Two of Antonio Silva's biggest victories in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) came in bouts that many probably didn't expect him to win.
The former heavyweight title challenger, who enters the Octagon for the ninth time at the UFC 193 pay-per-view (PPV) on Sat., Nov. 14, 2015 for a rematch with former Pride FC competitor Mark Hunt, mixed it up with Dutch striker Alistair Overeem 39-14-(1) in Feb. 2013, which made for a memorable evening.
It started out with "The Reem" demonstrating his clear-cut speed advantage over "Bigfoot." Overeem made good use of knee strikes and the clinch to take round one from Silva (19-7-1).
The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion took Silva down 30 seconds into round two, where he stayed for the entire duration of the frame. Overeem landed highly effective ground and pound to both the body and head of his Brazilian counterpart.
Then, Silva found an opening in Overeem's lackadaisical striking defense.
After a hard-charging Overeem failed to land a takedown right out of the gate in the final frame, Silva retaliated with some well-placed right uppercuts and hooks, following by a merciless beatdown of the one-time K-1 kickboxer along the fence.
Silva's next opponent, who's a "Super Samoan," is known for taking massive amounts of punishment. It will take a much faster start for the American Top Team (ATT) fighter if he wants to put Hunt away this time inside Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
For the complete UFC 193: 'Rousey vs. Holm' fight card, click here.
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