Nordine Taleb
Age: 36
Nationality: French
MMA Record: 14-4
UFC Record: 6-2
Notable Wins: Danny Roberts, Erick Silva
Notable Losses: Santiago Ponzinibbi, Warlley Alves
Last Fight: KO win over Danny Roberts
Fighter Profile: A former contestant on TUF, Taleb has really turned into a nice find in the UFC welterweight division. The French-Canadian has a ton of knockout power and has really shown it lately with his brutal KO wins over the likes of Danny Roberts and Erick Silva. Taleb isn’t without his flaws as we’ve also seen him get finished by submission in the UFC but overall he’s a very well-rounded fighter with really good striking and lots of durability and he’s a guy who is a darkhorse contender at 170lbs in his late 30s.
Claudio Silva
Age: 35
Nationality: Brazilian
MMA Record: 11-1
UFC Record: 2-0
Notable Wins: Leon Edwards, Brad Scott
Notable Losses: None
Last Fight: Decision win over Leon Edwards
Fighter Profile: A real enigma inside the Octagon, Silva has impressed when he’s competed, but that’s been few and far between. The Brazilian is a nice 2-0 in the UFC with notable wins over Leon Edwards and Brad Scott but due to various injuries he hasn’t fought since 2014. That’s too bad because he had eight wins by finish before his long layoff and looked like someone who could make a quiet run up the welterweight ladder, but the long layoff makes it hard to know where he’s at. Maybe he’ll look even better in his return to the Octagon but most likely he’s going to look like a tired fighter and get finished.
Fight Breakdown: This fight would be a lot more interesting if Silva didn’t have such a long layoff, but considering he hasn’t fought in almost four years it’s just impossible to pick him here. Silva is not Dominick Cruz or Georges St-Piere and other than those two the records of fighters coming off of long layoffs are very poor. Taleb has been fighting at a very high level as of late and has really come into his own as a fighter as he’s discovered his knockout power. Silva has a great record and he’s proven to be very tough but I just feel like this is a bad matchup for him coming off of such a long layoff. I think Taleb really takes it to Silva on the feet, and as the fight wears on I think Taleb is eventually able to finish Silva and continue his winning ways inside the Octagon in the process.
Prediction: Nordine Taleb via TKO
