By Dwight Wakabayashi
UFC 153 is all set to go off this Saturday night from Rio de Janeiro Brazil with home country hero and best fighter of all time Anderson Silva moving up in weight to take on the always game Stephan Bonnar. The main card is stacked with Brazil’s established stars and some hot, rising up and comers. All six fights feature a home country fighter in a relevant fight so the HSBC Arena in Rio will be on fire with frenzied fans.
Some of America’s elite fighters are in the house ready to spoil the party on Saturday night as almost every fight is a Brazil vs. USA match-up. Any opportunity to see Anderson Silva work is a good one at that.
This main event has all the makings of another classic like Ali-Chuvalo, where the heavily favoured star pounds away and pounds away at the overmatched underdog with the granite chin, unable to take him out. The fighters, the fans and the sport all win after a fight like that, and let’s hope Bonnar can step up to the challenge.
Here is my main card fight-by-fight preview:
Demian Maia (16-4) vs. Rick Story (14-5) – welterweight
Demian Maia made a successful debut in the welterweight division by defeating Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 148 in July. He needs this fight just as badly to get some momentum going in his new division. We all know that Maia is a wizard on the ground with an ever improving overall MMA game but he may not want to play around too much in this bout with Rick Story.
Story brings a power wrestling game and junkyard dog mentality to the cage with him each time he steps in it. He can grab hold of you and dominate you all night with his mauling top game but he may not have seen jits like Maia’s before. If this fight stays on the feet, he may have a better shot at getting a win.
The winner of this fight will keep himself very relevant in the division and stay a couple fights within reach of the title while the loser will close out 2012 with their stock completely in question.
Phil Davis (9-1) vs. Wagner Prado (8-0) – light heavyweight
Phil Davis’ performance against Rashad Evans gained him a return match with UFC newcomer Wagner Prado. They faced each other in August in Los Angeles, where Davis poked Prado in the eye in the first round and he was unable to continue. The fight was called a no contest and here we are.
Davis has some impressive wins against some very tough guys in the division and he will be looking to get a dominant finish and get himself back up the ranks again. His wrestling and explosive athleticism are at the elite level and he should have the experience card as well. Look for Davis to throw Prado all over the cage all night.
Prado gets a nice second opportunity to vault himself up in the ranks and stay undefeated in the process. He is a dangerous and feared striker, who will be looking for the big shot to win.
Jon Fitch (23-4) vs. Erick Silva(15-1) – welterweight
Jon Fitch is a man looking for redemption. Always knocked and undersold due to his rugged, radio friendly style of fighting he then got knocked out cold in 12 seconds last December and hasn’t been heard of since. Fitch needs this win badly and Silva is the perfect guy to get it on. If he can implement his vintage game, damn the fans if they boo, Fitch can silence one of the hottest young prospects in Brazil and the UFC. It’s a great match-up.
Silva is a phenom, the future star out of Brazil, and he will be looking to get his first big-name win under his belt at home in Rio. Silva can punch with power and can be drawn into a brawl, but he can also be technical and stop the fight from anywhere that it goes on Saturday night. The longer this one goes, the better for Fitch and Silva may falter under the veteran’s pressure.
The winner of this fight will be right on the cusp of the top 10 or 15 in the world at welterweight and be in line for one of the big guns in the division. Fitch may even set himself up for a rematch with Hendricks.
Glover Teixeira (18-2) vs. Fabio Maldonado (18-5) – light-heavyweight
It has been a while since we have heard so much hype around a fighter like we have with Glover Teixeira. So much so that he was set to step up to Quinton (Rampage) Jackson after a win over Kyle Kingsbury. We all know how crazy hype can get over a fighter streaking hard outside the UFC, right Hector Lombard? I take hype with a grain of salt. Teixeira is dangerous there is no doubt about that.
With the injury to Rampage and others turning down the fight, Fabio Maldonado gets his big chance on short notice. Maldonado is coming off two losses so this is a nice surprise for him to be involved in this show. Teixeira will be looking to make a fast statement, while Maldonado will look to make it a war.
Will Teixeira get distracted at home, believe his own hype and take Fabio for granted? Just sayin’.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7) vs. Dave Herman (21-4) – heavyweight
The last time the UFC held an event in Rio, Brazilian fighting legend Nogueira brought the roof down with his knockout over Brendan Schaub. It was a pinnacle, highlight win for the long time veteran. In a classic case of the highs and lows from one fight to another, he then got his arm ripped off in brutal fashion by Frank Mir in his next fight in December. The injury has healed now and Big Nog gets a chance to do it all again in front of his adoring fans.
We all know what he brings to the table and have been entertained by him for years, but how much does he have left in the tank? Saturday night will tell the story in full as a nice comfortable win over Herman will announce that he is still in the mix to fight main card fights if he wants to.
After a Fight of the Night win in his debut in June of last year, Herman has lost two fights in a row against “Nogueira level” opponents Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve. He has a good striking game but I’m not sure it is at the level of Big Nog. I see him largely over-matched on the ground as well but if he can tire Nogueira out, he has a chance to end it with a punch.
Anderson Silva (32-4) vs. Stephan Bonnar (14-7) – light heavyweight
It was refreshing to see Anderson Silva step up for the good of the UFC and put his legacy on the line at UFC 153 in Brazil. Sure, his middleweight title is not on the line, but this is even better. He is fighting up in weight again and going to show the big boys how fighting is done by the middleweight champion. He has Bonnar across from him this time and we know what he did to Forrest Griffin the last time he went up in weight.
Silva should put on a similar show with his striking, but one subtle difference will be that Bonnar won’t get frustrated easily and lay down on a counter straight punch.
Bonnar is going to make the most of this chance in a sense that I think his goal is to take a licking and keep on ticking in this one, to prove that he truly does have a niche in this sport as someone who can last with the best. Bonnar lasted with Jon Jones and I think he may last with Silva, although I’m not running to the bank with it. Bonnar will probably try to pull a Chael Sonnen on The Spider and use his size advantage from the top to see if he can pull out a miracle. If he does it what a story it will be.
I think this fight is going to be a memorable one.
