Intelligently Defending 11.29.07: Fights To Look Forward To
Posted by Ken Kobel on 11.29.2007
The UFC is set to deliver plenty of MMA goodness in the coming months. In this edition of Intelligently Defending we will take a look at some of the more intriguing upcoming match-ups that will help shape their respective divisions.
The UFC is set to unleash a strong series of cards starting in early December. In this edition of Intelligently Defending we will take a look at a few fights that are sure to excite as well as to help make the pecking orders in the various divisions a little clearer.
Let's rock.
The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale: Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida
The spoon-feeding of Roger Huerta is now over – it is time to see what he's got.
Huerta has been on a tear in the UFC winning five straight fights. It is clear the 24-year-old has talent with his strong ground and pound and excellent conditioning. However, the quality of his wins has come into question. Each one of the five fighters he has defeated in the UFC was making their octagon debuts at the time -- only one of them has gone on to pick up a win in the organization. Critics have lashed out at the UFC for this matchmaking. They saw it as a ploy to make Huerta a poster boy for the company without having him prove his worth against top competition.
This talk will end on December 8th when Huerta takes on the always tough Clay Guida.
In his last fight, Guida defeated PRIDE veteran Marcus Aurelio via split decision. In his fight before that he dropped a controversial split decision to Tyson Griffin in one of the best fights of the year. Guida has shown very solid wrestling and the ability to take punishment. He is going to test Huerta more than any fighter has to this point in the UFC.
On paper, this is a very even fight. To break it down: Roger is going to be the bigger of the two. The stand-up may slightly be in Guida's favor. The wrestling is too close to call. On the ground, Huerta has shown more impressive ground and pound technique while Guida has the better BJJ. Both men have gas tanks for days.
Basically, this has all the makings of another fight of the year candidate just before 2007 comes to an end.
If Huerta wins, he will most likely get a number one contender fight. If Guida wins, he will put his name right back in the mix of contenders.
UFC 79: Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
This is a huge bout that was announced only a few weeks ago when it was revealed that Sokoudjou had signed with the UFC after his deals with ElticeXC and K-1 HERO's had fell through. The fight will help answer many questions about both fighters and will perhaps put one of them on the brink of a title shot.
Lyoto Machida is possibly the biggest enigma in MMA. He holds an unblemished 11-0 record with wins over Rich Franklin and B.J. Penn. He is also riding a three fight UFC win-streak where he has severely outclassed each one of his opponents. All the tools are there for a future champion, but his inability to finish fights has brought him a lot of criticism from fans. It often seems as if Machida is looking to out-score his opponent for a decision rather than engaging with them and thus possibly putting himself in harms way. In order for Lyoto to earn himself a shot at the gold he needs to take the fight to a contender and finish them.
If anyone is going to bring this aggression out of Machida, it is Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. The Cameroonian made his mark in MMA when he KO'd Antonio Rogerio Nogueira as a 16 to 1 underdog at PRIDE 33. He followed up the huge upset with an equally impressive KO of Ricardo Arona at PRIDE 34. Besides his obvious KO power, Sokoudjou is also a world class judo practitioner. At age 23, he has a huge career ahead of him and is a great signing for the UFC.
While both men are capable on the ground, this fight will most likely be decided on the feet. Machida has shown he has precision striking which he will need in order to stop the fast-paced onslaught of Sokoudjou.
By the end of this fight fans will know if Lyoto has a killer instinct or if Sokoudjou has officially arrived as a top-tier light-heavyweight.
UFC 80: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
These top-ten heavyweights are in need of a rebound win and will look to do so in England.
After Gabriel Gonzaga damn near decapitated CroCop at UFC 70 he was hailed as the next big thing in MMA. However, this movement was quickly squashed at UFC 74 when Randy Couture took Gabe behind the woodshed for an old-fashioned beatdown. Gonzaga now needs to work his way back into title contention and will start by fighting the man who handed him his first MMA loss back in 2003.
Former PRIDE heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum made his UFC debut at UFC 70 when he lost to Andrei Arlovski in a fight that saw little action. The bout was so bad that a choice between watching it again or downing a shot of bleach would be a tough call. Notwithstanding the UFC 70 debacle, Werdum has an impressive resume with wins over Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, and Alistair Overeem. Fabricio will need to win this fight if he hopes to maintain his status as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
This bout could go one of two ways. The first way, which would seem to make more sense, would be for the fighters to find a way to the ground. Both men are BJJ Black Belts and have won numerous grappling titles. It would be tough to give one of them the advantage on the mat. The second way the fight could go would be a stalemate on the ground that causes things to stay standing. We have seen this many times over the years where two ground technicians negate their abilities and opt to trade with each other on the feet. If this happens the advantage would swing to Gonzaga's side. Gabe has shown more polished striking in recent fights and has a definite power advantage.
Whoever losses this fight will have a long way to go to reach a title road to travel to get a title shot.
UFC Fight Night 12: Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman
Mike Swick will make his long-awaited welterweight debut when he fights Josh Burkman on January 23.
It wasn't that long ago that Mike Swick seemed well on his way to a middleweight title shot. The TUF1 alum went on a five fight win-streak after the show and ended most of these contests with the lightning fast striking that earned him the nickname – ‘quick.' His momentum came to a halt when Swick fought Yushin Okami at UFC 69. Okami won a unanimous decision and bullied Mike using his superior strength for most of the fight. Afterwards, Swick decided to drop to welterweight where he would have a size advantage over most of the division.
This was a questionable decision to say the least. For starters, he made the call after losing one fight – just one! The loss came to one of the best middleweights in the world no less. There would have been no shame in taking the defeat as a learning experience and trying to work his way back up the ranks. Second, he is leaving a division where his striking ability plays well and entering a division where wrestlers rule the landscape. All of the punching power in the world is not going to help him if he is put on his back in every fight. Throw in the fact that he also moves from the UFC's weakest division into possibly their deepest and Mike may have been better off at 185-pounds.
We will all see where Swick stands when he fights Josh Burkman.
Burkman is a middle-of-the-road welterweight who has struggled whenever he has faced top-tier competition. He has solid wrestling skills which may pose a problem for Swick who will no doubt want to keep the fight standing.
One thing is for certain – if Swick can't beat Burkman there is no way he can beat the top fighters at 170-pounds.
UFC 82: Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Koscheck
The UFC seems to be giving Koscheck a tune-up fight in his first bout since losing to GSP at UFC 74 – or at least that is what they are hoping for.
Koscheck found himself in a number one contender match back in August, but was easily put down by Georges St. Pierre. In the fight the former Division 1 All-American was outwrestled for the first time in his MMA career. Still, Koscheck is one of the best wrestlers in the game and his hands seem to be coming along just fine. His BJJ is an area of concern since he still seems content to get on top of an opponent and not pass guard. This is always a problem for wrestlers when they first begin MMA and often times they eventually learn to look for better positions – Matt Hughes being a prime example of this process.
Koscheck is looking to get back to his winning ways against Dustin Hazelett. On paper it should be an easy victory for Kos – but stranger things have happened.
Besides having the best nickname in MMA – ‘McLovin' – Hazelett is very good on the ground. He has won his last two fights via submission – the last of which came against UFC veteran Jonathan Goulet. There is no doubt that the young Hazelett will have to work off his back in this fight. His limbs are long and if he is able to keep his cool he may have a few chances to catch Josh in a submission. If he does win this fight, the 21-year-old will catapult up the rankings.
It's a long shot – but nothing is a sure thing in MMA these days.
Feedback is always encouraged and will be responded to every time. Who do you like in these fights? What fights are you most looking forward to? Send emails to kenkobel1@yahoo.com. Also check out the Intelligently Defending blog at IntelligentlyDefending.com .
