What’s the story?
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is all set for action when he takes on The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum. UFC have officially added Silva vs. Gastelum to the UFC 212 fight card in Brazil.
Gastelum had been asking to fight either a number one contender or a high ranked opponent. Silva is currently ranked seventh in the UFC middleweight rankings, thus, a fight against the legendary Brazilian makes sense for Gastelum’s career.
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Gastelum returned to the 185-pound division against Tim Kennedy at UFC 206 and won the fight via TKO. He later defeated Vitor Belfort via TKO in Brazil. After his victory over "The Phenom”, the American had called out Silva for the UFC’s next Brazilian PPV.
In his previous fight, “The Spider” had faced Derek Brunson. He won the fight due to a highly controversial unanimous decision.
The heart of the matter
Gastelum had asked to fight “The Spider” and his wish has been fulfilled by the matchmakers. The tweet, confirming the bout via UFC’s official Twitter account, is as follows:
Since his return to the 185-pound Middleweight division, the young up-and-comer seems to be on a quest of knocking out longtime veterans of the division. Silva too is a legendary veteran and thus fits the bill to be the perfect next opponent for the American.
Also read: 5 reasons Anderson Silva should retire
On the other hand, by defeating Brunson, Silva finally managed to register a victory after almost 5 years. He would certainly be aiming to win two consecutive fights for the first time in five years at UFC 212.
What’s next?
Before his recent triumph over Brunson, Silva had lost four out of his last five fights inside the octagon. He would be looking to avoid another defeat, whereas the American will be looking to extend his win streak to four.
Author’s take
It’s safe to say that Silva is way past his prime and Gastelum could have faced someone who is young and at the peak of their abilities. However, the fight with the Brazilian is also an exciting and tricky match-up as both fighters have the power and the skill to turn the lights out on their opponents.
Gastelum is currently on a massive high, but Silva too cannot be overlooked after his years of dominance in the sport.
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