UFC
UFC 153's Stephan Bonnar on Anderson Silva bout: "I've been hit by bigger, stronger guys and never been stopped"
Oct 9, 2012 - 9:25:34 PM UFC 153's Stephan Bonnar on Anderson Silva bout: "I've been hit by bigger, stronger guys and never been stopped"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Stephan Bonnar is all-in on trying to shock the world this Saturday night. He'll be taking on the best fighter the UFC has seen to date in Anderson Silva, but Bonnar's not content with just being in the same cage with the long time Champion. Instead, he's out to do the seemingly impossible by becoming the first man to defeat Silva in the Octagon.

"I'm going in there to fight him, not to just go in there and think it was cool to share an Octagon with Anderson Silva," Bonnar said in comments released by the UFC. "I'm going to give everything, fight my heart out, like I did in the fight with Forrest Griffin (in 2005) which changed the sport. That's what I bring to the cage that Anderson maybe hasn't seen too many times in his career. I've got to give him a fight, I'm got to get him on the back foot, rough him up, and that's what I'm going to do."

The big selling point for Bonnar at this stage is the fact that no man has ever stopped him in his UFC career. He's fought some dangerous fighters, some who are well known finishers throughout his run, and yet he's never been stopped. He doesn't see that streak ending anytime coon.

"I've been hit by bigger, stronger guys and never been stopped," Bonnar reiterated. "I mean, look at every fight I've ever had - I've been hit with lots of big shots but I get up and keep coming. Anderson is so damn good, but no-one has ever walked through me and I will keep coming at him no matter what he throws my way."

Ultimately, Bonnar believes this fight is the one time in his career where things have lined up for him to have a glorious and career-defining moment.

"I get in there any go after it," Bonnar said. "I don't stall, I don't get stood up (due to inactivity), I go out there any put it on my opponent and I am going to give Anderson Silva hell."

"Very rarely in life does a great opportunity come along for anyone. Getting the biggest shot of my career, when I had sort of retired, is kinda the story of my life. I've never really had the best of luck in my career. I've not had everything really fall into place for me. But now it really feels like all the stars are aligning just like it did on that magical night for the UFC back in 2005 when I fought Forrest Griffin for the first time.

Penick's Analysis: This is a massive opportunity for Bonnar, and he seems prepared to do anything he can to take advantage of it. Though Silva is realistically still a massive favorite, and should win the fight on Saturday night, Bonnar's unique skill set against Silva makes things a lot more interesting than some may believe. Whether he's able to do anything more than be another opponent for "The Spider" or not, he's got nothing to lose in trying to best Silva. This is a huge fight for him, and if he does pull off the win it will be one of the biggest stories in the last several years.