Antonio Silva: I’m angry with an appetite for victory

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva came into the UFC with some hype and momentum on his side. Even though he was coming off a loss to surging contender Daniel Cormier, he was effective in Strikeforce and Elite XC, having won 9 out of 11 bouts during that time. One of those wins was his doctor stoppage victory over the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in the opening round of the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix.

However, after that, he was knocked out by the aforementioned Cormier and then thrust into a bout with Cain Velasquez after Alistair Overeem‘s failed drug test caused a great reshuffling of the UFC 146 card. The results were none too favorable for the towering Brazilian, who was grounded and pounded into a bloody mess by the former heavyweight champion in the first round. Now, a man who was riding high on the hype train just last year may be fighting for his job when he faces Travis Browne tomorrow night in the main event of UFC on FX 5 from Minneapolis. He knows this, and stated the following to ESPN.com recently:

“This fight for me is all-or-nothing. I’m coming into this fight knowing the importance of fighting in the UFC. The UFC is the best promotion in the world, and by having a better performance and victory, it will transcend into a better life for my family. It will also transcend into a better life for me professionally.”

It appears that Silva knows the dire circumstances surrounding his approaching bout with Browne, and will strive to make his mark in the world’s biggest MMA promotion when he faces the undefeated Browne, who stands at 13-0-1. This will be no easy task, but Silva believes it to be one that may be easier than his last two opponents, who were highly skilled wrestlers:

“I like to fight against strikers. I’m not taking anything away from Browne, he is definitely a good fighter, but his wrestling skills aren’t to the level of Cormier and Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately during my first fight in UFC [against Velasquez] I got cut and was unable to continue. But this time I am going to go out there and show the UFC fans the fighter that I really am. You’re going to see a ‘Bigfoot’ who is angry and with an appetite for a victory.”

Silva may seem as if he is taking Browne a bit more lightly than Cormier and Velasquez. Perhaps his previous two opponents are more accomplished and bigger names in the UFC, but no Heavyweight challenger can be overlooked in the UFC, especially a 6-foot-7 wrecking machine such as Browne. Will Silva show up with the tenacity it takes to overcome such a challenge? Or will he find himself with a pink slip on Friday night?

Photo: MMAWeekly.com