Unlike the headline fight between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn,  Silva vs. Machida isn't expected to be a clash for the ages.  But there is intrigue.  Is Silva the man to figure out the ever elusive but effective Machida?  Dave Meltzer makes the case:

In the semifinal underneath one of the most hyped matches in mixed martial arts history, Thiago Silva’s job on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is solving MMA’s version of the Rubik’s Cube.

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Several high-profile fighters have turned down matches with Machida, who owns wins over the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn, Tito Ortiz and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

And the reasons for the rejections are unique.

Usually the hardest guys to match up are feared knockout artists, or awesome wrestlers. In Machida’s case, it’s not the fear of getting hurt or being stymied by overwhelming wrestling. It’s the feeling of needing months to prepare for his style, or simply believing it’s hard to look good, win or lose, in a fight with him.

But Machida, the son of a Shotokan karate master, sees his style, which combines his backgrounds in point karate, sumo wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as the essence of martial arts, the ability to defeat an opponent without taking much punishment.

Some contend that Machida takes elusiveness too far into the realm of avoidance.  This, of course, is a matter of opinion.  For all the criticisms against him, Machida made several accomplished fighters look borderline foolish.  Until someone devises and executes a successful plan against him, the Brazilian's legend will only grow. 

Can Thiago Silva be that opponent?  Most believe he is not.  However, this is the unpredictable sport of MMA, and Silva is a top ten light heavyweight.  The actual fight will tell the story.

-- Photo via Combat Lifestyle