UFC 134 Preview: The Main Card

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As middleweight champion Anderson Silva continues to sail over the bar in his inimitable ways, it seems fitting that he defends his title next at UFC 134 on Saturday before his countrymen at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At times breathtakingly gifted, shockingly inventive and occasionally reluctant, Silva takes on Yushin Okami in the main event.

Their matchup is a contrast in virtually every conceivable category.

Silva has racked up a UFC-record 13 straight wins and has yet to lose inside the Octagon. Okami, meanwhile, has been one of the most overlooked contenders in recent memory, largely because of a judo-based style bereft of consistent highlight-reel moments. He has managed to stick around the top of the middleweight division due to persistence and a steadily improving game, whereas Silva has looked all but unbeatable since his promotional debut ended with a crushing stoppage of Chris Leben at UFC Fight Night 5 in 2006.

In the co-headliner, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua looks to avenge his stunning upset loss to Forrest Griffin in 2007, as they meet in a rematch with legitimate contender implications for the 205-pound division. Coming off his brutal dethroning at the hands of Jon Jones at UFC 128, “Shogun” undoubtedly wants to restore the reputation that made him one of the most feared fighters in Pride history.

In addition, UFC 134 features a heavyweight bout pairing “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 finalist Brendan Schaub with Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a lightweight tilt pitting “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 winner Ross Pearson against unbeaten prospect Edson Barboza and a light heavyweight duel matching Luiz Cane with undefeated Bulgarian import Stanislav Nedkov.

Here is a closer look at the UFC 134 “Silva vs. Okami” main card.

UFC Middleweight Championship
Anderson Silva (30-4, 13-0 UFC) vs. Yushin Okami (26-5, 10-2 UFC)

The Matchup: Arguably the game’s best pound-for-pound fighter heads into his ninth title defense fresh off his devastating February stoppage of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. For Silva, Okami represents two compelling plotlines. First, the one chink in his armor is wrestling, which Okami seems perfectly geared to exploit. Second, Okami’s the last person to beat him, albeit by disqualification in a bout Silva was controlling, until a creative-but-illegal upkick from the downed Brazilian ended matters halfway through the first round in 2006.

Since then, Silva has become MMA’s preeminent wrecking machine, as he has dominated and dispatched world-class opposition, all while mixing in an occasional snoozer -- often the byproduct of an opponent unwilling to engage him. When Silva wants to prove a point, he does so to indelible effect, with dynamic offense and an assassin’s detached cruelty.

Okami finally gets a title shot after years of being one of the UFC middleweight division’s most consistent grinders, putting together winning streaks interrupted only by decision losses in key fights against Franklin and Sonnen. With his durability and the ability to dictate fights on the ground, he represents the kind of aggressive foe that makes a fight against Silva interesting. For Okami to turn the trick, he will need a perfectly executed game plan, with few, if any, disruptions or nasty plot twists.

Okami’s striking consists mainly of flicking right jabs from a southpaw stance as he looks to tie up and muscle foes to the mat. If past challengers are any indication, the biggest problem in dealing with Silva is crossing the moat to transition from punching to takedown and clinch range. Foes like Demian Maia and Thales Leites were unable to do so, but Sonnen did an excellent job of it, mainly because he was not afraid to step into the pocket and followed exchanges with all-in takedown attempts.

If and when Okami gets the fight to the ground, his task only becomes somewhat easier from there. He is not known as a finishing, ground-and-pound-style monster, and Silva has one of the best chins in the history of the sport.

Even when dogged by a rib injury that nearly led him to withdraw from the Sonnen fight, he absorbed four-and-a-half rounds of heavy punishment before pulling out a fight-winning submission in the final stanza. Silva will mix up strikes standing and use angles aplenty. If grounded, his wily, ever-changing guard has to keep Okami reacting instead of initiating to improve position and exact punishment.

It is doubtful as to whether or not Okami can really do enough damage even if he does score takedowns unscathed. Silva is a threat to sweep and submit, in addition to unleashing offense from the bottom. Look for Okami to give it an honest try. The harder he pushes the affair, the more exciting the bout will be.

The Pick: Okami may score a takedown or two, but Silva will eventually counter and catch him with something significant mid-fight, culminating in a one-sided stoppage in the third round.

Continue Reading » Next Fight: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin