On April 10, 2010 Anderson “The Spider” Silva will put his middleweight championship title on the line against the talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Demian Maia. Since his induction into the UFC in 2006 Anderson Silva has proven himself as one of the most dominant fighters to ever enter the octagon. Fans have been astonished with Silva’s precise striking and how he uses it to dominate all challengers that come his way. After knocking out Chris Leben (who has an exceptionally strong chin) in the first round in 49 seconds Silva was granted a title shot against the dynamic UFC champion Rich “Ace” Franklin. People criticized the management of the UFC for giving Anderson a title shot with only one win under his belt in the UFC, but Silva showed everyone why. Anderson utilized the muay-thai clinch to overwhelm Franklin in the first round to become the UFC middleweight champion. Since then Anderson Silva has basically ran through all other challengers and has even fought in a higher weight class with phenomenal results. One of those fights in the higher weight class includes Forrest Griffin who was absolutely embarrassed by the striking prowess of Silva. Is it a wonder why Anderson “The Spider” Silva has been named by many as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world? I think not.
If styles make fights then Anderson’s next opponent may prove to be a handful. Demiam Maia possesses dangerous BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) skills which will take away the advantage that Silva has with striking; that is if Maia can get him to the ground. Demian Maia has been working his way up through the middleweight ranks of the UFC since 2007. Big names that Maia has defeated include Chael Sonnen, Jason MacDonald and Ed Herman. Demian has one loss against him which happened at the hands of Nate Marquardt by a devastating knock out which actually knock Maia off his feet. That being said, Demian Maia’s strategy for his upcoming fight against Silva will likely be to get Anderson down to the ground as fast as possible and submit him, which is easier said than done.
Two other things to note about the upcoming UFC 112 are that originally it was supposed to be Vitor Belfort facing Anderson Silva (which I believe would have been a phenomenal fight) and that the actual event is taking place in Abu Dhabi.
Finally, my prediction for the Silva vs. Maia UFC middleweight title fight is that Anderson Silva will emerge victorious in the later part of the first round.
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