UFC 138 results: Joe Silva is the greatest matchmaker in MMA

by Geno Mrosko on Nov 6, 2011 3:45 PM EST in UFC Results

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

Every time fans complain about the UFC putting together an event that has next to no star power, UFC President Dana White tells them to stop whining because "we always deliver."

Whether or not that's the norm is irrelevant. White's case was only bolstered with last night's (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) UFC 138: "Leben vs Munoz" event in Birmingham, England, which delivered five finishes in all five main card fights with none of them making it to the third round.

Speaking at the post-fight press conference, White gave the credit to his matchmaker, Joe Silva:

"It always drives me nuts when people complain about a card that hasn't happened yet. This card sucks? None of these fighters up here suck -- these were great fights. Joe Silva is the greatest matchmaker in the business and these guys came out and performed like they always do. No matter where we go or what show it is, or what card it is, these guys always deliver. When I talk about what we do at the UFC, the promoters, we go out and put on all the bells and whistles, and these guys always deliver. And man did they deliver tonight. It was an awesome card."

Part of the problem, of course, is the fact that White and company neglected to successfully promote the event, to the point that plenty of fight fans weren't even aware a show was happening.

Still, anyone feel like contesting his points here? Or is there nothing to actually argue with?

Hear more from a glowing White in the full entry.

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Comments

No he isn't.

Just an opinion.

"This is our friend, Tarman Got Him."

by Tarman Got Him on Nov 6, 2011 3:52 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Who do you think is better? I’m not arguing that your wrong it’s just if you think Joe isnt I’d like to know who you think is the best matchmaker in mma?

by bigdmmafan on Nov 6, 2011 4:10 PM EST up reply actions

I will explain.

It’s not that I think anyone is better, but why is he certified to be THE matchmaker.

Half of us hardcore fans who are professional, if given the opportunity, and our knowledge of the sport, memory, could sit down, look at the entire roster and fighters coming in, could may h make better IMO

Look at very fight division by division, when they fought, who they just recently fought, if they lost/won, their skill set, etc etc wtc and so in and so forth, and make matches based on that

An obvious example of what Joe Silva did correct

Nick Diaz Vs GSP
Condit Vs Koschek

Same card, winners fight

That makes sense

But IMO, Dana White makes the decisions on a ton of the bigger fights, including title fights.

Why do you think Brock Lesnar, BJ Penn, Fabrr etc continue to get title fights, lose, fight, win, title fight etc.

There’s a lot to it. There’s no other big organizations like the UFC and i can’t name any other matchmakers, but Silva is the best because most of others such as Pro elite for instance don’t have many fighters, so the interest of the fan watches it because you hear guys like Sylvia and AA are on them, at least the HC fans. I know I wanna see any card with name fighters on them just for interest, watching them growing up, curiosity, and as a fan.

I could go on and on but you get the gist of it?

"This is our friend, Tarman Got Him."

by Tarman Got Him on Nov 6, 2011 4:37 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Brock, Penn and Faber keep getting shots because they are established stars who bring in major money. I don’t see how Dana White being involved would change the rational there.

by Andre on Nov 6, 2011 8:14 PM EST up reply actions

i agree with tarman, to an extent

he’s the best by default. it’s kinda like saying that roger goodell is the best commissioner in football. well, there is only one of those jobs, so if you have it then you are the best because no one else is doing it.

by tha dude on Nov 6, 2011 4:51 PM EST up reply actions

Basically

What I am saying. But yOu have to be professional, have an education background and what not.

"This is our friend, Tarman Got Him."

by Tarman Got Him on Nov 6, 2011 5:30 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

There's not only 1

Sean Shelby – Who was the WEC matchmaker, is now the Strikeforce matchmaker, and may or may not still be booking 145 and 135 fights for the UFC.

Rich Chou – Who was booking Strikeforce fights when everybody loved Strikeforce and is now booking ProElite, but after last night I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

Sam Caplan – Bellator’s matchmaker and most people think Bellator has done a great job with how little they have barring those stupid “super fights”.

If you think Joe Silva isnt that great come with something other than “oh he wins by default”. Tell me how Chou or Shelby did more with less. And as for the Roger Goodell example, how about comparing him with commssioners of other leagues.

by bigdmmafan on Nov 6, 2011 6:03 PM EST up reply actions

Never said Silva wins by default.

Bellators Matchmaker is great, less Eddie Alvarez’ opponents haha.

I even mentioned honestly that I don’t really know any matchmakers but Joe Silva

I also stated that ProElite’s matchmaking was awful

And most important

I said Joe Silva is the matchmaker of the biggest org, and aside from them there are I my a couple other fairly big pegs that but on good fights. I just don’t know the names of the matchmakers

"This is our friend, Tarman Got Him."

by Tarman Got Him on Nov 6, 2011 6:30 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

um..ok? who are the other matchmakers in mma?

"So many people have negative energy towards me...So many people have insulted me and spent time trying to assassinate my character...Those people are emotionally invested, they belong to me."-letter19

by letter19 on Nov 6, 2011 3:53 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I think it is more of saying that instead of having 10 big name fighters, Silva utilizes the fighters

and creates awesome fights.

Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

by redfox54 on Nov 6, 2011 4:21 PM EST up reply actions

Yup happens every time people crying about a free card and how its gonna suck then turns out great now the pro elite show sucked and I like watching the smaller shows but silva and arloski looked like shit so I’m glad 138 came through and save my night of mma

by 505mmacity on Nov 6, 2011 3:54 PM EST via mobile reply actions

in the past the uk events were more like a fight night card

when u have leben in the main event its hard to sell. But overall it was a good card. And free so no complaints here. good fights

by ElStIkO on Nov 6, 2011 3:56 PM EST reply actions

hard to stay away from spoilers though i liked when they would show them at 4 oclock eastern

by ElStIkO on Nov 6, 2011 3:57 PM EST reply actions

i would do better… just saying

by steady2wheels on Nov 6, 2011 3:58 PM EST reply actions

The complaints were due to a lack of anyone noteworthy on the card. The main event had some relevance, and perhaps co-main to a small degree, but the criticism was due to there being no names, no contenders, no relevant divisional matchups on the card.

Munoz, Leben, and Alves were the only guys any casual fan knew.

But you know what? It was a free card, and it’s surrounded by two great events (Fox show, then 139 the week after) so we really have absolutely nothing to be complaining about. I’m happy with fun free fights any day.

by TheMuscleShark on Nov 6, 2011 4:01 PM EST reply actions

Yep

No matter how good the fights are there needs to be a certain level of familiar faces and meaningful fights. I thought it was ok for a free card, just glad they didn’t ask me to pay $55 for it.

by detroit_fan on Nov 6, 2011 4:17 PM EST up reply actions

Prove it … legitimate no1 contender fight sonnen v munoz. both ready to prepare now. Guess what sonnen will likely fight for the title again after one showcase fight. Sensationalism > sport. Guess it depends on what your opinion of good matchmaking is?

by MrGrapplefan on Nov 6, 2011 4:02 PM EST via mobile reply actions

It depends on how you look at it.

Some people look at Sonnen as a cheater and that he got finished by Silva and others look at Sonnen as the guy who pushed Silva harder than anyone ever has and could dethrone him.

Same with Munoz, you see a lot of potential and think he has the right to a number 1 contender match but others might see Munoz as a guy who should of lost to Maia or was able to get 1 out of 15 takedowns against Okami who was just schooled by Silva.

by bigdmmafan on Nov 6, 2011 4:16 PM EST up reply actions

True but if either beats the other a title fight is so much more deserved. Sonnen could take silva to the fifth round again? Should he keep getting the shot at silva until he beats him? Sonnen has faced wrestlers before but mark could still present him with problems … or just get dominated. Similar with condit, if he can’t get past kos then he has no business fighting for the title. If mark can’t beat chael … bis vs munoz is pointless as they’re both unproven compared to chael.

by MrGrapplefan on Nov 6, 2011 4:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

but Sonnen vs. Silva is the fight to make now for monetary reasons and is what fans want to see right now. Why wait and give the hype a chance to die down or the chance that Sonnen loses? Also if Silva doesn’t want to move up in weight again, you just axed a possible contender.

by Andre on Nov 6, 2011 8:20 PM EST up reply actions

fk white and joe silva

So putting a guy who makes his ufc debut who has just fought cans with 3-15 records against a world top fighter is one of the greatest matchmakings in MMA?

by Frankieboy on Nov 6, 2011 4:26 PM EST reply actions

Haha … THIS. Terrible time to make the statement. Maybe it’s satirical.

by MrGrapplefan on Nov 6, 2011 4:41 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

cant really put that on Silva tho..

Abedy ASKED for that fight! They floated some names and he kept asking for someone higher profile…Alves was Abedy’s choice! Silvas job was easy there…Alve’s wins & its a feel good career resurgence.. If Abedy had won it would’ve been a new, undefeated star right? Shit happens…silva is simply the best match maker bcuz he has the biggest toy box to play with..

I don't lose what I give away....

PS BAD LEFT HOOK is weak sauce! Boxing's answer to Bloody Elbow!
Never more than 10-15 posts on any thread, I get them up to 40 by waking those geezers and I get banned! I'm so misunderstood! Fuck it, y'all were boring anyways!

by Fat Daddy Doobs on Nov 6, 2011 5:27 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Good points but you could see that as a bad choice and imagine if a fighter every event asked to be in over their heads in their debut? Totally agree with the toy box comment.

by MrGrapplefan on Nov 6, 2011 5:42 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I dont agree with the toy box comment.

Barring the “big names” fights, the not so “big name” bouts are often very entertaining and I dare say more entertaining than the “big name” fights. Often those fights without the superstars deserve the fight bonusses, but those bonusses go to the superstars because they are superstars.

by TheRealest on Nov 7, 2011 2:37 AM EST up reply actions

that turned out to be a great matchup

We found out Alves is back, and we also found out Abedy is the real deal, even though he lost. It looked like he was getting the better of the standup until he got rocked.

by Andre on Nov 6, 2011 8:22 PM EST up reply actions

Barao vs Pickett Was Awesome

Really impressed by Barao. Rest of the division needs to watch out for him.

by G Squat on Nov 6, 2011 4:30 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I love this!

It is so lame when guys bitch about a card before it happens. All you nay sayers were proved wrong again and I am glad!

IF YOU THINK REEM SHOULD BE RATED ANY HIGHER THAN AROUND THE #5 HEAVYWEIGHT (AND THAT IS STRETCHING IT) THEN YOU ARE A FLIPPIN MORON, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

by Edgecrusher71 on Nov 6, 2011 4:51 PM EST reply actions

Don’t think it’d be as big an issue if it wasn’t the only uk card in a year. Two big name fighters wouldn’t have hurt the ufc and would have made all the difference imo. Though there still would have been complaints.

by MrGrapplefan on Nov 6, 2011 5:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I get that.

But then say, I wish we were getting bigger names for my money instead of “This card is going to suck!”

IF YOU THINK REEM SHOULD BE RATED ANY HIGHER THAN AROUND THE #5 HEAVYWEIGHT (AND THAT IS STRETCHING IT) THEN YOU ARE A FLIPPIN MORON, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

by Edgecrusher71 on Nov 6, 2011 7:50 PM EST up reply actions

I'm confused

Did fans really think UFC 138 was great? Granted, I missed the Facebook card, but I didn’t think it was very good. It was Strikeforce worthy.

Etim was over fast.
Diabete was a disappointing fight.
Alves was good but lopsided. As Rogan said, ABedi was thrown to the sharks.
Barao was interesting, but more an undercard than a comain.
And the main event was a TKO cut.

Were the Facebook fights really that good?

"Where's GSP? Call that motherfucker out." — Cesar Gracie

by unambig on Nov 6, 2011 5:14 PM EST reply actions

Didn’t sound good at all but I didn’t see them. I was on the result thread at the time though

by MrGrapplefan on Nov 6, 2011 5:49 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

The prelims were average fights with the exception of McGuire vs Edwards, which was absolutely fantastic in my opinion, but got played at the end of the main card anyway.

I dunno, people like finishes. I enjoyed the night, it was better than average and in spite of the UFC.TV site originally saying it was going to be 40 bucks it ended up being ten, which is better than not seeing it at all.

I’m not fussy though. I don’t really care about title contenders, as long as the fights are good, which they were, that’s all that matters to me. I honestly would have liked to see the Barao fight go a bit longer but overall the night was better than last weeks event. I mean, two fights were good on the last card. Even thought these ones were short they were entertaining although I wasn’t too fussed on the Diabete fight it was entertaining all around.

by The Ruiner on Nov 6, 2011 7:28 PM EST up reply actions

that was an awesome event

lol @ bitching about quick finishes. Abedi was winning the standup until he got rocked. Great, but short competitive fight. Barao vs. Picket was contender vs. new fighter on crazy win streak, how is that not main card worthy? And the fight itself was an absolute war. DiabAte vs. Perosh was only disappointing if you don’t like ground game. How did you not expect a grappler to grapple and get a submission? Main event was anticlimactic, but the fight itself was a war. Great card to make up for all the disappointing events recently.

by Andre on Nov 6, 2011 8:29 PM EST up reply actions

Great he's a good match maker

What about the part where people on winning streaks and have paid their dues get contender fights and title shots resulting in a higher level of legitamacy in the ‘sport’ of mma.

"When swinging from nut-sack of the mighty "Quittin" Rampage Jackson, try to avoid getting his ball-sweat in your eyes….it tends to blind you from the obvious. Now, if I could just play a round of golf with my dream foursome of Chael Sonnen, Larry Merchant and Danago, I can die a happy man."

by wooly shambler on Nov 6, 2011 5:53 PM EST via mobile reply actions

great card

Everyone complaining about it, saying we the fans lose….

by Hollywoodsco on Nov 6, 2011 6:06 PM EST reply actions

anyone complaining about this card

is an absolute moron. Just because the card doesnt have the biggest names, doesnt mean its not gonna deliver. Rampage, who is one of the biggest superstars, is quite honestly pretty boring to watch. He has a few spectacular highlights, but overall hes not that exciting. Leben on the other hand, a smaller name than Rampage, is ALWAYS in an exciting fight..

Plus how stupid do u have to be to not realize how great Etim, Barao, and Alves looked last night???

I was at UFC 137 in Vegas, and last nights 138 card owned it.

by UFC Champ 420 on Nov 7, 2011 12:50 AM EST reply actions