Press Release – Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization returns to Rio this Saturday when the world’s greatest martial artist – long-reigning UFC middleweight king Anderson “The Spider” Silva – steps up to light heavyweight to face the bigger, stronger and teak tough contender Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar.
The three-round special attraction is the main event of the UFC 153 Pay-Per-View, which features six fights including a heavyweight showdown between Brazilian icon “Minotauro” Nogueira and Dave Herman and a chance to see two of the most exciting new talents in the UFC – Glover Teixeira and Erick Silva – take on serious tests in Fábio Maldonado and Jon Fitch respectively.
But it is the main event which has got the mixed martial arts world talking. Silva holds Embracing his underdog role, Bonnar has vowed to give the pound-for-pound kingpin “hell” in the Octagon® on Saturday night.
Pointing out that he has never been knocked out or submitted, the Las Vegas native said: “I’m going in there to fight him, not to just go in there and think it was cool to share an Octagon with Anderson Silva. I’m going to give everything, fight my heart out, like I did in the fight with Forrest Griffin (in 2005) which changed the sport. That’s what I bring to the cage that Anderson maybe hasn’t seen too many times in his career. I’ve got to give him a fight, I’m got to get him on the back foot, rough him up, and that’s what I’m going to do.
“I’ve been hit by bigger, stronger guys and never been stopped. I mean, look at every fight I’ve ever had – I’ve been hit with lots of big shots but I get up and keep coming. Anderson is so damn good, but no-one has ever walked through me and I will keep coming at him no matter what he throws my way.”
Bonnar can be taken at his word. He is an attack-minded fighter – and seven years’ worth of statistics indicate Bonnar will go after Silva from the opening bell.
According to official stats from FightMetric, the American Psycho has landed more strikes in the Octagon than any light heavyweight in UFC history not named Tito Ortiz or Forrest Griffin, he has the fourth best takedown accuracy in the division at 44.7% and has attempted to finish fights with submissions more than any fighter in 205 pound history with the lone exception of Renato Sobral.
“I get in there any go after it,” the American Psycho said. “I don’t stall, I don’t get stood up (due to inactivity), I go out there any put it on my opponent and I am going to give Anderson Silva hell.
“Very rarely in life does a great opportunity come along for anyone. Getting the biggest shot of my career, when I had sort of retired, is kinda the story of my life. I’ve never really had the best of luck in my career. I’ve not had everything really fall into place for me. But now it really feels like all the stars are aligning just like it did on that magical night for the UFC back in 2005 when I fought Forrest Griffin for the first time.”
UFC® 153: SILVA vs. BONNAR will be available live on Pay-Per-View this Saturday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC® produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.
In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly two million followers on Twitter.
Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed UFC magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and JAKKS Pacific articulated action figures.