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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
American Kickboxing Academy product Mike Swick will make a return to action for the first time in 18 months at UFC 134, as Sherdog.com reports that he will welcome Brazilian welterweight prospect Erick Silva to the UFC on the card.
A veteran of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Swick has been battling illnesses and injuries for the last several years, and due to that has been out of action since his February 2010 loss to Paulo Thiago at UFC 109. The loss was his second straight after posting a four fight winning streak since moving to the welterweight division three years ago.
Silva enters the UFC as one of the top prospects in the world at 170 lbs. The 26-year-old boasts a 12-1 record with one no contest, and is unbeaten in over four years. Of his 12 career wins, Silva has finished nine opponents and has seven submission wins to his credit.
UFC 134 takes place from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 27, headlined by a Middleweight Championship bout between Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami.
Penick's Analysis: This is a good fight for both guys. Swick has been out of action for a long time, and after two straight losses he'll get a chance to show where he's at against a tough prospect. For Silva, he gets to debut against a longtime veteran known by the UFC fanbase. A win over Swick would be a big statement in his debut, and to do it in his home country would be huge as well.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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