The Spider's Tangled Web.

Anderson Silva has me at a crossroads. Part of me wants him to return to the style that won him the UFC Middleweight Championship. Part of me wants nothing else to do with the guy.

See, this is sentimental for me. Silva's part of the reason I started watching MMA when I did. I caught on in 2007, lured by the buzz about Chuck Liddell being light heavyweight king, only to discover the striking acumen of the Spider. His win over Travis Lutter and second win over Rich Franklin are among the earliest fights I can remember seeing back then, and I was amazed by his talent. Needless to say I was amazed by his performances against Dan Henderson and James Irvin.

Then he fought Patrick Cote in a fight where he just didn't seem right. For one thing, he shed his killer instinct and was approaching a more technical victory. There was also a smattering of in-ring mockery going on. No one will know how this would ultimately end as Cote injured his knee early in the third.

Then there was the ultra-frustrating defense against countryman Thales Leites. With Leities consistently trying to pull guard and Silva laughing at him like a parent laughing at a child trying on shoes that were simply too big, this was a five-round snoozer that turned the masses against him. Recovering from this would be hard.

Last August, Silva made the jump back up to light heavyweight to fight Forrest Griffin in a chance to redeem himself. I shelled out money to see this in person, and he satisfied. He completely outclassed Griffin on an otherwise dull card and knocked him out with a walking-away-right-jab. From a southpaw. OK. Now we're on friendly terms again. Being there was probably the most electrifying moment as a fan I could offer. The rest of the Philadelphia Faithful seemed to echo my sentiments. Plus, after seeing Thales Leites put on another boring fight with Alessio Sakara on the preliminary card, I was convinced the awful fight he had with Silva was Leites' fault. He would be released from the UFC after that drab August affair.

I ordered UFC 112 for many reasons. On paper it looked like a hot card... it was ultimately anything but, due in large part to Silva's antics. I almost don't feel the need to go into detail, as anyone who follows MMA more or less knows just what I'm talking about. I half-expected it to happen after seeing the way the man worked with BJJ fighters like Cote and Leites over the past two years. Then I thought, "Nah, no way he'd pull that act again."

I want to believe that if it were Vitor Belfort, as was originally planned, it would have been different. I have no clue. If this were an isolated incident, I would have chalked it up to something like bad jet lag given BJ Penn's lackluster performance against Frankie Edgar. But no. This was a trend. Three times, now. Three strikes.

I don't blame Dana White for a single thing he has said since that ill-fated night. Criticize him all you want, but he's 100% correct and totally justified in his statements. I hope he does cut Silva if we get a reprise of his last three defenses. More than that, I hope Sonnen drags the fight out of him and we get the spectacular KO victory that we, as fans, are owed.

Yes, we are owed that much. Silva has cost us our hard-earned dollars and let us down. It would be one thing if these questionable battles were competitive and went to decision. Then we wouldn't mind. Instead they've been so lopsided, it's been painful to watch.

As a fan, I don't know where to go or how to feel. I'll probably catch a replay or go to the local Buffalo Wild Wings to watch. I have a hunch it won't be nearly as packed as it was during UFC 116. Then again, I'll feel uncomfortable being there. Because at the end of the day, I want to root for Silva. I want him to be the magical KO artist he once was. I want to see a return to old.

But I'm not confident it'll happen. I have absolutely zero idea what will happen. Given the conference call that went down yesterday, it's impossible to read the champion. Sonnen has gone above and beyond any challenger before in the way of trash talk against Silva. And it doesn't seem to be working. The man is too confident in his abilities to really be affected.

So who knows what will happen next weekend? I guess I only know what I hope will happen.