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UFC 153 will forever go down in the minds of most MMA fans as the event that was saved by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Besides an appearance from the champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira competed for the first time since suffering a broken arm. Also, Jon Fitch returned to his old form and two UFC Ultimate Fighter Champions stepped into the octagon.
Round One: What Else Needs To Be Said About The Spider?
Anderson Silva may go down as the greatest fighter in all of MMA and he continued to show why with yet, another great performance at UFC 153. Anderson Silva even went as far as to avoid multiple blows from Stephan Bonnar while purposely keeping his back against the octagon fence. Anderson Silva recently stated that he feels that he has around two to three fights before he calls it a career, it will be interesting to see who they will be against. Stephan Bonnar may have stopped a near retirement to face the UFC Middleweight champion, but unfortunately fared the same way that Anderson Silva’s past foes have.
Next Round For Anderson Silva: Michael Bisping, Chris Weidman or Tim Boetsch
Next Round For Stephan Bonnar: Retirement
Round Two: Jiu-Jitsu Does Work
Dave Herman and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira only had a month to hype up their UFC 153 encounter and it was Herman who commented that “jiu-jitsu will not work on him.†In the second round of their co-main event, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira proved him wrong by tapping out the fighter via arm bar. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira looked excellent in his return to the octagon, as this was his first fight since Frank Mir broke his arm at UFC 140. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira said that he feels that he has one good run left in him and he definitely started that run on the right foot.
Next Round For Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: Stefan Struve, Antonio Silva or Cheick Kongo
Next Round For Dave Herman: A UFC Release
Round Three: If The Glover Fits
Glover Teixeira was looking to make a big impact in his sophomore UFC effort and he did so by bashing the skull of Fabio Maldonado for two rounds. To be fair, Glover Teixeira would have destroyed Fabio Maldonado if the fight had gone to a third round, but the doctor made the save. Glover Teixeira now has the right to fight a big name UFC fighter and he has already called out Quinton Jackson. Credit must also be awarded to Glover Teixeira because he withstood one heck of a beating for two full rounds.
Next Round For Glover Teixeira: Quinton Jackson, Phil Davis or Ryan Bader
Next Round For Fabio Maldonado: Ryan Jimmo, Jimi Manuwa or Nick Penner
Round Four: The Comeback Kid
Jon Fitch was on the verge of become an afterthought in the UFC Welterweight Division and was put in the fight to be a stepping stone for Erick Silva. Somebody forgot to tell Jon Fitch though because the fighter dominated Erick Silva for three rounds to earn a decision victory. Not only did Jon Fitch pick up the victory, but he earned himself a “fight of the night†bonus as well, adding $70,000 to the bank account. Erick Silva still has a bright future in the UFC Welterweight Division, but has to deal with the wrestlers a lot better than he did with Jon Fitch.
Next Round For Jon Fitch: Damian Maia, Jake Ellenberger or John Hathaway
Next Round For Erick Silva: Jay Hieron, Rick Story or Dan Hardy
Round Five: Two TUF Champions From Brazil = Two Victories
There is a lot of positive and negative about the UFC Ultimate Fighter, but two winners of the reality show that hail from Brazil got big victories on Saturday Night. First, Diego Brandao dominated a very game Joey Gambino on route to a unanimous decision victory. Secondly, the first ever TUF Brazil Champion in Rony Bezerra knocked out Sam Sicilia in the third round. There have been three UFC Ultimate Fighter Champions from Brazil and so far, they are all looking good.
Next Round For Diego Brandao: Jonathan Brookins, Rodrigo Damm or Manny Gamburyan
Next Round For Rony Bezerra: Leonard Garcia, Hatsu Hioki or Nik Lentz
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