UFC 146 Fight Card: Questions We Have About Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva will take on Cain Velasquez in UFC 146's co-main event. Despite the big-time booking, Silva largely remains a mystery to fans who aren't familiar with the Strikeforce heavyweight landscape.

When Silva takes on Velasquez—his first UFC fight—he does not come in without experience. Silva's most well-known accomplishment is that he defeated MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. He also holds notable wins over Andrei Arlovski and Ricco Rodriguez.

At UFC 146, Silva will have the opportunity to answer many of the questions we have about him. Such as...

Who Is He?

For many fans that don't get Showtime or simply don't watch much MMA outside of the UFC, this will be their first time watching Antonio Silva fight.

Fans will be curious to see what Silva is all about and what he can do in the Octagon. While he's a fighter with a ton of potential to be a serious threat in the UFC, his first task will be to show fans who he is.

Cain Velasquez presents a strong challenge and Silva will have the opportunity to make an emphatic statement about exactly who he is and what we can expect from him going forward.

Is He Ready for the UFC?

When high-profile fighters crossover from the smaller organizations to the biggest promotion in the world in the UFC, it's hard to predict how they will fare.

Since the bulk of the Strikeforce heavyweight roster has crossed over, they have done quite well for themselves. Lavar Johnson, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem (who came to the UFC just before the official merger) are recent examples of Strikeforce heavyweights that were able to come in and make their presence known immediately.

However, other highly-touted crossover stars have failed to deliver. Jake Shields was hyped as a real threat to both Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva before largely failing to live up to expectations.

Jorge Santiago was expected to make an impact on the middleweight division after his reign as the Sengoku middleweight championship but fell flat in two appearances before being released.

Silva makes his UFC debut against a former champion who is recovering from the sting of losing his title in a mere 64 seconds. Time will tell whether Silva joins his fellow Strikeforce heavyweight brethren or he becomes another highly hyped fighter who didn't adjust to the UFC.

Is He More Than Just "The Guy That Beat Fedor"?

Before entering the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, Antonio Silva was a decent enough prospect. Silva sported a 15-2 record and after losing to veteran Fabricio Werdum had just reeled off back-to-back victories over Mike Kyle and Andrei Arlovski.

Then Silva drew the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix. Emelianenko was coming off of his first legitimate loss in 10 years to Fabricio Werdum and many considered the loss to be a fluke.

Instead of shrinking to his underdog role and the invincible aura of Fedor, Silva rose to the occasion and soundly defeated the legend by doctor stoppage after a lopsided two rounds that left Fedor unable to continue.

Silva went on to lose to eventual Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier which makes Silva's most renown accomplishment to date his victory over Fedor.

Given Fedor's age and the fact that he went on to lose his next fight to Dan Henderson and has since left Strikeforce to take on aging veterans like Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii, the quality of Silva's win is debatable.

If Silva is capable of becoming known for something other than being "the guy that beat Fedor" then he needs to answer the question at UFC 146.

Can He Use His Size?

Antonio Silva is a mammoth. At 6'4", Silva usually weighs in right around the 265-pound heavyweight limit and has good range with an 82" reach. In a division of big guys, Silva should have the size advantage in just about any matchup the UFC can make for him.

However, in the heavyweight division, bigger isn't always bigger. While the hulking Brock Lesnar drew plenty of oohs and aahs for his massive stature, fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Strikeforce's Daniel Cormier have shown that there are advantages to being one of the more svelte contenders in the division.

Silva has had mixed results against smaller fighters in the past. Fedor Emelianenko, for example, was much smaller than Silva and he used his advantage to wear him down as the fight were on. Against Cormier, Silva took on yet another smaller heavyweight and was consistently beat to the punch in the stand-up department by his smaller opponent.

Can Silva show that bigger can still be better?

Is He a Contender?

You want to contend for the UFC heavyweight championship?

Beating the most recent former champion in your UFC debut is a nice start. If Antonio Silva wants to prove that he's a top contender right away, he must have a great showing against Cain Velasquez.

A loss to Velasquez doesn't necessarily send Silva to the bottom of the heap—aside from putting him in a title match, he's getting the toughest draw he possibly could have received. However, a win here shoots Silva right up to the top for a possible title shot and at the very least consideration for a No. 1 contender bout.

Silva was definitely a player in the Strikeforce heavyweight division—his loss to Cormier doesn't look very bad considering that he went on to win the whole tournament. But in a division that is suddenly getting deeper, we need to know if Silva is a serious contender.

The time is now for Silva to show where he belongs in the division.