UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva

Matt Brown (20-11) vs. Erick Silva (16-4)

Matt Brown and Erick Silva square off against each other as the main event at UFC Fight Night 41 in Cincinnati on Saturday.

Brown has been on a tear as of late, winning his past six matches. In his last win against Mike Pyle on Aug. 17, Brown showed that he is still a threat in the welterweight class. Brown delivered a vicious knockout victory, finishing the match in only 29 seconds with a 10-0 striking advantage. Brown is a terrific fighter that has the ability to be downright vicious with his punches. What makes him even more dangerous is his ability to take a punch as well. He is the type of fighter that wants to turn the match into a brawl. That style will differ from the style of Erick Silva, who is looking to get his opponent to the ground. Silva got back on the winning track in his last match against Takenori Sato on Feb. 15. In that fight, Silva delivered a knockout in only 52 seconds, something completely out of the norm for him. Silva held an 18-0 striking advantage in that victory. Each of these men will try to force the fight at his own style, but in the end, the favored SILVA is an explosive athlete, and that will help him get the victory.

The 29-year-old Silva has 16 victories in his career, with nine of those wins coming by submission. He also has four wins by knockout and three by decision, showing he can win in a variety of ways. While Silva's 0.98 takedown average does not compare to Brown's 1.71 mark, he is much more accurate in his takedown attempts at 67%, compared to Brown's 46% accuracy. Silva is a gifted athlete that has uses his speed to get his opponents to the ground. He is also in terrific shape, allowing him to go the distance if needed without getting tired. The Brazilian has trained in the past with some elite MMA fighters in Anderson Silva, Jacare Souza, Team Nogueira and Rafael Cavalcante. For Silva to get the win in this match, he has to use his quickness and try and wear down Brown. If Silva allows the fight to turn into a brawl, he is ripe for the big upset.

Brown enters the match with 20 career victories, with 12 of them coming by way of knockout. He also has six victories by submission and just two by decision, as he has gone the distance just four times in his career. It is no secret that Brown loves to get into a fight where a lot of punches are being thrown, and he will have a huge advantage in this area with 3.62 significant strikes landed per minute, compared to only 2.83 for Silva. Another big advantage in this fight for the 33-year-old Brown will be his ability to defend against the takedown, as he has a 67% takedown defense, compared to 62% for Silva. Brown will also have the Cincinnati crowd in his favor, as he grew up in Xenia, OH and currently fights out of Columbus, OH. Both of these fighters, who both stand 6-foot-0 and weigh 170 pounds, are going to be looking to dictate the fight from the very beginning. If Brown is able to turn the match into a striking battle, he will be in great shape to get the win.