Tag: UFC 153

Anderson Silva: Why He Cannot Take Stephan Bonnar Lightly

Many people believe Anderson Silva is getting a cookie when he fights Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. While most agree that Silva is obviously the better fighter and should win the fight, Bonnar will not be an easy opponent.In that right, Silva cannot take …

Many people believe Anderson Silva is getting a cookie when he fights Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. While most agree that Silva is obviously the better fighter and should win the fight, Bonnar will not be an easy opponent.

In that right, Silva cannot take Bonnar lightly one bit.

Yes, Silva is the best fighter in the world. Yes, Bonnar has tooled a ton of tough guys. And yes, Silva can clown most light heavyweights in the UFC.

However, Bonnar is a fighter that always fights with a purpose. Bonnar has the never-die attitude and is always in the fight.

Fighting a guy that is 20 pounds heavier than fighters you normally fight at 185 is another story. If a guy like Chael Sonnen can manhandle Silva with takedowns, what makes you think a bigger guy like Bonnar couldn’t?

Okay, so Sonnen has a great wrestling pedigree and Bonnar doesn’t come from a powerhouse wrestling background. But Bonnar mixes up his striking well enough to put Silva on his back.

In that regard, Silva better be taking this training camp seriously. Bonnar has always been the underdog, but this is the type of situation where these Rudy-like figures realize what these opportunities mean and do everything they can to capitalize on it.

So, come fight night, Anderson Silva takes a big risk in fighting Bonnar. Many don’t see it as a risk because he is supposed to dominate, but a loss would be huge for Silva.

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Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva: Who Has More on the Line at UFC 153?

UFC 153 may be headlined by a superfight between Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar, but one of the fights I am more interested in seeing is a welterweight showdown that features Jon Fitch and Erick Silva.Fitch is a representative of the old guard. He h…

UFC 153 may be headlined by a superfight between Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar, but one of the fights I am more interested in seeing is a welterweight showdown that features Jon Fitch and Erick Silva.

Fitch is a representative of the old guard. He has been a mixed martial artist since 2002 and has competed in the UFC since 2005. With the UFC, he has 16 career fights, has gone 13-2-1 and has even had a title shot at Georges St. Pierre.

On the other side, Erick Silva is the young blood of the UFC and has only been an MMA fighter since 2005. The 28-year-old Brazilian was once a highly touted prospect and is now considered a top contender at 170 pounds.

None of Silva’s fights have left the first round, going 2-1 in the UFC. The loss has an asterisk next to it, as he was disqualified for blows to the back of the head, which was clearly the wrong call.

In looking at these fights, he has dominated Luis Ramos, Carlo Prater and Charlie Brenneman. Silva hasn’t been in trouble against these tough opponents.

The question is, who has more on the line in this fight?

A loss to Fitch would derail Silva’s hype train and knock him down the ladder against this Top-10 welterweight.

On the flip side, a loss to Silva would be devastating to Fitch. Not only is he coming off a knee injury, but Fitch would be on a two-fight losing streak, as he lost to Johny Hendricks in his last bout.

It is hard enough for a guy like Fitch to get a title shot because of his fighting style, but it’s even tougher for him to get a title shot with two straight losses. Hell, it took Fitch eight straight wins over quality opposition to get his first title shot.

A loss for Silva would not be nearly as bad. Silva is a young, budding star who always has the chance to move up the ladder quickly with his fight style. 

Fans love Silva, and he has the skills to be a star. As for Fitch, fans bore easily from his grinding style and frequently boo him.

That said, Fitch needs to win at UFC 153, or he would be winless in his last three fights. He has the most on the line in this fight.

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Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar: Each Fighters Defining MMA Moment

Both Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar entered the UFC with a bang. But since then, both of their careers have went down totally different paths. Silva became the king of the middleweight division after wrecking Chris Leben in his UFC debut. He’s yet t…

Both Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar entered the UFC with a bang. But since then, both of their careers have went down totally different paths.

Silva became the king of the middleweight division after wrecking Chris Leben in his UFC debut. He’s yet to taste defeat in the Octagon and hasn’t been challenged outside of his two fights with Chael Sonnen.

“The Spider” has grown so bored of defending his belt at times that he’s stepped up a weight class. Despite fighting at a weight class 20 pounds heavier, Silva didn’t miss a beat.

He’ll jump up a weight class to meet Bonnar, who has made a career off his exciting fight with Forrest Griffin on the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season one. Since then, Bonnar has had an up and down career and appeared to be on the chopping block but has since won three-straight bouts.

Although the two men have taken separate paths to get to this point, both have had a moment in their MMA careers that has defined them forever.

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Silva vs Bonnar: Keys to Victory for Stephan Bonnar

Stephan Bonnar and Anderson Silva will meet in an unexpected main event.Bonnar enters as a steep underdog against the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.With four-ounce gloves anything can happen, and Bonnar certainly has the skills to pull off…

Stephan Bonnar and Anderson Silva will meet in an unexpected main event.

Bonnar enters as a steep underdog against the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.

With four-ounce gloves anything can happen, and Bonnar certainly has the skills to pull off the incredible upset in Silva’s backyard. Odds go out the window when the cage door shuts.

This could be the capstone of Bonnar‘s long career, and possibly send him off to retirement on an all-time high. If he is the man to defeat Silva in the UFC he will go down in the history books much the same as Matt Serra did for defeating GSP.

Here are three keys to one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.

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UFC 153 Fight Card: Breaking Down the Main Card Odds

UFC 153 gets underway from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday evening.The oddsmakers are putting their final touches on the lines as money continues to trickle in.Anderson Silva meets Stephan Bonnar in the evening’s main event in a li…

UFC 153 gets underway from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday evening.

The oddsmakers are putting their final touches on the lines as money continues to trickle in.

Anderson Silva meets Stephan Bonnar in the evening’s main event in a light heavyweight special attraction. The co-main event of the evening pits Dave Herman against the returning Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

The rest of the main card has some exciting matchups as well. Demian Maia squares off against Rick Story, Jon Fitch meets rising star Erick Silva and Glover Teixeira will try to make his claim for a title shot against Fabio Maldonado.

Here is a look at the updated main card odds just hours before the event.

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UFC 153 Fight Card: Is Erick Silva a Future Champion at Welterweight?

At UFC 153, Erick Silva will face an opponent in Jon Fitch that embodies (by far) the toughest challenge of his MMA career.The fight should reveal much about the up-and-comer, who has never been charged with a task so trying, but has passed lesser chal…

At UFC 153, Erick Silva will face an opponent in Jon Fitch that embodies (by far) the toughest challenge of his MMA career.

The fight should reveal much about the up-and-comer, who has never been charged with a task so trying, but has passed lesser challengers with flying colors. 

In fact, Silva has looked so excellent during his three-fight UFC stint, that some are already touting him as a future champion. While it’s still early in his career, Silva has very much looked the part, and could greatly boost his case with a win over Fitch at UFC 153.

I recently opined that Fitch will prove too much for Silva this Saturday night, and I remain steadfast in that belief. But, a loss at UFC 153 is far from the be-all and end-all for Silva.

Certainly, MMA is a sport where anything can happen, but there is a very real possibility that the welterweight title remains around the waist of Georges St-Pierre for the foreseeable future. That is why the race for the welterweight crown is not a sprint, but a marathon, and that is why Silva can lose to Fitch and still be a champion some day—a case I previously made earlier this week.

At 28, Silva is not the youngest prospect around, but he has only made 15 professional appearances and has never been knocked out. So while he may have gotten a later UFC start than most up-and-comers, his fighting age isn’t too advanced, and he should be in his prime when GSP is finally ready to relinquish the UFC title.

And when that day does come, Silva will be front and center, waiting to snatch it away from the Canadian legend.

So while it may not be immediate, or even in the next couple years, Silva will prove himself to be a championship-caliber fighter. And he’ll do it at the right time, too.

That combination spells future champion to me. Just give it some time.

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