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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist Our second bout of the evening looks to be a decent one on paper, but could very well turn out to be much better on Saturday night. Both fighters are promising heavyweight fighters in what now is a thriving division for the UFC, but both are hot and cold fighters who need to show that they can be much more consistent. A victory in this bout could put Hardonk on the right track to success, and a win for Kongo could mean a showdown with Cain Velasquez or Shane Carwin down the line. It was not too long ago that we were looking past the heavyweight division of the UFC and considering it to be a rather shallow pool of fighters, but times have changed and these men are just two of the up and coming fighters in a division which is fast becoming one of the more compelling in the UFC.
Cheick Kongo is a spectacular prospect in the heavyweight division who may now finally prove capable of performing up to his potential. This man is huge and every bit as powerful as his size would suggest, but he also is athletic and isn’t just a huge heavyweight banger. He had hit a little bit of a rough patch in dropping two of his last six fights, but his most recent performance suggests that his next defeat may not come for some time.
Kongo has beaten the likes of Christian Wellisch, Assuerio Silva and Mirko Cro Cop over the course of his 18 fight career, in which he has only been defeated on 4 occasions. The only men to have defeated Kongo have been Gilbert Yvel, Rodney Faverus, Carmelo Marrero and Heath Herring. His loss to Marrero was shocking to say the least, but he gave an excellent showing against Herring at UFC 82; and while this is a fight he should have won it is not exactly like he was trounced. However, the Cheick Kongo who lost to Heath Herring is not the Cheick Kongo of recent days and the one who is expected to be a title contender.
Kongo’s victories over Dan Evensen at UFC 87 and Mostapha Al-Turk at UFC 92 were the victories Kongo needed to right his career, and the performances necessary to show us that he was still a force to be reckoned with. In particular it was his victory over Al-Turk at UFC 92 which showed me that he just seems like a more confident fighter and one who has his killer instinct back. Kongo has of course gone to the scorecards in a few fights, but for now it appears that this is a man who will be his own judge, and at UFC 97 he hopes to rule favorably over Antoni Hardonk.
Antoni Hardonk is a dangerous kick boxer competing in the UFC heavyweight division, and he is facing what is clearly the biggest test of his career to date in Cheick Kongo. Hardonk is a strong heavyweight, and while he is a big heavyweight it is not as if he comes across as the most physically imposing one on the roster. What is imposing are his legs, and no one wishes to be on the receiving end of his kicks which land with sickening thuds and are the equivalent to swinging a baseball bat around. Hardonk is currently riding a three fight win streak and could catapult himself into the conversation about contenders with a victory over Kongo.
Antoni Hardonk has faced some notable fighters in his relatively short career, but has fallen short against those thought to be on another level. The most notable fighter he has faced was current interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir, and he did so at UFC 74 in the Summer of 2007. Mir made short work of Hardonk and submitted him in just a little over one minute of the first round; but in much the same way that Mir is a different fighter in 2009, it is possible the same could eventually be said of Hardonk. He holds victories over the likes of Wes Sims, Sherman Pendergrast and has most recently thrilled us with back to back TKO victories in the UFC.
Hardonk defeated Eddie Sanchez at UFC 85 by way of TKO in the 2nd round and finished off Mike Wessel in similar fashion at UFC 92. It was Hardonk’s performance against Wessel at UFC 92 which makes me believe that he is a much better fighter today and could prove to be a difficult foe for Kongo at UFC 97.
Bent’s Prediction: Cheick Kongo by way of Unanimous Decision
I feel that this bout will be a back and forth battle and could come close to resembling Kongo’s bout against Herring at UFC 82. There is no way that I see Kongo blitzing through Hardonk and I believe that Kongo will win the fight, and in a convincing fashion as well, but it will be Hardonk’s stock which rises following this one. Kongo will find himself on a short list of title contenders in the near future, but Hardonk will be just outside of that bubble and in my estimation will give the kind of showing at UFC 97 which suggests that perhaps he may one day break through and move up the ranks.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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