Anderson Silva: UFC 73 Betting Odds

Anderson Silva vs. Nathan Marquardt is one of the most anticipated matchups of this coming weekend's UFC 73 Stacked and we have all the latest UFC 73 betting odds right here. 

This is a tight one where the oddsmakers are concerned with Anderson Silva a -145 favorite verses Nathan Marquardt (+115)  Anderson Silva is considered among the best strikers in the MMA.

Anderson 'The Spider' Silva (born April 14, 1975) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts fighter and the current UFC Middleweight Champion. He is also the current Cage Rage World Middleweight champion, the longest-reigning champion in that promotion. He has competed in other promotions like PRIDE Fighting Championship, Shooto, and Rumble on the Rock, and holds notable wins over Rich Franklin, Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton, and Jeremy Horn.

Silva is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Although he was slated to fight Matt Lindland at Cage Rage 16, Lindland's decision to fight Mike Van Arsdale at Raze Fight Night put an end to the highly-anticipated match up. Instead, Silva defended his championship against Tony Fryklund, winning the fight with a reverse elbow knocking out Fryklund early in the first round.

Although speculation ran rampant about where Silva would sign next, the UFC announced in late April 2006 that they had signed Anderson Silva to a multi-fight contract.

Although it is unknown whether the UFC voters had any bearing on the situation, Silva was given his chance at the title at UFC 64 on 14 October 2006. Silva defeated Rich Franklin by TKO (Strikes) at 2:59 in the first round. Silva hit Franklin with knees to the body in the Muay Thai clinch, then broke Franklin's nose with a knee to the face. Unable to strike back, Franklin dodged the last of Silva's strikes before falling to the ground, where John McCarthy ended the fight. Silva was then crowned the new UFC Middleweight Champion. Anderson Silva joins Lyoto Machida as the only other man to have beaten Rich Franklin.

Silva's overall MMA record stands at 18-4.

Silva's opponent this Saturday night at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California, is Nate Marquardt, who tends to fight at a more deliberate pace.

Marquardt has won three of his last four fights by unanimous decision.

Learn More About Placing Bets on This Event Here

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Tyrone Black, Sports911.com

Originally published July 5, 2007 1:06 pm ET