UFC 153: Anderson Silva Stops Stephan Bonnar

UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar took place on October 13, 2012, at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After injuries reshaped the event, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moved up to light heavyweight on short notice and stopped Stephan Bonnar in the first round of a non-title main event. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira submitted Dave Herman, Jon Fitch outworked Erick Silva, and Glover Teixeira overwhelmed Fabio Maldonado.

Event video: UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro.

Silva stops Bonnar without risking his middleweight title

Silva accepted the light heavyweight matchup on roughly four weeks’ notice after the original card lost major fights to injury. Because the bout took place at 205 pounds, Silva’s UFC middleweight championship was not at stake.

Bonnar pressured Silva toward the fence early, but Silva remained composed, defended the takedown attempts, and eventually reversed position. Late in the round, Silva dropped Bonnar with a knee to the body and finished with punches at 4:40.

Nogueira answers Herman’s grappling challenge

Dave Herman had openly questioned whether Brazilian jiu-jitsu would work against him. Nogueira answered by repeatedly attacking on the ground before securing an armbar at 4:31 of round two. The submission earned Nogueira Submission of the Night.

Fitch survives Silva’s attacks; Teixeira overwhelms Maldonado

Jon Fitch and Erick Silva traded momentum through three hard rounds. Silva threatened submissions and landed dangerous strikes, but Fitch repeatedly escaped, returned to dominant positions, and finished strongly. The unanimous decision earned both men Fight of the Night.

Glover Teixeira controlled Fabio Maldonado for long stretches with takedowns and heavy ground strikes. Maldonado showed extraordinary toughness and briefly hurt Teixeira late in round one, but the punishment continued through the second. The ringside physician stopped the fight between rounds, producing a TKO at 5:00 of round two.

Phil Davis submitted Wagner Prado with an anaconda choke at 4:29 of round two. Demian Maia forced Rick Story to submit to a neck crank at 2:30 of the first round, improving to 2–0 after moving to welterweight.

Rony Jason earns the knockout bonus on the prelims

Rony Jason stopped Sam Sicilia with punches at 4:16 of round two and received Knockout of the Night. Gleison Tibau defeated Francisco Trinaldo by unanimous decision, Diego Brandão outpointed Joey Gambino, Sergio Moraes submitted Renee Forte, Chris Camozzi defeated Luiz Cane, and Cristiano Marcello edged Reza Madadi by split decision.

Complete UFC 153 results

Main card

• Anderson Silva def. Stephan Bonnar — TKO (knee to the body and punches); round 1, 4:40.
• Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Dave Herman — submission (armbar); round 2, 4:31.
• Glover Teixeira def. Fabio Maldonado — TKO (doctor stoppage); round 2, 5:00.
• Jon Fitch def. Erick Silva — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Phil Davis def. Wagner Prado — submission (anaconda choke); round 2, 4:29.
• Demian Maia def. Rick Story — submission (neck crank); round 1, 2:30.

Preliminary card

• Rony Jason def. Sam Sicilia — TKO (punches); round 2, 4:16.
• Gleison Tibau def. Francisco Trinaldo — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Diego Brandão def. Joey Gambino — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Sergio Moraes def. Renee Forte — submission (rear-naked choke); round 3, 3:10.
• Chris Camozzi def. Luiz Cane — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Cristiano Marcello def. Reza Madadi — split decision; round 3, 5:00.

UFC 153 became a successful salvage operation after multiple injuries: Silva supplied the marquee finish, Nogueira delivered the emotional home-country submission, and Fitch–Silva produced the night’s most competitive three-round battle. Explore more of our MMA coverage.

Sources

UFC: Silva–Bonnar main-event report; UFC: UFC 153 main-card report; Sherdog event record.

Article Tags

UFC 153, Anderson Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC Results