Pros Pick: Evans vs. Silva
Pros Pick
Mike Sloan Jan 2, 2010
Former light heavyweight champion Rashad
Evans will take the first step towards recapturing his title
when he meets Brazilian bomber Thiago
Silva in the UFC
108 “Evans vs. Silva” main event this Saturday at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
While fans will not be treated to Evans locking horns with archrival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the once-beaten Silva poses his own dangers in this showdown between world-ranked light heavyweights.
Sherdog.com recently gathered predictions from a number of
professional fighters and trainers to gauge how they think the UFC
108 centerpiece will play out.
Chris Weidman: Rashad will ultimately be looking to get this fight to the ground. I do think Rashad will stand and trade to sell the takedown. Rashad will eventually end up taking down Silva and controlling the ground game with his wrestler’s base, while raining punches down. Rashad by TKO due to ground-and-pound.
Jeff Monson: Silva by TKO.
Charlie Brenneman: This is a difficult one to call. Both Silva and Rashad are aggressive, but Silva tends to come straight at you, while Rashad is more stick and move. A year and a half ago, I would have gone with Silva, hands down, but after seeing Lyoto Machida dominate him, his mystique has taken a hit. Rashad will use his athleticism early in the fight to frustrate Silva and then get the KO late in the second round.
Zac George: Rashad will use his “Bobblehead” movement to frustrate Thiago into making a fight-ender. Rashad by late second-round TKO.
Brian Warren: My prediction for the fight -- Rashad “Mr. Cocky” Evans loses by submission and still isn’t humbled.
Matt Pena: I think this is a very fascinating fight. It’s a very dangerous fight. For Evans to be going against someone with such heavy hands in his first bout back since being brutally KO’d by Machida is an interesting move. Will Rashad show seven and a half months of rest or rust? That’s a long time for him to be waiting with his last performance weighing on his mind. Another interesting fact -- Rashad will be standing across from another Brazilian with the exact same height, reach and weight as his last opponent. The good news for Rashad is that’s where the similarities between his last two opponents will end. On the surface, it looks like Rashad’s facing another dangerous striker with a solid ground game, and that’s true. But Thiago’s traditionally conventional pressure game is nowhere near the same league as Machida’s elusive southpaw counter attack, nor does Thiago possess the speed and angles that Machida has. I believe Greg Jackson will have Evans well-prepared for this fight and the style that Thiago possesses. Following around a Jackson fighter is a very bad thing to do, and I believe that’s exactly what Thiago will do. What I will find very interesting is if Silva chooses not to press and waits to counter Rashad with bombs. This could cause problems for Evans, considering what happened in his last fight. However, I don’t think Silva has the discipline or skill set for this approach, as Rashad is feigning and moving all over the place. Even if Evans gets clipped in this fight, as long as he goes down swinging -- and not trying to push away like in his last fight -- he will find an upright and pressing Thiago right in front of him to hit flush. Too elusive and too fast, I’m looking for Rashad to stop Thiago eventually, via KO or TKO.
Nick Thompson: As I was beating Derrick Noble at shuffleboard, he said Evans would win. Well, everyone knows Noble is a poof, so I am going with Silva.
Derrick Noble: I think if Rashad fights smart and mixes his wrestling with his striking he can win this fight. If he engages in a striking battle with Silva, I think he will eventually lose. I pick Rashad by decision, based on better takedowns and controlling top position.
Erik Paulson: I think that, with the disappointment from the show when Rampage pulled out, Rashad has been anticipating and is super ready to fight. Rashad in his top form is a very difficult opponent to beat. I know Thiago has got some great talent and is the aspiring fighter to beat Rashad, but I think Rashad is more than ready to go and will be a hard force to stop. I can’t wait to watch this fight.
Roland Sarria: Thiago will set the pace and press Rashad to fight his fight and make it a slugfest. Thiago by stoppage.
Kevin Burns: Rashad will be too tough to take down, and it’s just a matter of time until Silva either gets KO’d or TKO’d.
Mike Ciesnolevicz: I would like to see Thiago Silva win and kind of shake up the division a bit. I think Rashad will probably win this fight by decision and resort back to his wrestling roots. I’m pretty sure he can take Thiago down whenever he wants. The stand-up should be pretty equal. Thiago should have a jiu-jitsu advantage, but Rashad can dictate where the fight takes place; that will be his key.
Travis Lutter: I think Rashad is going to win this one.
While fans will not be treated to Evans locking horns with archrival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the once-beaten Silva poses his own dangers in this showdown between world-ranked light heavyweights.
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Chris Weidman: Rashad will ultimately be looking to get this fight to the ground. I do think Rashad will stand and trade to sell the takedown. Rashad will eventually end up taking down Silva and controlling the ground game with his wrestler’s base, while raining punches down. Rashad by TKO due to ground-and-pound.
Mac
Danzig: This fight could go either way. It’s a pretty
interesting matchup style-wise. Rashad is one of the few guys in
the light heavyweight division who moves like a welterweight.
Still, I think this is a much harder fight for him than the
original matchup against Quinton Jackson. Thiago Silva is
well-rounded and aggressive, where Jackson is just aggressive. I’m
honestly not good at predicting fights these days, so I don’t want
to jinx my man Rashad, but I see him winning, especially if he does
the nipple thing before the fight.
Jeff Monson: Silva by TKO.
Charlie Brenneman: This is a difficult one to call. Both Silva and Rashad are aggressive, but Silva tends to come straight at you, while Rashad is more stick and move. A year and a half ago, I would have gone with Silva, hands down, but after seeing Lyoto Machida dominate him, his mystique has taken a hit. Rashad will use his athleticism early in the fight to frustrate Silva and then get the KO late in the second round.
Zac George: Rashad will use his “Bobblehead” movement to frustrate Thiago into making a fight-ender. Rashad by late second-round TKO.
Brian Warren: My prediction for the fight -- Rashad “Mr. Cocky” Evans loses by submission and still isn’t humbled.
Matt Pena: I think this is a very fascinating fight. It’s a very dangerous fight. For Evans to be going against someone with such heavy hands in his first bout back since being brutally KO’d by Machida is an interesting move. Will Rashad show seven and a half months of rest or rust? That’s a long time for him to be waiting with his last performance weighing on his mind. Another interesting fact -- Rashad will be standing across from another Brazilian with the exact same height, reach and weight as his last opponent. The good news for Rashad is that’s where the similarities between his last two opponents will end. On the surface, it looks like Rashad’s facing another dangerous striker with a solid ground game, and that’s true. But Thiago’s traditionally conventional pressure game is nowhere near the same league as Machida’s elusive southpaw counter attack, nor does Thiago possess the speed and angles that Machida has. I believe Greg Jackson will have Evans well-prepared for this fight and the style that Thiago possesses. Following around a Jackson fighter is a very bad thing to do, and I believe that’s exactly what Thiago will do. What I will find very interesting is if Silva chooses not to press and waits to counter Rashad with bombs. This could cause problems for Evans, considering what happened in his last fight. However, I don’t think Silva has the discipline or skill set for this approach, as Rashad is feigning and moving all over the place. Even if Evans gets clipped in this fight, as long as he goes down swinging -- and not trying to push away like in his last fight -- he will find an upright and pressing Thiago right in front of him to hit flush. Too elusive and too fast, I’m looking for Rashad to stop Thiago eventually, via KO or TKO.
Nick Thompson: As I was beating Derrick Noble at shuffleboard, he said Evans would win. Well, everyone knows Noble is a poof, so I am going with Silva.
Derrick Noble: I think if Rashad fights smart and mixes his wrestling with his striking he can win this fight. If he engages in a striking battle with Silva, I think he will eventually lose. I pick Rashad by decision, based on better takedowns and controlling top position.
Erik Paulson: I think that, with the disappointment from the show when Rampage pulled out, Rashad has been anticipating and is super ready to fight. Rashad in his top form is a very difficult opponent to beat. I know Thiago has got some great talent and is the aspiring fighter to beat Rashad, but I think Rashad is more than ready to go and will be a hard force to stop. I can’t wait to watch this fight.
Roland Sarria: Thiago will set the pace and press Rashad to fight his fight and make it a slugfest. Thiago by stoppage.
Kevin Burns: Rashad will be too tough to take down, and it’s just a matter of time until Silva either gets KO’d or TKO’d.
Mike Ciesnolevicz: I would like to see Thiago Silva win and kind of shake up the division a bit. I think Rashad will probably win this fight by decision and resort back to his wrestling roots. I’m pretty sure he can take Thiago down whenever he wants. The stand-up should be pretty equal. Thiago should have a jiu-jitsu advantage, but Rashad can dictate where the fight takes place; that will be his key.
Travis Lutter: I think Rashad is going to win this one.
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