Anderson Silva and Kelvin Gastelum just don’t give a f@$%
Neither man seems not gives a solitary f@$% right now.
I don’t quite yet fully know what to make of the just-announced Anderson Silva vs. Kelvin Gastelum contest except to say that this much is clear – Neither man seems to give a solitary f*** right now.
Gastelum last fought just days ago in Brazil and has already signed up to do so, again, against another Brazilian legend on their home soil. More than that, he continues to fight at middleweight.
This time his opponent will actually be a middleweight’s size. The 25-year-old’s biggest struggles thus far in his already accomplished career have come outside of the cage, namely in staying light enough to make the welterweight limit.
So, Gastelum has begun to campaign at middleweight, despite proving that he’s already good enough to compete with and beat the best in the world at 170lbs. Since December the TUF winner has fought and soundly beaten two men in middleweight contests – Tim Kennedy and Vitor Belfort.
As great as both Kennedy and Belfort are, they are both also well past their primes. More importantly, neither has a particularly large frame for middleweight. So, Kelvin boxed-up two middleweights, but two of the smaller elite versions available in the division.
At just 5’9″, Gastelum will be dwarfed by the Chris Weidmans and Luke Rockholds of the 185lb division, looking up a good five-six inches to their likes. Still, Gastelum, I guess, just doesn’t give a f***.
Silva is also well past his prime and 16 years older than Gastelum, but he has a real middleweight’s height and frame. Gastelum will be punching up with Silva in more ways than one, even if this is the best time for opponents to fight “The Spider,” because of his age.
Gastelum’s guts to compete at middleweight is admirable, if scary. Simply put, there is no reason that anyone who stands at just 5’9 shouldn’t be able to walk around light enough to compete at 170lbs.
As for Silva…well, exactly what is going through this legend’s mind right now? It would appear nothing other than his love for the sport and competition.
Sitting in the MGM Grand press conference room two years ago after his win over Nick Diaz (before it was turned into a ‘no-contest’ after it was revealed Silva had PEDs in his system), Silva shared a sobering story about his family begging him to give up professional fighting. After all, Silva had just returned from back-to-back stoppage losses and a traumatic leg injury.
Furthermore, he’d been fighting professionally since 1997. At least one of Silva’s children had apparently had enough of the stress of his dad endangering his own life and being away so often for training.
“My son talked to me seriously,” he told the assembled media.
“When I talked to my son, my son cried. ‘Dad, stop, please. [Come] back home, please. You don’t need more fights.’ I need to talk to my family. I love my job. This is me. I love [to] fight. But I need to talk to my family, because this is more important to my life, now.”
However that talk may have gone, Silva fights on. He waited out a suspension and has fought three times since then.
He fought now-champion Michael Bisping in a five-round war in 2016 and arguably deserved to get the decision nod. He fought light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier last July on a couple days’ notice.
He fought the younger Derek Brunson last month, receiving a decision he really didn’t earn. Now, Silva is signed up to face one of the best title prospects at two weights in Gastelum, who also happens to be nearly 20 years younger than the former champ.
Clearly, Silva loves fighting too much to give it up without it being ripped from him. Another way of looking at the perilous situation of the future hall-of-famer, 41-year-old fighting anybody, anytime, just because, is that Anderson Silva just doesn’t give a…well, you know what.
I may not like this fight for either man, for different reasons. Still, you’ve got to respect both fighters for taking it.
About the author:
Elias Cepeda has served as a writer and editor covering mixed martial arts and combat sports, as well as public and cultural affairs, since 2005. He began as a staff writer for InsideFighting, and not long thereafter became publisher and editor of the page. Cepeda then went to write for Yahoo! Sports’ boxing and MMA pages, and edited their Cagewriter blog. He was hired away by FOX Sports, but after several years departed over philosophical differences with the executive leadership around important issues of journalism ethics. A student of and sometime competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA since 1999, Elias brings a unique and vibrant presence to reporting, and enjoys trying to highlight shared humanity and connect common experiences from seemingly different worlds.
