Steve Sievert at the Houston Chronicle did an interview with Tim Sylvia recently and asked him about the reasoning behind his unpopularity with the fans in the UFC. Here's what he had to say:

"I think with the true fans and the people that are knowledgeable about the sport, I do. You know, your average bozos who don't know anything about the sport, who see Brock (Lesnar) coming in or see these superstars like Kimbo Slice that really haven't done anything, and they think they're studs. I'm always an underdog because I'm always so big. A lot of people don't like me because I'm the biggest guy in the division."

The fans that are knowledgeable about the sport also don't like you, and it isn't because you have such a huge size advantage in the cage. Fans don't simply sit around saying "Tim Sylvia is just so damn big, damn, I hate that big oaf!”  It's much simpler than that.

Duh? You're boring!

The reason Tim Sylvia doesn't have a fan following can be seen in his fight with Brandon Vera. Hugging your opponent, moving him into the fence, and riding out a victory while you occassionally punch is not the way you win the hearts of fans. It just isn't a style that attracts fans. In the article, Sievert mentions that Sylvia doesn't have the fan following that Couture or Liddell do. That's because their gameplan is to finish fights, not ride them out.

Liddell went on a 7 knockout winning streak since his encounter with Tito Ortiz at UFC 47. He's shown that he is willing to be the aggressor and the counter aggressor to finish fights and seems to push the pace as the fight goes on in order to win. Only recently has he went to decision, and even in his decision battles, he still manages to put on a show. Sylvia, on the other hand, manages to remain in the same style throughout the fight without much reluctance to push the pace. Once his opponent throws at him, it seems that his fear of being caught on the chin gets the best of him. It's frustrating to someone watching the fight.

Couture's following comes from his age. He's an old man that should be well past his prime, but seems to only get better with age. He also managed to defeat a giant in Tim Sylvia while being a relatively smaller Heavyweight and having the odds heavily stacked against him. People love to see the old man win, and he does so in convincing fashion. His ambassador role to the UFC and his presence on and off the air is loved by many MMA fans. Being a class act simply works for him. Sylvia isn't in that role, and he shouldn't expect to gain fans from trying to obtain that kind of role in the organization.

Here's a thought

I'll give Tim Sylvia some credit. He does manage to win fights, and he has had battles in which he does go for the win. Unfortunately for him, he's progressed back into the upper echelon of the division and squeaked out 3 decision wins in his last 4 fights. He wasn't aggressive in those fights, and he didn't seem to have the determination to finish his opponent.

If Sylvia wants to simply win the fight, his gameplan does a good job of making his opponent work for it, but if he wants a fanbase and to impress the UFC brass, a little more aggression should be on the agenda. It'll be very tough for the UFC to sell Tim Sylvia's style as exciting, but I'm sure they'll begin lining up heavy hitters and other more exciting talent against him if he wins.