Strikeforce Fedor vs. Silva: Just How Good Is Antonio Silva?
Going into his fight with Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva wasn't even ranked in the top 10 of his division. It will be hard to make a case for him not to be in the top of the division after tonight when he stopped "The Last Emperor" after the second round.
Now, on a three-fight win streak, Silva can be included in the discussion as one of the top five heavyweights in the division and also one of the most skilled. He was so dominant in the second round of the fight that two of the three judges scored it a 10-8.
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Rarely, if ever, have you seen Emelianenko lose a round before and especially not like that. His right eye was swollen shut from the Bigfoot assault, and referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the bout before the third round.
So just how good is Antonio Silva?
He showed a lot in this fight, especially how he can impose his size on smaller opponents. He outweighed his opponent by 35 pounds at the weigh-ins and was reportedly up to 285 the night of the fight. He used this to his advantage, taking Emelianenko down early in the second and advancing to mount for the majority of the round. His transitions from the back to mount were impressive as Emelianenko struggled to get out from bottom.
He didn't let his foe go unpunished and delivered a barrage of strikes throughout the round, bloodying the eye of Emelianenko. It was a clear 10-8 round.
His last loss came against Fabricio Werdum—a fight where he dropped Werdum in the first round and almost won. Werdum rallied in the second and third rounds to win a unanimous decision. His other loss—a controversial stoppage TKO occurred in 2006. His skills as a mixed martial artist have undoubtedly improved since both of those bouts.
With a record of 16-2, Silva will be looking to improve as a fighter as he is set to face the winner of an April bout between Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem. Either of those opponents will help solidify his position as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
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