At UFC Fight Night 51, veteran heavyweights Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski will battle to remain relevant contenders in their division.
Following a draw with Mark Hunt, Silva has not won in his past two appearances. Arlovski, meanwhile, defeated Brendan Schaub in his recent return to the Octagon, but he did so in a controversial decision after landing only 12 significant strikes over three rounds.
While Silva and Arlovski are both top-15 heavyweights right now, neither is in good standing with the UFC brass. From an entertainment perspective, Arlovski disappointed in his UFC return. Silva, more notably, failed his UFC Fight Night 33 drug test and was suspended from competition.
There are several UFC fighters who could be battling for their roster spots on Saturday. Here are the individuals sitting on hot seats heading into UFC Fight Night 51 in Brasilia, Brazil.
Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski
Still only one bout removed from a title shot against Cain Velasquez, Silva isn’t in this position due to performance inside the Octagon. After all, Velasquez has been the only fighter to beat Bigfoot since he made the move to the UFC roster.
What does have Silva in trouble is his failed drug test following a brawl with Mark Hunt in December 2013. That contest earned Silva Fight of the Night honors, but he had his bonus taken away after being caught with elevated testosterone levels.
Should the Brazilian fail to win in a third consecutive outing and somehow make the mistake of failing another drug test, his UFC career could come to a sudden end.
Despite winning in his return to the world’s top MMA organization, Arlovski may also be in jeopardy. The former champion underwhelmed against Schaub in June, and his re-signing came as somewhat of a surprise to begin with.
If Arlovski loses in another uneventful contest, the UFC brass may decide he isn’t worth the money they are paying him at this stage in his career.
Santiago Ponzinibbio
After winning in the TUF: Brazil 2 semifinals, Santiago Ponzinibbio suffered a hand injury and was not able to compete in the finals.
The Brazilian eventually made his UFC debut in November 2013, when he lost to Ryan LaFlare, who has quickly developed into a top-15 welterweight. Likely because he was supposed to be in the reality show’s finals, Ponzinibbio was retained by the UFC and given another chance to prove he belongs on the promotion’s roster.
Ponzinibbio‘s opportunity to do so will come on Saturday, when he is expected to meet Wendell Oliveira. Sergio Moraes was originally supposed to oppose Ponzinibbio, but Oliveira stepped in following a knee injury suffered by Moraes.
Dashon Johnson
Making his UFC debut in June, Dashon Johnson was taken down four times before suffering a submission loss in the fourth round.
With that loss to Jake Matthews, Johnson has wound up in a position of desperation. Almost without fail these days, competitors who don’t pick up a win in their first two UFC appearances are released from the promotion.
Facing an experienced UFC opponent, Godofredo Pepey, Johnson will need to have the best fight of his career on Saturday to maintain his job with the world’s top MMA organization.
Leandro Silva
In June, Leandro Silva made his UFC debut opposite Ildemar Alcantara. Taken down three times in that matchup, Silva lost via decision.
Now set to meet another fellow Brazilian, Francisco Trinaldo, Silva could be fighting for his UFC career already. With four UFC victories, Trinaldo isn’t the fighter Silva wants to be in this position against, but he’s going to need to impress this weekend.
At 28 years old, Silva is hitting his MMA prime, so it would be a shame to have to take a step backward by going 0-2 inside the Octagon.
Paulo Thiago
With losses in six of his past eight fights, Paulo Thiago is honestly fortunate to still have a spot on the UFC roster right now.
A bout with Gasan Umalatov in May appeared to be a must-win, and Thiago lost on the scorecards. Nonetheless, Thiago‘s contract was extended.
If Thiago loses to Sean Spencer on Saturday, which would leave him with three consecutive defeats, that contract could be ripped up.
Johnny Bedford
Since a would-be win over Rani Yahya was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental headbutt, Johnny Bedford has lost two in a row.
Now, Bedford finds himself in an even more important meeting with Yahya. The TUF veteran can’t afford to lose a third bout in a row.
If he does, Bedford will likely need to return to smaller shows and earn his way back into the Octagon.
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