Despite the fact that its main event doesn’t have title implications, UFC 153 has created quite the buzz for itself as a fight card that MMA fans and media alike are looking forward to watching. In addition to the possibility of the improbable underdog story of Stephan Bonnar defeating Anderson Silva, there is much to look forward to throughout the event. The most important contest among these other fights will be between a former title challenger and a quickly rising prospect.
Erick Silva vs. Jon Fitch isn’t expected to be the most exciting fight on the card. However, there is a lot riding on the outcome for both combatants.
Fitch has never been a very popular fighter among the fans who follow the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Even though his record screams consistency, most people would use the word “boring” to describe the former Purdue wrestler. Debating the merits of that term isn’t the point; the fact of the matter is that his fight style, while very effective, has not been able to garner much fan appreciation. This sentiment is shared by the UFC’s President and its matchmakers, who have kept Fitch out of the title picture long enough to allow him to get clipped by Johny Hendricks and effectively removed from the contendership “mix.” A shoulder injury pushed his return back even further, and now nearly a year has passed since his last competition.
Standing across from the cage from him will be Brazilian upstart Erick Silva. The fighter known as “Indio” has quickly become a fan favorite for the way he has dispatched opponents in the Octagon. Even with his UFC 142 disqualification against Carlos Prater, his performances have left fans clamoring for more. This may have been a different kind of “more” than Silva expected right out the gate. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Silva echoed the thought pattern:
“If you ask me right now, I’m not going to say I want the belt because that’s how I work in my career: in slow steps,” Silva told MMAjunkie.com.
Facing Jon Fitch in your fourth UFC bout is far from going slow. However, he’s facing a fighter that has a style that both fits his approach and is dangerous at the same time. Silva is very aggressive to start his fights, and we’ve seen Fitch get flustered by these types of fighters in the past. However, he can quickly rebound from that to drag his opponent to the ground and grind out the round, en route to a decision victory. If he can weather the early storm that is coming his way, that will go a long way towards Fitch being able to grind out a fifteen-minute victory.
A victory for Silva would do wonders for his career, while a loss would not do too much damage at this point. If Silva stops Fitch in dramatic fashion, few would deny that he’d be one or two fights away from getting a title shot. Perhaps he’d be matched against the winner of the Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn bout that is set for later this year at UFC on Fox 5. Or they could give him Jake Ellenberger. The options would be limited in a sense because he needs to be placed in bouts that will continue to increase his stock. However, this all depends on his ability to garner a victory at UFC 153.
Sadly, the same isn’t true for Fitch. Even if he found a way to score a highlight reel knockout, he would still not shake the label of “boring fighter,” and the executives at the UFC seem determined to keep him out of the title picture. Regardless, the long layoff since his defeat should be motivation enough for Fitch to get back into the win column and take home some additional funds.
Erick Silva vs. Jon Fitch is the Fight To Watch at UFC 153. It may not garner bonuses for either fighter, but it still represents the kind of matchmaking that will yield an important and relevant outcome, no matter the result.
