Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (28-6) earned his fourth straight mixed martial arts victory this weekend at a CFX/Extreme Challenge 170 event in Minneapolis, Minn.
Sylvia faced Vince Lucero (19-18-1) in a super heavyweight bout as part of the shows main event. “The Maine-iac” made short work of his opponent by achieving full mount and pounding Lucero into submission in the first round. Lucero was not an opponent, on paper, that would have been a real challenge for Sylvia, as the fighter is a dismal 1-7-1 in his last nine with the lone victory coming back in April of 2008.
That makes it four in a row for Sylvia since his embarrassing loss to boxer Ray Mercer at an Adrenaline MMA event in August of 2009. His record at the time was a poor 1-4, but faced tough opponents in Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Fedor Emelianenko in that losing stretch.
Sylvia has fought above the 265 lbs weight limit in his last five fights, fighting at Superheavyweight four times and had the weight limit for the Powerhouse World Promotions Heavyweight Championship title extended to 275 lbs. Sylvia defeated Paul Buentello by knockout last August to win that title and looks to defend it against Pedro Rizzo this coming February.
It’s good to see “The Maine-iac” get back on track with four straight wins, but for fans hoping to see him return to the UFC it is highly unlikely to happen, well not until he can prove himself against stiff competition and is able to bring his weight down to the heavyweight limit.