UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar is an upcoming mixed martial arts pay-per-view event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Erik Koch was expected to face UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo in a title fight at this event, but on August 31, 2012, Koch was forced to pull out due to injury. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar had agreed to step in for Koch and fight Aldo for the Featherweight title. However, on September 11, Aldo was also forced to pull out of the event with a foot injury.
On September 12, 2012, UFC officials announced that UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and former The Ultimate Fighter star Stephan Bonnar will fight at the main event. Silva is a massive favorite going into the bout, which will be a three-round fight. Although all main event fights have been five-round affairs since UFC 138, UFC 153 will be the exception.
Vitor Belfort was expected to face Alan Belcher at the event. However, Belfort was pulled from the bout to face Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152. Belcher also was forced to drop out of the card due to a spinal fracture.
After having their first fight end in a no contest due to an eye poke in the first round, a rematch between Phil Davis and Wagner Prado was briefly linked to UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot and then scheduled for this event.
Quinton Jackson was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira at the event. However, Jackson pulled out of the bout citing an injury, and was replaced by Fabio Maldonado in the co-featured bout. Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans was offered the fight with Teixeira but turned it down due to the short notice.
Geronimo dos Santos was scheduled to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at this event. However, dos Santos pulled out of the bout after a blood test showed that he had antibodies for Hepatitis B. With no time to find a suitable replacement, Gonzaga was pulled from the card.
Anderson Silva was born April 14, 1975, a middle child of four. The son of a poverty stricken family, Silva spent the majority of his childhood with his aunt and uncle, an officer with the Curitiba police force.
Silva first began training Jiu Jitsu with neighborhood kids who could afford lessons. He explained his introduction to martial arts in an interview with FIGHT! Magazine: “When I started out, Jiu-Jitsu was really an elite thing in Brazil, and there was some prejudice towards poorer kids, so I had to learn things on my own… Some of my neighbors started doing Jiu-Jitsu, so I started watching it, and then started rolling with them. It wasn’t organized training, but it was better than nothing.” By the age of twelve his family was able to set aside enough money to start him in Tae Kwon Do lessons, from which he moved on to Capoeira, before finally settling on Muay Thai at the age of sixteen.
Before he began his career as a professional fighter, Silva worked at McDonalds, and also as a file clerk. He also considers Spider-Man a personal hero, and has a stated love of comic books and comic book heroes.
Stephan Bonnar trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the legendary Carlson Gracie, under whom he received his purple belt before Carlson’s passing. This experience has led to most of his bouts ending by way of submission. Stephan now trains BJJ in Las Vegas under Master Sergio Pehna. However, he also has trained in Muay Thai during several trips to Thailand. Since the beginning of 2010 Stephan has been training Muay Thai in Las Vegas under Master One Kick Nick Blomgren at One Kick’s Gym. Stephan is the Ironheart Crown Light Heavyweight champion and Total Fight Challenge Light Heavyweight champion 2002-04.