Anderson Silva’s (yellow shorts) speed, power, versatility, and well-deserved title of the greatest MMA fighter of all time have “The Spider” entering the Octagon at UFC 153 as a 13-1 favorite over Stephan Bonnar. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Saturday night the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil once again plays host to the Ultimate Fighting Championships for UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar. Savvy submission specialist Demian Maia (16-4) hopes to find continued success at welterweight against the always dangerous “Horror” Rick Story (14-5). “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (9-1) and “Caldeiro” Wagner Prado (8-0) hope to redeem their unfortunate No Contest from UFC on Fox 4 while Jon Fitch (23-4-1) looks to rebound from a knockout loss against fast-rising Brazilian powerhouse “Indio” Erick Silva (14-2). “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1) looks to rack up two wins in Rio against “Pee Wee” Dave Herman (21-4). The co-main event was saved as Fabio Maldonado (18-5) stepped in to replace “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (32-10) against the man few want to face in Glover Teixeira (18-2). The main event pits two unlikely foes against each other as the affable “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (15-7) takes on the man many consider the pound-for-pound best Mixed Martial Artist in the world, “The Spider” Anderson Silva (32-4). This bizarre late replacement fight has many scratching their heads, but do not be fooled: both men bring a particular set of skills (thanks, Liam Neeson) that can make this fight one that will be talked about for a long time.
