Erick Silva is easily one of the first names you hear when talking about hot UFC prospects.
And so far, it appears that the hype behind him is completely justified. Silva made his UFC debut with a forty-second TKO victory over Luis Ramos.
Watching that fight made me excited to see more of this fighter competing in the Octagon. Next came his controversial DQ loss to Carlo Prater in a fight Silva dominated.
His latest appearance put him against the smothering wrestling style of Charlie Brenneman. He passed that test with flying colours and won via rear-naked choke.
Silva will take his biggest step yet when he faces the powerful and grinding wrestling style of Jon Fitch. This is easily the biggest fight of Silva’s career, as Fitch has been a perennial contender for many years. That’s okay because Erick Silva is poised to roll over Jon Fitch.
Silva has all the right tools to make Fitch’s losing streak continue: He is fast, he is athletic and he has good striking ability. Having achieved black-belt status in Brazilian jiu jitsu, he is excellent on the ground. He also knows how to handle the grinding wrestling style of Fitch.
Silva also holds a black belt in Judo, which gives him excellent takedown defense. That will be key in his coming fight. He has better striking than Fitch, and I expect him to pick him apart on the feet, while avoiding and defending against Fitch’s relentless takedown attempts.
Fitch has been out-struck before, and I see this fight being more of the same. Silva has a very diverse and powerful striking arsenal that is sure to give Fitch problems.
There is a tremendous amount of hype surrounding Erick Silva now. Silva wants to prove that he is indeed welterweight elite, and with a convincing win over Fitch, he will be one step closer to achieving that goal.
Tweet me @FuscoNation16.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com