UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Silva 2

Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez walked through Antonio Silva like a paper finish line when they first fought one year ago.  Velasquez took Silva down early in the fight and finished him on the ground,  taking almost zero damage.  Coming into this fight we can only wonder if anything will change.

Since their last meeting, Silva plastered both Travis Browne and heavily-favored former K-1 champ Alistair Overeem on their feet.  Neither of them threatened to take him to the ground, whereas the heavyweight champion wields the best MMA wrestling in his division and drags everyone down into his domain.  In reclaiming his throne, the constant threat of takedowns and actual attempts rattled former champion and boxing wunderkind Junior Dos Santos to the point it was Velasquez who landed the most significant strikes.  Silva must defend those takedowns or try to catch him much in the way Junior Dos Santos did in handing Velasquez his first loss.

While Silva's power can wilt any man, his steep disadvantage in the areas of speed, agility and cardio could give us all deja vu.  Then again, we all thought the same thing in Silva's last fight until he crumbled (one-dimensional) Overeem.

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