Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: Rating The Buy-Factor Of Upcoming UFC Pay-Per-View Events
Jul 20, 2011 - 10:00:12 AM HYDEN BLOG: Rating The Buy-Factor Of Upcoming UFC Pay-Per-View Events

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

UFC 133 has a main event of Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz. It's somewhat intriguing given what Tito did to Ryan Bader, but there's really not much reason for Rashad to lose this one. Tito's best days are behind him, injuries and age are undefeated throughout the history of sports. Rashad should have some rust, but I don't think that will stop him that much. Rashad needs to impress here, as eking out a decision win over Tito won't exactly help his case that he deserves a shot at Jon Jones and the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

The fight I'm most looking forward to at UFC 133 is Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama. I would expect Vitor to take this one by knockout, probably in the second round. There should be some other good fights on this card, but nothing jumps out as being must-see.

Buy-factor: 5/10

A very missable PPV if money is tight. There's sure to some good action on the card, but there's not a lot of title fight implications here outside of Rashad's fight.

*************

UFC 134 has a big title fight, but the result in this one shouldn't be in much question. Anderson Silva defends his UFC Middleweight title against Yushin Okami, and he shouldn't have much trouble dispatching Okami in this fight. Okami is a good fighter, but Silva is the best fighter of all-time in my opinion. I don't know what Okami can really do to win this one. I don't mean to dismiss Okami like that, but how can you beat Silva at this point? The guy seems about as unstoppable as you can get.

Another big fight on this card is Maurico "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin. This is the rematch from 2007 when Forrest choked out Shogun. I think things go differently this time, and Shogun picks up the TKO finish. Shogun looked bad against Jon Jones, but Jones is on a different level than Forrest. I think Forrest looks good in this fight, and I don't think he's overmatched by a lot, I just think Shogun catches him.

Buy-factor: 9/10

Okami is good enough that he'll force Silva to have to bring it to beat him. Silva is not going to be able to play around with Okami or else he'll get caught with something. He knows that, though, so he'll be ready to fight. Shogun vs. Forrest is sure to be exciting for as longs as it lasts. This should be a very good card, and a chance to see one of the greatest of all-time (the best, in my opinion) shouldn't be missed if possible.

*************

UFC 135's main event is Jon Jones defending his UFC Light Heavyweight title against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. To be honest, I can only give Rampage a puncher's chance. I don't think he's at the level needed to knock Jones off his perch as the best Light Heavyweight in the world. If Rampage can catch Jones with a shot, he definitely has the power to knock him out. The problem is that I don't think he'll get a chance to do that. I think Jon Jones marches right through Rampage without much resistance, and I'd be surprised if this fight goes past the second round.

The other big fight on this card is big in name only as Matt Hughes is fighting Diego Sanchez. Neither of these guys are anywhere near the title picture so this is a special attraction fight. Matt Hughes isn't who he used to be so not much will be expected from him. The only intrigue is to see whether or not Diego loses. If Diego does lose, his run as a legitimate top fighter is over, and he'll have to go back to the drawing board and start all over. There's no way Diego should lose this fight. It's time to see if Diego is for real, or if he's done. There was a time when the UFC considered Diego to be the golden boy, but that's no longer the case. I'm not saying Diego should be cut immediately if he loses to Hughes, but that would be a really bad loss.

Buy-factor: 8/10

The only reason I downgrade this card is there's really only one fight on here worth it. Jon Jones always delivers an exciting fight, and his fight with "Rampage" is the only selling point on the card. If only there was another big fight on this card. This PPV probably won't do much business, and Jones will take the blame for that. He'll deserve some of that, but it's also on the UFC to put more appealing fights on the card.

*************

UFC 136 is pretty damn stacked. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard for the UFC Lightweight Title and Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian for the UFC Featherweight Title are sure to be great fights. On top of that we also get Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis and Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon in the lightweight division. Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen will also be on the card and is very interesting to me. How far has Stann come in his MMA training? We all know Stann has tremendous power in his hands, but how will he handle Sonnen's takedowns?

The most likely scenario is that Stann is going to be put into uncharted territory for him. How will he react when he's put on his back and has Sonnen on top of him? Will Sonnen be able to finish Stann, or will we get a decision where all three judges score it 30-27 for Sonnen? What kind of shape will Sonnen be in for this fight?

Stann vs. Sonnen has its intrigue, but the fight I'm most looking forward to is Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo. It's no secret I'm a big Florian fan. I'm hoping this is his big breakthrough, but it's not going to be easy against Aldo. Both guys are great on their feet as well as on the ground so I'm expecting big things from this fight. I think we'll be in for an exciting fight with this co-main event.

Buy-factor: 10/10

This card is just unbelievable. We don't get two title fights as often as we should, especially considering the UFC has seven weight divisions. Regardless, this card is as close to a guaranteed lock as you can get. We already basically know that Edgar and Maynard are going to have a really good fight, and Aldo vs. Florian should be great. In addition, there are several other fights involving title contenders that are sure to shake up the divisional rankings.


Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com