The Truth Hurts: Silva Stops Vera at UFC 125
Posted by M. C. Castaneda (Staff Writer)Jan 2
Thiago Silva returned to his winning ways Saturday evening by pounding out a unanimous decision victory over Brandon “The Truth” Vera at UFC 125. Silva had been out of action for just inder a year, and the time off appears to have paid dividends.
In a bout that was billed as a battle of two outstanding Muay Thai fighters, most expected someone to get knocked out. This would not be the case though. The first round started with both fighters meeting in the center of the ring, but would shortly move up against the cage where Silva would use the fence to his advantage and take Vera to the ground. Silva landed in top position and would remain in control for the majority of the round where he drop big punches and prevented Vera from doing anything the entire round. When the horn sounded and the round ended, before both fighters returned to their corners they engaged in a fierce stair down that was broken up by the referee.
The second round was similar to the first. Both fighters attempted to implement their Muay Thai skills, however Silva would again take Vera down and pound on him for most of the round. By this point it is evident that Vera has no answer for Silva’s Jiu Jitsu and he was definitely losing the bout.
In the third round Vera threw a body kick that knocked Silva off-balance and sent him to the canvas, but rather than jumping on the downed Brazilian, Vera oddly raised his hands as though he had just won a door prize. Silva would get back to his feet, and just as in the first two rounds, Silva took Vera down. However, this time Vera was crouched down with his right shoulder against the fence and Silva on Vera’s back. From this position Silva unloaded on Vera, dropping numerous devastating big hands to the head and left cheek of Vera. Silva even threw a few open-handed shots to the head of Vera. While Silva was flinging palms at Vera, he simulated playing the drums on Vera’s back between slaps. Among the onslaught of leather Silva landed on Vera’s head, Silva managed to break Vera’s nose. When the fight was over, Vera’s broken honker was on display for all to see, drawing comparisons to Rich Franklin’s beak after his match with Anderson Silva.
With this victory Silva has re-emerged within the UFC’s Light Heavy Weight division. Additionally, while Silva was away from the cage, he had surgery to repair some damage to his back. Silva looks to be in top form and is a legitimate contender in the 205 lb. weight class.
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