Anderson Silva defends his UFC Middleweight title on Saturday night, as he faces Nate Marquardt at UFC 73: Stacked. Silva, nicknamed "The Spider," will be tough to beat and enters this matchup with an MMA record of 18-4 that includes 10 knockouts and three submissions. The fact that Silva can beat you with a flurry of punches and kicks, or with a well-timed submission hold makes him one of the most deadly MMA fighters in UFC today. Silva is a huge striker who can knock you out with his fists, feet or knees with raw power, but he's also a technically perfect Muay Thai boxer which gives him a sometimes impenetrable defense and an offensive style that allows him to fully exploit any holes or weakness his opponent leaves open. In his last UFC fight Silva faced Travis Lutter at UFC 67 in February. The fight ended quickly in the second round after Silva applied a triangle choke to Lutter and forced him to tap out. Marquardt enters the bout as a definite underdog, but Silva won't be taking him lightly. Marquardt matches up with Silva quite well because he's also a well-rounded fighter who can hold his own standing and throwing blows, and grappling on the mat. Nate "The Great" is 28-6-1 in his MMA career with four TKOs and 15 submissions, which includes a 4-0 mark in the UFC. Marquardt has a ton of experience versus some of the best MMA fighters in the world as a former seven-time middleweight king of Pancrase. He fights in a more laidback slow-paced style than Silva, and may need to attack Silva early on to avoid getting laid out early by the explosive champion.
Marquardt last stepped into the octagon at UFC Fight Knights back in January. Marquardt went the distance with Dean Lister that night and won in a unanimous decision. Marquardt easily controlled the entire fight after landing numerous hard blows on Lister that sent him to the canvas a few times. Lister refused to give up but he never even had a chance in that one, as Marquardt was the aggressor from the first to last bell. Marquardt will need a similar performance versus Silva if he hopes to come away with the title. Silva is the closest thing to a technically perfect fighter you may ever see, and if Marquardt makes a mistake or lets his guard down for even a second, "The Spider" will be all over him. Check out the UFC Fight Betting Odds WagerWeb Sportsbook
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