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UFC 153

UFC mixed martial arts event in 2012

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UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

01Background

Vitor Belfort was expected to face Alan Belcher at the event. However, Belfort was pulled from the bout to face Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152. Belcher also was forced to drop out of the card due to a spinal fracture.

After having their first fight end in a no contest due to an eye poke in the first round, a rematch between Phil Davis and Wagner Prado was briefly linked to UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot and then scheduled for this event.

Quinton Jackson was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira at the event. However, Jackson pulled out of the bout citing an injury, and was replaced by Fabio Maldonado. Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans was offered the fight with Teixeira but turned it down due to the short notice.

Geronimo dos Santos was scheduled to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at this event. However, dos Santos pulled out of the bout after a blood test showed that he had antibodies for Hepatitis B. With no time to find a suitable replacement, Gonzaga was pulled from the card.

Erik Koch was expected to face UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo in a title fight at this event, but on August 31, 2012, Koch was forced to pull out due to injury. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar had agreed to step in for Koch and fight Aldo for the Featherweight title. However, on September 11, Aldo was also forced to pull out of the event with a foot injury after being involved in a motorcycle accident.

On September 12, 2012, UFC officials announced that UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and former The Ultimate Fighter star Stephan Bonnar would fight in the main event. Silva was a massive favorite going into the bout, which was a three-round fight. Although all main event fights have been five-round affairs since UFC 138, UFC 153 was an exception due to the short notice, along with UFC 234, when Robert Whittaker pulled out of the event a few hours prior.

On November 4, 2012, UFC announced Bonnar had tested positive for drostanolone, and Dave Herman for marijuana. Both fighters were suspended.

02Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Light Heavyweight Anderson Silva def. Stephan Bonnar TKO (knee to the body and punches) 1 4:40
Heavyweight Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Dave Herman Submission (armbar) 2 4:31
Light Heavyweight Glover Teixeira def. Fabio Maldonado TKO (doctor stoppage) 2 5:00
Welterweight Jon Fitch def. Erick Silva Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) 3 5:00
Light Heavyweight Phil Davis def. Wagner Prado Submission (anaconda choke) 2 4:29
Welterweight Demian Maia def. Rick Story Submission (neck crank) 1 2:30
Preliminary Card (FX)
Featherweight Rony Jason def. Sam Sicilia TKO (punches) 2 4:16
Lightweight Gleison Tibau def. Francisco Trinaldo Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) 3 5:00
Featherweight Diego Brandao def. Joey Gambino Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) 3 5:00
Welterweight Sérgio Moraes def. Renée Forte Submission (rear-naked choke) 3 3:10
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Middleweight Chris Camozzi def. Luiz Cané Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) 3 5:00
Lightweight Cristiano Marcello def. Reza Madadi Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) 3 5:00

03Bonus awards

The following fighters received $70,000 bonuses.

  • Fight of the Night: Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva
  • Knockout of the Night: Rony Jason
  • Submission of the Night: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
Watch videos about UFC 153Explainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article UFC 153, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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