Five time UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia may be walking away from the promotion with one fight remaining on his contract.
Earlier today Brian Knapp at the Fight Network reported that Sylvia will announce tomorrow that he is leaving the UFC. Knapp’s source claims that Sylvia’s exit isn’t set in stone yet, but is probable.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Tim Sylvia posted on his personal website some extra tid-bits of information earlier tonight.
March 27, 2008
I’m sorry to disappoint everybody but some of the big news is going on this weekend. I’m going hunting with Gary LaVox from Rascal Flats. Driving down to Tennessee tomorrow to start turkey hunting. My hunting DVD comes out in four weeks, but this will be on next year’s hunting DVD. Now if you guys were expecting anything else, then you might want to watch HD Net Friday night, Inside MMA. Stay tuned for more. -TimMarch 26, 2008
On Friday, around 12:00, I’ve got a couple of big announcements to make about my career. So all of my loyal fans will want to stay tuned to my website because this is huge. -Tim
Sylvia is no stranger to the rapid MMA internet audience and has directly addressed fans both through his own website and through various MMA message boards in the past. Is this a case of Sylvia just catching wind of the rumors swirling online and having fun with fans? Or is this a legit story and Sylvia really will announce he has signed with a new promotion tomorrow on Inside MMA?
We will all find out tomorrow.
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i hope he does leave, not because i dont like him but because if he leaves the UFC is going to be in a sh*tty situation in the heavy weight division and will be forced to go out and get more heavy weights to show case. i would really like to see a big jumble in fighters (who they fight for) it would help fighters get paid more by causing a constant bidding war for the best fighters and the smaller shows would make more money with better fighters around. i just really wish the UFC would play ball with the other orgs, how cool would it be to see Anderson take the Elite MW title from Lawler in an Elite cage repping UFC, Dana could say he has the best fighter without question in that case.
i was just flipping through the channels and i came across TNA wrestling and they are having a match between Kurt Angle and some other dude and its a fake MMA match both “fighters” are wearing mouthguards and Muay Thai style ankle wraps and Kurts opponent is wearing Warrior Wear short and get this whos doing commentary? Frank Trigg… huh?!?! talking about Samoa Joe training for his match with Angle up in Big Bear. i dont know how to feel about this, on one hand it exposure for a great sport on the other hand its a fake match on a wrestling show.
I think it would be a good move for Tim too, he gets no respect in the UFC man, its a fkn crime. Anywhere he goes, ANYWHERE, he will be a force to be reckoned with. If he goes to WEC i might start watching it lol.
i dont know why but i never really watch WEC. i like all MMA and will watch any fight anytime but for some reason i wont go out of my way to watch WEC.
same here RJ, WEC just doesnt interest me much.. Stann beat the rhino.. wow.. Tim would stomp both those guys, and people will boo and Tim will smile as if to say “TAKE IT!! and LOVE IT HATERS!!”
Now we got Faber vs Jens, thats a fight ill actually watch, because of Jens, not Faber…
Faber is going to destroy Jens. Pulver will be manhandled and submitted. The WEC has good fighters and put on a good show. Being MMA fans I thought you guys would watch any free MMA events. I watch IFL, HDnetfights, UFC, Elite, Strikeforce Bodog and just about any other promotion because I’m a fan of the fighters and fights not the promotions.
I think Faber will win too, though ill be cheering for Jens. No man, there is a HELL of a lot of mma these days, you have to discriminate and pick and choose what you want to watch. I dont think ANYONE watches every single mma event that happens..
I dont watch WEC, IFL, HDnet because the fighters dont interest me. Sometimes ill watch individual fights, like the main event, but usually theyre crappy fight cards with the exception of the main event, sometimes..
I DO watch UFC, Elite, Strikeforce, Dreams and WVR. I used to watch Pride, K1, Pancrase, IVC and ADCC, but now these promotions are either gone, or have lost the fighters that interested me.
Like you said, its about Fighters, not organizations..
Tim leaving wouldn’t bother me a bit. I’m actually tired of seeing him fight for the title all the time. Tim’s would be a good addition to Elite or some other smaller show because of his name recognition. Maybe he can fight Kimbo, I’d laugh if Kimbo knocked him out.
lol its funny how everyone says Tims getting knocked out, blah blah.. people seem to forget that Tim has NEVER been knocked out in a fight! man, thats why Tim needs to leave the UFC, too many haters man..
you know even if Big Tim went to Elite or something and completely dominated and won the title people would be saying well Tim couldnt hang in the UFC or something like that. im not a Sylvia fan i hate his “safe” fighting style and in his last couple he took a few more risks and lost to Nog so im expecting him to go back to boring but the guy still deserves respect hes tough as hell and can KO anyone if he throws his hands a little more. like you said he needs to go somewhere thats going to give his his dues and maybe he can put together some wins and get some fans again.
Ya well, the guys who say he couldnt hack it in the UFC are those same haters, he was a 2 time champ, yet he “couldnt hack it” lol.
This isnt basketball man, height doesnt automatically make you the champ.. Its an advantage in some ways but it raises a whole host of other problems..
Look at guys like Gan Mcgee, Wes Sims, Giant Silva, Big foot Silva, etc.. why didnt they make it?
Tim works his *** off and even with everyone against him, he became the UFC HW Chmap. He doesnt make fancy entraces or do a little dance after his fights, he just wins fight.. point blank.
LOLOL anyone see that Rampage vs Blogger video?? funny as hell man, heres the link http://www.bloodyelbow.com/story/2008/3/27/204247/075
hahaha thats funny. Rampage is a funny dude, buddy screamin “wheres the god damn ref!!”
lol RJ, you think that guy really beat Rampage in a wrestling match back in the day? heh
lol yeah maybe kinda like Michael Jordan not making his highschool b-ball team because hes a late bloomer or something lol.
Lets talk about Faber for a sec..
I think Faber is VERY overrated.. alot of people consider him #1 in the world LOL. Who has he fought man? Tim gets no respect, and hes actually fought world class fighters. Everyone loves Faber and hes yet to fight any marquee opponents.
The toughest guy hes fought in his career is Tyson Griffin whos a legit B level fighter and ofcourse he beat Faber.
Next toughest in my opinion would be Menjivar, whos at best a C level fighter.
Jens is gonna be the biggest name fighter Faber has ever fought and its clear that Jens is way past his prime.
Ive had similar thoghts about Huerta, the difference is Huerta put himself out there coming to UFC and beating Guida. He earned alot of respect from me in that fight, but still.. hes yet to fight the likes of BJ, Gomi, Joe daddy, Uno, Ludwig, Din thomas, Hayato Sakurai, etc.. like Pulver has.
Jens is a warrior man, win or lose, he fights the best in the world and thats why i respect the guy.
Faber can sit on his 20-1 record hiding in WEC fighting Cans and thinking hes a badass. I guarantee he will never make the move to the UFC because he likes to be the big fish in a small pond and he knows he will be a mediocre fighter in the UFC.
I can see it now, Faber comes to the UFC, Tyson beats him again, then maybe Huerta, and guida.. boom 3 losses in a row and they release him lol. Thats how i see it going, he will never earn the right to even compete against guys like BJ, Florian or Joe daddy.
You gotta remember that Faber is also a natural 145 lber. Fighting guys at 155 (who are really close to 170 come fight time) is a big disadvantage)
Your right doc, BUT, Jens is also a natural 145 fighter, but that didnt stop him from fighting bigger guys. True?
no, it didnt stop Jens from fighting them but look at his record at 155. Not very good at all while he still is undefeated at 145 he didnt have much success at all at 155.
Doc, thats true, but who cares about your record when you fight cans?
I have more respect for Jens because of his losses against tough opponents than for his wins against nobodys.
Its not just win or lose, its who your fought..
you could go 100-0 but you never fought anyone ranked in the top 10.. that doesnt mean a whole hell of alot to me man…
I remember this guy in Pride who had something like 320 CONSECUTIVE wins they put him up against Hendo and he got eaten alive man..
you guys are nuts… pulvers gonnna pulverise faber
yeah i think thats what BV was getting at and i kinda agree with him. Faber needs to start fighting higher ranked guys to say hes as good as everyone says he is.
the faber fight is gonna be a good fight but is jens even ranked in the top ten in the world?
Nah Richard, Jens isnt ranked in the top 10, but Faber doesnt fight guys in the top 10 anyways.
I don’t think Faber chooses his oponents. The promotion chooses the fights. It’s not his fault they don’t have more ranked guys in the WEC. The way he beat Jeff Curran was pretty impressive. He’s still young and seems willing to fight anyone. I think he will prove his worth in the next couple of years. Faber doesn’t talk himself up like Frank Shamrock he lets his fighting gather the attention. I think he will fare well with just about anyone in the featherweight division.
Your right Mad, he doesnt choose his opponents, and if hes content to sit in WEC at 145 then thats his business. I think hes a good fighter, dont get me wrong, but hes just way overrated thats all. If he intends to be a GREAT fighter then he will make a move, personally i hope he does. I hope he makes the move to 155, comes to the UFC and fights some real opponents.
The depth of talent at 145 isnt there man, but 155 is strong all over the world. Put on that extra 10 pounds and hang with the big boys like Pulver did. Moving in weight is not uncommon when fighters especially champs are looking to match up with the best in the world.
When he starts fighting the tougher guys he will realize his full potential and either sink or swim. He could be the next greatest LW Champ of all time, but we will never know until he makes a move.
The guy’s only like 5′6″ but your right there just isn’t enough talented 145ers around for him to face. I’d like to see him move to 155 and come to the UFC also. He’s definetly running out of competition in the WEC. I think he has the skills to do well even giving up a little size. The WEC doesn’t have the talent that the UFC does so he is their poster boy to no fault of his own. Look how Brian Stann was 5-0 and gets a title shot. That shows the lack of quality contenders they have in their ranks. It’s still fun to watch some of the B level fighter still know how to put on a good show. I’m getting pumped already for the UFC that’s here next week. I’ll get to see some of the best 155ers in the UFC live. This card is stacked and should be the best fight night the UFC has ever done.
isnt Monson 5′6? hehe. Ya UFN is gonna be good, then TUF, i heard Rampage and Forrest have beef in this season lol. I dunno man, theyre both cool guys, it seems like the beef might be staged, but we will have to wait and see.
Tim Silvia is the most boring fighter in the UFC, he is all Defense and ZERO offense. He did NOTHING versus Randy Couture besides lay there and get his *** kicked. Seriously, the only sport where he will fit in perfectly is hunting because he can sit there and do nothing just like he did in the UFC. He’s a joke fighter! CYA Tim!! thanks for relieving me of the pain of watching another one of your BORING *** FIGHTS!