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The first encounter against Cain Velasquez didn't go too well for Antonio Silva, who suffered a vicious and bloody first round beating at the hands of the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion.
So what went wrong at UFC 146 for "Bigfoot?"
His adrenaline and nerves were apparently working overtime because it was his first time competing inside the Octagon. With three fights under the UFC banner now in his back pocket -- including two knockout victories over Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem -- the heavy-handed Brazilian is "confident" the rematch will be much different as he plans to put his enormous hands on the face of "Brown Pride"... repeatedly.
His fighting words (via MMA Fight Corner):
"This is very big for me, very important for my career, for my family and I want this title. I want to win this title for me, for Brazil, for my fans and for my family. This time it will be different, you know? The first fight I was very nervous because it was my first fight in the UFC. There was a lot of adrenaline in my body and my coach give me strategy and I didn't put strategy in the cage. But, now I have two more fights in the UFC, I got in these two fights, two wins, good knockouts and now I'm very, very confident. I need to train everything. Cain Velasquez is a tough guy, he's a complete fighter. He has great stand up, he fights jiu-jitsu and wrestling, but, I believe in my hands. Every fight makes me better and any opportunity I am going to put my hands on his face."
Silva earned the rematch and title fight against Velasquez by dismantling the aforementioned Overeem at UFC 156 in Feb. 2013, while the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)-trained standout reclaimed his world title by throttling Junior dos Santos at UFC 155 in Dec. 2012.
Will the rematch between Velasquez and Silva at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013, be different than their initial encounter one year ago? Or will history repeat inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada?
Predictions, please.
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