Four-and-a-half minutes of posturing, 10 seconds of fighting, one knee to the solar plexus. That was all it took for Anderson Silva to hand Stephan Bonnar his first stoppage loss in the cage, taking the win by TKO at 4:40 of the first round at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“I just believe that I can do things that other people think are impossible,” Silva told Joe Rogan through an interpreter after the fight.
Also after the fight, the middleweight champion told Rogan he would not fight again at light heavyweight.
“I only fought at light heavyweight to save the event,” Silva said.
What We’ll Remember about This Fight
Anderson Silva leaning flat-footed against the fence, daring Bonnar to tie him up or hit him. Bonnar did both. It didn’t matter.
What We Learned about Anderson Silva
Silva (33-4) likes to throw knees to the solar plexus. This is the second consecutive fight he’s won as a direct result of that particular strike.
We also learned he does not plan to fight again at 205 pounds. I guess that means Silva-Georges St-Pierre is the only Silva superfight fans can hope for.
What We Learned about Stephan Bonnar
Bonnar (15-8) wanted to dirty it up. And he did. He pushed Silva back against the cage and even landed a couple of shots. It just didn’t make any difference. Bonnar looked great (did someone go tanning?) and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him fight again.
What’s Next for Silva
Probably a very long vacation. Then, call the next victim in, please.
What’s Next for Bonnar
He has a decision to make: to fight or not to fight? If he does fight, I’d like to see him tangle with Brandon Vera.
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