UFC 160 Fight Picks
A heavyweight championship bout and rematch between champion Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva highlights the UFC 160 Picks card on Saturday night in Las Vegas, and Velasquez opened as the big -750 favorite to retain his title on
This is a rematch of a one-sided UFC 146 showdown, in which Velasquez grounded and gashed Silva with devastating ground-and-pound en route to a first-round TKO. The 30-year-old Velasquez (11-1) will be trying for the second time to make a successful title defense. He first became champion back in October 2010, dominating the to-that-point indomitable Brock Lesnar and finishing him via first-round technical knockout. Velasquez reigned for over a year — but only because shoulder surgery kept him out of the octagon. He returned in November 2011, facing Junior dos Santos in the first UFC fight televised on the Fox network. It lasted only 64 seconds, with the Brazilian taking the belt by KO. But last Dec. 29 Velasquez battered dos Santos for 25 minutes in the rematch, regaining the title via lopsided unanimous decision.
Silva (18-4) has climbed into title contention thanks to a few upsets. His most notable UFC Picks victory came in February 2011, during the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, when he beat up the renowned Fedor Emelianenko to the point where a doctor stopped the fight after two rounds. The 33-year-old Brazilian followed that moment of glory by losing two straight, to Daniel Cormier and Velasquez, but then got back to upsetting foes. First he knocked out Travis Browne, a rising star in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Then, on Feb. 2, he spoiled the promotion’s plans to book Alistair Overeem a championship fight, knocking out Overeem to grab away the title shot.
Silva will never be the most athletic heavyweight in the division, but when an opponent refuses to take him seriously, the results can be disastrous, as Overeem learned. Silva has big power in his massive fists and is capable of hurting anyone when given the opportunity.
Complacency will not be an issue for Velasquez, however. The champion will not drop his hands and taunt “Bigfoot,” and unless he suffers a catastrophic injury that limits his mobility — Browne tore his hamstring early in his bout with Silva — he should be able to follow a similar game plan to the one that worked so well at UFC 146. Silva struggles at keeping more agile opponents from getting inside on him, while Velasquez is adept at throwing punches and kicks in combination before changing levels at a moment’s notice.
Velasquez landed 28 significant strikes in the first meeting, of which all 28 occurred on the ground. By comparison, Silva was able to land only one significant strike the entire fight. Velasquez was successful in his only takedown attempt while Silva did not attempt to take down Velasquez.
The champion, an All-American wrestler from Arizona State, has been taken down just twice in 17 attempts by his opponents in his 12 UFC Picks fights. There were no submissions attempted in the first Velasquez-Silva fight. In fact, Velasquez has not even attempted a submission in his past six fights, while Silva has not attempted one in his past four. UFC 160 Predictions Bet on Cain Velasquez.
A heavyweight championship bout and rematch between champion Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva highlights the UFC 160 Picks card on Saturday night in Las Vegas, and Velasquez opened as the big -750 favorite to retain his title on
This is a rematch of a one-sided UFC 146 showdown, in which Velasquez grounded and gashed Silva with devastating ground-and-pound en route to a first-round TKO. The 30-year-old Velasquez (11-1) will be trying for the second time to make a successful title defense. He first became champion back in October 2010, dominating the to-that-point indomitable Brock Lesnar and finishing him via first-round technical knockout. Velasquez reigned for over a year — but only because shoulder surgery kept him out of the octagon. He returned in November 2011, facing Junior dos Santos in the first UFC fight televised on the Fox network. It lasted only 64 seconds, with the Brazilian taking the belt by KO. But last Dec. 29 Velasquez battered dos Santos for 25 minutes in the rematch, regaining the title via lopsided unanimous decision.
Silva (18-4) has climbed into title contention thanks to a few upsets. His most notable UFC Picks victory came in February 2011, during the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, when he beat up the renowned Fedor Emelianenko to the point where a doctor stopped the fight after two rounds. The 33-year-old Brazilian followed that moment of glory by losing two straight, to Daniel Cormier and Velasquez, but then got back to upsetting foes. First he knocked out Travis Browne, a rising star in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Then, on Feb. 2, he spoiled the promotion’s plans to book Alistair Overeem a championship fight, knocking out Overeem to grab away the title shot.
Silva will never be the most athletic heavyweight in the division, but when an opponent refuses to take him seriously, the results can be disastrous, as Overeem learned. Silva has big power in his massive fists and is capable of hurting anyone when given the opportunity.
Complacency will not be an issue for Velasquez, however. The champion will not drop his hands and taunt “Bigfoot,” and unless he suffers a catastrophic injury that limits his mobility — Browne tore his hamstring early in his bout with Silva — he should be able to follow a similar game plan to the one that worked so well at UFC 146. Silva struggles at keeping more agile opponents from getting inside on him, while Velasquez is adept at throwing punches and kicks in combination before changing levels at a moment’s notice.
Velasquez landed 28 significant strikes in the first meeting, of which all 28 occurred on the ground. By comparison, Silva was able to land only one significant strike the entire fight. Velasquez was successful in his only takedown attempt while Silva did not attempt to take down Velasquez.
The champion, an All-American wrestler from Arizona State, has been taken down just twice in 17 attempts by his opponents in his 12 UFC Picks fights. There were no submissions attempted in the first Velasquez-Silva fight. In fact, Velasquez has not even attempted a submission in his past six fights, while Silva has not attempted one in his past four. UFC 160 Predictions Bet on Cain Velasquez.
