The Sunday Sprawl 7.13.08: Volume 8 - July 19th, 2008
Posted by Alex Mattis on 07.13.2008
This week, a look at one of the biggest weekend's in MMA history... WAR FEDOR!!! Was that bias?
We're heading into one of the biggest weekends in MMA history. As a fan I can't wait and have my viewing schedule already planned out. On the brink of the huge weekend of fights I'd like to break down both the UFC and Affliction events and their feature fights. So let's get down to it.
UFC: Silva Vs. Irvin
The pound for pound best fighter in the world is going to test his skills in the next up weight class, and he isn't starting with a "gimmie" fight. Anderson Silva will battle James Irvin in what should be a slugfest. Irvin has shown like he likes to brawl and can always end it with one punch, but his ground game is no where near that of Silva. If Irvin can keep this standing and duke it out with Anderson I think he's got a shot. Silva on the other hand is such a tactician, he could very well pick apart Irvin on his feet and submit him with ease. I think Anderson is going to look for a KO victory here and to send a statement. I gotta pick Anderson, but I have a hard time counting Irvin out of any fight. Also on the card Brandon Vera returns to the octagon. Vera needs an impressive win here, he needs to erase the memories of his ugly loss to Sylvia and his bullshit stoppage to Werdum. I think Vera will roll through his opponent Reese Andy in the 1st round. Now onto the fight I anticipate the most on this care, Frankie Edgar Vs. Hermes Franca. I think this could be identical to the Sherk-Franca fight in the sense that Franca's standup is far superior to Frankie and Edgar is going to be looking to take this fight down and do his thing. I think if Franca can avoid the take down he can stop Frankie. Both of these men have been on the cusp of lightweight ranking and a win here would be huge for either man. Why the UFC let Jesse Taylor onto one of their shows, I have no idea, so for that reason I hope CB Dollaway schools him and sends him packin'.
And.... my predictions for the rest of the card:
Cain Velasquez Vs. Jake O'Brien Anthony Johnson Vs. Kevin Burns
I have no idea on the prelims as all of the fighters are new blood in the UFC and I haven't seen their previous work.
Now onto...
Affliction: Banned
An unbelievable card they could leave the Affliction brand blowing their wad a bit early, it is going to be hard to top this card. But for the time being let's look at the three main attractions on the card.
Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Tim Sylvia:
This is a big fight for both men, Tim just coming off his loss to Nog and Fedor hasn't fought a ranked heavyweight in 3 years. This is a wonderful main event for the company's first show and is going to prove if Fedor truly is #1 in the world. Now when breaking down this fight one of the main things we have to look at is how Sylvia has fought ever since his arm was broken by Frank Mir. Since then Sylvia has been reluctant to engage, he waits to pick his spot and is EXTREMELY susceptible to submission. Arlovski and Nog barley had to wrench it in for the tap. What do we know about Fedor? That he is one of the most aggressive fighters in the history of MMA and he is a submission wizard. I really see no way that Sylvia can win this fight unless he cuts Fedor. I definitely see Fedor taking this within 2 rounds.
Ben Rothwell Vs. Andre Arlovski:
This is a real test for Rothwell. He has been very impressive in recent memory and has shown that he has what it takes to potentially become one of the top heavyweights in the world, and a win over Andre would cement all of his hype. But Arlovski, I believe, is different than anyone Rothwell has faced to date. While I see Ben putting up a good fight, I just don't think he has what it takes to beat "The Pitbull." Now Andre has shown that he is very reluctant to engage ever since his KO loss to Tim Sylvia, so if Rothwell comes at Andre relentlessly like a house a fire it may be a good night for Ben.
Josh Barnett Vs. Pedro Rizzo:
A rematch from their memorable 2001 encounter in which Rizzo knocked Barnett's head into the stratosphere. Josh will be looking to avenge his loss to Pedro and unless he gets caught with some wild punch... he will. Much like the Fedor-Sylvia fight I talked about before, I don't see how Rizzo could defeat Josh unless of a cut or wild KO. Since their first fight Barnett has become one of the best in the world and Rizzo has fallen. I see Barnett taking this to the ground, doing his thing, and coming out with a submission win. A win for both Barnett and Fedor could hopefully set up a long awaited match up of the two at the next Affliction event.
And.... my predictions for the rest of the card:
Matt Lindland Vs. Fabio Nascimento Renato "Babalu" Sobral Vs. Mike Whitehead
Paul Buentello Vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
Vitor Belfot Vs. Terry Martin
There are a few more fights, but those are the only one I can give an educated opinion on.
Well, that's all for me this week.
Come back next time for the aftermath of these two huge events.
