These “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables; this will analyze what could happen in the fight, and end with this writer’s prediction.
The UFC will return once again to Brazil to put on UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro. After all the injuries and the lingering shadow of UFC 151, two men have stepped up to save the card and put on what could be one of the most historic events of UFC.
One Brazilian Spider and an American Psycho will face-off in the headliner, and a victory for either would be yet another huge landmark in their careers. UFC 153 goes down Live on PPV this Saturday, October 13th at 10PM EST, with prelims earlier on FX and Facebook.
In the blue corner you have Stephan Bonnar. The “American Psycho” is one of the most well-known fighters in MMA, and was part of the historic inaugural TUF reality show that led to the famous Griffin vs Bonnar fight that arguably saved the sport and took MMA mainstream. While Bonnar is a huge underdog in this Rocky-esque fight, he has never been KO’d or submitted. Since his opponent is a Middleweight, Bonnar will have size and reach advantage as well.
In the red corner you have Anderson Silva. “The Spider” is widely known as the best fighter alive and arguably the greatest of all time. It has only been a month since vanquishing his rival, Chael Sonnen, but the Brazilian superstar stepped up to save the card. This will be his third venture into the Light Heavyweight division, and a rare occasion of seeing him in fights so close to each other. As always, his striking, head movement, timing, and unorthodox style will be his tools to try to stay undefeated in the UFC.
While oddsmakers and general consensus believe this is already another victory for Silva, there is no counting out anyone in this sport, especially a guy like Bonnar.
Bonnar has the heart and durability that many fighters lack, and they will be his biggest assets in this fight. Mentally, the fact there is no pressure is a huge plus; and if anything, a loss is expected, so actually losing wouldn’t be bad for a guy who is on a winning streak, and is facing the man who is considered the greatest fighter alive.
While Bonnar has no pressure either way, Silva has good and bad pressure. The good is that his belt isn’t on the line, and if he lost, it would be to a bigger guy. He is two for two in first-round knockouts at LHW, so he knows the feeling of competing at that weight. The bad pressure is his undefeated record is on the line. Also, losing to a guy who was speaking of retiring recently isn’t exactly a great thing to hand the media.
Silva will use his analytical skills and precision to dictate the fight, and Bonnar must push the pace and look to get it to the ground. This is where his best chances are, but if he can weather shots from Silva, he could get in close enough to land strikes of his own.
His ferocity and lack of fear to trade with Silva will aide him in this fight, but if you look back on Silva’s career, his greatest moments have mostly been from guys who try to have a standup war with him. This is a moment for Bonnar to have his fairytale ending to his career, or for Silva to show why he carries the monikers and superlatives he does.
Prediction: Anderson Silva wins via KO or TKO late in the first round.
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