UFC fan favorites Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva meet in a middleweight tilt that co-headlines UFC 132. The two men are known for their aggressive, take-no-prisoners style and it should be a wild one.
UFC 132 Fight Card Breakdown: Wanderlei Silva Vs. Chris Leben
Silva is an all-time great of the sport. He spent most of the last decade as Pride’s middleweight (205lbs) champion before coming to the UFC. Silva was one of the first Brazililan fighters to add a brutal Muay Thai style to a jiu-jitsu base and he imposed a reign of terror on Japanese MMA.
In recent years Silva has unfortunately been on the wrong end of several dramatic knock outs. Losses to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Dan Henderson ended his Pride run and losses to Chuck Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson marked his entry in the UFC.
Leben is one of the original stars of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV series that broke the UFC with U.S. audiences. He was known as the bad boy on the show and his feud with Josh Koscheck electrified fans. After starting off hot in the UFC's middleweight division he infamously became the first victim of current middleweight champ Anderson Silva.
Since then Leben has established himself as a solid draw in the UFC who alternates winning and losing but always entertains the fans.
Stylistically, Silva’s Muay Thai means he comes straight ahead and looks to get close to land mean hooks, establish the Thai Plum and land knees to the face. For his part, Leben is a brawler who will take a punch or two to land the knock out shot.
On the ground Silva is more of a defensive fighter who looks to tie up his opponent and get the stand up. Leben has shown surprising submission acumen in recent fights, beating ace Judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama by arm bar.
Neither man is an exceptional wrestler, although Leben clearly has the edge in that phase of the fight.
| Aspect | Silva | Points | Leben | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | Wild and Crazy | 1 | Brawler | Silva |
| Kickboxing | Wild and Crazy | 1 | Surprising | Tie |
| Wrestling | Ok | 1 | Decent | Leben |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Mean | 1 | Vicious | Leben |
| Thai Clinch | Legendary | 1 | Mean | Silva |
| Throws/Trips | Good | 1 | Very Good | Leben |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Ok | 1 | Good | Leben |
| Top Game | Good | 1 | Good | Tie |
| Bottom Game | Ok | 1 | Surprising | Leben |
| Submissions | Good | 1 | Very Good | Leben |
| Intangibles | Aging | 1 | Erratic | Tie |
| Overall | Legend | 2/6 | Brawler | Leben |
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