What can you say about Anderson Silva's performance at UFC 112?

A lot apparently. Silva's bizarre win in the UFC's first trip to the Middle East was the overriding focus of this week's edition of The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com's weekly reader-feedback feature.

And while a record number of entries came in questioning Silva's motives and performance, our winner, Ravyn Summers, focused his efforts on the positives of Saturday's odd main event: namely, the heart and courage of Demian Maia.

For his winning entry, "Ravyn" wins a free one-year subscription to Fighters Only magazine, the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine. He'll also be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the topic with the show's hosts.

Want to submit to next week's edition of The Sunday Junkie? Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions (and be sure to include your name and hometown). And check out all the entries below.

(Pictured: Demian Maia)


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SOMETIMES A CHAMPION DOESN'T NEED A BELT

Sometimes, the real champion doesn't wear a belt. Sometimes, the real winner doesn't win. After Anderson Silva's performance in his fight with Demian Maia, I wonder what makes up a champion? Is it someone who disrespects his opponent, taunting him - then doesn't engage when pressured. Or it is someone who fights through seemingly insurmountable odds, a broken nose and swelling that looked like a movie special effect? Is it someone who drives fans away with unneccesary mocking then nothing to back it up? Or it is someone who garners the roar of the crowd, new fans and brings dignity to the sport? Silva didn't perform like a champion. To me, Anderson is no longer UFC "champion". He's just a guy with five pounds of gold. Maia is the true hero, the UFC "people's" Champion - and hopefully, that is worth much more than the belt.

Ravyn Summers
Australia


EVEN IN DEFEAT, DEMIAN MAIA SHOWS THE GOOD SIDE OF MMA

While Anderson Silva's performance seems to be the most-discussed performance of Saturday night's UFC 112 event, Demian Maia's efforts should not be overshadowed. For five rounds, Maia was both physically and psychologically tormented by Silva. Still, Maia pushed forward and did everything in his power to make this fight as competitive as possible. Maia fought through a broken nose, a badly damaged eye, and of course some humility at the hands of Silva's Muhammad Ali-esque performance. Watching this fight, I couldn't help but applaud the efforts of a beaten-down Maia. While he did not earn a title Saturday night, he earned respect from many fans and reminded us the reason we watch the UFC: to observe the efforts of true athletes with a never say die attitude.

Zach Delkus
Downers Grove, Ill.


THE BEST IN THE WORLD NEED TO FINISH FIGHTS

UFC 112 proved to me that Anderson Silva is not the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. To me, if you want to be known as the best, you have to go out and do everything in your power to finish your opponent. Georges St-Pierre and Fedor Emelianenko both do this. I also thought that Silva's taunting and showboating were not in the martial arts spirit of always showing honor and respect, whether deliberate to bait his opponent into moving forward or not. I hope Silva gives us a better show for our pay-per-view money next time because I'm a big fan. Dana White: St-Pierre vs. Silva at 170 pounds, please?

Dr. Johnny Morris
Columbia, Mo.


SPORT OR ENTERTAINMENT, SILVA FAILED AT BOTH

Crowd displeasure is part of a universal language that Anderson Silva certainly understands. But it is not his job to entertain the fans; it is his job to win. But did he do a good job at either during UFC 112? I emphatically say, "No." What we all witnessed Saturday night was a bored champion playing with his opponent, and tiring out himself with his own antics. If anything, Silva's performance at UFC 112 begged Dana White for a big fight, an actual challenge, and judging by the UFC president's reaction at the post fight press conference, "The Spider" will surely get it.

ben "what exactly was Silva's corner telling him in between rounds" kordus
Madison, Wisc.


ANDERSON SILVA VS. JON JONES

UFC president Dana White says that he doesn't know what to do with Anderson Silva. I believe that White should put him against Jon Jones. Jones is a young, fast, and powerful fighter that has the athleticism to really challenge Silva. No offense to Silva's former challenges, but none had the speed or power to hang with him. Also, unlike his other opponents, Silva will not have a reach advantage. Silva has had trouble against tough wrestlers before, and nobody in the UFC has had, even great wrestlers, any answer for Jones' takedown, striking, and ground-and-pound ability.

Adrian Jordan
Fortuna, Calif.


ONCE A HUGE FAN; NOW, NOT SO MUCH

What the hell was Anderson Silva thinking? In interviews, the man has presented himself as a classy champion for a number of years. OK, some of his recent fights haven't been dynamic, but many fighters we adore can carry that card. That aside, Silva's performance, despite his post-fight apologies, can only be described as disrespectful of his opponent, the UFC and MMA in general. Trying to play with, and make a mockery of, a worthy opponent in Maia has not only downgraded his standing on the pound-for-pound charts, it has tarnished what was an outstanding championship reign. While Silva taunted Demian Maia into standing and trading, I found myself, for the first time in my MMA fandom, begging for Maia to make the same mocking gestures for Silva to join him on the mat. Anderson, as a fan, I expected better – much, much better.

Glenn "The Anvil" Cooper
Toronto, Ontario, Canada


WHAT IS ANDERSON SILVA THINKING?

For the second time in the past 12 months, Anderson Silva has chosen to play a five-round game of "cat and mouse" with an opponent that he clearly could have finished in the first round, and once again, Dana White's pissed and fans are left scratching their heads. Why would such a dominant fighter intentionally not finish a fight? Does he not care about entertaining his fans? Does he not respect his opponent enough to give him his best? Would he have taken the fight seriously had he faced Vitor Belfort, as originally scheduled? More importantly, champion or not, with a performance like this, does he deserve to fight in a future main event? So many questions, not enough answers.

Nick Black,
Salinas, Calif.


UFC 112: STRIKEFORCE'S BEST COMMERCIAL

Anderson Silva's image has suffered irreparable damage. He's so concerned with proving that he's the best fighter of the world that he sometimes seems everything but a fighter. Is he trying to be the new Muhammad Ali asking Demian Maia "What's my name?" Ali always respected his opponents, and he never ran away in the ring. He used psychological warfare when he knew that his opponent could beat him. Silva shows a lot of respect before fights, but not during them. The fight could have been finished in the first minute; Maia even seemed to want that knowing the infinite difference between them. People spent their money, Anderson. If you don't want to fight, just let us know. UFC 112 was the best advertising for "Strikeforce: Nashville."

Juan Jose "JuanderleiSilva" Lozano Grilo
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain


MATCHMAKING TO BLAME FOR POOR MAIN EVENT AT UFC 112

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, right? Well for some reason the matchmakers at the UFC decided to go ahead and match Anderson Silva up with a replica of Thales Leites, and then they became upset when the results were the same! It's insane to me. As soon as I heard the announcement of the fight with Demian Maia I knew, "Oh this is gonna be Silva-Leites all over again." How did I know that and not the people running the show? Don't blame Silva because you don't test the man with any number of quality opponents at higher weight classes, just blame yourselves, UFC, because you got fooled twice. Shame on you.

"StanleyFineLegs"
Sarasota, Fla.


DANA WHITE TO BLAME FOR RECENT DEBACLES

It's Dana White's fault, plain and simple. If White really wants amazing fights, then why put Anderson Silva in the ring with Demian Maia? Why put Georges St-Pierre in the ring with Dan Hardy? I am not condoning the horrible performance of Silva, as I think it's pathetic for any pro fighter to simply not go in for the kill because they don't have to in order to get the decision. It's ridiculous behavior indeed, but do you think if the UFC put Silva in with "Rampage" Jackson or Randy Couture that they would give "The Spider" a chance to clown around? Give these guys some real fights already, Dana.

Treavor "moondude" Walton
Venice Beach, Calif.


DON'T BLAME DANA WHITE FOR ANDERSON SILVA'S ANTICS

After watching Anderson Silva clown around in another middleweight fight, I am tired of seeing fans blame Dana White for this. Dana had nothing to do with Anderson's actions. He can't get in the cage and throw Anderson's hands for him. Anderson did what Anderson wanted to do and there is nobody else to blame but himself. Next time Anderson Silva fights, I will buy it in hopes of him getting knocked out. Maybe after that, he will know what to do next time he steps in the octagon.

Mike Pezner
Beavercreek, Ohio


WHO WILL END THE REIGN OF TERROR?

We're all thinking it: the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world has surpassed Brock Lesnar as the biggest villain in MMA. Saturday marked the third title defense in a row that Anderson Silva blatantly disrespected his opponents, the fans, and the entire sport. While Joe Rogan forms theories about the Spider's lackluster cardio, contradictory post-fight interviews from the champ indicate the real problem lies much deeper: it's obvious that he's only in it for himself. His now record-setting title reign has officially devolved into a more perverse version of Tim Sylvia's second run. It was "Captain America" who saved us from that debacle – who will save us from Silva? Georges St-Pierre, the most well-rounded mixed-martial artist ever? Chael Sonnen and his relentless ground and pound? Vitor Belfort and his equally-feared hands? Whichever Musketeer answers the call, I think we're all hoping he does it soon.

David Quan
Oklahoma City, Okla.


HUMILITY FORGOTTEN AT UFC 112

I cannot stress enough the utter respect I've gained for Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn through the years. They're probably the two fighters I enjoy watching the most. That being said, they also made me wish I would have spent my Saturday afternoon at the beach instead of helping to make both of them richer men – or boys to be quite honest. Not that my humble opinion matters to either of them, but B.J., listen to your corner next time, and when your standup fails to impress anyone remember your roots and humbly take the fight to the ground. Anderson, stop dancing like an idiot and humbly show some respect for not just your opponent, the referee, your employers, and family and friends, but also for us customers who allow you to earn a living doing what you love.

Sergio Fernández
San Juan, Puerto Rico


ANDERSON SILVA POUND-FOR-POUND BIGGEST EMBARRASSMENT

Something has got to be done with Anderson Silva. He's becoming the next Tito Ortiz. Every post-fight interview is the same: excuses. I think maybe Dana White really needs to strip the title from Silva. This lets him go and do his superfights or whatever else he wants to do and frees up the title for people who will fight for the belt and fight to defend it. But stop letting him ruin a perfectly good card by running from someone who was an 8-1 underdog. UFC 112 was a great card right up until the end.

Brian "tapout1116" Zandarski
Warren, Ohio


FRANKIE EDGAR A TRUE INSPIRATION

Long referred to as an "undersized" fighter, Frankie "The Answer" Edgar persevered from high school wrestling championships to a stellar collegiate wrestling career and ultimately into the UFC. Picking up three "Fight of the Night" awards during his UFC tenure, Edgar impressed company management with vastly-improved boxing and by submitting Matt Veach, thus earning a title shot, and leapfrogging the less-than-exciting Gray Maynard. Coming into UFC 112 as a heavy underdog, "The Answer" kept his poise and outboxed the previously-dominant B.J. Penn to a unanimous-decision victory. Frankie is an inspiration to anyone who's told they're "not good enough" to succeed.

"CopperHeart"
Westport, Conn.


EDGAR'S WIN BITTERSWEET

All respect given to Frankie Edgar for winning his UFC 112 fight against B.J. Penn, but his victory is bittersweet. Edgar was in a fight that he did not truly deserve to be in because, one could argue, the UFC was running out of deserving opponents for its champions from middleweight and below. The UFC put Edgar in a "win-win" and Penn in a "lose-lose" situation Saturday night. Nine times out of 10, Penn wins that fight, but since the UFC did not have a better option for "The Prodigy," he ended up competing in a fight that he probably should not have. The UFC lays claim to "having the best fighters in the world" and that it"“puts on the best fights." If that were the case, the UFC would have swallowed their ride (no pun intended and signed Shinya Aoki, Eddie Alvarez or Tatsuya Kawajiri, who were all ranked higher than Edgar.

Len Krieger
Houston, Texas


GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS REALLY DUE

If I had one wish as the curtain goes down on UFC 112, it would be that we, as MMA fans and pundits alike, could keep our displeasure with Anderson Silva in check to focus on the result of the night that will yield significant, unexpected, and largely unpredictable ramifications. The Frankie Edger vs. B.J. Penn fight deserves top priority for being highly competitive, sporting class-act athletes, and generating a healthy debate over whether or not the correct decision was rendered. Both fighters earned a great deal of credit for their performances in Abu Dhabi, particularly Edger's upset showing. The result shocked virtually everyone and will shake up the lightweight division for the foreseeable future. If nothing else, we witnessed the defeat, but not the demise, of one of MMA's greatest champions. It would be a shame if the MMA world let The Spider's brash, unimpressive, and borderline offensive performance overshadow such a development.

Matthew "CapitalTTruth" Richards
Seoul, South Korea


PRELIMINARY FIGHTS SURPASSING RECENT UFC MAIN EVENTS

The UFC has a seen a recent string of disappointing main events. From UFC 104 onward, the only main events that have lived up to their expectation has been UFC 107 with B.J. Penn and UFC 110 with Cain Velasquez. The preliminary bouts seem to be the most entertaining fights. Many people have attributed sub-par performances from the likes of Georges St-Pierre to them fighters being afraid to lose. This doesn't ring true when you look at how readily upcoming fighters get cut from the UFC after losing two fights. It seems there is more pressure on the lower-tier fighters to put on exciting fights rather than just winning alone. If one of these fighters was to put on the performance that Anderson Silva put on at UFC 112, they would be passed up for bigger fights or simply cut from the UFC. While the main events seem to be getting worse, the preliminary fights just keep getting better.

Chris Jarvie
Glasgow, Scotland


MMA JUDGING FAILS IN THE STRIKING DEPARTMENT

UFC 112 was the perfect example as to why MMA judging still needs work. After seeing two of the judges' results for the Frankie Edgar-B.J. Penn fight, it's clear that activity is being rewarded more than "effective striking." Throughout the fight, Penn was landing more shots with his counter-striking then Edgar, even though he threw noticeably less punches. Every Edgar leg kick seemed to be countered with a hook; every time Edgar came in, Penn countered with a jab. Is MMA now becoming a sport where he who is more active wins instead of the one landing more of the shots cleanly? The FightMetric stats don't lie when it comes to that fight. Penn should still be holding his belt.

Beau Carsten
Tupelo, Miss.


BELLATOR: THE COMING STORM

While Zuffa LLC and Strikeforce endure controversy in the press due to contractual matters, odd fighter behavior, questionable rankings and arguable decisions, Bellatorss season-two tournament offers talented, light, fast, agile and hungry fighters. Broadcasting contracts with The Score, FSN, NBC and Telemundo, as well as affordable ticket prices, ensure that Bellator’s weekly events throughout the U.S. will significantly raise its stock, culminating in a solid showing for this third-party candidate – in both the English- and Spanish-speaking markets.

"CopperHeart"
Westport, Conn.


AFGHANISTAN EVENT GREAT FOR TROOPS

I'm Marine currently stationed here in Afghanistan as well as a diehard MMA fan. Unfortunately, I'm statined in southern Afghanistan and won't be able to attend the recently reported event seeing as the UFC will most likely be in a very safe place such as Kabul or Khandihar. Either way, it's exciting to see that the UFC and its fighters care about what we're doing out here. I hope the event does indeed happen and that it helps make MMA more recognizable worldwide and helps build good relationships with other countries.

Adam Springfield
Houston, Texas


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MMAJUNKIE.COM RADIO

April 11, 2007: the day that was the birth of the juggernaut that would become MMAjunkie.com Radio. Frank Trigg and George Garcia decided that someone needed to continue to carry the torch that Ryan Bennett so proudly bore until he was taken away from us so early. Being one of the "fanboys," Garcia knew what worked for fans, and Trigg knew what worked for radio after learning from one of the best first hand. Special props go out to Trigg, Garcia, "Goze" and Jenny for having a vision that has turned into a drug that us junkies can not live without. Bennett would be, no, has to be proud as hell watching the things you guys have done with the inspiration that he provided you. Congratulations for the past 3 years, and stand back – 'cause there ain't no stopping now. Now with MMAjunkie.com, you guys stand out above and beyond all your peers, and the end is no where in sight.

Tim "FNG" Friedmann
Dayton, Ohio