Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweights Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski stepped into the cage for the second time last night (Sat., Sept. 13, 2014) at UFC Fight Night 51 from inside the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil.
Antonio Silva had a lot to lose going into this bout. Though his last fight was absurdly entertaining, it was tainted by his failed drug test. Looking to prove that he was still a top five heavyweight, "Bigfoot" could not afford to lose to Arlovski, the man he had previously conquered in 2010.
Arlovski, on the other hand, simply had to go out and be aggressive to impress. He was a major underdog struggling with hesitation near the end of a long career; that's hardly a combination for success.
Despite all that, the Belarusian went out, obliterated "Bigfoot," and looked fantastic doing it.
Immediately, it was clear that Arlovski did not plan on letting Silva force him into the cage. Unlike their first fight, Arlovski was light on his feet, bouncing around "Bigfoot" and feinting. Noticing that Silva's hands were glued to his chin, Arlovski attacked with a quick right hand to Silva's body.
"Pitbull" then attacked with a 1-2, digging the straight punch into Silva's body. Silva attempted a leg kick and missed badly. His clear speed advantage was troubling Silva, although the massive Brazilian did not reveal it.
Arlovski then went back to the body and was overall being quite aggressive with his boxing. Silva -- deciding enough was enough -- stepped toward Arlovski with a bit more commitment and managed to land a pair of nice kicks. After landing a jab, Arlovski again went in with a 1-2. This time, Silva countered with a nice right hand.
It would be his last piece of offense.
Arlovski again burst toward Silva with a combination. "Bigfoot" managed to back away from the first right hand, but the left uppercut and final overhand both connected clearly. Silva collapsed and was barely conscious.
"Pitbull" closed the deal with a quick series of hammerfists.
Just like that, Arlovski has moved into the ranks of other title contenders. There is no clear challenger after Werdum, so Arlovski is likely just a single win away from the title. In order to become champ once again, Arlovski will have to go through either Stipe Miocic or the winner of Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson, who collide later this month.
Not only did this fight raise Arlovski into contender status, but it silenced many naysayers. Select fight fans have been calling for Arlovski's retirement or questioning the sturdiness of his chin. Though they had a valid argument before this victory, Arlovski has quite simply never looked better.
Now, fans just want to see how far he can go.
Silva is in a rough spot. No one except for the fighter himself knows exactly how getting off testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) affected him, but this was a terrible sign. Not only is Silva undergoing brain surgery in order to fight, but he's absorbing brutal knockouts all too often.
Not unlike Alistair Overeem, "Bigfoot" has the skills to compete with the UFC's best heavyweights. He just needs to ask himself whether it is worth it.
After pasting "Bigfoot" in just about three minutes at UFC Fight Night 51, where will Arlovski next in the wide open heavyweight division?
For complete UFC Fight Night 51: "Bigfoot vs Arlovski" results, including blow-by-blow coverage of the entire Fight Pass event, click here.