UFC 132 Fight Card: Breaking Down Silva vs. Leben

As the anticipation mounts for UFC 132 we take a look at one of the more intriguing fights on the card. The Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben bout. While most of the people will be making predictions about the Cruz vs. Faber contest, the simple fact is that the penultimate fight of the night has all the makings of a first class bout and one that could end up being the fight people walk away from 132 talking about.

This fight, in terms of popularity will be over before it starts. What you have are two men who are at the polar opposite ends of the spectrum. Wanderlei Silva is one of the best, well-known fighters on the planet. Not only does his high striking fighting ability appeal to the animal nature of MMA fans, but his willingness to be interactive with his fans has made him an easy favorite.

As for Chris Leben the results haven’t been the same. While Leben isn’t a menace by any stretch of the imagination, he isn’t very popular with the fans. Hardcore fans remember him from “The Ultimate Fighter” as guy who was easiest to hate. He never seemed to take the competition seriously and ended up getting himself in more harm than good. It was moments like that which have haunted his reputation.

Stepping in to the octagon will not be influenced by the personal choices, or the booing from the fans. For guys like Silva and Leben, the match will tell the tale of just how good they really are.

Their careers have been about as reflective as their popularity with the fans. Silva flourished back in the Pride promotion. Back then he faced elite competition each and every time. When there was a big fighter, Silva fought him, and beyond the single draw on his record he beat everyone he faced. Of course it can’t be forgotten that Silva struggled for a while, losing five out of six bouts. For those who had watched Silva for all those years it was jarring to see “The Axe Murderer” fold under the pressure. He was a great fighter who was struggling.

Silva’s record and reputation is in direct contrast to the record of Leben. Leben has been as up and down as his public persona. There have been good fight, and there have been bad fights all the same. He’s been one of the better strikers in the game when he’s “Good Leben” but bad Leben has had some disappointing performances. After he ran into the buzz saw of Anderson Silva, Leben lost his win streak and subsequently went on to lose two of his next three matches.

However, what might work in Leben’s favor is his attitude. Stepping in the ring with a legend, especially one who has a reputation for being as brutal as Silva, can be quite intimidating to even a seasoned professional. However, for a fighter who has made his living off of being unabashed and never intimidated there is no question that his confidence will be as high as ever when he steps inside. Confidence, whether it’s the deciding factor or not, matters.

Silva has his question marks though. He hasn’t fought in quite some time. Like Rampage Jackson had questions about his ring rust, people will have their questions about Silva. Silva, when he makes up his mind that he’s going to win is still as dangerous as any fighter out there. He’ll have to shake the cage rust off very quickly. Leben, for all the talk of his inconsistency, is one of the nastier strikers.

If Leben gets to Silva early there could be a major consequences when it comes to Silva being able to withstand that kind of barrage. Again, this will all be predicated on the idea that Leben will show up and seize the opportunity in front of him if Silva should get off to a slow start.

In the end this should be Silva’s fight to lose. Though he’s got more miles on him than Leben does, he’s still the better fighter and as long as he’s focused and determined he’s got a much better skill set to trounce a fighter who is hot and cold at his very best. Silva can’t take Leben lightly, but he has to know he’s in the drivers seat.