Three fights added to UFC 153; Jon Fitch set to take on rising star Erick Silva
Now that the headlining bout of Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch for the UFC Featherweight title is set in stone, UFC 153 from Rio’s undercard is starting to take shape with a recent announcement. First off, perennial Welterweight contender and long-time second fiddle to GSP Jon Fitch will take on surging young contender Erick Silva. Fitch has much to prove after suffering a devastating knockout loss to Johny Hendricks late last December. This was a fight that were he to win, it would have been hard to deny him another shot at the 170 lb. title. However he did not win. Silva is a young Brazilian who has taken the UFC by storm early on in his career with his violent, effective Muay Thai skills. He also submitted Charlie Brenneman at the recent UFC on FX 3. Fitch is a known grinder, so it will be interesting to see how Silva reacts to deep waters.
In other action, former Middleweight contender Demian Maia will continue his new run at Welterweight in a bout against former 170 lb. contender Rick Story. Maia comes in hot off of a TKO win over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 148, a strange victory where a Maia takedown left Kim unable to continue. Story lost two bouts by decision, to Brenneman and Martin Kampmann, before rebounding with a decision win of his own over Brock Jardine at UFC on FX 4. The fight should be an excellent chance for Maia to gauge his worth at Welterweight, and the winner should take a step back towards contention.
Finally, former The Ultimate Fighter contract winner Diego Brandao will take on Joey Gambino. Both fighters come in off of a loss, Brandao to Darren Elkins by decision and Gambino a submission to Stephen Siler. It should be a tough bout as both fighters scratch and claw for relevancy. All in all, these announcements serve as a great upgrade to the fight card from Brazil. Fitch will be looking for his first win in a long while, and it will be no easy task to find it against Silva. Rampage Jackson will also fight Glover Texeira in what should be his final UFC bout. On paper, many of the Brazilian fighters present here should equal an action-packed night of fights for the fans, something that will be a refreshing reminder of the great UFC cards we are used to seeing.
Here’s a complete rundown of the card so far:
Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch – Featherweight titlebout
Alan Belcher vs. Vitor Belfort
Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira
Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva
Demian Maia vs. Rick Story
Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino
Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra vs. Sam Sicilia
Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira vs. TBA
Sergio Moraes vs. Renee Forte
Reza Madadi vs. Cristiano Marcello
Further Reading: UFC 153: Jose Aldo says he wants a fast finish against Erik Koch
