Many have complained about the last minute change in the headline, but anytime that Anderson Silva blesses us with his presence in the octagon it’s a good Saturday night. Honestly, Anderson said he was not going to fight again this year, and just to have him back in the cage before 2013 – is that really a bad things? For Bonnar this gives him a match he can retire properly on no matter win or lose, and for someone that helped bring the sport to notoriety it is a proper sendoff. This is honestly a fun fight, and who cares if Bonnar has no chance of winning;  does any of Anderson’s opponents ever truly expected to win?

The UFC and fans seem to be hinging on the fact that Bonnar has never been finished or submitted. Just because that is a fact it doesn’t change the fact that Bonnar has always lost when facing top flight opposition. Look at his losses outside of a cut loss to Krzysztof Soszynski. All of his losses are to former UFC champions. Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, and Mark Coleman which came 10 years too late. It is true that any fighter can win any fight, but some have a very slim chance. Bonnar honestly should try to take this to the ground – he has decent ground and pound and maybe that extra weight will put more pressure on Anderson.

Yes, Anderson may have a tough time finishing Bonnar since no one else has done so, and that may be where the trouble will come in to play. Anderson is used to hitting people and having them fall, but what happens if Bonnar walks right through them and just moves forward? What happens then? That’s the intrigue in this fight. Anderson can finish this if he hits one of his money shots. No one else has done it, but with most things it just takes Anderson to figure it out.

The Bottom Line:

Look for Bonnar to make this interesting, but it will not be different than any of Anderson’s other fights. Look for Bonnar to lose by stoppage in the second round.