The main event of UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro Saturday featured a light heavyweight match between MMA journeyman Stephan Bonnar and pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva.
The fight was billed as having two possible outcomes—a spectacular knockout, or a gargantuan upset. It didn’t take Silva long to produce the knockout.
It took him 4:40 to be exact, and it might not have taken him that long had he shown more of an interest in the fight during its early stages.
Bonnar spent the first half of Round 1 pinning Silva against the cage, a tactic that Silva recognized and willfully indulged. After gaining separation with Bonnar about halfway through the frame, Silva strolled back to the fence, leaned against it and waited for Bonnar to return.
When “The American Psycho” overcame his confusion and accepted the generous offer, Silva became belligerent and decided he’d had enough.
In a string of maneuvers that came in a flash, Silva tripped Bonnar, pursued him as he attempted to get back up, landed a knee to Bonnar‘s chest and followed his crumpled body to the mat, where he ended the fight with a flurry of follow-up punches.
It all looked pretty easy, and watching it you couldn’t help but get the sense Silva could have done what he did four minutes earlier had he chosen to. Maybe that’s naive to think, but he really did make it look that simple.
Silva’s takedown defense and strength against the perimeter of the Octagon kept him out of danger when Bonnar attempted to take the bout to the ground, and his ability to create separation allowed him to launch the little offense he needed to secure victory.
Beyond those factors, hand speed favored Silva to a ridiculous degree, and he used his superior striking skills to make Bonnar look silly before punishing him and stopping the action.
To Silva, the contest seemed like more of a game than a fight, and he seemed to be playing more than fighting. Yet, he looked better playing than most mixed martial artists do when they fight their heart out.
I guess that’s a product of Silva being the best fighter of all time.
Another chapter of the Silva legend has been written.
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