"Bigfoot" Silva happy with headlining opportunity at UFC on FX 5

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Despite two consecutive knockout losses, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva has been given a headlining spot for the UFC's fifth event on FX, coming to Minneapolis, Minn. on October 5. Granted, both losses came to top competition in American Kickboxing Academy teammates Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, but nevertheless, Silva is thankful for the opportunity against another tough opponent in the undefeated Travis Browne.

"I lost both times in quick fights, I couldn't show my work," Silva said in an interview with Tatame.com. "Velasquez and Cormier are two top fighters too, it's not like I lost to a nobody. Dana White knows what I can do and I'm happy with this chance."

Browne is another very talented fighter who has been making his way up the ranks in the UFC's heavyweight division. He was supposed to fight Ben Rothwell on next week's UFC on Fox 4 event, but an injury to Rothwell took him out of the card, opening the door for this fight. "Bigfoot" understands the challenge he faces in the bout, but he also knows it just comes with the territory in the UFC.

"[There are] no easy fights in the UFC," Silva said. "He's a striker. His stand-up is pretty good and he's also a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, with good takedown defenses. He's a tough guy, will be a good fight."

Penick's Analysis: Silva's losses to Cormier and Velasquez, while brutal and decisive, don't make him plummet down the standings. He simply got beat by two of the top fighters in the world. Velasquez has gotten a title rematch off of his performance against Silva, and Cormier proved himself with that win as well. Silva can bounce back and still compete against top competition if he can defeat Browne here, while Browne can stake his claim for a top spot by matching the performances of Cormier and Velasquez. This is a good fight here, especially for an FX card.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13962.shtml

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