UFC 237 fight card primer: Cannonier vs. Silva

Get up to date with the co-main event of UFC 237 between Jared Cannonier and Anderson Silva.

In the co-main event of UFC 237, Jared Cannonier (11-4 MMA; 4-4 UFC) will make his second appearance at 185-pounds as he takes on former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (34-9, 1NC MMA; 17-5, 1NC UFC). UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade will air live from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this Saturday, May 11. The main card starts on PPV through ESPN+, with the first fight taking place at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. The ESPN prelims will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and the Fight Pass prelims start at 6:30 p.m. ET.

How do these two stack up?

Cannonier: 35 years old | 5’11” | 77.5” reach
Silva: 44 years old | 6’2” | 77.5” reach

What have these two done recently?

Cannonier: W - David Branch (TKO) | L - Dominick Reyes (TKO) | L - Jan Blachowicz (DEC)
Silva: L - Israel Adesanya (DEC) | W - Derek Brunson (UD) | L - Daniel Cormier (DEC)

How did these two get here?

It’s hard to believe Jared Cannonier used to fight at heavyweight, when he looked in such spectacular shape for his UFC middleweight debut in his last fight against David Branch at UFC 230. “The Killa Gorilla” earned a Performance of the Night bonus with his stoppage win that night, as he shut down one of the top contenders at 185-pounds in Branch. Consecutive losses at 205-pounds before that must have convinced Cannonier to make the move down to middleweight, and judging by his last outing it was a smart move to make.

It’s almost sad when you realize Silva, who used to embarrass all of his opponents and dispatch them with ease, only has one win in his last seven UFC fights. That isn’t something that Silva thinks about though, for him it’s just the thrill of competing that keeps him in the sport. Although his last fight with Israel Adesanya was fun, Silva was nowhere near close to winning, and whether he can surprise many by beating Cannonier after the 35-year-old’s impressive debut at 185-pounds remains to be seen.

Why should you care?

Despite being 44 years of age, Silva showed glimpses of excellence in his last fight, so there is a chance we could see the old ‘Spider’ against Cannonier this weekend.