Erick Silva wields frightening physical tools. | Photo: Gleidson
Venga/Sherdog.com
Welterweights
Erick
Silva (18-5, 6-4 UFC) vs.
Neil Magny
(15-4, 8-3 UFC)
THE MATCHUP: This is an excellent battle between
welterweights who stand just outside the division’s elite. Magny
comes in on late notice to replace the injured
Rick Story
only three weeks after dropping a one-sided bout to
Demian Maia
at UFC 190 -- a loss that snapped a seven-fight winning streak.
Silva has come up short every time he has faced to-notch
competition, dropping fights to
Matt Brown,
Dong
Hyun Kim and
Jon Fitch, but
he has mercilessly destroyed every other opponent, most recently a
shot
Josh
Koscheck. The winner should have a good claim on a top-10
opponent and potentially a run at the division’s contenders.
Despite the loss to Maia, Magny is still a promising fighter. He
has exceptional size – he stands 6-foot-3 and boasts an 80-inch
reach -- and he uses it well. A piercing jab and long right hand
are the foundation of his striking game at range. He starts slow
but works at an increasing pace as the fight wears on, and he packs
enough power to make his opponents think. Magny’s footwork and
defensive skills, however, seem to come and go. At times, he shows
outstanding pressure footwork or crisp circular movement, but when
pressured, he often covers up and moves back to the cage in
straight lines. His best skill set is likely his clinch game, where
he mixes sharp knees and elbows, suffocating control and slick
body-lock trips and throws. Despite his serious lapses against
Maia, he has been a solid defensive wrestler. From top position, he
controls nicely, has a good arsenal of passes and mixes submission
attempts with strikes.
(+ Enlarge) | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Magny steps in on late notice.
An incredibly explosive and powerful athlete, Silva is the
quintessential frontrunner. This is more a result of his
exceptional inefficiency than a requirement of his body type, since
many other physical specimens have developed styles that preserve
their energy for the later rounds. Silva throws everything into
every punch, kick or knee, and he moves quickly but without regard
for how much space he actually needs. He relies far too much on
that speed to avoid his opponent’s strikes and defends takedowns
with more explosiveness than technical skill. This works for a
round, perhaps a bit more, but after that, he is essentially a
sitting duck who relies on his toughness to make it to the final
bell. From a technical perspective, Silva targets his preferred
round and spinning kicks nicely and does an excellent job of
working his overhands around his opponent’s guard. He is a skilled
clinch fighter with a potent array of trips and body-lock takedowns
to go along with crisp knees. His best skill set is definitely his
grappling, particularly when he can stuff his opponent’s takedowns
and work from the front headlock, where his move to the back is
lightning-fast.
BETTING ODDS: Silva (-175), Magny (+155)
THE PICK: There are two likely outcomes for this
fight. Behind door number one, the quick starter Silva overwhelms
the slow starter Magny in the first round or early in the second,
catching the hittable American with power shots before finishing
his hurt opponent with a submission. The second possibility
involves Magny weathering the early storm and putting increasing
volume on Silva in the second and the third rounds to take a
decision or a late finish. The first seems a bit more likely, so
the pick is Silva by submission in the first round.
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