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Which of the upcoming summer fight cards are you most excited for and why between UFC 116, 117 and 118?
ALVIN CARTER, MMATORCH SPECIALIST
I am excited to see UFC 118 because I live in Boston! This is going to be amazing! UFC 116 will feature what may become one of the most important fights in UFC history with Brock Lesnar defending his Heavyweight Championship Title against Shane Carwin. UFC 117 looks like one of the most stacked cards I have ever seen. Still, I have to say UFC 118 has me anxious for the Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn rematch taking place in the same venue were I get to see the Celtic's play.
MIKE BACIOR, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I am excited for the 117 card, as I want to see if Chael Sonnen can back up his talk, what the outcome of Fitch Alves 2 will finally be, and how Nelson can fare against Dos Santos.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
All three cards have very intriguing match-ups. UFC 116 has Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin. UFC 117 has Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. UFC 118 has Frank Edgar vs. B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard. I'm expecting UFC 118 to the most exciting card because of those two lightweight fights.
UFC 117 is the most risky because of Anderson Silva, plus the possibility of Roy Nelson laying-and-praying his way to a boring victory. Although I personally think Nelson won't have the chance to do that because Dos Santos won't allow him to. UFC 116 has the most anticipated fight with Brock vs. Carwin.
The card I'm most looking forward to is UFC 118 because I'm a huge Kenny Florian fan, and I'm also expecting a great fight between Edgar and Penn. I think all 3 cards will be good, but 118 is the one I'm most excited for.
TOBEN SHELBY, MMATORCH AUDIO CO-HOST
As far as excitement goes, I’m looking forward to UFC 117 the most. The 116 card of course has the monster fight that is Brock Lesnar against Shane Carwin, but beyond the main event there’s not a lot that I’m really dying to see. 117 is a different story. First off, I can’t wait to hear what gems Chael Sonnen drops for the official hype job for his bought against Anderson Silva (check his twitter account for a preview of what horribly offensive/hilarious bombs he might be drop). Not that the fight’s going to be that amazing necessarily, but luckily there’s plenty of depth to the 117 card.
I’m probably most excited about the Junior Dos Santos versus Roy Nelson fight. It’s a proving ground for both men. How will Dos Santos fare against someone who has a solid ground game and can potentially keep him down? Can Nelson continue to silence his critics by hanging with a superior striker who he likely won’t be able to smash like Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub? And, aside from the intriguing style matchups in this fight, I really look forward to hearing Weird Al’s “Fat” blasting through an arena again.
ERIC LEE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I am most excited to see UFC 117 simply for the Silva vs. Sonnen fight. Sonnen continues to bad mouth Anderson Silva and everyone he's ever beaten. I can't wait to see if Sonnen actually gives Anderson a good challenge, or better yet Anderson wipes the floor with him. It will be a great fight and give Anderson a chance to redeem himself for what he did at UFC 112. But also at UFC 117 is Junior dos Santos who is the future of the heavyweight division to me. I can't wait to see the beating he gives to Roy Nelson.
SAM MATTHEW, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Even though UFC 117 is shaping up to be a very well-rounded card, it pales in comparison to the blockbuster main event of UFC 116. Focusing a main event on the big boys, just like boxing did in its golden age, the return from the brink of death for Brock Lesnar has all the drama the American audience craves. Not to mention the very real and serious threat to the behemoth’s title in undefeated contender Shane Carwin, a giant himself who has amassed an astounding 12-0 record finishing all fights via 1st round stoppage. This PPV card has all the potential to break Lesnar’s last record-setting appearance at UFC 100.
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The UFC 116 main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin is by far my most anticipated fight of the summer, but the UFC 117 card as a whole is the most exciting. UFC 118 is running a very close second from top to bottom, but the main card for UFC 117 is one of the best series of fights the UFC has put on pay-per-view ever.
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen isn't the greatest Middleweight Title fight, but with Sonnen's trash talking it brings up the hope in fans that they'll see the return of the Silva that fought Forrest Griffin and not the Silva that fought Demain Maia and Thales Leites.
Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos is an excellent heavyweight bout with tons of potential to be extremely exciting. The winner will also shoot himself into possible a possible #1 contender spot in the heavyweight division.
Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch is a rematch between two of the best welterweight fighters in the world, and it's a long anticipated return for Alves in this fight after under-going brain surgery. The winner of this fight may potentially get back to a rematch against GSP, and it should be a fantastic battle between two highly skilled 170 lb. fighters.
Then there's the other good welterweight fight between Matt Hughes and Ricardo Almeida. You just have to like everything on this card, and it will be an excellent debut in Oakland for the UFC
UPCOMING ROUNDTABLE QUESTIONS
• If Frank Mir drops to light-heavyweight, name the three most intriguing even match-ups for him and predict how the fight would go.
[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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