Heavyweight bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva
Prediction:Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski via first round KO.
Arlovski vs Silva Odds: Currently -175 / +145
The semi-Main Event is a slugfest in the making between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski and giant Brazilian Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Both men are primarily strikers, but Arlovski’s offense is on a different level from Silva’s. Unfortunately, Arlovski also has one of the most notoriously fragile chins in the Heavyweight division, which makes this a much more compelling fight.
Antonio Silva is a notoriously tough fighter with heavy hands and a ground game far above the norm for the Heavyweight division. He is not an offensive powerhouse, but he is a tough guy who keeps moving forward to dole out punishment on his opponents, and he can control guys on the ground with technique and his powerful physical frame. His biggest downside is that he is not very light on his feet and does not move very fast at all, but he makes up for it with technique and determination.
Andrei Arlovski is the Heavyweight division’s foremost glass cannon. His handspeed, technique, and punching power are pretty much unmatched in the division, but his chin has all the durability of thin glass. He can dole out punishment better than anyone, but can hardly take any at all. His submission game is actually underrated, but his takedown defense is not very good, something he is going to have to watch out for against Silva, who has some good wrestling.
Silva has a chance to win this fight, based solely on how subpar Arlovski’s chin is, but I don’t see it happening. Silva’s biggest detriment is his lack of speed, both on his feet and in his hands, and Arlovski is tailor made to exploit that with his rapid fire accurate punching. I don’t see this one going very long, as Arlovski will catch Silva with a series of combos and put him away.
Prediction: Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski via first round KO.
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