UFC 153 main card recap: Jon Fitch dominates Erick Silva, earns unanimous decision victory

Jon Fitch wanted to win “Fight of the Night” honors in his bout with Erick Silva, and he may have done so with a dominating performance over the hot prospect, winning by unanimous decision after three rounds of action.

Jon Fitch implemented his signature smothering style in the opening round, taking Silva to the mat early and often, and beating his opponent in close while in the clinch on the feet. Silva was able to get back to his feet but still had Fitch plastered to him for much of the round, completely unable to create enough space to get off with his exciting stand up skills.

Silva came back strong in the second after sweeping the leg of Fitch before transitioning to his opponent’s back. From there he went to work, peppering Fitch with right hands before locking up a tight rear naked choke. As usual, Fitch showed how tough he is to submit, escaping trouble and turning the tables on the young prospect with a late armbar attempt.

The final round was all Jon Fitch as he unleashed his will on the mat, hammering Silva with right hands while alternating submission attempts. Silva managed to scramble out briefly and attempt a desperate guillotine attempt, but ended up getting pounded with more right hands and elbows from the top. Fitch put a punctuation on the round as he flattened out Silva and landed countless strikes from the top until the bell.

After a dominating performance, Jon Fitch (24-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) was awarded a unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.