UFC 153 Preview: 5 Reasons To Watch

(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

There plenty of things to do on a Saturday afternoon. However, most don’t involve watching two men locked inside of a cage attempting to punch, kick, knee, and choke their way to victory. In reality, though, few things match the excitement.

For the third time this year, the octagon heads to Brazil for an event as UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar takes place this Saturday (Oct. 13) from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. A three-round light heavyweight bout headlines the event as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moves up to 205-pounds to take on “The Ultimate Fighter” season one runner-up Stephan Bonnar.

If you weren’t planning on tuning in already, here are five reasons why you should invite some friends over, order a few pizzas, grab a couple beers, and tune into UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar this Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, only on pay-per-view.

5. A Six-Fight Pay-Per-View Card
The six-bout pay-per-view card returns at UFC 153 as in a break from historical trends, the organization has added another fight to pay-per-view broadcast

The UFC 153 main card features a whopping six fights on the broadcast. Along with the two headlining bouts of Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Dave Herman, a ton of familiar names including Jon Fitch, Phil Davis, and Demian Maia are all set to compete on the main card.

The UFC 153 fight card features plenty of notable names and competitive match ups that should be able to keep fans on the edge of their seats from the opening fight of the PPV broadcast to the last.

4. The Up-And-Comer Attempts To Take Out The Established Veteran
Welterweight contenders collide on the main card of UFC 153 as Brazilian prospect Erick Silva takes on former Num. 1 contender Jon Fitch in a bout that will show if the landscape is shifting in the welterweight division or if the supposed best are hanging on to their places in the rankings.

Fitch fights for the first time since Dec. 2011 when he was knocked out by fellow welterweight contender Johnny Hendricks in just 11-seconds. The loss brought an end to Fitch’s six-fight unbeaten streak and marked the first time he was finished in 16 UFC fights. The American Kickboxing Academy product was slated to fight Aaron Simpson at UFC on FUEL TV 4 in July, but a knee injury that required surgery forced him off the card. The welterweight division has shifted a lot since Fitch last competed, and he will look to reestablish his place in the pecking order with a win at UFC 153.

Silva last entered the Octagon at UFC on FX 4 where he submitted Charlie Brenneman in the first round with a rear-naked choke. The 28-year-old is 2-1 under the UFC banner and gets a stern leap in competition against a top-10 opponent in Fitch. The Brazilian has received a lot of attention from UFC fans and is being pegged as a potential title challenger in the future. The fight against the always-tough Fitch will prove where he stands in the welterweight division.

While there aren’t many people out there who enjoy watching Jon Fitch fight, his bout with Silva is fascinating for a number of reasons, the biggest of all is to find out if Erick Silva is ready and capable of taking out a fighter who has challenged for UFC gold and hung around the top-5 of the weight class for years. If Silva can take Fitch out it would be a huge statement to the rest of the welterweight division that there is a new contender emerging to challenge for the gold. If Fitch wins, he shuts down the hype of a rising star and shows he still has what it takes to be one of the very best.

3. Two Of The Best Strikers In The Light Heavyweight Division Collide
Once Quinton “Rampage” Jackson withdrew from UFC 153 due to injury, Glover Teixeira needed an opponent to face on short notice. It has been well documented since Teixeira got into the UFC that the organization had a hard time finding opponents to face the Brazilian, but Fabio Maldonado stepped up and took the fight. While the bout no longer included a household name in Jackson, the new match up is arguably more compelling.

Teixeira made a successful UFC debut last May when he submitted Kyle Kingsbury in less than two minutes at UFC 146. The win was the Brazilian’s 16th consecutive victory over the past six years, 15 of which have come by (T)KO or submission.

Maldonado is currently on a two-fight skid in the UFC after starting his Octagon career with a victory over James McSweeney. The 32-year old was scheduled to face Cyrille Diabate at UFC 154, but was pulled from the bout in favor of facing Teixeira. Much like his opponent, Maldonado prefers to strike with his opponents as 12 of his 18 victories are by way of (T)KO. From the moment Jackson was off the UFC 153 card, Maldonado began a public campaign to replace the former light heavyweight champion, and the UFC granted his wish.

The light heavyweight bout on the main card of UFC 153 between Glover Teixeira and Fabio Maldonado has the potential to be one of the best striking battles of the year due to the willingness of both men to stand up and trade punches regardless of the circumstances. Don’t blink when Teixeira and Maldonado enter the cage because it is nearly guaranteed one of them is taking a nap.

2. Brazilian Legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Returns To Action
After having his arm broke by Frank Mir at UFC 140 last December, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will return the Octagon at UFC 153 as the former PRIDE heavyweight champion is set to take on American Dave Herman in the co-main event of the evening.

Nogueira attempted to return from his arm injury against Cheick Kongo at UFC 149, however the Brazilian pulled out of the fight at the last minute after he reinjured himself and was replaced by Shawn Jordan. Prior to the fight with Mir, Nogueira knocked out Brendan Schaub in the first round at UFC 134 in Brazil. “Big Nog” has alternated wins and losses over his last five bouts and is undefeated on Brazilian soil in his career.

Herman will look to get back in the win column at UFC 153 after being stopped in back-to-back fights against Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson. Before suffering consecutive losses, Herman had won 21 of his 23 professional fights. The 27-year-old will be looking to have his hand raised for the first time since June 2011 and tweeted he is “excited to retire Minotauro” at UFC 153.

Both Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Dave Herman had extremely tough outings in their most recent bouts and it is a guarantee they will be hungry for a victory. Herman claims he is going to “retire” Nogueira, however that claim is going to take a lot of work to back up, especially in front of an extremely pro-Nogueira Brazilian crowd. Both men should be admired for their willingness to step up on short notice and add depth to the UFC 153 fight card. The bout is worth watching simply to see Nogueira compete. The Brazilian legend only has a few fights left in his tank and you never know which could be his last. Seeing one of the sport’s all-time greats is always worth it.

1. Witness A Shocking Upset Or A Brutal Beatdown
Few expected Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar to be the fight the UFC would pull out of their hat to save the UFC 153 fight card, but it’s the best they were able to do. Just when fans thought they weren’t going to see Silva compete until 2013, the champ offered to fight a non-title bout at light heavyweight so the crowd had something to watch.

Silva is the undisputed number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. The longtime middleweight champion is undefeated in the UFC at 15-0 with 10 wins by (T)KO. The Brazilian last fought at UFC 148 in July where he defeated nemesis Chael Sonnen by TKO in the second round. Silva’s move to light heavyweight is not permanent, win or lose, he will likely return to 185-pounds to defend his championship. The 37-year-old has fought twice in the UFC at 205-pounds, defeating both James Irvin and Forrest Griffin by first round knockout.

Bonnar has contemplated retirement from the sport in recent months, citing that he wanted a big fight or he would hang up his gloves for good. “The American Psycho” was granted his wish by the UFC as he will face by far the biggest challenge of his career at UFC 153 and look to be the first man to hand Silva a loss in the UFC. Bonnar has not competed since defeating Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 in Nov. 2011; however, the 37-year-old is currently riding his longest win streak since 2005-2006, having won three bouts in a row.

The UFC is selling this match up as exactly what it is. It’s either going to be squash match for Silva or Bonnar is going to pull out the most historic upset of all time and hand the sport’s Num. 1 pound-for-pound fighter the first loss of his UFC career. Most people see it going the way of Silva but as spectators have seen in MMA a million times, anything can happen. Order UFC 153 and watch Silva work his magic and dismantle Bonnar or see “The American Psycho” do what no one thinks he can.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBohnMMA. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.