Irvin Ready to Spin a Web of His Own

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By Dave Sholler

Anderson Silva is nicknamed “The Spider” for good reason. A brilliant striker, the long-limbed Brazilian lures opponents into his range by creating the illusion that he has weaknesses. In many instances, the middleweight champion will backpedal and trick a foe into thinking he is unwilling to engage. Sensing the opportunity to close the distance, opponents will try to capitalize by stalking Silva in an attempt to bring the fight to close quarters.

Unfortunately for the forward-marching opponent, the Silva web has already been spun. Just when an opponent feels as if he is closing in, Silva flips the switch and launches into an aggressive attack of his own. Lethal combinations of fists, body kicks, and knees almost always follow. Like a fanged arachnid, Silva (21-4) carefully crafts his plan. Similar to his eight-legged friends, Silva rarely fails to finish his prey.

Light heavyweight James Irvin (14-4, 1 NC) understands Silva’s philosophy. As he prepares for his July 19 match with Silva at The Pearl in Las Vegas (Spike TV 9pm ET / 6pm PT), “The Sandman” is set on proving that he won’t become another victim of the Brazilian’s web. With Silva making his first trek to the UFC’s 205-pound division, Irvin believes he can lure the middleweight champion into thinking he can overpower him like the 185-pounders he is used to.

“Anderson’s past opponents fell into his traps,” Irvin said during a break in training in California. “(Rich) Franklin, (Chris) Leben, (Dan) Henderson, they all came forward to him while he was stepping back. He creates angles and gets guys to come to him. Then all of the sudden he lands.

“It’s like having two hunters in the ring and he takes the shotgun right out of his opponent’s hands. He then becomes the hunter. He waits for them to backpedal or get tired. He’s used to bullying people around.”

For Irvin, being bullied by Silva is not an option. While he admits that he is the pound-for-pound best in the world, Irvin offers that he has faced scary opponents before. From the heavy-handed Terry Martin to the chiseled Houston Alexander, Irvin is used to fighting opponents that instill fear in others. Even though Silva has knocked out the likes of Rich Franklin and Nate Marquardt and submitted Dan Henderson and Travis Lutter, Irvin is not the least bit intimidated.

“I’m not afraid of him,” Irvin said. “I’ve been fighting scary guys my whole career. Houston Alexander is one of the baddest looking guys in the sport. Terry Martin was known for being a big puncher. But I wasn’t afraid of them and I’m not afraid of Anderson.

“The scarier they are, the more I rise to the occasion,” Irvin continued. “The more threatening they are, the more excited I get. I have some of the best sparring partners in the world. I’ve been hit by some of the hardest punchers in the sport. Anderson Silva is an awesome striker, but if I have to take three or four of his big ones to land one of my own, that’s what I’ll do.”

With the fear factor nonexistent, Irvin is confident that his sheer athleticism and explosiveness will guide him to victory on July 19. The 29-year-old, who has trained with former champions such as Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell, believes his solid punching power and underrated thinking man’s approach have been key ingredients to his success inside the Octagon.

Irvin looks no further that two of his recent fights to demonstrate this point. While some have said that the flying knee used to finish Martin at UFC 54 and the Superman punch used to stop Alexander at the UFC Fight Night event in April were spontaneous, Irvin insists that each move was calculated and pre-planned. The Sacramento, CA resident believes having premeditated aggression will be beneficial against someone as versatile as Silva.

“There are some parts of the fight that I can’t beat him at,” Irvin, recently recovered from a broken foot, said. “He’s a black belt in jiu jitsu and I’m not. He’s a more refined striker with more years in the sport. There are just some spots I can’t flat out beat the guy.

“But I don’t think people realize how methodical I am. The Houston Alexander fight was a perfect example. We practiced circling right and having him follow me. We knew he’d be one step behind me and that I could throw the Superman approach. I’m going to be just as methodical against Anderson. The best game plan for me is to be in really good shape and have body armor on. He’s going to try to land on me. When I get him close enough, I’m going to land and it’s going to count.”

Irvin, like many in the MMA community, is curious to see how Silva responds after adding 20 pounds to his frame to compete at light heavyweight. In some cases, Irvin believes a fighter is more dangerous because he doesn’t have to focus on the horrors of cutting weight. On the other hand, Irvin feels that Silva may lose some of his patented speed due to added mass. He also questions whether the 33-year-old champion will be able to utilize his trademarked clinch against a light heavyweight like he does against a middleweight.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Irvin said. “I look at this and we may very well see the best Anderson Silva we’ve ever seen because he has all of his weight and strength. I truly believe though that the added weight will affect his speed.

“If I have one thing I think I’m better at, it’s the clinch. At middleweight, he could get away with just reaching out and grabbing an opponent because he was longer. But the clinch favors leverage and power and I have both of those over Anderson.”

In the end, Irvin is refusing to get caught up in the hype surrounding Anderson Silva. Headlining a UFC event for the first time, “The Sandman” is on a quest to retain his newfound main event status. Although “The Spider” is capable of reeling in plenty of unsuspecting opponents, Irvin is planning on stopping Silva’s rise up the light heavyweight ranks before it starts.

“You’re only on top for so long and it’s only a matter of time before someone catches you,” Irvin said. “I think the tables are going to turn on Anderson. He’s coming to my weight class with something to prove. I think he’s coming up to this weight class not to get a quick win or submit me, he’s coming to make a point. But they call me ‘The Sandman’ for putting people to sleep. That’s exactly what I’m going to do on July 19.”

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