Tag: Stephan Bonnar

UFC 153 Weigh-in Results: Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar Fight Card

MMA fans seem divided on Saturday’s UFC 153 fight card. Some see the main event of Anderson Silva versus Stephan Bonnar as a huge mismatch. The oddsmakers seem to agree with those fans, listing Silva as a 93 percent favorite to win.Others, and I …

MMA fans seem divided on Saturday’s UFC 153 fight card. Some see the main event of Anderson Silva versus Stephan Bonnar as a huge mismatch. The oddsmakers seem to agree with those fans, listing Silva as a 93 percent favorite to win.

Others, and I include myself in this group, will tell you that you should pony up the scratch to watch this event as you never know how many more chances you will get to see Silva work his magic inside the Octagon.

While the card is anchored by the bout between Silva and Bonnar, there are some other intriguing matchups that fans should care about. Light heavyweight prospect Glover Teixeira will look to extend his 16-fight winning streak when he faces Fabio Maldonado. Jon Fitch will look to stop surging young welterweight Erick Silva. Phil Davis faces Wagner Prado, while Demain Maia and Rick Story look to throw their names in the mix in the welterweight division.

In all the, card will feature 12 bouts with six being shown on pay per view, four on FX and two streaming on the UFC’s Facebook page.

While the fighters will compete on Saturday, they’ll step on the scale on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

 

Full UFC 153 Fight Card

Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar

Dave Herman vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Fabio Maldonado vs. Glover Teixeira

Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado

Demian Maia vs. Rick Story

Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra vs. Sam Sicilia

Gleison Tibau vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino

Renee Forte vs. Sergio Moraes

Chris Camozzi vs. Luiz Cane

Reza Madadi vs. Cristiano Marcello

Bleacher Report will have results and reaction as the weigh-ins take place, make sure you check back on Friday afternoon for full coverage.

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UFC “Quick Break”: Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar

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 on…

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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Watch the Full ‘UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar’ Pre-Fight Press Conference Video Right Here

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Anderson Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Dave Herman, Fabio Maldonado, and Glover Teixeira were in attendance for the UFC 153 press conference in Rio earlier today, fielding questions from a multi-national conglomerate of media professionals. The full video is above, though as you can imagine, there’s a lot of translation involved. Short version: The UFC wants to host a stadium show in Brazil next year, Anderson Silva is seriously not interested in facing Jon Jones, and Dave Herman has pretty much signed his own death warrant by insulting jiu-jitsu before a fight against Big Nog. Bonnar looks pretty chill, considering the circumstances.

Be sure to swing by CagePotato.com Saturday night beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the UFC 153 main card!


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Anderson Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Dave Herman, Fabio Maldonado, and Glover Teixeira were in attendance for the UFC 153 press conference in Rio earlier today, fielding questions from a multi-national conglomerate of media professionals. The full video is above, though as you can imagine, there’s a lot of translation involved. Short version: The UFC wants to host a stadium show in Brazil next year, Anderson Silva is seriously not interested in facing Jon Jones, and Dave Herman has pretty much signed his own death warrant by insulting jiu-jitsu before a fight against Big Nog. Bonnar looks pretty chill, considering the circumstances.

Be sure to swing by CagePotato.com Saturday night beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the UFC 153 main card!

Stephan Bonnar’s Mom Is Worried He Will Be "Killed" by Anderson Silva

If mothers really do know best, Stephan Bonnar could be in a lot of trouble against Anderson Silva at UFC 153.On Saturday night, Bonnar will enter the Octagon as a 13-to-1 underdog. It’s easy to write off most fighters when considering those odds, but …

If mothers really do know best, Stephan Bonnar could be in a lot of trouble against Anderson Silva at UFC 153.

On Saturday night, Bonnar will enter the Octagon as a 13-to-1 underdog. It’s easy to write off most fighters when considering those odds, but Bonnar isn’t like most fighters.

His heart knows no bounds.

Minus two cut stoppages, Bonnar has never been knocked out or submitted in his 11-year career, and he has competed against some of the biggest names in the sport. Win or lose, no one has ever had an easy road through Stephan Bonnar.

What makes this fight any different?

There could be no difference at all. Bonnar could get trounced in a respectable display of perseverance, or his heart could carry him to the biggest upset in UFC history.

Unfortunately, the man standing across the cage from him doesn’t leave much room for hope. Bonnar‘s own mother even recognizes the otherworldly talent of Silva, who is quite possibly the greatest fighter in MMA history.

“She cares a lot and knows how good Anderson Silva is, and she was like, ‘Don’t accept the fight. You’ll be killed.’ She’s always like that, “Bonnar told Tatame.com at the open UFC 153 workouts on Wednesday.

Perhaps, the underdog role could play out as a major advantage for Bonnar.

There is no pressure. All Bonnar has to do is show up and fight his fight. The pressure is all on Silva. As the UFC middleweight champ and top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a loss to Bonnar would put a permanent stain on his legacy.

Fans flock to MMA due to the unpredictable nature of the sport. Major upsets have happened in the past, and they will continue to occur in the future.

Could fans be in store for the biggest upset in history on Saturday?

“[Against Silva], I think a lot of guys feel the pressure. They are frightened and get tense, unable to get comfortable,” said Bonnar. “I will fight my usual fight. I am not under any pressure.”

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UFC 153 Fight Card: Can Stephan Bonnar Actually Win Against Anderson Silva?

On Saturday night, longtime light heavyweight fighter Stephan Bonnar will take on the current UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, in a non-title light heavyweight matchup.It is Silva’s third time going into the light heavyweight division in the …

On Saturday night, longtime light heavyweight fighter Stephan Bonnar will take on the current UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, in a non-title light heavyweight matchup.

It is Silva’s third time going into the light heavyweight division in the UFC, and the first two ended with him handing out brutal knockouts to James Irvin and Forrest Griffin.

Bonnar hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision victory over Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139, and he is in the midst of a three-fight winning streak. He was previously semi-retired, and only wanted a fight against someone with, as he said, a lot of Twitter followers.

I suppose Anderson Silva—with his two million followers—was enough to bring Bonnar back to the cage.

The odds on this one are off the charts though. Bonnar is a massive underdog to Silva, and rightfully so. Silva is the greatest fighter of all time and Bonnar has never been much more than a gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division.

That begs the question, can Stephan Bonnar actually win against Anderson Silva?

It’s possible, but unlikely.

As we’ve seen in MMA, anything can happen at any time. Think back to UFC 69 when Matt Serra beat Georges St-Pierre. Nobody expected it, but it happened.

Bonnar could always score a good punch and put Silva down, or the fight could go to the ground and Silva could leave a limb for Bonnar to grab.

A fighter can always win a fight, no matter how big an underdog. Vitor Belfort almost beat Jon Jones in the first round at UFC 152. Nobody expected that. Serra beat St-Pierre at UFC 69. Nobody expected that.

Just like how nobody expects Stephan Bonnar to beat Anderson Silva at UFC 153.

 

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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UFC 153: 3 Big Keys to Victory for Stephan Bonnar

Stephan Bonnar has the chance of a lifetime at UFC 153. A massive underdog against opponent and best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet Anderson Silva, Bonnar has the opportunity to stun the world.After almost a year away from the cage, Bonnar …

Stephan Bonnar has the chance of a lifetime at UFC 153. A massive underdog against opponent and best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet Anderson Silva, Bonnar has the opportunity to stun the world.

After almost a year away from the cage, Bonnar returns to try to pick up his fourth straight victory. However, very few are giving the former The Ultimate Fighter runner-up much of a chance.

UFC 153 will be held at the HSBC Arena in Silva’s backyard of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bonnar will enter hostile territory to try to pull off the upset. Just like his TUF counterpart, Forrest Griffin, he will have a quick escape planned, as his wife is set to give birth at any time.

Here are three big keys for a Bonnar victory before his kid arrives on the scene.

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