Yesterday I said the UFC needed a major star to step in to save UFC 153, and they’ve gone right to the top of the food chain to do it, with Brazilian superstar Anderson Silva agreeing to fight Stephan Bonnar in the headliner.
It’s not the first time Silva’s donned his superhero cape and attempted to come to the rescue – he offered to fight at 205lbs with just a week’s notice to keep UFC 151 from collapsing, but by that stage it was too late as it had already been canceled.
The fact that he’s now stepped up to the plate again with the same offer proves it wasn’t just a publicity stunt.
Credit to Bonnar too for stepping in to what’s easily the biggest fight of his career with only four weeks notice. He’s been on a resurgance of late after going on a three fight unbeaten run.
He was becoming frustrated with his lack of big-name fights though and had even talked about retirement recently if he couldn’t secure a meaningful bout – openly campaigning for a stint as a TUF coach opposite Forrest Griffin.
Needless to say he’s now got a bigger fight than he could ever have imagined, and now he’ll be hoping that he doesn’t get bulldozed like his old pal Griffin did the last time Silva stepped up to the light-heavyweight division.
Given that Silva is currently an enormous star in his native Brazil, the UFC have pulled off a real coup here that instantly makes UFC 153 a must-see event again, even if Bonnar isn’t neccessarily the opponent fans would have wished for.
It’s still a rare treat to see Silva fight at 205lbs, something he’s done successfully twice before in the UFC, but has since shyed away from.
Stay tuned to the main page as we’ve got more news incoming about the other major chances that are incoming for the UFC 153 fight card as the promotion go about pulling off an impressive salvage operation.
