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UFC 153 takes place this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and features some pivotal fights from top to bottom. Headlining the card will be a light heavyweight scrap between Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar. Anderson Silva stepped up on short notice; as did Stephan Bonnar when Jose Aldo was forced off the card due to an injury. Aldo was suppose to face Frankie Edgar, but an injury suffered from a motorcycle injury limited his training.
Many question the legitimacy of the main event because Stephan Bonnar is certainly no world beater in the light heavyweight division. He is, however, on a three fight win streak and has yet to be finished inside the UFC. This includes submissions and knockouts; no one has ever finished Stephan Bonnar in his career, which is a testament to his durability and willingness to move forward even when taking blows. Still, Anderson Silva is one of the greatest fighters to ever compete in MMA, and it will more than likely be another destruction for ‘The Spider’.
Also on the card is an entertaining heavyweight bout between Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira and Dave Herman. This should be an interesting clash of styles because both come from different backgrounds. Nogeuira is one of the best jiu jitsu fighters in mma, and his hands have also been known to cause opponents fits on the feet, which can be seen with his fight with Brendan Schaub. Dave Herman has also been known to throw a punch. His size and reach can present problems to his opponents and he trains with some of the best in Team Quest.
Another bout that should be highly entertaining is a light heavyweight bout between Glover Teixeira and Fabio Maldonado. Both of these fighters can certainly bang standing, and they also have competent grappling skills if the fight hits the ground. Teixeira made waves in his UFC debut against Kyle Kingsburry. He dominated every portion of the fight standing, allowing him to sink in a great submission.
It was a long time coming for Teixeira because he has waited years to compete inside the octagon, and he has finally made it to the big show. Fabio Maldonado should be a great test for him because he has some great body shots and boxing combinations. It should be a good test for both fighters to see where they stack up in this light heavyweight division, which is currently being reigned by Jon Jones currently.
Other fights on the main card include Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva, Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado, and Demian Maia vs. Rick Story. Jon Fitch will be trying to do everything in his power to stop the rising star in Erick Silva. Silva is one of the best prospects in the welterweight division right now and his fight with Jon Fitch, who is a perennial contender at 170lbs, will be a true test to see where he stacks up.
Phil Davis and Wagner Prado will try to erase the controversy that happened in their first fight when Prado poked Davis in the eye and he was unable to continue. Another dynamic welterweight bout between Maia and Story takes place, which also will tell a lot about where each fighter stacks up in this heavily competitive welterweight division.
