Machida Draws Silva at Oct. UK UFC
Jordan Breen Jul 17, 2008
Just a day after fortifying the lineup for their Oct. 18 UFC 89
card at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, Zuffa
have added a major light heavyweight tilt to the card.
In a premier 205-pound pairing, unblemished Lyoto Machida (Pictures) puts his 13-0 mark on the line against fellow undefeated Brazilian Thiago Silva (Pictures), who boast his own 13-0 record.
Machida’s lack of exposure despite wins over the likes of Rich Franklin (Pictures), Stephan Bonner and B.J. Penn (Pictures) once made him arguably the sport's greatest enigma. However, with a 5-0 mark in the UFC, including a commanding decision over former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures) in May, the 30-year-old Machida has turned his mystery into mysticism, emerging as a dominant challenger with a seemingly unsolvable style.
The 25-year-old Silva, one of the division's hottest prospects, also continued his climb up the light heavyweight ladder in May, overcoming a rocky start against fellow Brazilian Antonio Mendes (Pictures) to force "Samuray" to submit to punches from the mount in the first round. The victory ran Silva's UFC record to 4-0, including stoppage victories over Tomasz Drwal (Pictures) and Houston Alexander (Pictures).
On Tuesday, Zuffa announced three bouts for the Oct. 18 UFC 89 card, making official fights between welterweights Akihiro Gono (Pictures) and Dan Hardy (Pictures), heavyweights Shane Carwin (Pictures) and Neil Wain, and light heavyweights Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) and Luiz Arthur Cane.
In a premier 205-pound pairing, unblemished Lyoto Machida (Pictures) puts his 13-0 mark on the line against fellow undefeated Brazilian Thiago Silva (Pictures), who boast his own 13-0 record.
Machida’s lack of exposure despite wins over the likes of Rich Franklin (Pictures), Stephan Bonner and B.J. Penn (Pictures) once made him arguably the sport's greatest enigma. However, with a 5-0 mark in the UFC, including a commanding decision over former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures) in May, the 30-year-old Machida has turned his mystery into mysticism, emerging as a dominant challenger with a seemingly unsolvable style.
The 25-year-old Silva, one of the division's hottest prospects, also continued his climb up the light heavyweight ladder in May, overcoming a rocky start against fellow Brazilian Antonio Mendes (Pictures) to force "Samuray" to submit to punches from the mount in the first round. The victory ran Silva's UFC record to 4-0, including stoppage victories over Tomasz Drwal (Pictures) and Houston Alexander (Pictures).
On Tuesday, Zuffa announced three bouts for the Oct. 18 UFC 89 card, making official fights between welterweights Akihiro Gono (Pictures) and Dan Hardy (Pictures), heavyweights Shane Carwin (Pictures) and Neil Wain, and light heavyweights Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) and Luiz Arthur Cane.
