Confusion surrounding Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s opponent on May 28 received a bit of potential clarity earlier today per the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s release of drug test results relating to UFC 125.

Thiago Silva, still listed on the UFC’s website for a date with Jackson over Memorial Day Weekend, was recently rumored to have been replaced by Rashad Evans for undisclosed reasons – a claim Silva and his camp denied shortly thereafter. However, perhaps lending credit to the possibility of Evans’ involvement at UFC 130, the 28-year old Brazilian’s name was left off a report issued earlier today by the NSAC listing UFC 125 athletes who had tested negative for drug/steroid use. Silva beat Brandon Vera by unanimous decision at the event.

Five Ounces of Pain has since confirmed with NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer that Silva did indeed submit a urine sample at the event, and though he stopped short of officially naming Silva as the lone remaining fighter whose submission was mentioned in their report as still being processed there is little evidence to the contrary. However, as curious as the circumstances may be, it’s important to remember “processing” doesn’t mean “positive”.

Silva’s bout with Vera was his first in a year due to his need to recover from a chronic back problem. He holds an overall record of 15-2 with notable knockouts over Keith Jardine, Tomasz Drwal, and Houston Alexander.

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It appears Quinton “Rampage” Jackson may have an opportunity to avenge a past loss after all. Jackson, who recently turned down the chance to fight UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 due to a lack of preparation time, is currently scheduled to face Thiago Silva over Memorial Day Weekend at UFC 130. However, it appears Silva may no longer be an option for the event for undisclosed reasons and that “Rampage” rival Rashad Evans will fill the vacancy if necessary. Evans beat Jackson by way of decision at UFC 114 last May.

The plan to pair Evans and Jackson for a second time was reported by MMAWeekly. However, if Silva is indeed being forced out of the fight it appears to be news to him, as he has since been quoted by Tatame as saying his bout with Jackson is still on as far as he knows.

“Sugar” ‘Shad was originally set to take on Rua before a knee injury resulted in him being replaced by Jon Jones. However, he is expected to be ready to go again by May when UFC 130 will take place, meaning it is possible UFC could create a top contenders’ clash at the event by potentially putting him in the Octagon with Jackson.Similar Posts:

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After a year-long absence from the Octagon due to injury it would have been understandable if Thiago Silva had approached UFC 125 opponent Brandon Vera with caution rather than risk aggravating his damaged back or losing his third fight in four appearances. However, not only was Silva aggressive throughout the match, he handled Vera for most of the bout’s duration even going so far as to deliver a memorable series of open-handed slaps to the lanky light heavyweight’s back and head during a sequence on the mat. However, though Silva has argued his decision to do so was calculated strategy and not a means of embarrassing “The Truth”, it drew criticism from some, including 205-pound peer Jon Jones, as being disrespectful.

Silva recently spoke about his fight with Vera, addressing the sequence of strikes and Jones’ opinion, and offered a take on his scheduled scrap with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a conversation with Tatame.

On the subject of his performance against Vera, the American Top Team trained competitor described his thought process, stating, “I was looking for the knockout, but he opened some space and practically conceded me the takedowns. He did a great job defending himself…it was hard for me to finish the fight. I’m not a good submitter, but I tried to punch him hard. He’s tough, has a good defense, but I dominated the fight.”

As far as why he may not have engaged as wildly as he would have in the past, the 15-2 Brazilian credited not only experience but an interest in preserving his career, saying, “It was my first fight after a year and we didn’t know how my back would react. I had to be more tactical. The guys are used to seeing me differently, but I’m 28 and I got three hernias. If I want to keep my career, I have to adapt and we’ll evolve little by little.”

Regarding his infamous back-bongo technique against Vera, Silva clarified his stance, stating he had broken a finger earlier in the bout and was not only protecting it but hoping to distract Vera enough to open up a choke or less-defended angle. He also made it clear fans – or fellow fighters – shouldn’t expect an apology for his strategy.

“(Jon Jones) is a jerk. Everybody’s a professional fighter and all fights include provocations. Vera said he’d break my legs; that I wasn’t on his level. I don’t say things, I do (them). You get recognized when you do things,” he explained. “I’m a professional fighter, but I can’t always please everybody. There’s always somebody behind the computer with a plate filled with French Fries ready to criticize you. I fight for the fans, for the money, and to put my name up there. Talking is too much easy. Nobody knows what goes on in your life, your training… I think I did my job. Who likes it, likes it, but you can dislike it if you want.”

Next up for Silva is a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champ Jackson who is coming off a razor-thin decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123. When discussing the bout, Silva exhibited clear excitement about the opportunity at hand and stylistic pairing, elaborating on it by saying, “Our games match because we both like to fight standing. He avoids the ground game, doesn’t take the guys down, he wants to exchange. It’ll be a great fight because it’ll have a bit of everything.”

The decision win over Vera was only the second of Silva’s career as he’s finished twelve of the fifteen opponents he’s beaten (with one victory being the result of a non-contact injury). He holds past wins over Keith Jardine, Tomasz Drwal, and Houston Alexander.

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In a talent pool as shark-infested as the UFC‘s light heavyweight division there’s little reason to ever expect an easy match-up. American Top Team’s Thiago Silva is a prime example of such being the case, as the polished Brazilian returned from a year-long layoff due to a severe back injury and faced Brandon Vera last weekend at UFC 125 rather than a warm-up opponent to re-acclimate himself to the cage. Before the bout ultimately resulting in a one-sided drumming – literally – of Vera unfolded, Silva had faced former 205-pound champions in two of his three previous pairings with veteran competitor Keith Jardine in the middle.

Now it appears Silva will face yet another former divisional title-holder in the form of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8), as a scrap between the two has been verbally agreed on with pen being put to contractual paper in near future. Assuming no wrenches are thrown into the plan it is expected the bout will take place on May 28 at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.

News of the potential match-up and attached event were reported by MMAJunkie.

“Rampage” is fresh off split decision success over Lyoto Machida this past November after having dropped his prior fight by way of points to Rashad Evans. He had won eight of nine bouts entering the Evans loss including victories over Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, and Dan Henderson.

His 28-year old opponent, Silva, is 2-2 in his last four fights with losses to Machida and Evans after opening up his career with a 13-0 record. In addition to Vera and Jardine, he holds wins over Houston Alexander and Tomasz Drwal.

If the two talented 205ers do end up together in the Octagon they will likely join former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir and TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson on the card who have also been attached to a fight with each other at the event.

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As speculated on since the announcement UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo had withdrawn from the event due to an injury, the bout between light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Thiago Silva has been added to the PPV portion of UFC 125 as a replacement for the postponed 145-pound title-fight.

The change has been made official according to event’s line-up as listed on the UFC website.

In addition to offering Vera an opportunity to get back on the winning track after back-to-back losses, the occasion also marks the first time “The Truth” has been in action since suffering three broken bones in his face as a result of a Jon Jones elbow endured in their match-up last March. The lanky Californian is 11-5 overall with past wins over Krzysztof Soszynski and Frank Mir.

Like Vera, Silva will also be coming off a defeat in his previous bout and extended layoff. The 14-2 American Top Team product last fought in January, losing a decision to Rashad Evans, and is only now recovered from a chronic back injury he’d dealt with prior to the bout.

UFC 125 is scheduled for January 1st, 2011 and features a headlining championship clash between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, as well as Chris Leben testing Brian Stann’s stand-up, a scrap between lightweights Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi, and Nate Diaz in action against Dong Hyun Kim.
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As has been the case in past years, the UFC is once again slated to provide a stacked card for fans to ring in the New Year with. Though a number of fights have been rumored for the event, the UFC has now officially announced six pairings for the star-studded show including a headlining title-bout.

Lightweight champ Frank Edgar will defend his strap against the only individual to beat him, Gray Maynard, in the evening’s main event. Edgar lost a unanimous decision to Maynard in April 2008 before going on to win six straight bouts including two consecutive wins over former title-holder BJ Penn. Comparably, Maynard has won five fights in a row over a list of opponents featuring Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, and most recently Ken Florian.

Also scheduled to see action on January 1st, 2011 in Las Vegas, Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson will settle their personal differences in the cage and help sort out the heavyweight contendership picture in the process. “Big Country” recently poked fun at Carwin’s alleged involvement in a steroid distribution ring with Carwin responding by taking verbal jabs at Nelson’s physique.

In addition to Edgar vs. Maynard II and Nelson vs. Carwin, the other “UFC 125 – Resolution” match-ups confirmed by the company are as follows:

Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi
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Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera
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American Top Team light heavyweight Thiago Silva put rumor to rest this week by stating he will make his official return to the Octagon at UFC 125 against Brandon Vera after a yearlong absence from the UFC’s famous eight-sided cage. Silva, who withdrew from a scheduled bout against Tim Boetsch last month for injury-related reasons, last competed at 2010’s New Year’s Eve Weekend event, UFC 108, against Rashad Evans in a bout he ultimately lost by unanimous decision.

The 14-2 Brazilian’s comments came in a brief conversation with Tatame where Silva also mentioned he hasn’t fully recovered from a back injury previously mentioned as having caused him to lose movement in one of his legs.

“The contract’s here, I’ll sign it tomorrow,” said Silva of the upcoming bout with Vera. “I think it’s a good fight, the two of us like to bang and it seems it’ll be a great fight. I’m anxious for this fight…He won’t be like trying to grab me all the time – we’ll trade a lot of punches.”

As far as his health, Silva elaborated on the situation and expressed confidence he would be at 100% for the January 1st event. “There’s plenty time and I still have to fix my spine. I’m doing treatment for it. It’ll take a month so I can go back to the trainings, but now I just have to wait (to) fight again,” he explained.

In addition to Silva’s clash with Vera, also rumored for the Las Vegas show is a headlining match-up between middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

It looks like the UFC will start 2011 out with a bang, substituting the pyrotechnics from New Year’s Eve for fireworks of a more-physical kind the following evening at UFC 125 in Las Vegas. Already rumored to be headlined by the rematch between Chael Sonnen and 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, the event now looks to also be hosting a clash between respected light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Thiago Silva.

News of the fight, in which both men will be looking to right their proverbial ships, was reported by MMAJunkie.

The match-up against Vera will mark almost exactly a year to the day since Silva last stepped foot in the Octagon, a hard-fought decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 108. Though he was previously scheduled to compete against Tim Boetsch at UFC 117, the 14-2 Brazilian pulled out of the event on short notice with an affliction causing him to “lose movement” in his right leg.

“The Truth” will also be returning to the ring after an extended injury-related layoff when the cage-door closes at UFC 125. Vera last competed in March against Jon Jones and had three bones in his face broken as the result of a fight-finishing elbow keeping him out of action since. The TKO was his second consecutive defeat, the first coming by decision to Randy Couture in November 2009, and the fifth of his sixteen-bout career.

Both light heavyweights should offer up an exciting display at the event for fans in attendance and tuning in at home. Vera and Silva are both quite capable on the ground, but are known more for rendering opponents unconscious rather than tapping them out. Of their twenty-five combined wins, eighteen have come by way of TKO (not to mention a strike-based submission for American Top Team’s Silva).

A pair of light heavyweights looking to rebound from recent high-profile
losses will likely meet in January in what could easily be viewed as a
"must-win" for both contestants involved.

MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the contest that the UFC is targeting a
matchup between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera at UFC 125.

At least one of the contestants has agreed to the contest, but bout agreements have yet to be distributed.

It wasn’t long ago Thiago Silva was considered the future of the light heavyweight division. Winner of thirteen straight bouts to open up his MMA career, twelve of which were finishing performances, Silva hadn’t tasted defeat until coming across Lyoto Machida in January 2009 – a fight he had originally postponed due to a back injury.

In fact, according to a conversation Silva recently had with Tatame, he has been living in pain since 2008 due to related injuries, and though he’s fought twice since he is only now getting close to being at 100%.

Most recently his medical issues forced the American Top Team product withdrew from a scheduled bout against Tim Boetsch at UFC 117. While he didn’t elaborate on the specific damage, Silva did say, “This time I got hurt one week before the fight, and it was even more serious. I lost the movement of my right leg, but I’m doing my recovery work now. I’m not training it all, but they say I’ll be able to train within four weeks.”

However, the 27-year old Brazilian, who hasn’t stepped foot in the Octagon since losing a close decision to Rashad Evans last January, still hopes to fight again in 2010 and has targeted December for his return. “There’s nowhere to go, I can’t train. I have to stay still, focus my mind on my strength and to solve this problem so I can come back soon,” he explained. “The division is stronger. In my opinion, it’s the most disputed (in the) UFC. Unfortunately, my bad luck is keeping me out of it…”

Silva is 14-2 with eleven TKOs, two submissions, and a single decision win to his credit. He has notable wins in his career over Keith Jardine and Houston Alexander.