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Anderson Silva turns 41 in less than 2 weeks. He has fame, fortune, a slew of records, and the nifty little title of "greatest fighter of all time." So what do you get the man who has everything?
Well, Silva has a few things on his wish list and one of them is set to come true.
Speaking with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Silva expressed his joy at being able to fight at UFC 198 on May 14 in Curitiba, Brazil, calling it a "birthday present" to fight in his hometown.
In his last fight with Michael Bisping, Silva showed some noticeable signs of aging. While by no means a shot fighter, many people declared Silva past his prime when he allowed Bisping to come back and win the fourth round after being almost knocked out at the end of the third, something Silva pays no heed to.
"I give him merit for winning, but I take merit away from the judges for judging it that way," Silva said. "I was very happy with how I performed. I showed everyone my technique and superiority.
"I really don't watch out for critics of my fights because I'm the one who's going in there and fighting. It's easy for you to watch a fight and say a guy could have done this or that, but watching a fight and then going out there and stepping in is completely different. It takes someone to actually step in there and take a few shots to realize that."
***Hey y'all. I'm taking over Morning Report from DSM. I know I've got big shoes to fill so please feel free to provide me with any comments, critiques, constructive criticism, or vitriolic hate you might have in the comments section. As I get my feet under me I'll be trying out some minor tweaks and additions and would love feedback. Also if you have any ideas for what you'd like to be included/see more of I'm always open to suggestions. Thanks.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
How it was broken. Daniel Cormier details the injury that forced him out of UFC 197.
Keyboard warriors. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier engaged in a heated war of words via twitter.
Soldier on. Yoel Romero has reached an agreement with USADA which could have him back in the cage this year.
Pena agrees to counseling. Julianna Pena has agreed to counseling as a condition of her return following arrest for assault.
Can't believe it took this long. Jon Jones finally hires a full time driver.
MEDIA STEW
Dana says Ronda is ready again. He expects her to fight at the end of the year.
Re-live Junior Dos Santos putting hands on Frank Mir in anticipation of UFC Fight Night 86.
And also Ben Rothwell's lethal choke game.
Chael Sonnen talks about the Hector Lombard vs Neil Magny fight and what constitutes a 10-8 round. (audio only)
Juliana Lima interviewed by Mike Jackson ahead of UFC 197 clash with Carla Esparza.
KSW 35 Promo. You should watch this twice. First without the captions and then with the captions.
LONG WATCHES
TWEETS
Jon Jones is an underrated trash talker.
I put his name at the end forgot to capitalize the P though https://t.co/PDHBFqNqUh
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) April 4, 2016
Cormier throwing heat in response.
Coward is running from the scene of a crime without checking on person you hurt. Coward is refusing to fight Gustafson. Coward is ufc 151
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 4, 2016
Would Putin and Kadyrov sit together at the fights? Or would their support for opposing fighters drive them apart?
I wish that, one day in the near future, Fedor and I can fight in the first UFC in Chechenia.… https://t.co/J8bqBhFWSi
— Fabricio Werdum (@FabricioWerdum) April 4, 2016
Ouch.
Different kind of ouch.
Um.....Wow. Cage helped cushion the fall?? #ouch #VFC49 #UFCFIGHTPASS https://t.co/UKLj5mnixC
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) April 2, 2016
No such thing as too many head kick knockouts.
Billy Quarantillo vs. Michael "El Capo" Quinones #AFC25 OH! MY! GAWD! pic.twitter.com/7l4yU461v2
— GoFightLive (@GFL) April 2, 2016
This certainly won't hurt his development.
Learning from George St. Pierre @georgesstpierre pic.twitter.com/KwmxvHMsCE
— Sage Northcutt (@sagenorthcutt) April 4, 2016
Cowboys give the best wedding gifts.
Matt Brown's new training partner is vicious.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Mar. 31 2016)
Ryan LaFlare (12-1-0) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (23-6-1), UFC on Fox 20
Hector Urbina (17-9-1) vs. George Sullivan (17-5-0), UFC on Fox 20
Alex Oliveira (13-4-1) vs. James Moontasri (9-3-0), UFC on Fox 20
Luiz Henrique (8-0) vs. Dmitry Smolyakov (8-2-0), UFC on Fox 20
TODAY IN MMA HISTORY
Invicta FC 5 took place at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, MO. It was the first PPV event put on by Invicta FC. In the main event Jessica Penne lost her Atomweight Championship to Michelle Waterson by armbar in the 4th round.
UFC Fight Night: Stevenson vs. Guillard happened in 2007 at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada at which Thiago Tavares made his UFC debut, Kenny Florian rebounded from his title loss to Sherk, and Joe Stevenson choked out Melvin Guillard with a guillotine on his march to an eventual title shot.
Former UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, and current Bellator middleweight Benji Radach was born.
Think I missed a spot? Found something you'd like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @JedKMeshew and we'll include it in tomorrow's column.
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