This is an interesting fight for one reason only: will Thiago Silva’s barging muay thai style be enough to get him inside Jardine’s awkward defense? Silva walks straight forward without flinching, and while that may have cost him against Lyoto Machida earlier this year, it will probably be effective against Jardine. Wanderlei Silva proved that you can flummox Jardine by barging straight forward and throwing haymakers, and that seems to be Thiago’s specialty.
This one either ends very quickly with a Silva knockout or it goes to decision with a Jardine win. It’s a toss-up at this point for me, so I’m going to go with instinct and take Silva to win the fight. He’s got enough power and precision to finish Jardine as long as he doesn’t get confused by Jardine’s style.
PREDICTION: Thiago Silva by TKO
