205 lbs. Keith Jardine (14-5-1) vs. Thiago Silva (13-1)
The semi-main event is a stylistic dream match for fans, as powerful striker Thiago Silva takes on rough and tumble brawler “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine. Both are coming off high-profile losses, and neither is anywhere near the title picture, but styles make fights and these guys have styles that combine for guaranteed excitement.
Silva, a standout at Coconut Creek, FL’s American Top Team, is a skilled Muay Thai fighter with a surplus of knockout power. His ground game is solid and underrated, but his best work is definitely on the feet. Until his last fight, Silva looked unstoppable, but he was utterly destroyed by Lyoto Machida, so it will be interesting to see how he handles his first taste of defeat. His standup is definitely crisper and more powerful than Jardine’s, so as long as he can make this a technical kickboxing match, he is in good shape to earn another win.
Jardine, arguably the most inconsistent fighter in UFC, has proven that he can beat top competitors, but also that he can show up totally unprepared and get smashed. His standup is quite good, but so is his wrestling, which for whatever reason he does not employ very often, which has definitely been to his detriment. If he bulls forward into Silva and tries to bang, this is going to be a repeat of his fights with Wanderlei Silva and Houston Alexander, and he is going to get blasted into dreamworld. To win, he will need to keep Silva guessing, mixing in takedown attempts with his boxing and trying to do some damage from top position.
I give the edge to Silva in this one. Jardine could win this fight with wrestling, but he has shown an unfortunate tendency to stand and trade shots when it is not in his best interest. If he does that against Silva, he will yet again lose within 2 minutes.
Silva by KO, round 1.
