Silva vs. Leben Predictions

This is the official prediction commentary thread for Silva vs. Leben. Let's see what you've got.

Wand! can't wait to finally see him back in action, see if all the time to let his injuries heel works out for the best! Also the second fight he'll be showcasing his new face, lets hope the new nose pays off and he dosent drop his chin!

I think Wand will hold on for a split decision.

I was holding my breath for this one. Cant wait. I think it goes the distance and it is almost as good as Wandy and Chuck. Almost. Wandy VS Chuck is my NO.2 fight of all time. And I dont think these guys will disappoint. Neither one of them is in huge need of a win, and neither one is just a fight away from a title shot. So they will lay it all out, go for FOTN and it will be bad ass. Im gonna take Wandy by decision.

i do not enjoy watching the "old pride guys" losing to tuf'ers......

 

however, i think wand wins a decision

I think Wand can definitely win this fight I know MMA math doesn't mean much but he did a hell of a lot better than Leben did against Bisping. I know Leben has been making a comeback lately excluding the Stann loss but I think he would probably lose in rematches against SImpson and Akiyama. He has an amazing heart though which has proven to get you far in the sport plus big knockout power and Wandy pretty prone to getting knocked out lately. Despite that I still think he will win but what worries me and makes me even less sure is how long he has been out because fighters being out for like a year and then coming back have not been doing very well for the most part.

@DaiKaiju your are right on with the early Prides, although 5 is where they add judges and stand-ups/restarts, so it gets a bit more tolerable.  I don't think they are any worse than the first UFC events.  Neither really had a clue when it came to what was and wasn't legal, who decides when the fight is done, etc.

@type138, perfectly said.  It's tough watching your old fav's lose to guys that grew up watching them.

A couple things to think about here. 
Leben got knocked out in his last fight, but that was on New Years Day, and he was apparently throwing up before the fight, considering he's an alcoholic....take that for what you will. My point is that losing to Stann like that might not have exposed him as much as people think.
Also, Leben generally doesn't do too great against strikers. His best performances are against grapplers like Akiyama, Aaron Simpson and even Rosholt (whom he did fairly well against before losing), but he doesn't always do so hot against good strikers, especially more technical ones, like Bisping, and an extreme example, Anderson Silva. (Don't get me wrong, he's beat some solid strikers, Sakara and Rivera for example.) 
I see Wanderlei as having an edge in technique, and he has more tools in his arsenal (knees, leg kicks, etc.) and I think that will make a difference.
The biggest question mark is Wandy's chin, I'd say, or the injury lay-off, which makes this a harder fight to predict, but as of right now I'm thinking Wanderlei by UD.
Sorry for the long post, I've been thinking about this fight all day, I can't wait.

Damn, sorry about the FRAT, I meant to have spaces between paragraphs, forgot about having to hit enter twice.

Wandy all the way, I just dont really care for Leben

When this match happens you will see what happen's when a TUF fighter fights someone who fought in the most violent, brutal and aggressive fight organisations. Leben will be another Axe Murderer victim. When Silva lands with his knee's Leben will realise how much trouble he is in. THis match is like the Hyena Leben fighting the Lion that is Wanderlei

K guys, im gonna go with Wand by 2nd round KO.

yea im going with wand 2nd round tko also but gotta say i'll be happy for either guy to win. two of my fav. fighters

This fight makes my head hurt. I'm probably going to change this pick once a day till the fight happens.

damn i hate having to pick a winner in this fight but i think wand will hit tht button in lebens chin that turns him into capn ****tard n get koed in rd 3

Havent remembered the last time I have wanted a fighter to win a fight so badly. Wand by BRUTAL KO.

This is probably fight of they year!  As much as I want to see a vicious KO, I don't see Leben getting stopped again, and Wand should do a good job of staying out of danger.

Silva is much more technical even though both are brawlers. Ive never been impressed with Leben, except his fight with Akiyama. I do like Leben though, I just believe Silva is too good for him. They hate each other, should be a great fight.

Gonna be an amazing fight! But Silva has a lot more tools in his toolbox.

Another FOTN contender right here. If this was in a Pride ring back in the days, the Axe Murderer would be the heavy favourite (...Okay lets face it, he would win). But that was then and this is now.

Leben wants to come back in big fashion after being KO'd by the new Captain America Brian Stann (Couture retired remember) and who better then against Wanderlei, who still has that aura around him despite being 2-3 in the UFC. Speaking of Silva, he too wants to make a statement and remind everyone why he's nicknamed the Axe Murderer. Unless Leben (or Silva) have been given a safe gameplan, this is going to be a firecracker of a fight.

I'm going to lean towards Leben, despite suffering a KO in his last match. He'll be more hungry to prove that he still has what it takes to be part of the main players in middleweight diversion. Add to the fact that Silva was injuired and thus has had less time to train and will be a bit rusty and I see Leben just winning the decision of a hard fought battle

No matter what, this fight is not going to the judges. I'd love to see Wandy win this fight, and get himself one step closer to getting a shot at the MW title, but I just feel that the long lay-off, and age will be the deciding factor in this fight. Leben by KO/TKO round 1.