Welcome to the UFC 3.15.06: The Light Heavyweights
Posted by Zach Marcus on 03.15.2006
Welcome back to the exciting world of the UFC. Come inside to meet the light heavyweights.
WELCOME TO THE
Welcome back once again to the exciting world of MMA and the UFC. I am sorry about not having a column last week, but I was quite busy. Now onto the more important matter at hand, the light heavyweights. It is clear that the UFC makes most of their money from this division, as it includes a dominant champion and two very marketable up and coming stars.
News
From combatfighterzone.com
UFC 60
Sources are saying that Renato 'Babalu' Sobral will be facing MMA veteran Marvin Eastman at UFC 60. Babalu is waiting on his chance for redemption and the UFC Light Heavyweight title shot against Chuck Liddell.
I find this to be very surprising as many people, including myself, thought the next step for Babalu was a title shot. Eastman should not pose much of a challenge for Babalu and hopefully we get to the see the rematch between Babalu and Liddell as soon as possible.
The Light Heavyweights
In order to help bring you into to the sport I am introduce you to the fighters, the most important people in the sport. This week are the light heavyweights. I will introduce each fighter by stating a few of his key victories, what he is known for, and why I like or dislike him. These fighters weigh anything from 185-205 pounds. As with the welterweights and middleweights I am only going to talk about the fighters that I feel have a future in the UFC.
Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (18-3-0) The Champion
Liddell is the current light heavyweight champion and has beaten almost everyone the UFC has thrown at him. He has beaten Randy Couture twice, Tito Ortiz, Jeremy Horn, and Renato "Babalu" Sobral. The Iceman is known to be an amazing striker knocking out almost all of his opponents. The reason why Liddell is champion is because he also has, as Joe Rogan has said so many times, the best takedown defense in the UFC. This means if someone were to try to take him down to stop him from striking, they would have a hard time doing so. Liddell is a very exciting fighter, as he knocks many of his opponents out, but he is not a fighter I like. I feel there is too much controversy with his eye gouging, which has occurred numerous times.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral (27-5-0) Waiting in the Shadows
Sobral lost to Liddell at UFC 40, but has since then he has gone on a long winning streak of ten fights. While his UFC resume is not the strongest, Babalu has beaten many tough opponents in and out of the UFC. In the UFC he has beaten Mike Van Arsdale, Travis Wiuff, and Elvis Sinosic. He defeted Mauricio Rua, Jeremy Horn, and Trevor Prangley during a one night tournament in the International Fighting Championship. Known for his takedowns and striking, Babalu is a very talented fighter. I enjoy his fights because he has a dominating presence in the ring and his fights are generally exciting.
Forrest Griffin (12-2-0) The Golden Boy
Griffin won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, defeating Stephan Bonner in an amazing three round fight. Following this win he went on to defeat Bill Mahood and Elvis Sinosic. He is known for his stand-up game as well as his cardio. As the first "Ultimate Fighter," Griffin has appeared in numerous television ads, as well as being rumored to appear on the David Letterman Show. After watching his fight with Bonnar, it was very hard for a fan of the sport to not like him as a fighter because of the heart and skill he had showed throughout the fight. He will be facing Tito Ortiz and the upcoming PPV, UFC 59. If he wins this fight then a title shot against Liddell may come soon.
Stephan Bonnar (11-2-0) That Other Guy
Bonnar lost to Forrest Griffin on the finale of The Ultimate Fighter. While Griffin has had the opportunity to fight on actual PPV shows, Bonnar has only had fights on the free Ultimate Fight Night cards. On these he has beaten Sam Hogar and Jamers Irvin. While he is known for his durability and strikes, Bonnar appeared to get very tired in his fight against Hogar. Bonnar is another favorite fighter of mine because of his amazing fights that he had with Griffin as well as Hogar. Showing that he is the unloved man of the men who fought in the finale, he will face Keith Jardine on the upcoming Ultimate Fight Night on April 6. I hope that after he beats Jardine the UFC will finally give him a PPV fight against a tougher opponent.
Tito Ortiz (13-4-0) The Bad Boy Returns
Ortiz is one of the main reasons why the UFC is as popular as it is today. He debuted at UFC 13, losing to Guy Mezger in the final of the tournament as an amateur. Returning two years later he went on a tear through the UFC. He has defeated Mezger, Vanderlei Silva, Ken Shamrock, Evan Tanner, Yuki Kondo, and Vitor Belfort. Ortiz is not only known for his great fighting ability, but his after fight antic as well. After defeating his opponent, Ortiz has been known to put on a t-shirt that makes fun of the man he has just beaten. Known for being a good wrestler, having great conditioning, and superb ground and pound, Ortiz will be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter Season Three coming up in April. However, before the show airs on television he will have to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 59. Then after the show is over, he will face Ken Shamrock , the other coach from the show, in a rematch from their UFC 40 fight.
Special Opportunity- Radio Show
Combatfighterzone radio has new format, allowing you to listen to it without any waiting time or downloads. Please check it out at http://combatfighterzone.com/page9.html. The newest interviews are with Josh Koschek and Sam Hogar. Mark Coleman will be the next fighter on the show and will talk about his controversial fight in Pride. As always you can email me any questions you have for upcoming fighters, Luke Cummo, Joe Stevenson, Mike Whitehead, and Sean Sherk.
Thank you once again for reading my column this week. I want to ask you, the reader, a question about my future columns. Do you want me to include a review of the UFC PPVs after they happen? Drop me an email at zach.marcus@gmail.com telling me if I should or not. Also after next week's heavyweight analysis column I will be moving on to various topics about the UFC. If you want anything specific to be talked about let me know. As always email me at zach.marcus@gmail.com with any questions or comments.
