• UFC 153

Bonnar: Anderson will go through hell to beat me

Stephan Bonnar has warned Anderson Silva he is going to have to do what no man has ever done - knock the American out - in order to save himself from 25 minutes of excrutiating, lung-busting pain at UFC 153.

Bonnar enters Saturday's main event - a light-heavyweight non-title fight against middleweight king Silva - as one of the biggest underdogs in MMA history. Silva has fought at 205lbs twice before in the UFC, embarrassing both opponents, but Bonnar insists his fight will be different.

"I'm going in there to fight him, not to just go in there and think it was cool to share an Octagon with Anderson Silva," Bonnar promised. "I'm going to give everything, fight my heart out, like I did in the fight with Forrest Griffin [in 2005] which changed the sport.

"That's what I bring to the cage that Anderson maybe hasn't seen too many times in his career. I've got to give him a fight, I'm going to get him on the back foot, rough him up, and that's what I'm going to do."

The key is Bonnar's chin - with both career stoppages coming by way of cuts rather than KO or TKO. The American Psycho believes he will be able to absorb enough punishment from Silva to be able to get his hands on him, at which point he can drag the Brazilian into deep waters.

According to official stats from FightMetric, Bonnar has landed more strikes in the Octagon than any light-heavyweight in UFC history not named Tito Ortiz or Forrest Griffin. He has also attempted to finish fights with submissions more than any 205lb fighter, other than Renato Sobral.

"I've been hit by bigger, stronger guys and never been stopped," Bonnar said. "I mean, look at every fight I've ever had - I've been hit with lots of big shots but I get up and keep coming. Anderson is so damn good, but no-one has ever walked through me and I will keep coming at him no matter what he throws my way.

"I get in there and go after it. I don't stall, I don't get stood up (due to inactivity), I go out there any put it on my opponent and I am going to give Anderson Silva hell."

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