Jon Fitch meets Erick Silva in a classic matchup of an aging veteran meeting a young, up and coming fighter. Fitch was once considered a consensus No. 2 welterweight, but is now fighting to save his career at UFC 153. Silva received quite a bit of hype…
Jon Fitch meets Erick Silva in a classic matchup of an aging veteran meeting a young, up and coming fighter. Fitch was once considered a consensus No. 2 welterweight, but is now fighting to save his career at UFC 153.
Silva received quite a bit of hype after entering the UFC and has passed every test that’s been placed in front of him. But Fitch is an entirely different animal.
Fitch feels he is in a must-win situation and that’s always dangerous going into a fight. Either Fitch is going to come out and look the best we’ve ever seen him or his career may continue its downward spiral if Silva can walk away with the victory.
This bout has received almost as much attention as the main event fights and I’m sure this is the 1,000,000th dissection of this fight.But these are a few things fans need to keep their eyes on during the fight.
In tonight’s main event, Stephan Bonnar will have a chance to make history against longtime middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.Stephan Bonnar gained his fame in a legendary brawl with Forrest Griffin seven years ago. Since then, he has g…
In tonight’s main event, Stephan Bonnar will have a chance to make history against longtime middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
Stephan Bonnar gained his fame in a legendary brawl with Forrest Griffin seven years ago. Since then, he has garnered a respectable, though not overly impressive, 8-5 record in the UFC.
I do believe his skills are better than his record may suggest. I firmly believe that Stephan Bonnar‘s solid standup abilities and strong top game could allow him to defeat some of the UFC’s top 10 light heavyweights.
But I cannot imagine him defeating Anderson Silva. I don’t think he can win with his grappling, and he certainly can’t win with his striking. His willpower and durability, while impressive, won’t be enough to make up for the insurmountable difference in skill.
Still, I am very much looking forward to this fight. And that isn’t simply because Anderson Silva almost always gives his fans a spectacular performance worth remembering.
It’s because Stephan Bonnar is a ruthless man who can push Silva.
When the bell rings and Bonnar faces off against the greatest fighter in the world, I want to see him go for broke. I want to see him redefine the limitations of the human spirit. I want to see the durability and heart he has shown throughout his career pressure the most intimidating fighter the sport has ever known.
I don’t want him to use the optimal winning strategy. I don’t want him to win on points with lazy top control and prolonged periods of time against the cage.
But I do want him to try to win. I want him to give it everything he’s got while staying completely true to himself. I want to see what it looks like when a man so hopelessly outmatched refuses to surrender.
Fans probably won’t get to see such a fight. It’s easy enough to imagine Silva effortlessly defeat Bonnar. Still, at the very least, I want to see one of the most important and one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history to leave the sport with a performance that he will be proud of and that fans will be happy to see.
Stephan Bonnar will try to do what no other man in the UFC has yet to do, and that is defeat Anderson Silva.The two meet in the UFC 153 main event from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.A Silva victory will move his UFC light heavyweight record …
Stephan Bonnar will try to do what no other man in the UFC has yet to do, and that is defeat Anderson Silva.
The two meet in the UFC 153 main event from the HSBC Arena in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil.
A Silva victory will move his UFC light heavyweight record to 3-0, and his overall UFC record to 16-0.
Bonnar is just trying to shock the world.
Will the heavy favorite continue his winning ways, or will Bonnar pull a rabbit out of his hat?
These are the five reasons why you simply cannot miss this fight.
Phil Davis was on the precipice of earning a title shot at 205 pounds before being sidetracked with a loss to Rashad Evans. Since that time he has been away from the minds of fans who have interjected Glover Teixeira and Alexander Gustafsson into the t…
Phil Davis was on the precipice of earning a title shot at 205 pounds before being sidetracked with a loss to Rashad Evans. Since that time he has been away from the minds of fans who have interjected Glover Teixeira and Alexander Gustafsson into the title chase.
An emphatic win over Wagner Prado will silence the critics and place him right back in the thick of things in the light heavyweight division.
Davis is still growing as a mixed martial artist and putting together new skills with his excellent wrestling attack. He has only one blemish on his resume.
“Mr. Wonderful” needs to take the beating Evans gave him as a learning experience. Fights like that can help give fighters the edge they need to rebound and make a run for the title. Evans showed Davis what it takes to be at the top of the division.
There has been a lot of hype about Gustafsson perhaps being the man to fight Jon Jones for the title, but at UFC 112 it was Davis who ran through Gustafsson in 4:55. He submitted the young gun with an anaconda choke.
Davis can reassert himself with a big win over Prado, but it is important that the victory be impressive. A lackluster decision will do nothing for his title hopes.
His wrestling credentials are what gets heralded the most, and for good reason. He is one of the very best in the division. His submission game has grown over the course of his career, and he has big submissions of Gustafsson and Tim Boetsch. He needs to continue to showcase his growth to excite the fans about his potential.
Winning fights is important, but it is almost more important to be exciting under the UFC banner. That will give any fighter the fastest route to a title shot. Ask Jon Fitch, a grinding wrestler who had to have a UFC record win streak going before being granted a title shot.
Fans need to believe Davis has a chance of beating Jones. They are already starting to believe that Gustafsson‘s size can give Jones problems. Davis is flying under the radar, and he needs this to be his big breakout fight.
Davis has the tools to be a threat in the division. He did not begin his career with nine straight victories by chance. To make the next leap up the rankings and give himself a shot to challenge for the title, he needs to show how much he has grown.
The fight versus Prado should be firmly in his favor. This is the kind of fight that top level prospects finish. If Davis wants to remove all doubt that he is one of the division’s elite, he must dominate this fight.
UFC 153 is Davis’s opportunity to arrive on the light heavyweight division scene in a big way. He just needs to finish Prado to make a statement. It could be a wonderful night in Rio.
UFC 153 emanates from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Anderson Silva meets Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight clash in the main event. The co-main event will feature the return of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Dave Herman.The l…
UFC 153 emanates from the HSBC Arena in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil.
Anderson Silva meets Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight clash in the main event. The co-main event will feature the return of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Dave Herman.
The live action kicks off on Facebook before moving to FX at 8 p.m. ET. The pay-per-view telecast gets underway at 10 p.m. ET.
Pay-Per-View, 10 p.m. ET
— Main Event: Anderson Silva (202 lbs) vs. Stephan Bonnar (205 lbs) — Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (243 lbs) vs. Dave Herman (244 lbs) — Glover Teixeira (204 lbs) vs. Fabio Maldonado (203 lbs) — Jon Fitch (170 lbs) vs. Erick Silva (169 lbs) — Phil Davis (206 lbs) vs. Wagner Prado (204 lbs) — Demian Maia (170 lbs) vs. Rick Story (170 lbs)
FX Preliminary Card, 8 p.m. ET
— Rony Jason (145 lbs) vs. Sam Sicilia (146 lbs) — GleisonTibau (155 lbs) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154 lbs) — Diego Brandao (146 lbs) vs. Joey Gambino (144 lbs) — Sergio Moraes (169 lbs) vs. Renee Forte (169 lbs)
Facebook Preliminary Card
— Luiz Cane (184 lbs) vs. Chris Camozzi (185 lbs) — Cristiano Marcello (155 lbs) vs. RezaMadadi (155 lbs)
Anderson Silva is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time and the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion.At UFC 153 he steps back up to light heavyweight for a featured bout against Stephan Bonnar, and “The Spider” simply cannot take him lightly. Bon…
Anderson Silva is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time and the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion.
At UFC 153 he steps back up to light heavyweight for a featured bout against Stephan Bonnar, and “The Spider” simply cannot take him lightly.
Bonnar poses a unique set of challenges for Silva, both physically and with his array of skills.
Silva has defended his title five times since his last trip to the 205-pound weight-class.
Back at light heavyweight, and without his precious title on the line, there is a chance Silva could get complacent. This is not a fight that was scheduled and sough after. Silva stepped up on short notice to bail out the UFC after an injury to UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
Bonnar is 6’4” and will be well over 205 pounds by the time the fight begins. He will be giving up the speed advantage to Silva, but with only a month’s worth of preparation, his size advantage could be an issue of concern for the middleweight champion.
“The American Psycho” has the tools to make this a rough fight for Silva. A bigger, stronger man who has decent takedowns, good ground and pound, and an excellent jiu-jitsu game.
Chael Sonnen got Silva down to the mat but was unable to exert a great deal of damage or force a submission, but if Silva finds himself on the mat during this fight, Bonnar could very well punish the champion.
This is only a three round main event. The shortened affair will give Bonnar an excellent chance to steal two rounds on the judges’ scorecards if the fight goes the distance. If he can take Silva down and stay in top position it will be a big feather in his cap.
Bonnar is a tough fighter. He’s stood toe-to-toe with some of the best fighters in his division. Each of his two TKO losses were by virtue of a cut. Silva has the ability to stop Bonnar, but that is a huge task for anyone.
Bonnar knows he can take a shot, and knows he will need to eat a few of Silva’s blows in order to get inside. He will try to make this an ugly fight.
Silva has to take Bonnar seriously, as Bonnar is a serious threat. In spite of all the betting odds and media predictions, Bonnar is a dangerous, live dog in this fight.
Unfortunately for Bonnar, Silva does not have a tendency to overlook anyone. Just ask James Irvin.
Implementing his game plan against Silva will be tough, but if Bonnar is able to make this a nasty fight then he stands an excellent chance of knocking off Silva.
If Silva takes Bonnar lightly, the world could be in store for one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.
But Anderson Silva has yet to have any lapse in focus during his UFC tenure, and he’s unlikely to start now.
In tonight’s main event, Stephan