More than four years after they met under the Strikeforce banner in May 2010, Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski are set to clash in the main event at UFC Fight Night 51.
Without a win in his past two outings, Silva will battling to retain his Top 10 position in the heavyweight rankings. Although Bigfoot has only lost to champion Cain Velasquez since joining the UFC roster, he disappointed by failing his drug test following a draw with Mark Hunt in December 2013.
In his return to the Octagon three months ago, Arlovski bested Brendan Schaub in a controversial decision. While the victory moved the former UFC champion into the Top 15, it wasn’t an overly impressive performance, as he only managed to land 12 significant strikes.
As this notable bout between veteran heavyweights approaches, here is a look at what both men need to focus on during Saturday’s contest in Brasilia, Brazil.
Antonio Silva: Work From the Clinch and Keep Andrei Arlovski Guessing
Silva had some success with his striking in the first meeting between these two heavyweights, but his easiest route to victory this weekend will definitely be in the clinch and on the ground.
During his rough Strikeforce career, Arlovski’s chin came into question. However, the Belarusian has not been stopped in eight consecutive outings now. Arlovski can still take a punch, and he’s too dangerous of a striker to trade punches with in hopes that he’s the first to fall.
Around 25 pounds heavier than Arlovski, Silva will be at a big advantage when he works inside and secures the clinch. From there, the Brazilian can rough Arlovski up along the fence and mix in takedowns. Silva should base all of his offense in this matchup around the clinch.
Bigfoot should be able to muscle Arlovski around against the cage wall, and he has the power to hurt his opponent from in tight. Because Arlovski can’t get complacent when defending against Silva’s dirty boxing, Bigfoot should also be able to score a few easy takedowns from the clinch.
With devastating ground-and-pound along with zero submission losses, Silva has nothing to lose by going to the canvas. At worst, he’ll rack up control time there and can win rounds from the top position.
Andrei Arlovski: Be a Moving Target and Focus on Countering
Arlovski didn’t look very good in any area when he met Silva during May 2010. Still, one would think he should have an advantage in technical striking should he bring the right approach.
Last time around, Arlovski regularly allowed Silva to back him down, and he paid for his lack of lateral movement once he ran out of room. On Saturday, Arlovski will need to be smarter about controlling the center of the Octagon and avoid standing still as Silva comes forward with his heavy straight punches.
The quicker fighter, Arlovski needs to turn this into a boxing match and keep Silva away from him. Superior footwork and well-placed counters will discourage Silva from pressuring him.
Silva’s been knocked out four times and Arlovski has recorded seven knockout wins inside the Octagon, so it’s not out of the question for the former UFC heavyweight titleholder to upset Bigfoot with one punch. It will take a much smarter game plan than Arlovski had in his last bout with Silva, though.
With Greg Jackson in his corner, that’s definitely a possibility.
Statistics via FightMetric.com
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