likely.
Legendary status probably involves some combination of results, longevity, and a kind of domineering presence in your weight class that either originated or sharpened a dynamic way of performing. Couture is a legend, certainly, because it’s not at all typical to remain competitive well into your 40s; B.J. Penn is a legend because his game is as close to complete as we’ve ever seen; Wanderlei Silva, because he terrorized an entire nation for years.
Sylvia picked up wins in a weak market for the UFC’s heavyweight division: he never defended the belt more than twice in succession. If we apply the term “legend” to Sylvia, what word is left for Anderson Silva?
Sylvia is a hard man to cheer for, in part because his giant frame doesn’t lend itself to any underdog concept and because he carries himself with an attitude uncharacteristic of a man who was once KOed by Ray Mercer. Having the hubris to figure out his own present and future standing in MMA isn’t doing him any additional favors.
Fresh off a win over Mariusz Pudzianowski on Friday, Tim Sylvia analyzed his performance by calling himself “something of a legend in MMA.” The quote followed him to a Sherdog.com radio spot, where Sylvia elaborated on his self-imposed status.
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Sylvia’s 2002-08 UFC run was credible enough: he ran through Ricco Rodriguez, Wes Correira, and Gan McGee, but he suffered submission losses against Frank Mir and Arlovski. The same gawky, stilt-legged frame that made his boxing such a hassle for opponents limited his mobility on the ground. A solid champion who made a lot of fighters’ lives miserable? Absolutely. A guy they’re going to create a bust out of 1,000 years from now? Not likely.
Legendary status probably involves some combination of results, longevity, and a kind of domineering presence in your weight class that either originated or sharpened a dynamic way of performing. Couture is a legend, certainly, because it’s not at all typical to remain competitive well into your 40s; B.J. Penn is a legend because his game is as close to complete as we’ve ever seen; Wanderlei Silva, because he terrorized an entire nation for years.
Sylvia picked up wins in a weak market for the UFC’s heavyweight division: he never defended the belt more than twice in succession. If we apply the term “legend” to Sylvia, what word is left for Anderson Silva?
Sylvia is a hard man to cheer for, in part because his giant frame doesn’t lend itself to any underdog concept and because he carries himself with an attitude uncharacteristic of a man who was once KOed by Ray Mercer. Having the hubris to figure out his own present and future standing in MMA isn’t doing him any additional favors.
