It went exactly as most expected. At the UFC 153 main event last Sunday, reigning middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva took out TUF 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar in the champ’s third outing at light-heavyweight.
Bonnar attempted to use his size advantage by pressing Silva against the cage to impose his will. Nevertheless, Silva controlled every facet of the fight.
At one point, Silva even took time out to calm his corner as he stood with his back to the cage and dared Bonnar to strike – but to no avail.
A sharp knee to Bonnar’s solar plexus quickly ended affairs, with some ground punches serving as a mere formality. The fight was declared over at 4:40 into round one.
What’s next for Silva? Despite all the clamour and talk, both Silva and light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones have refused to fight one another. If Silva chooses to remain at 205lbs, look for him to go up against a top contender as he cements his legacy.
What’s next for Bonnar? After admittedly coming out of semi-retirement prior to this short-notice bout, Bonnar will most likely make his retirement permanent. It’s well-deserved for a man who has always put on entertaining fights and helped to put the sport on the map.
Old-school fans were elated as former PRIDE heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera made a triumphant comeback against Dave Herman in the heavyweight co-headliner.
Noguiera, who suffered a gruesome arm injury against Frank Mir at UFC 140 last December, went back to his Brazilian jiu-jitsu roots in defeating Herman via armbar at 4:31 of round two. The submission win comes on the heels of Herman’s vocal scepticism on the merits of jiu-jitsu.
“I feel so happy, because this man said jiu-jitsu doesn’t work, but jiu-jitsu does work and it’s a Brazilian art,” Nogueira said. “It was a beautiful position. I’m sure that he does practice jiu-jitsu, because he knows how to defend himself.”
What’s next for Noguiera? Brushing aside retirement talks, the active legend has said that he wishes to fight a top-10 contender next.
What’s next for Herman? Some lessons on a jiu-jitsu mat perhaps?
Other main card results:
Glover Texeira def. Fabio Maldonado via doctor’s stoppage after Round two (light-heavyweight). This one was an absolute war, with Texeira surprising the former boxer Maldonado with his punching skills. Credit to Maldonado for absorbing so much punishment yet still holding his own. It’s no wonder that a lot of fighters refuse to fight Texeira.
Jon Fitch def. Erick Silva via unanimous decision (welterweight). There’s still a lot of promise in the 28-year-old Silva – in this fight, he was merely outlasted by a cagey veteran who is used to going the distance. Silva’s first outing in rounds two and three inside the octagon should serve as a lesson for him in the future.
Other results included Phil Davis def. Wagner Prado via anaconda choke in round two (light-heavyweight) and Demian Maia def. Rick Story via neck crank In round one (welterweight).
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