Silva vs. Irvin
Written July 10, 2008 by Jason Lowry
You have to wonder if the UFC isn’t trying to compete with the Affliction:Banned event that is going on next weekend, but either way MMA fans are getting a treat on Saturday July 19th as UFC Fight Night is going to be headlined by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva making his debut at 205 to fight current light heavyweight James Irvin in what should be a great night of fights. Unlike the Affliction event going on the UFC event is going to be aired on cable and free to viewers who have Spike TV as part of their package. While there are 6 fights scheduled for the main card, Jason Lowry is going to take a little closer look at the main one in Silva vs. Irvin.
Anderson “The Spider” Silva (21-4) -500 odds at Bodoglife.com
After pretty much destroying everyone in his path in the UFC at the middleweight division, Silva is going to move up and test his skills against a little bigger fighter in Irvin, but don’t expect him to stay at this weight class for to long, as he is expected to fight Yushin Okami at UFC 88. We really aren’t sure what to expect from Silva at this weight class, but you have to think he is going to be pretty damn good if he is considered by many to be the best pound for pound fighter today. In 6 UFC events Silva walked through everyone he faced, as no fight went the distance and 4 of the 6 were won by knock out. Silva is known for his excellent striking ability, as he can throw punches, knees, and kicks from almost any position, but he remind fans that he can win on the ground as he used a rear naked chokehold to beat Dan Henderson at UFC 82.
James “The Sandman” Irvin (14-4) +350 odds at Bodoglife.com
James Irvin comes into this fight as someone that really doesn’t have much to lose, as almost everyone is going to be on the Silva bandwagon for this fight, but Silva better be careful of Irvin as he does have the ability to end the fight quickly. For those who don’t remember look up his most recent fight with Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 13 where he used a superman punch to end the fight y TKO just 8 seconds into the fight. Irvin is not someone you can take likely and he will have to rely on those heavy hands to lead him to the big time upset in this one.
Prediction: Anderson Silva - 500
If you have watched Silva fight lately there is no way you question us picking this guy to win this one, the main question in this one is just what kind of shape Silva will be in for this fight at a different weight class. We are going to think that he is going to come in ready and the fight won’t be any different than his last. We got Siva winning this thing by knock out in the 2nd round.
If you are looking to place a bet on the upcoming fight between Silva and Irvin, then head over to Bodoglife.com and get an account started today. Professional handicapper Jason Lowry will continue to bring UFC event predictions and take closer looks at some of the big fights going on at each event.
