UFC 162
Silva v. Weidman
July 6th 2013
Written By: Zach Heim
UFC 162 Silva V. Weidman will be held live in the heart of Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Arena on July the 6th. I think there are some good fights on the card, with the potential to be great fights. But we will have to see how the dice roll. Of course the main even features Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Chris “The All-American” Weidman. The co-main event will be Frankie “The Answer” Edger and Charlie “Do Bronx” Oliveira. So let’s just get into it, shall we?
Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman
Anderson “The Spider” Silva (33-4), who in my mind, is the greatest fighter the UFC or any other mixed martial arts promotion has ever seen. I don’t even like the guy, but hey, you have to call it like you see it and he is flat out an amazing fighter. Not only does he have knock out power like we have seen against Forrest Griffin, who when he finally got up, went running to the back stage, denying his post-fight interview. But he can also take a beating for 4¾ rounds and then submit you out of nowhere. Isn’t that right “Mr. American Gangster” Chael P. Sonnen? Anderson has shown us for years he can do it all, but he has also shown that sometimes he has trouble with wrestlers that aren’t afraid to take the fight to him such as Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen. That may be where Chris “The All-American” Weidman (9-0) has his best chance. He is a division 1 wrestler and also has real knock out power of his own, along with excellent submission skills. Weidman in my eyes is just a younger, better version of Chael. Still being so early in his career, you never really know how that will affect him. I hope it turns out to be a good fight and that The All-American doesn’t get caught up in all of the hype of The Spider. I think this may be one of the fights people remember for a long time, or at least I have a feeling it will be. However, at the end of the day I think the Spider will come out on top and defend his title yet again, keeping his legacy as the best fighter of all time intact.
Frankie Edger vs Charles Oliveira
Now to Frankie “The Answer” Edger (15-4-1). We all know that Frankie has stamina for days and will always bring the fight to you. He is a former champion in a weight class that he may have been a little small for. But who can really say that when you beat a guy twice that had ruled a division for years, like B.J. Penn did, then beat Gray Maynard twice? That being said, he hasn’t won a belt in the smaller divisions yet. Maybe he should go back to the division he was too small for? He will be fighting Charlie “Do Bronx” Oliveira (16-3, 1 NC). He is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is also where he got his ring name, “Do Bronx”, which translates “from the ghetto”. He is now fights out of Houston, Texas and is known for having a ton of heart. This is good because he just may need it all to fight a guy like Frankie. Oliveira is pretty experienced and has some descent submission skills, but we will have to see how all that plays out. If he can take Frankie down, stay chest to chest and keep him down long enough to work, he may be able to pull off the upset. I think it should be an interesting chess match between the two and I look forward to watching this fight almost as much as the headlining bout. I still look for the Answer to come out on top with a decision victory.
The card also has some other notable names on it such as Mark Munoz (12-3), who is a tough fighter with a great wrestling background. Munoz will fight Tim Boetsch (16-5). Boetsch is a large middleweight. He is also a very tough fighter with some heavy hands but I just don’t see him beating Munoz. Munoz is a great wrestler and knows how to keep his opponents down and maintain control, all while pacing the match, which will be working in his favor this time around. I don’t feel that Mark will get the finish but he will definitely get the decision.
Chris Leben vs Andrew Craig
Chris Leben (22-9), who is always an exciting guy to watch both inside and outside of the cage, will fight Andrew Craig (8-1). I look forward to this fight because Leben likes to stand and bang. It will be interesting if Craig tries to get him down and take away his strengths. If he is able to do so, it could be a long night for Leben. I think he has been around long enough that he is able to defend off his back and get the fight back to the feet where he wants it. For that reason I am picking Chris Leben to win by stoppage, sometime in the late second round.
Dennis Siver vs Cub Swanson
Dennis Siver (21-8) always puts on a good show, but seems to wear out rather quickly in the fights against top contenders when the pace is really pushed. I think it’s mainly because he is a seasoned striker and sometimes punches himself out early looking for the finish. He will fight Cub Swanson (19-5). Cub is a very well rounded fighter and at only 29 years old, has a bright future ahead of him. That is why in this fight, I think Swanson will simply out last Siver and win by unanimous decision.
Tim Kennedy vs Roger Gracie
Tim Kennedy (15-4) will be facing off against Roger Gracie (6-1). Kennedy has great strength and cardio with some good submission skills. Gracie on the other hand, has a legendary ground game, so he won’t be afraid of any of Kennedy’s submission and ground skills to say the least. This fight is likely to come down to who has the biggest gas tank. With Kennedy stacking on all that muscle, will his cardio hold up against Gracie? I think it will and I am picking Kennedy to win by referee stoppage sometime in the second or third round.
Norman Parke vs Kazuki Tokudome
Also on the card are lightweights Norman Parke (18-2) taking on Kazuki Tokudome (12-3-1). When it comes to striking, submissions and takedowns; these fighters are very well matched on paper. Parker does have great takedown defense, which may make the difference. On the other hand, Tokudome is great in the clinch and may just try to tie Parke up and use some dirty boxing to soften him up a little. I don’t look for this fight to go to the ground though. I think, although Tokudome will do a good job of frustrating Parke in the clinch, Parke will still pull ahead by working his ground and pound. He may not cause a lot of damage, but I think he will score enough points and end up winning the decision.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs Dave Herman
Another fight that isn’t on the main card but will be shown on FX features Gabriel Gonzaga (14-7) and Dave Herman (21-5). Gonzaga has one of the greatest knockout upsets of all time when he beat Mirko Cro-Cop with a viscous head kick at UFC 70. Shortly after, Gonzaga fell out of the spotlight by losing his Heavyweight Championship bout to the champion Randy “The Natural” Couture at UFC 74. Now he seems to be getting back on track and a win against Dave Herman won’t put him into title contention, but will move him up the ladder to face some of the tougher heavyweights so maybe he can one day earn another title shot. Dave Herman on the other hand, is a good wrestler with a lot of power. Even if the fight goes to the ground, Herman should be able to defend himself and get up as long as Gonzaga does not sink in a submission before Herman has time to work. I think Herman needs to do what Couture did and push the fight up against the fence and use dirty boxing to wear Gonzaga down. This should be a good fight to watch but I have to go with Gonzaga on this one. I think he is more well-rounded and has also fought much tougher opponents than Herman has.
So all in all, I think it is going to be well worth paying the $45 for. If nothing else, getting some friends together and going to the nearest sports bar that is showing the fights, paying the cover charge, drawing straws to see which poor sap is going to be the DD and have a great night watching some great fights with some great friends.
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