Is it Time for Anderson Silva to Relinquish his MW Title?

Is it Time for Anderson Silva to Relinquish his MW Title?

We all know that Anderson Silva is the best middleweight in the world. He has nothing left to prove. He is nearing 40 years old and does not need to beat rising talents like Chris Weidman or Luke Rockhold to prove his legitimacy. Silva is only interested in Super fights at this stage in his career. He’s targeted a bout with Georges St.Pierre and will likely fight again at 205 lbs. if there are no suitable challengers at MW.

So, why relinquish the title?
We have seen firsthand the stagnancy that develops if a champion does not defend his title. Look at the welterweight division as Georges St.Pierre and Carlos Condit have literally caused a logjam in the division. Frankie Edgar did the same thing with his continued rematches. The UFC needs new blood challenging for titles. They need to make new stars.

The time is now for the UFC to create an interim title in the MW division. Hopefully, we will be seeing a virtual 4-man tournament that will lead us to this conclusion. Bisping vs. Belfort and Weidman vs. Boetsch. The winners of those two fights will likely square off. Something tells me that Anderson Silva will be too busy fighting GSP or Jon Jones to worry about defending his title.

The UFC needs to move forward. Silva is not going to be content fighting guys like Thales Leites, Patrick Cote, Travis Lutter at MW. The time is now for the UFC to turn to plan B and finally give Michael Bisping the opportunity to fight for a title. Bisping may not be a fan favorite, but he can sell tickets and has proven his toughness and courage over and over again as he’s faced some of the top competition in the sport.