Alexander Gustafsson seems to be the uncrowned third contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight, according to many MMA fans, but I’m not so sure that this fight is in any way a certainty. I think people have forgotten how much of a beast Thiago Silva is …
Alexander Gustafsson seems to be the uncrowned third contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight, according to many MMA fans, but I’m not so sure that this fight is in any way a certainty. I think people have forgotten how much of a beast Thiago Silva is at this point.
Silva has only lost twice in his UFC career, and those losses were to light heavyweight top contender Rashad Evans, in which Thiago had a bad back injury coming in, and to former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
Silva is a tough, durable and strong light heavyweight who, at 205 pounds, is capable of knocking out any man. Admittedly, Thiago Silva is a huge question mark at this point, but if he is healthy his powerful punches could spell a short night for the “Mauler.”
Alexander Gusafsson is a rising prospect in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. His only loss in the UFC was a submission loss to Phil Davis. Since then he has rattled off an impressive winning streak, most recently knocking out tough veteran Vladimir Matyushenko in the first round.
Prediction
It seems to me that ever since Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was replaced by Thiago Silva, there has been a significant amount of the MMA fan base that has awarded Alexander Gustafsson the victory already. There are even people who feel he is the third in line to fight Jon Jones after Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
In part, I understand the mentality, seeing that Gustafsson had the winning streak, Silva had a long layoff and Gustafsson has his height, which could be seen as an advantage as well.
Something tells me everyone is overlooking Thiago Silva. Not to say that Alexander Gustafsson won’t get a title shot in the near future, but in this fight I think Thiago will come out aggressively, take the center of the Octagon and put pressure on Gustafsson that he won’t be able to deal with.
I see Thiago Silva winning this fight by knockout.
I have a mission for you, the Bleacher Report readers: Ask some of your friends or family members to describe mixed martial arts, and count how many of them use the word “brutal”. Of the ones who do, how many of them are regular viewers of the sport? H…
I have a mission for you, the Bleacher Report readers: Ask some of your friends or family members to describe mixed martial arts, and count how many of them use the word “brutal”. Of the ones who do, how many of them are regular viewers of the sport? Have they ever sat down and watched an entire event, or are they just sharing a description that they’ve heard?
THE BRUTAL
Even in 2012, there are several fighters out there who may take things a little too far in terms of what gets said in the media. In a recent interview, Thiago Silva made the following statement:
“When I step in the Octagon, I go to kill or die, and I will do the same on April 14th, and I will be ten times more aggressive because this fight is very important for me.”
While this comment may seem extreme, it is certainly not the first time that a fighter has expressed a desire to kill inside the cage. In a 2010 interview, Frank Mirmade this claim:
“I want to fight Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries. That’s what’s going through my mind.”
It’s rare to find fighters who operate under such an extreme mentality. Mixed martial artists, especially those competing under the ZUFFA banner, are world class athletes who work hard to make a living for their families. Their goal is not to go out there and cause permanent damage to their opponent. They will never receive a bonus check for being too violent.
The UFC takes fighter safety very seriously, and is quick to discipline fighters who display unacceptable behavior. For example, when Rousimar Palhares refused to release a dangerous heel hook submission on Tomasz Drwal back at UFC 111, he was suspended from the organization for 90 days and forfeited his $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus. Palhares did go on record to say that he continued to crank the submission because he did not feel Drwal tap out.
Likewise, the NSAC fined Renato “Babalu” Sobral $25,000 after refusing to release a choke on preliminary fighter David Heath. Sobral was subsequently fired by the UFC for his unprofessional actions.
THE BEAUTIFUL
On the flip side of the coin, you will find UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. In an interview with ESPN, the champ credited his success to a sportsmanlike mentality.
“I think it’s very important to keep your emotions in control. The goal inside the cage is to win the fight, so you have to keep your focus on that. That’s what I try to do. I just want to win the fight. I don’t want to hurt my opponent and I don’t want to hurt myself, I just want to win.”
You’ll find several other fighters who share this belief. Demian Maia has been outspoken about his jiu-jitsu being a tool in which he can defeat his opponent quickly and without causing any damage.
People tend to forget that the A in MMA stands for “arts”, and that’s exactly what MMA is. If boxing is the sweet science, how do we view the amazing transitions created by judo and jiu-jitsu practitioners? Using flawless technique, a sweep is one of the most beautiful things you’ll see inside the Octagon.
Look at the attached .gif image and witness Demian Maia use a lateral drop to bring an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler to the ground. Watch his effortless transition into mount, where he works quickly to secure a triangle choke on the larger and stronger Chael Sonnen. Maia’s beautiful technique can also be seen in his bait and switch of Ed Herman, and the jiu-jitsu clinic put on between he and Jason MacDonald at UFC 87.
THE ANALYSIS
Dana White commonly touts that there have never been any serious injuries inside the Octagon, and the reason behind that is the unified rules of MMA. Strikes to the back of the head and spine are strictly prohibited. Unlike boxing, a fighter isn’t encouraged to stand back up on wobbly legs and get knocked out all over again after an 8 count. When the referee pulls a fighter off, the action is finished.
There will always be headhunters in combat sports. The sort of fighters that look for big knockouts, but in the big leagues, because of the well-trained officials, along with a series of rules designed to prevent fighters from absorbing any unnecessary damage, the brutality of the sport can only be seen in the rarest of occasions.
Oh, Thiago Silva. We may never quite understand what makes you tick.Silva, if you’ll recall, is making his return after a year-long suspension. He didn’t test positive for steroids, but that’s only because he substituted his own urine for something dis…
Oh, Thiago Silva. We may never quite understand what makes you tick.
Silva, if you’ll recall, is making his return after a year-long suspension. He didn’t test positive for steroids, but that’s only because he substituted his own urine for something distinctly non-human during the actual test.
Yep, Silva used a Whizzer. And not the wrestling kind, either.
But Silva served his time, and now he’ll face Swedish light heavyweight wunderkind Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of UFC on Fuel on April 14th.
It’s a tall order for anybody in the light heavyweight division. Since suffering his only career loss to Phil Davis way back at UFC 112, Gustafsson has rattled off four consecutive finishes against an increasingly difficult level of talent. He’s considered by many to be a prospect on the level of Jon Jones, though he’s admittedly still a ways off from reaching the level of the current light heavyweight champion.
My prediction is that I will fight hard like a true warrior. Everybody knows my style. When I step in the Octagon, I go to kill or die, and I will do the same on April 14th, and I will be ten times more aggressive because this fight is very important for me.
When Silva says something like this, I completely believe him, because he’s a crazy and terrifying man. If I made a list of the top 10 scariest-looking fighters in the UFC, or a list of the top 10 fighters you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark, abandoned alley, Thiago Silva would be at the very tippy-top of that list.
I don’t think Silva will beat Gustafsson, but I do expect him to go out and turn it into a very entertaining and brutal battle. That’s what Thiago does best.
Silva, who is returning from a one-year suspension for submitting artificial urine to the California State Athletic Commission in an attempt to mask steroid use ahead of his UFC 125 win over Brandon Vera, was originally slated to rematch “The Truth” at UFC on Fuel 3 on May 15 before a training injury forced his opponent out of the bout. Igor Pokrajac stepped up to replace Vera, but it looks like the UFC will now have to find a replacement for the Croation.
Silva, who is returning from a one-year suspension for submitting artificial urine to the California State Athletic Commission in an attempt to mask steroid use ahead of his UFC 125 win over Brandon Vera, was originally slated to rematch “The Truth” at UFC on Fuel 3 on May 15 before a training injury forced his opponent out of the bout. Igor Pokrajac stepped up to replace Vera, but it looks like the UFC will now have to find a replacement for the Croation.
This bout definitely provides a step up for Silva in competition from his previously slated two opponents, but this isn’t the first time the 29-year-old has faced a highly-touted adversary. A win over a bright prospect like “The Mauler” could propel the American Top Team fighter, who is 1-2 and 1 NC in his past four fights, back into the mix of 205-pound UFC contenders.
Gustafsson (13-1) will have the home crowd in Sweden on his side, as well as the momentum of four-straight wins — three in the past year — inside the Octagon. Silva’s inactivity may be the biggest factor in this fight, but Gustafsson may have a chink in his armor that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt might be able to expose. The sole loss of the 25-year-old’s career came against Phil Davis via first-round anaconda choke, which makes the pairing with Silva — a known knockout artist with unheralded submission skills, very intriguing.
UFC on Fuel 2, AKA UFC Sweden Saturday, April 14, 2012 Ericsson Globe Arena Stockholm, Sweden
Main Card (Fuel TV):
Thiago Silva vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara
Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire
Preliminary Card (FX):
Diego Nunes vs. Dennis Siver
Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page
Papy Abedi vs. James Head
Cyrille Diabate vs. Jörgen Kruth
ason Young vs. Eric Wisely
Reza Madadi vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo
Francis Carmont vs. Magnus Cedenblad
Simeon Thoresen vs. Besam Yousef
(“Like Miesha, Poirier will get to have his cake and eat it too.”)
It looks like the best way to get the UFC’s attention these days is to call out an opponent on Twitter.
Dustin Poirier mentioned via Twitter two days ago that he would like a fight with “The Korean Zombie.” Today UFC officials announced that the pair will square off in the main event of UFC on Fuel 3 May 15 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
(“Like Miesha, Poirier will get to have his cake and eat it too.”)
It looks like the best way to get the UFC’s attention these days is to call out an opponent on Twitter.
Dustin Poirier mentioned via Twitter two days ago that he would like a fight with “The Korean Zombie.” Today UFC officials announced that the pair will square off in the main event of UFC on Fuel 3 May 15 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
2-0 in his past two outings, Jung jumped to the front of the featherweight contenders line-up with his dazzling seven-second KO of Mark Hominick at UFC 140 in December. In his other fight last year, he pulled off the ever-elusive Twister submission in March at UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis, earning him “Submission of the Night” and “Submission of the Year” nods from the UFC.
Poirier is no slouch himself.
Since upsetting former 145-pound contender Josh Grispi in his UFC Octagon and featherweight debut at UFC 125, “Diamond” has rattled off four straight victories, including an impressive d’arce choke and mounted triangle armbar in his last two outings against Pablo Garza at UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos and Max Holloway last weekend at UFC 143. He earned Submission of the Night honors for his most recent win.
The card will also feature the retrun of light heavyweight Thiago Silva, who recently finished serving a one-year suspension for submitting artificial urine for his post-UFC 125 win over Brandon Vera in January 2011. Vera was originally slated to rematch the Brazilian, but was forced to pull out of bout due to injury. Igor Pokrajac has since stepped in to replace “The Truth.’
The only other announce bout thus far is a middleweight scrap between Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor.
UFC on Fuel 3
May 15, 2012
Patriot Center
Fairfax, Virginia
Before dropping a unanimous decision to Nate Diaz at UFC 141, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone had arguably the best 2011 of any fighter out there, scoring victories over Paul Kelly, Vagner Rocha, Charles Oliveira, and Dennis Siver, three of which came by way of stoppage. And although he ended the year on a loss, Cerrone will be looking to start off 2012 with a big win when he takes on 60 fight veteran Yves Edwards at UFC on FX 3, which goes down at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on May 15th.
After suffering one of the most brutal knockout losses of 2011 at the hands of Sam Stout, Edwards has gone 1-1 in the UFC, picking up a second round TKO over Rafaello Oliveira at UFC Live 6 before being outpointed by TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson at the TUF 14 Finale in December. Edwards will likely be a considerable underdog going into this one, so Yves, for the sake of the Thugjitsu nation, lay off the KC Masterpiece.
Before dropping a unanimous decision to Nate Diaz at UFC 141, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone had arguably the best 2011 of any fighter out there, scoring victories over Paul Kelly, Vagner Rocha, Charles Oliveira, and Dennis Siver, three of which came by way of stoppage. And although he ended the year on a loss, Cerrone will be looking to start off 2012 with a big win when he takes on 60 fight veteran Yves Edwards at UFC on FX 3, which goes down at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on May 15th.
After suffering one of the most brutal knockout losses of 2011 at the hands of Sam Stout, Edwards has gone 1-1 in the UFC, picking up a second round TKO over Rafaello Oliveira at UFC Live 6 before being outpointed by TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson at the TUF 14 Finale in December. Edwards will likely be a considerable underdog going into this one, so Yves, for the sake of the Thugjitsu nation, lay off the KC Masterpiece.
Let’s switch gears from the UFC on FX, to the UFC on Fox, shall we?
Coming off a brilliant second round TKO of his own over Mitch Clark in his UFC debut back at UFC 140, Jersey native John Cholish has agreed to face Danny Castillo in a lightweight clash of rising contenders. “Last Call” has racked up two in a row over Shamar Bailey and Anthony Njokuani since being out wrestled by the Carlos Mencia of comedy, Jacob Volkmann, at UFC Live 5. Yes, the Carlos Mencia of comedy.
UFC on Fox 3 is set to transpire on May 5th in East Rutherford, NJ, and is headlined by a lightweight battle between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz.
Alexander Gustafsson seems to be the uncrowned third contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight, according to many MMA fans, but I’m not so sure that this fight is in any way a certainty. I think people have forgotten how much of a beast Thiago Silva is at this point.
