Andrei Arlovski was supposed to be the better boxer, but Antonio Silva had better hands on Saturday.

All three judges scored the bout for Silva over Arlovski at the Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery show in St. Louis. It was a rebound win for Silva (14-2), who lost a decision to Fabricio Werdum in November. Arlovski (15-8) has now lost three consecutive fights for the first time in his career.

With his natural athleticism and work under noted boxing trainer Freddie Roach, Arlovski entered Saturday's bout with 11 knockout wins to his credit and a reputation as the superior striker. Yet the main thing he proved tonight is that his chin is better than many observers believed.

Silva frequently countered Arlovski's combinations with hooks and straight punches, particularly with the right hand. Arlovski absorbed several solid shots to the face, including some that snapped his head and at least one punch that left him bleeding.

Compustrike statistics showed Silva landing 59 of 113 strikes thrown standing, compared to 53 of 137 for Arlovski.

Grappling also favored Silva, who has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Silva took down Arlovski twice and often had his back on the fence to defend takedowns in the last two rounds.

Arlovski and Silva are the No. 12 and No. 16 heavyweights in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings.

Both men used to hold major belts. Arlovski was a titlist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Silva was EliteXC's champion.