The Sunday Sprawl 6.07.09: Volume 25 - Return Edition/UFC 99: The Comeback Preview
Posted by Alex Mattis on 06.07.2009
Back from the dead? You best believe it! For my return edition of "The Sunday Sprawl" an in-depth look at UFC 99 and its headlining fights. Come on in and welcome back!
Welcome back one and all to "The Sunday Sprawl!" Hope all has been well with everyone. I'm back and am intent on bringing what I can to the table here on 411's great MMA section.
For my return column I've got a full preview of UFC 99: The Comeback, my thoughts on the fights, and my predictions as well. It's been too long since we've met so enough jibber-jabber… LET'S GET DOWN TO IT!!!
The Battle For (potential) Relevance :
Two men, two former world champions who were once on top of their respective divisions meet at a cross roads in their career, both figuratively and quite literally (195). These two men have reached a strange place in their career and winning this fight may prove that they still have the ability to be relevant in their weight class. With how exciting these fighters are, tack on the Silva-Silva drama, I don't see how this fight could be a letdown. It should be wild, for as long as it lasts.
Once the most feared man in the 205 division, Wanderlei Silva has now become someone whom people expect "an entertaining fight" from. In his last 5 fights Wand has had only one win. He was beaten senseless in the 4 fights he lost, viciously KO'd in 3 of them. His KO win over Keith Jardine showed that his still posses the power, speed, and killer instinct that took him to the gold so many years ago but the fact is that he has receded as a fighter. The wars he has been in have caught up to him, the toll of the punishment he has taken is beginning to show, he is more susceptible to getting knocked out, he just doesn't seem to be the fighter he once was. Much of his recent troubles at light heavyweight could be due to the fact that his size has also caught up with him. The prototype for the 205'er has grown, and Wand just isn't a natural light heavyweight. This could be the beginning of a new chapter in the career of "The Axe Murderer." A move to middleweight may revive his status in MMA and this fight will tell us if that is going to be the case, or if Wanderlei's best days are behind him. One thing is for sure: if he is KO'd again, he needs to think about hangin' up the gloves before permanent damage is done.
One more KO and they will share equal short-term memory
Rich Franklin sat atop the 185 mountain for quite some time. He was the top middleweight in the world until this Anderson Silva dude came in, broke his face, and took his title. Rich wasn't ruined by his loss however, he took out every middleweight that was in his way until he again fought Anderson when again… his face was broken. Again Rich showed that a loss doesn't keep him down, he destroyed his next two opponents with superior striking. His fight with Hendo showed that when Rich is put against an unorthodox, aggressive striker he can be overly-tentative and can be beaten. His newfound spot in the 205 division could be moved toward the front of the pack with a win over the former PRIDE champ. Unfortunately for "Ace," as of May 23rd, 2009 the rankings and challengers in the 205lb division have become utterly irrelevant.
Rich Franklin's history against aggressive strikers… Bad.
So who takes it? One of the deciding factors of this fight may be the training that Rich has received training from Anderson Silva leading into this fight. Anderson knows Wand very well and may have helped Rich develop a perfect strategy. Now on the other hand: Rich Franklin + Aggressive Strikers = Loss on Record. I have a feeling that that is NOT going to be the case in this fight however. I think Rich is going to use his reach effectively while avoiding the wind-mill punches of Wand. And Rich for the love of God stay out of the fucking Thai clinch!!! If Rich fights a smart fight he should be able to win the D.
Hype Vs. Realness :
After Saturday night the UFC's heavyweight division will be put on notice; what remains to be seen is who is going to make a statement. Cheick Kongo has been in this situation before; he has been on a dominant roll, made his way into possible contention but still has one more fight to get him there. His opponent Cain Velasquez is in a situation that he has never experienced before - in only his 6th fight he is taking on a UFC-vet who damn near close to the top of the heap. A win for either man here could do wonders for their career.
Cain Velasquez has been on a tear in the UFC, absolutely smashing every poor bastard that has been put in front of him and looks as though he has the potential to be a major player in the UFC's land of monsters. He has some dangerous punches, great wrestling, and some serious ground n' pound but he runs into a problem in this fight that he hasn't faced before. Cain has never been on a PPV main card, has never been in a headlining fight, and has never been under this kind of pressure. Being on a stacked international PPV fighting a top ranked fighter (in the UFC) is a huge hurdle that he is going to have to get over in order to win this fight. His original opponent, Heath Herring, I think may have been an easier fight for him but now he is going to have to prove himself and validate the hype that has been surrounding him.
Cheick Kongo was put on this planet to do one thing: keep it real. I don't know of a harder man in all of the UFC, there is no bullshit with this dude. Clock in, clock out, get paid. Yet to be stopped in the UFC, Kongo rivals the Diaz Bros. for the realest mother fucker in MMA. He has shown that he has all the tools you need to be a successful heavyweight in MMA, it's just a matter of him fine-tuning his skills and properly executing a game plan. He was oh' so close to a title shot when he dropped his razor-thin decision to Heath Herring back at UFC 82. Since then he has absolutely cleaned house since then ending three fights in a row. Now heading into this fight which he took on short notice, again he keeps that shit real, he could easily boost himself into title contention with an impressive W over the very hyped Cain Velasquez. Can Kongo take the next step? Or will this be just another example of when keeping it real goes wrong?
Kickin' ass and ownin' bitches in Jumanji.
So who takes it? With Cain's great wrestling and Kongo's VICIOUS striking and top game I don't think Cain is going to hesitate in trying to take Kongo down and work some G N' P ala his fight against Jake O' Brien. Taking Kongo down is much easier said than done however. You also have to factor in the experience factor, Kongo has been here before and Cain has not. I think if Cain is 100% mentally and physically I think he could present problems for any heavyweight but I think this may just be too much for him too soon. Look for Kongo to score a TKO late in the fight.
Proud of your heritage? Dan Hardy will straight up call your ass out!
Shit's gonna get serious in Germany when Dan Hardy rep'n the UK steps into the cage to take on "The (1/3) Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis. At least Hardy would have you believe that Davis has minimal Irish blood in him. Whereas Marcus doesn't have to go down the heritage route, flat out called Hardy a "douche bag." These two aren't going to hesitate, they're going to meet in the middle and someone is going to get dropped.
Marcus Davis has been banging on the door of the top 10 welterweights in the world for some time now and a win here could place him among the top 170'ers out there. His boxing was what originally stood out about him but as his past several fights have shown, he has become a very well rounded fighter. The biggest question going into this fight is "Can he keep his composure?" If he can keep it together he should smash Dan Hardy.
This is what happened to the last guy that called him a fake Irishman. Just saying.
Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy has surprised with his stint in the UFC thus far. I predicted Gono to beat him, then I was sure Markham was going to knock him out. Guess what? Screwed again! Fool's got some serious hands and has a pretty well rounded game but the question could be asked "is he in the same league as Davis?" He has done a swell job of hyping this fight and getting people interested in it but now he needs to prove himself and back up his word.
So who takes it? As the great Rex Manning says "lips are for kissin' baby, so say no more," the shit talking is nearing an end and it's time for one of these dudes to show that they are the superior fighter. Hardy showed crazy punching power in his last fighter but Davis has shown he can take a shot. With all the bad blood I'm assuming Davis will want to take Hardy down and punish him and pound out a finish. As long as Marcus keeps his composure that is a very realistic scenario.
Elsewhere at 99:
-Mike Swick and "Killa B" Saunders will go to war in a fight that has all the makings to be the Fight of the Night. I'm actually going to pick the TUF 6 veteran Ben Saunders to pull out and upset here. I think if he can utilize his sickening clinch to set up a takedown, get Mike on his back and over-power him like Okami did he should be able to pull out the win.
-Caol Uno returns to the UFC to take on "The King." This should be an incredibly exciting fight but I don't think Uno's comeback (HA! Pun!) isn't going to go too well. King by decishhh.
-A legend, an icon, one of the greatest fighters in history, and one of the baddest MoFo's that has ever walked the Earth returns to the UFC. Mirko Cro Cop is back in the UFC and looking to avenge his embarrassing first stint in the company. He has rededicated himself to fighting and is looking to prove that he is still a top heavyweight. Mostapha Al-Turk is a tough, tough dude but if the Cro Cop that won the PRIDE 2006 GP shows up it is going to be a short fight. I hope to see this man back on June 13th
Prelim Predictions :
Terry Etim Vs. Justin Buchholz
Dennis Siver Vs. Dale Hartt Paul Taylor Vs. Peter Sobotta Paul Kelly Vs. Rolando Delgado
Denis Stojnic Vs. Stefan Struve John Hathaway Vs. Rick Story
And for the final lowdown on the event:
Well, that's all for me this week. It's great to be back and I'll see you all right back here next week.
Remember feedback, as always, is welcome at slash_632@hotmail.com or directly below.
