Anderson Silva has accomplished plenty in his great mixed-martial-arts career.That’s an understatement, of course. Most consider him to be the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. Even if you don’t think he’s achieved that lofty goal, you sure…
Anderson Silva has accomplished plenty in his great mixed-martial-arts career.
That’s an understatement, of course. Most consider him to be the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. Even if you don’t think he’s achieved that lofty goal, you surely have to realize that he’s nearing the top of the mountain throne once held by Fedor Emelianenko.
But enough never seems to be enough, and now fans are clamoring to see Silva move up to light heavyweight for a superfight with Jon Jones.
Will Silva’s legacy be tarnished if he refuses to make that move? I check in with my latest B/R video spot and answer the question for you, but I also want to hear your thoughts on the subject. Will Silva be any less of a man in your eyes if he doesn’t accept a Jones fight? Or has he accomplished enough already?
Check out the video above, and leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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.”
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. VitorBelfort 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.
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.
(Well, at least the poster is as half-assed as the main event.)
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
I’ll be honest, when I first heard of the new main event for UFC 153, I thought we were all the victims of some intricate ruse on the UFC’s part. Surely the head honchos at Zuffa didn’t consider a “fun” squash match on the level of Joe Lauzon vs Jens Pulver to be the best possible option for a country that was recently denied the biggest fight of all time, right? But I guess when an injury curse on the level of 2012’s hits, you do what you can to simply stay afloat, and in that sense the UFC has succeeded.
Luckily for us, the UFC has also succeeded in putting together a card that provides plenty of opportunities to prosper from a wagering perspective as well. This time around, I will attempt to follow the lead of Jared “Money Bags” Jones, who provided both the gift and thecurse for UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Silva with his parlay picks, so follow me as I highlight a few names on the preliminary cards for Facebook and FX and breakdowns of all fights on the PPV portion of UFC 153. All betting odds come courtesy of BestFightOdds.
Facebook + FX prelims
Reza Madadi stands out in the two FB fights; Sweden has been hot in the octagon lately and I think “Mad Dog” (not Anthony Macias) at around -200 has the right combination of size and all around ground advantage to deal with Marcello’s submissions game and win his second straight UFC fight.
Gleison Tibau hovering around -160 should be able to stifle fellow Brazilian Francisco Drinaldo and find a way back into the UFC win column after dropping a hard fought loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 148. Tibau has fought solid competition throughout his lengthy UFC career and I do not think Francisco has the right tools to win this fight. An underdog that may be worth a look is Renee Forte at around +200 against Sergio Moraes, who dropped a unanimous decision last time out due in part to his in-ring demeanor, which did not seem to go over well with the judges.
(Well, at least the poster is as half-assed as the main event.)
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
I’ll be honest, when I first heard of the new main event for UFC 153, I thought we were all the victims of some intricate ruse on the UFC’s part. Surely the head honchos at Zuffa didn’t consider a “fun” squash match on the level of Joe Lauzon vs Jens Pulver to be the best possible option for a country that was recently denied the biggest fight of all time, right? But I guess when an injury curse on the level of 2012′s hits, you do what you can to simply stay afloat, and in that sense the UFC has succeeded.
Luckily for us, the UFC has also succeeded in putting together a card that provides plenty of opportunities to prosper from a wagering perspective as well. This time around, I will attempt to follow the lead of Jared “Money Bags” Jones, who provided both the gift and thecurse for UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Silva with his parlay picks, so follow me as I highlight a few names on the preliminary cards for Facebook and FX and breakdowns of all fights on the PPV portion of UFC 153. All betting odds come courtesy of BestFightOdds.
Facebook + FX prelims
Reza Madadi stands out in the two FB fights; Sweden has been hot in the octagon lately and I think “Mad Dog” (not Anthony Macias) at around -200 has the right combination of size and all around ground advantage to deal with Marcello’s submissions game and win his second straight UFC fight.
Gleison Tibau hovering around -160 should be able to stifle fellow Brazilian Francisco Drinaldo and find a way back into the UFC win column after dropping a hard fought loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 148. Tibau has fought solid competition throughout his lengthy UFC career and I do not think Francisco has the right tools to win this fight. An underdog that may be worth a look is Renee Forte at around +200 against Sergio Moraes, who dropped a unanimous decision last time out due in part to his in-ring demeanor, which did not seem to go over well with the judges.
The line on Maia has steadily climbed towards the -160 area, and despite many picking him to lose against Kim in his WW debut, the BJJ whiz out grappled one of the best WW in the world. Story fights best when he can impose his will, but against Maia, clinching against the fence or taking the fight to the ground may not be the best strategy to win. Maia makes the parlay and remains undefeated at 170lbs.
The only thing that sticks out here (like a finger to the eye! *rimshot*) is that Wagner caught Davis once in their first fight. I am not rushing to the window to lay -350 and up on Phil Davis in Brazil as I need to see more from the American wrestling standout to pay that kind of price fighting in Wagner’s back yard.
This is one of those Old School vs. New School fights, a more or less one-dimensional fighter against a more well rounded fighter. Silva has a fantastic sprawl and represents the new breed of fighter who use defensive wrestling to compliment a strong stand up game. Jon Fitch will no doubt fight hard, but I think his old school style may fail him for a second time in a row for the first time in his career. I am going with Silva sitting at -140 for the parlay as I do not think Fitch will be able to win the stand up game or keep Silva on the ground long enough to take the fight on the cards.
I’m on the Glover bandwagon even with the steep price coming in around -400. Trained by everyone from Marco Ruas to John Hackleman and having such sparring partners as Chuck Liddell at his disposal, Glover may just know a thing or two about how to handle himself in the stand up exchange with Fabio. It will be interesting to see if Teixeira attempts to show off his grappling skills in this fight or times a perfect counter to a Maldonado body shot, but it seems like in either case, Glover is ending this fight and stamping his name towards the top of the 205 division. I like the prop that this fight does not go the distance and perhaps ends before the half way mark of the contest.
I want to lay it down on Big Nog and I think the fight plays well into his skill set, but coming off a serious injury against a fairly experienced younger, bigger fighter is a tough spot for the legend here. I do not see this fight going the distance and I would rather sit back and enjoy Antonio’s return as the betting favorite and see if the fight ends before the 15 minute mark.
