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I was pretty psyched about this fight, until I realized one of them would have to lose..
That being said, I just can't help but think Silva's precision and timing will be just too much for Forrest.
Forest loves to push the fight and although his standup has greatly improved, he can still get pretty sloppy and loose. He's got the heart of a lion and a of a chin, but seeing him rocked by the likes of Evans, Jardine and Rampage leads me to believe a striker with the precision of Silva is bound to do the same. Silva might not have the raw power of the guys I mentioned but the quickness and placement by which Anderson exploits those windows of opportunity, more than makes up for it. He's kinda' like a surgeon with a baseball bat; 4 of 'em.
Penn vs. Florian has me really going back and forth. I'm having a hard time separating my past perceptions of both fighters.
Penn has always reminded me of one of my favorite boxers; James Toney. When motivated and in shape, they're some of the most gifted, intelligent and natural fighters each sport has seen. It's really amazing how each of them could have such stellar careers, yet, still leave you feeling somewhat cheated that they didn't have the work-ethic/drive to match the crazy talent each possessed.
My question with Penn is if he's still that same fighter.
Is a good camp with Marinovic and the motivation from the ass-beating he received from GSP enough to get him back on his game, or does a beating like that, combined with all the years he's got on his odometer, both mentally and physically, start to reveal the fighter he's become and not the the fighter we've come to expect when motivated. Basically, if he's forced to reach deep for another gear, will it be there?
With Florian, it's is he really as good as he's looked since Sherk?
It's hard not to look at Florian as the undersized, tough kid in the TUF house. He's someone, unlike Penn, that really gets the most out of his talent. He's relentless in his quest to be the best possible fighter he can be and his overall game has just progressed exponentially since his TUF days. But, is he really that good? I mean, he sure as looked like it against Daddy but it's just hard to fathom he's really come that far. Like I said, it's more about my perceptions than anything Kenny hasn't done.
Having said all that, I just can't get myself to think that Kenny's progression has him on B.J.'s level; not just yet.
B.J.'s a champion and I haven't seen the erosion of talent/ability that would prevent him from responding from a humbling loss like a champion would.
