Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: With an impressive bounce back win at UFC on FX 5, who should Bigfoot Silva be matched up against next?
Oct 9, 2012 - 5:30:30 PM ROUNDTABLE: With an impressive bounce back win at UFC on FX 5, who should Bigfoot Silva be matched up against next?

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With an impressive bounce back win at UFC on FX 5, who should Bigfoot Silva be matched up against next?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Even Dana White said over the weekend that he might have jumped the gun a little bit about Stefan Struve being a top-five fighter, and he's more like a top-10 fighter. So with that in mind, ask yourself, "Why would Rich be leading off a question about Antonio Silva's next opponent by writing about Stefan Struve unless he thinks Stefan Struve should be next for Antonio Silva?" Well, he does. I mean I do. Wait, I'm confused. Let's try this again. And since my backspace key is broken... (it's not really, go with me here).

How can you not make Stefan Struve vs. Antonio Silva next? It just makes more sense than anything else they could possibly do here. Even better, it's not just the right fight to make for Silva, but also for Struve. Silva's win over Travis Browne was solid, but has an asterisk because of Browne's leg injury. Another win over a fighter of similar stature will do wonders for Silva's stature in the division. And it makes sense for Struve as well, because Silva would clearly be the best win on Struve's resume. Struve was hoping to go from a win over Stipe Miocic to a fight with Fabricio Werdum, but that is a hell of a step up. A win over Silva will remove all doubts as to Struve's position in the division.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

He looked fantastic against Travis Browne so I'm going to say Stefan Struve or Stipe Miocic look like the most entertaining opponents for him right now, but given his domination of Travis Browne I would lead towards Struve to make the better opponent. It would bring us a nice mix of grappling and show us if Struve can get through a striker who nearly decapitated the last man to defeat him.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think Silva be matched against Frank Mir. I've always thought Mir was overrated, but he'd be a good test for Bigfoot. I think it'd be an interesting fight.


ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I would love to see a fight between Silva and Josh Barnett. If you can get by the multiple steroid convictions by Barnett (and I am not sure Dana White or the UFC can) this would be a great fight. It is obvious that Barnett could not get past another drug test dirty because the UFC tests so frequently and so this is a great fight that makes a whole bunch of sense. Barnett is still in the top ten and Silva needs a top ten fight to stay near the top of the division. He has beaten Semmy Sheilt, Marl Hunt, Antonio Rogrigo Nogueria, Jeff Monson, Gilbert Yvel, Mark Hunt, Bret Rogers, Pedro Rizzo, Sergei Kharitonov, and Randy Couture. Barnett is a top ten all time heavyweight great searching for relevance in 2012 and Silva is looking to make a charge at the heavyweight belt. If the UFC can make this fight happen it will set the winner up for a top five fighter.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

The fight to make for Bigfoot is against Stefan Struve. Both of them have put in very good performances in their respective last fights, and timing alone makes this match up a good choice. Although a win would probably do more for Struve, there are still plenty of benefits for Bigfoot, and it's another winnable fight, one more removed from the battering Cain Velasquez gave him (which is still too fresh in my mind). His other plausible options are to act as cannon fodder for the return of Alistair Overeem early next year, or head into a rematch with Fabricio Werdum, again in early 2013.


JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Antonio Silva is one of those guys who are clearly a step behind the very elite of the heavyweight division, but is a tough matchup for anyone. Silva is gigantic, he hits hard, is a solid BJJ black belt, and is a much more slick boxer than anyone gives him credit for.

With "Bigfoot" coming off a knockout win last Saturday night and Stefan Struve coming off a knockout win the week prior, I think that's really the fight to make without question. The winner gets another crack at the elite of the weight class and the loser really settles into that gatekeeper role that every division needs to have filled.