Erick Silva (red gloves) built his career on submissions and his UFC blue chip status on knockouts, but now at UFC on FX 3 he has to face the first in a long line of talented welterweight wrestlers. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida hosts the UFC’s third installment of “UFC on FX” this Friday night. WEC vets Eddie Wineland (18-8-1) and “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (13-5) kick off the main card with bantamweight action. “The Dentist” Josh Neer (33-10-1) will try to keep his third tour in the UFC going when he battles crafty veteran “Quicksand” Mike Pyle (22-8-1). Before flyweights “Uncle Creepy” Ian Mcall (11-2-1) and “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson (14-2-1) meet again to settle their controversial first encounter in the night’s closer, “Indio” Erick Silva (13-2) and “The Spaniard” Charlie Brenneman (15-3) will lock horns in the co-main event. Both welterweights have made strides within the division and with a phenomenal showcase, to the victor the spoils and a step higher to the peak of the 170lbs. mountain.
At First Glance: A tenacious grappler versus what appears to be a red-hot striker, the classic formula has been put together with Charlie Brenneman and Erick Silva filling the roles respectively. Silva is one of the latest acquistions brought into the UFC’s welterweight division and with dominating performances in each of his outings, he is showing that he might just have a fruitful career in the organization. Brenneman’s wrestling has made him a nightmare in the division and a notable upset artist of sorts. To defeat a promising up-and-comer would bring him a bigger piece of that proverbial spotlight.
In Depth: Erick Silva has been in the Octagon for just little over a minute in his two showings, but already he’s proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the welterweight division. Silva, who is primarily a submission ace, needed 40 seconds to land an overhead right that sent “Beicao” Luis Ramos (19-7) crumbling to the mat in his UFC debut. He may have been disqualifed for questionable strikes to the back of the head, but in a rare feat Silva bested his opening performance by stopping “Neo” Carlo Prater (30-11) in his tracks with a well-placed knee and hammerfists to follow in 29 seconds. “Indio” may not have spent as much time in the famous eight-sided cage as Brenneman, but he has shown the world that he boasts major power in his strikes. And with the little volume he’s thrown, he has quite the knack for timing to land the heavy blows. He will hope to yield the same results when he takes on NCAA Div. I wrestler, Charlie Brenneman.
Charlie Brenneman (black shorts) may lack the finishing abilities of his opponent, but his wrestling is a cut above anything Erick Silva has faced in his career up to this point. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
“The Spaniard” has engaged in some notable dogfights on the ground as he grinded out submission artist “Ninja” Daniel Roberts (12-4) and outclassed a former collegiate wrestler in “The Horror” Rick Story (13-5). Brenneman has made efforts to improve his stand-up, but he has still fallen short against more effective and powerful strikers such as “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (11-4) and “Bigg Rigg” Johny Hendricks (13-1). Silva has the hands to end nights instantly and unless Brenneman brought his game up to par, it is probably in his best interests to stick to what he knows best and try to plant and grind the Brazilian out until favorable opportunities arise.
The Wild Card: The ground battle will be a variable in itself for each man to consider. Brenneman would enjoy rolling on the mat and Silva should have no problem doing the same if needed. However neither have faced the caliber grappler as the other has fought before. Brenneman negated many submission specialists before but unlike those before him, Silva is a legitimate black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. While bearing knockout potential, Silva racked many of his victories via submission in the Brazilian circuits. On the other side of the coin, Silva has been taken down before but never against the likes of a wrestler such as “The Spaniard”. If too lax on the ground, Silva will have a harder time than before trying to survive the constant pressure Brenneman applies while controlling top position. Should Brenneman leave just a bit of breathing room for Silva to work with, he could taste the first submission loss of his career.
The Verdict: This battle does seem pretty cut-and-dry based on recent performances: Silva wins the stand-up and Brenneman wins the ground. The Brazilian though has been a revered training partner with some of the top fighters in the game such as “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (15-3)and “The Spider” Anderson Silva(31-4). Brenneman will give Silva his first glimpse of why his wrestling lead him to the UFC but eventually, “Indio” will be able to bring his game up to par and leave right where he left off. Silva via TKO (Strikes), Round 1
