Cerrone is currently ranked at number 13 at lightweight on the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, while Silver is holding down the 10 spot. A win by other fighter would likely cement a top 10 ranking and leave the guy a couple of fights from a title shot. This lightweight UFC 137 fight will be on the televised portion of the preliminary card, and will air live on Spike TV. The Spike broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Cerrone: 28 years old | 6'0" | 73" reach
Siver: 32 years old | 5'7" | 70" reach
What have these two done recently?
Cerrone: W - Charles Oliveira (TKO) | W - Vagner Rocha (UD) | L - Paul Kelly SUB)
Siver: W - Matt Wiman (UD) | W -http://forums.wrestlingsmarks.../mma/fighter/122972/zach-micklewright George Sotiropoulos (UD) | W - Andre Winner (SUB)
How did these two get here?
Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is a former kickboxer than made the transition to MMA in 2006. It was his ground game that got him noticed in MMA though, ratting off seven straight submission wins to earn a shot in the WEC. After a failed drug test caused a no contest in his first WEC bout, he picked up two wins (including one over Razor Rob McCullough that was one of the most exciting fights ever) to earn a lightweight title shot against Jamie Varner. The bout ended controversially in the 5th round when Varner landed an unintentional illegal knee and the bout went to the scorecards. He rebounded and was fighting for the title again 10 months later, this time against Ben Henderson. He lost a very close decision in what turned out to be the fight of the year for 2009. He later dropped another title fight to Henderson before picking up a win over Varner. Then it was off to the UFC, where he has rattled off three straight wins, including a knockout of the night performance against Charles Oliveira in his last bout at UFC on Versus 5.
Dennis Siver is a Russian-born fighter who moved to Germany when he was 17. He is a former kickboxer as well, and switched over to MMA back in 2004. A 10-3 run in Europe earned Siver a shot on the UFC's first UK card, but he was quickly submitted by Jess Llaudin. Additional losses to Melvin Guillard and Gray Maynard sent him packing, but just one win outside the promotion was enough to get him back in and he's been excellent ever since, going 7-1 and picking up four bonuses in the process. His biggest win probably came over George Sotiropoulos at UFC 127. He'll inch closer to title shot contention with a win over Cerrone.
Why should you care?
This is going to be a barnburner. They have nine performance bonuses between them in the UFC and WEC. What's not to like?
More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth
UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions
UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston
Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa
UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling
UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth
Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa
UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop
UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke
UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke
UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena
UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling
UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn
UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling
UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke
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