James Irvin on Anderson Silva: 'He's Used to Bullying People. I'm Not Afraid of Him'

When he steps into the Octagon against Anderson Silva on Saturday night, James Irvin knows he's a huge underdog -- to the point where some view him as more of a sacrificial lamb for Silva's first light heavyweight fight than an opponent who actually has a chance of winning.

Irvin, however, says that too many Silva opponents give Silva exactly the kind of fights he wants. He tells UFC.com:

"It's like having two hunters in the ring and he takes the shotgun right out of his opponent's hands. He then becomes the hunter. He waits for them to backpedal or get tired. He's used to bullying people around. ...

"I'm not afraid of him," Irvin said. "I've been fighting scary guys my whole career. Houston Alexander is one of the baddest looking guys in the sport. Terry Martin was known for being a big puncher. But I wasn't afraid of them and I'm not afraid of Anderson."

Irvin is an aggressive fighter who owns the UFC record for fastest knockout, and I like the fact that he's not planning to backpedal. But I also think his game plan is going to play right into Silva's hands, and I think Silva will beat him in the first round.