265 lbs: Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio “BigFoot” Silva
Odds: ( -150 Werdum / +120 Silva)
The opening bout of the evening is a heavyweight clash between PRIDE and UFC veteran Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum and Elite XC and Sengoku veteran Antonio “BigFoot” Silva. Werdum made a splash in his early PRIDE appearances, but saw his momentum sizzle out somewhat during his stint in UFC. Silva, on the other hand, is riding a six fight win streak, but his level of competition has left something to be desired.
Antonio Silva, ironically known as “Junior” because of his massive size, is certainly physically imposing. His height and reach make it possible for him to tag opponents with shots from a distance, and his weight and power make sure that those long-distance shots pack a wallop. His size and punching power give him an advantage against most of the Heavyweight division, but from a technique standpoint Silva is not exactly a force to be reckoned with. His standup, while powerful, is slow and not at all technical, while his ground game consists of being huge and top of opponents. While he does have a few submissions in his career, he is hardly a top-level grappler, and will enter this fight giving up a huge amount to skill to Werdum in the grappling game.
Werdum, in some ways, is Silva’s opposite. While he is fairly tall, his size is not particularly opposing, and he relies on solid technique to win fights. Entering the sport as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Werdum’s ground game has always been top-notch. Since his time in PRIDE, though, his standup has also improved steadily. It is unlikely he will be able to win any exchanges with the larger Silva, but it is equally unlikely that he will get totally overwhelmed on his feet. The most important difference between the two, especially recently, is level of competition. Werdum has been fighting the best in the world for most of his career, first in PRIDE then in UFC. Silva, on the other hand, has fought mainly against b and c level competition, putting him at a distinct disadvantage.
In the end, the deciding factor in this fight is going to be Werdum’s ability (or lack thereof) to take Silva down. Silva’s standup is not technically impressive, but he packs a serious punch and has the physical size to bully Werdum around. If Werdum can get Silva to the ground, the huge gulf in technical ability will be more than Silva can handle, though. Silva’s huge size does give him an advantage in stuffing takedowns, especially double legs, but Werdum is both skilled and wily.
Fight Prediction: I expect Werdum to take some punishment early on in the fight, but eventually he will secure a leg trip, take Silva down, and lock on a submission, probably midway through the second round.
