Soa 'the Hulk in battle of the giants

It's the battle of the giants - Perth's Soa "The Hulk" Palelei against Brazil's Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

Both men stand 193cm tall, both men cut weight to make the UFC's 120kg heavyweight limit, and this morning, thewest.com.au can reveal they will go toe-to-toe at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro on August 1.

For Palelei (22-4), it's far and away the biggest opportunity of his extensive MMA career.

The 37-year-old has compiled a 3-1 record since returning to the UFC in 2013, using his trademark ground and pound in each of his three knockout victories.

His lone loss in that time came in June last year at the hands of US amateur wrestling champion, Jared Rosholt, who drew on his wrestling credentials to stop Palelei's takedowns.

He has gained a strong following in the past two years for his straight-forward approach to fighting and his affable demeanour.

In Silva (18-7), Palelei is up against his most decorated opponent.

A mountain of a man, Silva fought for the UFC heavyweight title two years ago, losing in the first round to reigning champion Cain Velasquez.

The 35-year-old has heavy hands, and like Palelei, an even heavier top game.

He showed the ferocity of that ground game with his stoppage win over MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in 2011.

His stand-up, however, is equally dangerous.

His last two wins came by way of strikes, against elite competition in Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne.

If he catches Palelei flush, it could be a short night for the Perth veteran, but the same could be said in reverse.

When you have two men this big, at this level, one punch is all it takes to end a fight.

What Palelei lacks in striking technique, he makes up for in speed and he will look to use that to his advantage on the feet against the slower Brazilian.

They both hold black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but they tend to favour position over submission on the ground.

Silva has gone on a two-fight losing streak since his five-round war with Palelei's sparring partner, Mark Hunt, in Brisbane and he will be desperate to get back in the winner's column in front of his home crowd.

"The Hulk" will most likely try to follow his battle-tested game plan of taking his opponent down, gaining full mount and reigning down punches until the referee steps in.

If he can do that against Silva, he should break into the top 10 of the UFC's heavyweight division for the first time.





UFC 190 will be headlined by a women's bantamweight title bout between champion Ronda Rousey and Brazilian challenger Bethe Corriea.

In the co-main event, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will face Antonio "Lil Nog" Nogueira in a long-awaited rematch of their classic 2005 encounter which Shogun won by decision.