I'll Hit It! 07.04.07
Posted by Don Abato on 07.04.2007
Stacked is the perfect title for UFC 73. Fans are anticipating an action packed event. 411 Mania's Don Abato says there'll be no shortage of excitement, as long as you don't mind most of the main events being fought on the ground.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has never assembled a lineup like the one we will see on July 7, 2007. What a gift Zuffa decided to give fans on what could be the luckiest of days since Saturday will be 7-7-07. It seems like all the pieces are in place for a night of epic proportions in Mixed Martial Arts history. But as big as UFC 73 could be, it could also be a major disappointment if we don't get all the fireworks we're expecting.
If you're going to look at the four main fights from a strategic standpoint then it should be no surprise the match-ups will all likely be ground wars. If you're a true MMA fan, meaning you appreciate and understand the ground game, then you should still expect those fireworks to happen, just not in the sense of the standup game. But if you're the kind of fan who loses interest or boos when the fight stays on the ground then "Stacked" will not be very exciting for you.
Let's start with the debut of former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera. The fighter also known as "Minotauro" is a black-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has one of the best submission games in all of MMA. Nogueira has trained boxing with the Cuban national team(long regarded as one of the top teams in world class amatuer competition.) He's worked hard at improving his boxing skills and has shown improvement in his hands. But make no mistake, his forte is the ground and he will look to bring the fight there.
Big Nog(another nickname he's been given due to the fact he has a twin brother who fights in the lower 205 pound weight division) has faced Heath Herring twice and enjoyed victory both times, including one by anaconda choke. Herring is tough on the feet and likes to bang, but has been subdued on the ground. It's likely at some point this fight will hit the ground where Big Nog will no doubt work his magic. Minotauro should not have much difficulty finishing the "Texas Crazyhorse" once he gets him down. It's exciting watching Minotauro work his jits because he's so fluid for a heavyweight.
The battle for the 155 pound belt pits challenger Hermes Franca against champion Sean Sherk. Hermes is a wild slugger who has an active Jiu-Jitsu game. Sherk, a mini version of welterweight battering ram Matt Hughes, is aptly nicknamed the "Muscle Shark." Everyone in the known universe knows he's going to setup the double leg with his hands, shoot and get it, wrap Franca up and dump him on his back. It's a position the Brazilian excels from and doesn't mind practicing often.. When you pit a strong wrestler against a BJJ stylist who likes to work off his back many times the two "cancel" each other out and you get a lot of stalled action.
As dynamic as these two have shown themselves, they are also both good enough to cancel each other out because of how their games match up. Sherk's conditioning will likely make the difference and expect him to grind out a win after 5 rounds of ground and pound. Again, not the action on the feet many of the new fans prefer.
When Tito Oritz squares off against Rashad Evans we'll see two strong wrestlers who favor ground and pound. Rashad showed confidence in his Muay Thai skills against Sean Salmon and eventually got the highlight knockout. But as good as Salmon's wrestling credentials were, he doesn't pose the MMA threat Tito Ortiz does. Rashad will not have as easy a time landing those shots against Tito. Both fighters are seeking to impose their will from the top position on the ground. This fight will not stay on the feet and will become a grind-it-out war on the mat with the victor being the one who is more successful at staying off his back and keeping busy with punches and elbows from the top. Fans expecting to see action similar to Chuck and Tito I or II or Chuck and Rampage will be disappointed. A knockout on the feet will not happen!
Many of you are saying, "Anderson Silva is a Muay Thai monster and will keep this a stand up fight." Watching "The Spider's" UFC knockout reel certainly suggests that could be true. But Silva has yet to prove he can prevent a determined opponent from scoring the takedown. Silva has improved his ground skills and earned his black-belt in BJJ from Minotauro himself. But the blueprint to beating "The Spider" remains the same: take him down and do your worst. In the times Silva has tasted defeat it was because he was neutralized and submitted on the ground.
It's been argued if Matt Lindland were still in the UFC he'd have no trouble putting Silva away since his strengths make for a bad match up style-wise against the Brazilian. Nathan Marquardt doesn't have the wrestling credentials of Lindland, but he does have the skills to employ the proper game plan to defeat Silva. As capable as Marquardt is with his hands and kicks, he should be thinking ground in this one. Championship matches at this level usually come down to who succeeds at executing a game plan. Marquardt's should and will likely involve putting Silva on his back, and that makes it more likely the middleweight belt will change hands.
UFC 73: Stacked is a card filled with lots of big names who've provided great moments and exciting wins. Saturday night could add to the highlight reels of some of these fighters. But if you don't put much stock in anything that delves outside the realm of standup striking it could also be a long night at the fights for you. Maybe it's about time you started picking up the nuances of the ground game my friend. Now is better than later, because you may need it once the action in the Octagon starts.
