...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor Undercard:
Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman- Stout by Decision
Ryo Chonan vs. TJ Grant- Grant by Submission in the 2nd round
Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden- Bielkheden by Submission in the 3rd round
David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman- Loiseau by Decision
Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry- MacDonald by Decision
Main Card:
Denis Kang vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam- You could make a strong case for this fight being higher on the card. It should be an exciting fight, Foupa-Pokam is a great Muay Thai fighter and the majority of Kang's wins have come in the first round. I expect a good fight. Kang should pull out the win, but Foupa-Pokam is a dangerous striker.
Prediction- Kang by Submission in the 2nd round
Eliot Marshall vs. Vinicius Magalhaes- Marshall has shown much more versatility than Magalhaes. Basically, Magalhaes sucks on his feet, but is a wizard on the ground. He's won numerous BJJ titles and can probably submit almost anyone. Marshall, on the other hand, is more well-rounded but not as good on the ground. This should turn into a ground battle quick, and should probably be exciting for those who like that type of fighting. If it does go to the ground, Magalhaes should get the win.
Prediction- Magalhaes by Submission in the 2nd round
Steve Cantwell vs. Luiz Cane- Cantwell looked like a major d-bag with the way he celebrated after dislocating Razak Al-Hassan's arm in December. He apologized for it, but that kind of behavior just rubs people the wrong way. Al-Hassan should have tapped earlier, no doubt, but this could be a big stain on Cantwell's career unless he rebounds with a big win here. That's not going to be easy against Luiz Cane. Both guys are young and hungry fighters ready to pounce for the victory. This should be an exciting stand-up battle. Almost 90% of Cane's victories have come via knockout; while Cantwell has shown a willingness to trade punches. Cantwell is good on the ground, but Cane may not let the fight go there. I favor Cane slightly here because he has a few more fights against better competition. It should be a close fight, but I think Cane will edge out the victory.
Prediction- Cane by Decision
Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk- This is an interesting fight on paper. Both guys are good strikers. Hardonk is a kickboxer while Kongo is a Muay Thai and Savate fighter. The assumption would be that this match will be fought standing. If it is, the fight is fairly even. Anytime you have 2 good strikers fighting there's always a chance that one guy gets knocked out early. That doesn't mean that there's a gap in talent level, sometimes someone just gets caught. If both guys are aggressive and push the pace this fight probably won't make it out of the 1st round. However, I think both guys will be more tentative and this fight goes all the way.
Prediction- Kongo by Decision
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann- Stann has a great backstory stemming from his days in the United States Marine Corps. If you haven't read about what happened to him and his platoon in Iraq; or seen the episode of Shootout! on History channel about it, you really should find out more about it. Stann should be applauded for what he's done. I also really like his aggressive fighting style. However, his attitude leaves something to be desired. Stann had 6 1st-round KO's to start his career and he started believing the hype. He mirrored an early Mike Tyson. If you could avoid that initial flurry you could beat Stann. That's exactly what Steve Cantwell did in their rematch. Soszynski is a good striker so I don't think this fight will last long. Stann is super-aggressive and will push the pace. I think both guys have the power to knock the other out. If the fight goes to the ground I think Soszynski has the edge, although Stann has never had the chance to show what he can do grappling. I still think Soszynski would have the advantage there, though. I think Stann will push the pace early and get the win.
Prediction- Stann by TKO in the 1st round
Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua- This is a huge fight for Liddell. If he entertains the idea of ever being relevant again he has to win. A close, competitive fight will stave off the shouts for his retirement. I think this fight should be close. Rua was unable to finish Mark Coleman quickly. Liddell is a much better striker than Coleman so he should be able to keep Rua at bay and, with his wrestling, control most of the fight. That's the plan anyway. The problem is that Rua is also a tough striker. Rua hasn't been that impressive recently, but I believe that's due to the differences between fighting in the UFC as opposed to fighting in PRIDE. No kicks to a downed opponent makes Rua hesitate. It's just something he'll have to get used to. I expect this fight to be a war and a close victory for Liddell. Rua just hasn't shown that he can be a top-level fighter in the UFC yet. Chuck has also been backed into a corner and needs a big victory to silence those who want him to retire. This could be Liddell's last hurrah as a contender, he'll want to make the most of it.
Prediction- Liddell by Decision
Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites- Leites is a black belt in BJJ and is considered to have a world-class ground game. However, let's not forget that Silva is also a black belt. While it's true that the best way to try to defeat Silva is by engaging him on the ground; it's not as though Silva isn't capable of defending submissions. Thales Leites is a good fighter, but I just can't see him winning. I do expect Leites to provide a good fight, though. I might be underrating Leites, but my gut tells me that he's going to get beat down. When he's at the top of his game, no one can beat Anderson Silva. His problem is staying motivated. His fight with Patrick Cote is a great example of a trap fight in MMA. If Silva fought Cote in the same way he fought Rich Franklin or Chris Leben, he would have crushed Cote. That's not a knock on Cote; just as it's not a knock on Leites. Both are good fighters; they're just a level (or more) below Silva. Someone will eventually come along and beat Silva, it's the natural progression of sports. That's why you can't compare teams or athletes from different generations. However, I don't think that Leites will be the one to beat Silva.
Prediction- Silva by TKO in the 2nd round
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
