On Saturday morning—yes, morning—the UFC will bring the Octagon to China for the first time in the history of the organization for UFC on Fuel TV 6. The main event of the card features former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le, facing off against former UFC middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin.
In the co-main event of the evening, there’s a light heavyweight matchup between Stanislav Nedkov and Thiago Silva.
It would be nearly impossible to chose which fighter has the most to lose, so I’m going to pick two and say that both Cung Le and Thiago Silva have a significant amount to lose in this fight.
When Le first stepped in the Octagon at UFC 139, he was going up against Wanderlei Silva, and many expected him to plow right through Silva. That did not happen as Le was knocked out in the second round.
Then in Le’s second fight, he earned a lackluster decision over Patrick Cote, who was fighting on short notice.
At 40 years old with several injuries and a solid acting career waiting for him, a loss could mean retirement for Le.
Thiago Silva also has a lot to lose in this fight. Silva hasn’t officially won a fight since 2009 when he beat Keith Jardine. Since that time, he has lost to Rashad Evans, had a no-contest with Brandon Vera and lost to Alexander Gustafsson. Overall in his last five fights, he is 1-3 [1 NC].
If he drops this fight to Nedkov, he could be on the chopping block as 1-4 with a year-long suspension isn’t a record that lets you stick around in the UFC.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.
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