Hey!
Ok, so it's my first post. Bit nervous! Don't be critical on any spelling/grammar mistakes (it's not a PhD thesis!).
The first few posts will be few and far between as I start to get things going and soon I will hopefully get some Google advertising going and I will probably sign up for that commissions/sales thing to earn some "pocket money" :-P ...
So lets get things rolling...
UFC 130
This card was originally set to be EPIC with the headliner being the 3rd fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard. Sadly, injuries to both fighters has put their trilogy on hold until August/September. None-the-less, the new headliner, Quinton Jackson against Matt Hamill promises to give the fans some relief/joy. I won't bore you with the prelim fights (although just as exciting as the main card fights, I don't want my first blog to be too long and "boringly" detailed). Instead I will run down the main card and then my thoughts about the possible aftermath of this event.
Firstly, Brian Stann versus Jorge Santiago. What a way to kick off the main card. Brian Stann, a former Captain of the US Marine Corps, the fighter dubbed "Americas next Randy Couture" is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion with a wrestling and kickboxing background. A 10-3 record may shout "inexperience" but 7 knockout victories over the likes of Steve Cantwell and heavy hitter Chris Leben, coupled with a solid ground game, make Mr. Stann a threat both standing and rolling. His opponent, Jorge Santiago, a former Sengoku Middleweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight tournament winner, holds a stunning 23-8 record with wins over Trevor Prangley, Mamed Khalidov and UFC vet Jeremy Horn. A blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Santiago is simply, a finisher. An obvious strategy for Jorge is to take Stann down and submit him. Santiago has a wide variety of submission wins from armbars to triangle chokes so it will be difficult for Brian if the fight hits the floor. For Brian to be successful, he will have to use the cage to close the distance (thus preventing Jorge from out striking him (9 KOs is proof that Jorge can bang!)) and then, with a bit of dirty boxing, rough him up and finish strongly with a takedown near the end of the round. For Santiago, it's all about timing and execution. Stann will get close to Santiago so Jorge must take advantage of those few seconds and pull of the submission or flash KO. Prediction: Stann via Split Decision or Santiago via Submission.
Next up, we have Thiago Alves against Rick Story. Listen up, if you like to watch two guys stand and hit the crap out of each other then this is your fight! A fight of the night contender, Alves (18-7 with 11 KOs) and Story (12-3 with 6 stoppages) will be a "stand and bang" encounter between two guys who need wins NOW if they want to contend for the Welterweight title. Since his title defeat to St. Pierre, Alves has been up-and-down with a 1-1 record. His rematch with Fitch was just poor whilst his over Howard was a kick-boxing masterclass. He took Howard apart! If Alves can perform like that again, we could be seeing a possible match-up against Shields or Penn (!). Rick Story, on the other hand, has won 5 fights in a row since his debut loss to John Hathaway. 5 wins over GOOD fighters. Hendricks and Foster to name a few. A win over Alves would shoot Story up the rankings and in the mix for a shot at the legend that is GSP. Prediction: Alves via Decision.
Thirdly, we have Stefan Struve versus Travis Browne. A heavyweight class between two guys that just don't stop. Struve (21-4), the typical Dutch kickboxer, is on fire coming off back-to-back KO wins is looking to push himself in amongst the crowd of HUGE heavyweights such as Carwin, Lesnar and Mir whilst Browne (11-0-1) is looking to rebound of a poor draw against the Frenchman Cheick Kongo. A stand up clash that could very likely end up on the ground due to both fighters cancelling each other out "upstairs". A possible upset win for Browne? Maybe. But I rooting for the "Skyscraper" to pull of another stoppage. Prediction: Struve via TKO stoppage.
Now, the new co-main event. A 2nd Heavyweight clash and this time I really mean HEAVYweight. Former Champ Frank Mir takes on fellow jiu-jitsu maestro Roy "Big Country" Nelson in a fight that could turn out to be an all grappling and jiu-jitsu affair but could easily become a stand up war as they both respect each others ground game. A win for either fighter puts them 2nd or 3rd in line for a shot at the Champion, Cain Velasquez and a loss...will most likely lead to a "loser leaves the UFC" fight against a lower ranked fighter (maybe the loser of Struve-Browne?). Prediction: Mir via Decision.
And finally, the new main event. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against Matt Hamill. PRIDE vet and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rampage is quietly (yes QUIETLY) circling the top 3-4 contenders of the LHW division waiting for his opportunity to jump in for the kill and snatch that prized belt. His recent and controversial win over ex-Champ, Machida won't help his cause but a vintage KO win over up-and-comer Hamill will but some light back on Rampage in a divison now "owned" by the seemingly unstoppable Jon "Bones" Jones. With Rashad Evans fighting Phil Davis for top contendership soon and Shogun having his rematch against the colourful Forrest Griffin, Rampage will hope a win over Hamill has come just in time for the UFC to slip him in between the others for a shot at Jones. Hamill, a top level wrestler and (former?) student of the "infamous" Tito Ortiz, is looking for his moment. Any kind of victory over Rampage will shoot him up the rankings and possibly into an all-wrestling encounter between Evans or Davis for top contendership until Jones returns from his injury. Prediction: Rampage via TKO stoppage.
UFC 130 has many implementations for pretty much most of the divisions that it bares. One outcome that will most definitely rise out of this card will be the clear picture painted of the top two divisions. The two heavyweight clashes are significant in a division with only approximately 25 fighters. The losers of these fights will probably not fall too far down the rankings but will find themselves in a sort of "limbo" - too far behind the "cream of the crop" (Lesnar, Carwin, JDS, Velasquez, etc...) and too far above other fighters who are either too inexperienced in the ufc or are "spent forces" such as Kongo or the once great Mirko Cro-Cop. Also, the winner of the main event effectively puts himself into the VERY complicated title picture of the LHW division whilst the loser falls down into, arguably, the "2nd division" consisting of fighters such as Rogerio Nogueira, Matyushenko, Ortiz and Bonnar - a crowd that both Rampage and Hamill do not want to be around (as I believe they are far better than!).
The card promises to include fireworks (despite the fair possibility of ALL the main card fights going the distance) and don't rule out an upset here or there (especially on the facebook prelims card)!
Thanks!
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