UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Arlovski

Antonio Silva (18-5) vs. Andrei Arlovski (22-10)

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva looks to inch closer to a championship fight as he takes on Andrei "Pit Bull" Arlovski at UFC Fight Night in Brazil on Saturday.

Silva is coming off a draw against Mark Hunt on Dec. 6, 2013. While a draw in the UFC is usually looked upon as a disappointment, this was one of the most competitive fights in recent memory. In that match, Silva and Hunt both threw monster punches the entire five rounds. It was a big way for Silva to bounce back after getting knocked out by Cain Velasquez in his previous fight. Silva is a vicious striker that has the ability to win a fight quickly with his striking ability. Arlovski is also a powerful striker, and is coming into this fight very confident. He has won three consecutive matches, with his last victory coming against Brendan Schaub just three months ago on June 14. In that fight, he showed that he has the conditioning to go the distance, something he has not done a lot in his career. For the 34-year-old Silva, this could be the last time that he could remain in title contention, as a few young fighters in the heavyweight class are making moves up the rankings. That motivation will be the difference, as SILVA gets a tough victory on Saturday.

The Brazilian Silva has 18 victories in his career, with 14 of them coming by way of knockout. He also has two wins by both submission and decision. These two fighters are very close when it comes to striking, as Silva lands 2.96 significant strikes per minute, compared to 2.74 by Arlovski. While they throw nearly the same amount of punches, Silva is more accurate when throwing these strikes (45 percent to 38 percent for Arlovski). Silva has shown a tendency to let himself get open to the knockout by his opponent, and if he gets wild with his strikes he could be in trouble, as Arlovski is also a guy that can end the fight quickly.

Arlovski, a 35-year-old from Belarus, enters this fight with 22 victories in his career. Like Silva, he ends most of his matches by knockout, as he has 15 wins in that fashion. He also has four wins by decision and another three by submission. Arlovski’s biggest advantage in this fight will be his ability to defend the strike, as he blocks 64 percent of his opponent’s strikes. While he mostly does a great job of defending blows, Arlovski also can leave himself open to the big punch, as seven of his 10 losses are by knockout. Neither fighter is looking to take this fight to the mat. This match has all the makings of a brawl that either goes the distance, or ends by knockout. Both of these fighters have the power to end the fight, so a key will be which combatant doesn’t get too sporadic in his striking.