UFC Fight Night 40: Brown vs. Silva Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More
"The Immortal" Matt Brown has seen the highs and lows in his UFC career. At age 33, the hard-hitting welterweight is on a roll.
He's won six fights in a row, five of them by KO/TKO, and he's attempting to make a serious run at a title at 170 pounds.
Standing in his way is 29-year-old Brazilian Erick "Indio" Silva.
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The two will meet in the main event at UFC Fight Night Cincinnati at the U.S. Bank Arena in the Queen City on Saturday night.
Per the current UFC rankings, Brown is seventh, and Silva is 14th amongst welterweights.
A win would likely keep Brown's status on the upswing and vault Silva into the top 10. Because both men possess real KO power, this could be an explosive meeting.
As most would expect, Brown is amped and ready to scrap.
Brown is known for his toughness and finishing ability. Though he has 11 losses in his career, his punching power makes him a constant threat against any opponent.
Brown has finished 11 of his 18 wins by KO/TKO. Five of his wins have come by way of submission.
Though it may seem like Brown is simply a slugger, former UFC fighter and current analyst Kenny Florian warns that "The Immortal" is a bit more:
Hailing from Xenia, Ohio, there's no doubt the emotional Brown will be able to draw off the energy of a crowd that figures to be behind him.
His opponent is ready for the challenge.
Silva told Elias Cepeda of Yahoo! Sports:
"The audience can influence things and I know people will be cheering for Matt Brown. But, when the door is closed, there will only be two fighters in there and everybody else doesn’t matter."
Silva's talent has never been in question. But the results in the Octagon haven't always matched the expectations.
He's never won consecutive bouts in his UFC career. Since making his debut in 2011, Silva has alternated wins and losses over his seven fights with the big company.
Coming off a win over Takenori Sato in February, Silva will be looking for his first UFC win streak.
There are a few other spots on the card that could also provide some excitement for MMA fans. Here's a look at the full card (per UFC.com), viewing information and predictions for every bout.
Just below the table is a closer look at three other fighters set to do battle on Saturday night.
| UFC Fight Pass Preliminaries | 6:30 p.m. ET | UFC Fight Pass |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Anthony Lapsley vs. Albert Tumenov | Welterweight | Tumenov by decision |
| Ben Wall vs. Justin Salas | Lightweight | Salas by decision |
| Nik Lentz vs. Manny Gamburyan | Featherweight | Lentz by submission |
| Fox Sports 2 Preliminaries | 8 p.m. ET | Fox Sports 2 |
| Eddie Wineland vs. Jonny Eduardo | Bantamweight | Eduardo by decision |
| Yan Cabral vs. Zak Cummings | Welterweight | Cabral by decision |
| Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Darrell Montague | Flyweight | Horiguchi by KO |
| Ed Herman vs. Rafael Natal | Middleweight | Natal by KO |
| Fox Sports 1 Main Card | 10 p.m. ET | Fox Sports 1 |
| Chris Cariaso vs. Louis Smolka | Flyweight | Smolka by decision |
| Soa Palelei vs. Ruan Potts | Heavyweight | Palelei by TKO |
| Neil Magny vs. Tim Means | Welterweight | Means by decision |
| Erik Koch vs. Daron Cruickshank | Lightweight | Koch by decision |
| Costas Philippou vs. Lorenz Larkin | Middleweight | Larkin by TKO |
| Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva | Welterweight | Silva by decision |
Fighters Badly in Need of a Win
Eddie Wineland
The 29-year-old from Portage, Indiana, desperately wants a title shot. He’s not going to get one if he continues with his recent win-one-lose-one pattern.
The only way to grab the attention of the UFC matchmakers and the fight community is to string together some victories. He has a tough assignment ahead of him in Jonny Eduardo.
The 35-year-old Brazilian is well-rounded and experienced. He’s making his UFC debut, so there will be a good deal of pressure on him as well.
Wineland is an exciting fighter, but Eduardo may have the speed and depth to his game to deal him a crushing defeat.
Rafael “Sapo” Natal
From a style, athleticism and swag standpoint, Natal looks like a fighter who should be among the elite at 185 pounds. But some inexplicable losses on his record to likes of Andrew Craig and Rich Attonito leave us scratching our heads about Natal’s ceiling.
Before losing to Tim Kennedy at UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in Nov. 2013, Natal had won three fights in a row. While there is no shame in losing to Kennedy, even though Natal was knocked out in the first round, it’s beginning to look as if Sapo can’t maintain momentum or perform once the level of competition is raised.
His opponent on Saturday is probably somewhere in between the upper echelon and the fighters Natal has handled over the course of his UFC career.
Natal should be able to use his quickness to befuddle Herman, just as long as he doesn’t get careless with his defense.
Costas Philippou
At one point, Philippou was talked about in the same vein as Glover Teixeira. A bruising, stand-up fighter who would become a force in his weight class as he constantly ascended up the UFC rankings. Things haven’t gone as planned.
Philippou has lost his last two bouts, and he looked bad doing it. Francis Carmont and Luke Rockhold both dominated him in their bouts. It’s beginning to look as if Philippou has lost his confidence.
On Saturday, he’ll face another fighter hungry for a win. Lorenz Larkin is a talented striker who is also looking to bounce back from some recent setbacks.
Stylistically, the bout looks like it could be an explosive battle between two top-notch strikers. As of now, it’s unclear whether or not either man is worthy of being referred to as “top notch.”
If Philippou is ever going to reach the status many thought he’d attain in the UFC, this is a fight he needs to win.
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