The UFC returns to Brazil on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 51 and while the headline of the show may not mention it, the card will be headlined by a heavyweight rematch as Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva meets Andrei Arlovski.
There first meeting came back in 2010 in Strikeforce as Silva won by unanimous decision in a fight card held in St. Louis, Missouri.
Less than one year after that victory, Silva would shock the mixed martial arts world by defeating Fedor Emelianenko at the end of the second round.
Since that victory, Silva has gone 2-3, 1NC and this will be his first fight since coming off a suspension from his drug test following UFC Fight Night 33 late last year. In that fight, he competed to a majority draw against Mark Hunt, but the fight was overturned to a no-contest when Silva tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.
Silva (18-5, 1NC) will be fighting in his home country of Brazil for the first time in his professional career and he will look to get his career back on track against Arlovski. Obviously, he is excited to headline a fight card in his home country and it’s also special since his birthday is this weekend.
“I’m so excited, you must understand this is actually my first professional fight in Brazil,” Silva said in quotes released by the UFC. “I fought once before in Brazil on a small show but that wasn’t as a professional, no-one know who I was, and this time I have the great support of the fans, my friends and family will be there – and it is actually my birthday this week (Sunday, September 14). So I am very excited for this fight, this is almost as big a fight for me as when I fight for the UFC heavyweight belt. Winning this fight means everything to me.”
It has been over four years since Silva defeated Arlovski in Strikeforce and it was the last time Silva has won a fight by a decision. In their first meeting, Silva believes that the former UFC champion underestimated him and Arlovski will not be able to defeat him by knockout.
“Last time we fought he underestimated me and I won on points, but this time he knows I am (world class) and can beat him,” Silva said. “He will have prepared for what I do, but I am a much better fighter than I was four years ago. I fought for the title, I have beaten fighters like Overeem, Fedor and the others. I’m a different guy now.
“He’s an awesome striker, he hits very hard, and I know he’s going to try to knock me out. But he tried that last time, and other people have tried that, too, and he won’t be able to get that done. It won’t work. He needs a plan “B” because he won’t knock me out.
“I don’t want to win on a decision this time, not fighting in Brazil in the main event. The people who come to see me will have something to celebrate with me. I will knock him out or submit him. One round or last round, I will finish him. I’m going to knock him out. I will be looking to knock him out with every strike, that I promise.”