UFC on Fuel TV 10 Results: Thiago Silva flattens Feijao with a 1st-round uppercut

WHO: Rafael Cavalcante vs Thiago Silva

WHAT: Main-card results and observations

WHERE: UFC on FUEL TV 10 from Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil

MAIN EVENT: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum

Thiago Silva vs. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante -- Light-heavyweight bout

Whew ... there was a palpable tension during announcements and stare-downs for this one, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Feijao, the former Strikeforce 205-pound champ, seemed to find his range early and zinged a versatile arsenal of heaters at Silva. Feijao thundered his right cross upstairs, then downstairs a few times that landed hard, and then started to key off the body punch by faking it low and coming up with high with streaking right or left hooks. Silva kept plugging away with short combinations or lunging in with his left hook or low kicks, but Feijao was more efficient early.

Just as it seemed Cavalcante was taking over, Silva found the mark with a stiff 1-2 and continued to throw Feijao off-balance with thudding low kicks that landed both inside and out. Feijao lost the snap in his punches and started to drop his hands dangerously at the close of his combinations. Silva, who looked sharper and threw more leg kicks than ever before, seemed to smell blood and upped his aggression as Feijao was undeniably fading four minutes deep.

Silva finally cornered Cavalcante and unleashed a devastating blitz, catching Feijao's chin with a monster uppercut after his initial flurry of hooks. The blow crumpled Feijao and Silva bombed down a few shots for good measure.

• Thiago Silva defeats Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante by KO (uppercut), Round 1.