Anderson Silva's manager says they may recommend options, but UFC ultimately chooses opponents

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"Sometimes people ask me, and I just say what's on my mind at the time. I'm just mentioning things. It's not like I'm stepping in there and demanding things from [UFC President] Dana [White]. It's not that sort of relationship I have with them... We suggest some things that we think, and they tell us what they think, and we try to find something that works for everyone. But at the end of the day – and it's not just with Anderson, but all of our athletes – we've always fought. They get in there and perform. Anderson has never chosen his opponent, never picked his opponent. Whoever the UFC put in front of him, he always accepted... I have a good relationship with Dana. Those types of things don't bother me."

-Anderson Silva's longtime manager, Ed Soares, talks to MMAJunkie.com about their approach to fight negotiations with the UFC.

Penick's Analysis: Fans give Silva and his camp grief about throwing out names for fights, or believing they're "demanding" fights that are unreasonable. But by all accounts that's just them throwing names out and nothing more. As it stands, they can throw out what they want to throw out, and when the UFC has a fight they want to bring forward, that's what they'll officially offer, and that's when Silva and camp will ultimately sign on. He's been difficult at times, for certain, but more often than not he's gotten more flack than deserved.

[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]


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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_15800.shtml

Marcelo Brito  Rob Broughton  Mike Brown  Junie Browning Paul Buentello