UFC
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva reportedly targeted for April UFC debut against Cain Velasquez
Jan 7, 2012 - 12:50:19 PM Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva reportedly targeted for April UFC debut against Cain Velasquez

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva may be making his UFC debut with a leap into the deep end this April, as Brazilian site PortalDoValeTudo.br reports that "Bigfoot" may face former Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez in April.

That opponent and date reportedly comes from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, while "Bigfoot's" manager Alex Davis would only confirm the April date to PVT, saying Velasquez is just "one of the names on the list."

Silva started off 2011 in a huge way, defeating Fedor Emelianenko in a dominant performance to kick off Strikeforce's Heavyweight World Grand Prix. However, facing replacement Daniel Cormier in the semifinals instead of Alistair Overeem, "Bigfoot" was taken out in the first round.

If Velasquez is the opponent, it will mark the second AKA heavyweight he's faced in a row, as Velasquez and Cormier are teammates at the San Jose gym. It would be Velasquez's first fight back since losing his title to Junior dos Santos in November on Fox.

Penick's Analysis: This is a really good fight if it's what the UFC books. While I'm not sure who they'll put against Frank Mir next with this booking, it's a fight that makes sense with both fighters coming off a loss. Velasquez will have some familiarity with Silva's game with Cormier being "Bigfoot's" last opponent - and as the former Heavyweight Champ he'll be favored to win that fight in a big way - but it's a huge opportunity for Silva to make a splash in the UFC to erase the memory of that Cormier fight. Credit to Silva if this is the fight he enters on, as he'll be trying to immediately establish himself as a contender at the top right out of the gate.