UFC Middleweight bout: Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben
Odds: (-175 Silva /+145 Leben )
Betting Pick: Leben
Bet on this fight at Bodog.com
The semi-main event has all the makings of an instant classic, as Chris “The Crippler” Leben will square off against living legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva in a Middleweight showdown fans have been clamoring for ever since Silva’s debut. Both of these guys are known for their destructive punching and their willingness to stand in the pocket and let their hands go, so this is a fight that promises a lot of exciting action. Silva’s best years are definitely behind him, but he is still a dangerous fighter with a surplus of punching power, and Leben is going to have his hands full here.
Wanderlei Silva came by his nickname, “The Axe Murderer”, honestly. Silva’s PRIDE career provided some of the most brutal highlight reel knockouts in the history of the sport. Unfortunately for UFC fans, Silva did not make his way back to America until he was past his prime, and his UFC career has fallen far short of the brilliance he showed in Japan. Having dropped five of his last seven fights, Silva is clearly in the midst of a sharp decline, but he is still a very exciting fighter who possesses the technical acumen and killer instinct that made him famous. Even having lost a step, Silva is not a pushover fight for anyone in the UFC, and his Muay Thai and boxing are still extremely formidable, as he showed in his last fight, a clear-cut unanimous decision over highly-regarded contender Michael “The Count” Bisping.
Chris “The Crippler” Leben, whose bad guy persona helped make the first season of The Ultimate Fighter such a huge hit, has proven that he is a lot more than a big personality. One of the UFC’s most exciting fighters, Leben has extremely powerful striking, an underrated ground game, and one of the most aggressive fighting styles in the sport. Leben is one of the toughest fighters on the planet, and he is more than willing to eat repeated hard shots in order to move forward and throw haymakers at his opponents. He is not the most technically proficient striker in the world, but he has a very solid chin and an insane amount of heart to go with extremely heavy hands. Leben’s best attribute is his tenacity. Win or lose, you can bet that he is going to show up ready to fight and put on a show.
In his prime, Wanderlei would have made Leben pay dearly for daring to trade shots with him and keep moving forward, but I think those days are unfortunately gone. Silva lacks the speed and power that defined him for so long, and I think that this Silva may just wilt in the face of Leben’s aggression. Both of these guys can still throw hard punches, and both of them are capable of being knocked out, so it is a safe bet that this fight won’t make it to the final bell. I think that Leben is just younger, fresher, and at this point the more powerful striker. He will send Silva out with an exciting fight and a loss. Leben by T/KO.
Prediction: Chris “The Crippler” Leben via second round T/KO.
- Bet on Leben here @+145.
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