UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 Preview

Previews

I have very sad news today, courtesy of GracieMag.com.

February 1st, 2006, will go down in sports history. Carlson Gracie died today. The Jiu-Jitsu grandmaster was in Chicago, USA, where he was in hospital since yesterday due to renal complications. According to his best friend, Oswaldo Paquetá, the death was confirmed this morning.

The cause was not yet totally cleared up by doctors. It is known that Carlson Gracie had been suffering from prostate gland problems and at the time he went into the hospital there were stones in his kidney.

Carlson Gracie was 72 years old. IP Sports would like to extend our condolences to his family, friends, and students.

UFC 57 COUNTDOWN

Spike TV aired a UFC: LIddell vs. Couture 3 Countdown special on Monday night, and it will be replayed on Thursday at midnight. There’s some great interviews with both fighters, as well as insight from UFC President Dana White, and Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia.

UFC 57 PREVIEW

I haven’t been this excited about a UFC pay-per-view since UFC 52. Of course, 2006 is going to be a hell of a year for UFC, but I honestly can’t think of a better way to kick it off than with Liddell vs. Couture 3.

  • Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture

It’s the rubber match we’ve all been waiting for. This is probably one of the biggest fights in UFC history. Randy Couture is coming into this fight better prepared than last time around. He’s been working with UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski on his stand-up, and Randy is prepared to go the distance with Chuck Liddell. I spent this past weekend watching every fight of Liddell’s and Couture’s from UFC 43 to UFC 54. Liddell learned a very valuable lesson from his first encounter with Couture at UFC 43: conditioning is key. The Iceman has not lost a fight in the UFC since, and has dramatically improved his stand-up game, as well as his takedown defense, with each fight that followed. For my money, I would love to see a Bonnar/Griffin-esque war that goes the distance. My gut is telling me that Liddell will KO Couture again, and retain the Light Heavyweight Championship. A loss for Couture could mean retirement, which would really suck for MMA fans. As much as I would love for Randy to win, and stick around to fight another day, I have to go with my gut on this one: Liddell by KO.

  • Frank Mir vs. Marcio Cruz

Frank Mir’s last fight was on June 19, 2004, at UFC 48. At the time Mir was the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he finished off Tim Sylvia in 50 seconds with an armbar that broke The Maine-iac’s arm. On September 17, 2004 Mir was knocked off of his motorcycle by a car; an accident that resulted in Mir suffering a broken femur. The bone was broken in two places, and required major surgery. Mir is finally returning to action in the Octagon against Marcio Cruz, in what would be referred to in the wrestling business as a “squash match.” Cruz has only had two professional fights (the first at UFC 55, the second in Brazil in November). He barely deserves to be in UFC, nonetheless in the same Octagon as the former champ. I expect Mir to force Cruz to tap out in record time.

  • Renato Sobral vs. Mike Van Arsdale

Renato “Babalu” Sobral has not had a loss since November 2002, at UFC 40, against Chuck Liddell. Since then he has submitted his way to victory (with the occasional decision) in his last nine fights. Mike Van Arsdale is looking to submit Babalu, in an effort to redeem his loss to Randy Couture at UFC 54. Van Arsdale is a decent fighter, but only has an 8-2-0 record at 41 years old, with his victories over nobodies, and his losses at the hands of Couture and Wanderlei Silva. Sobral has a 26-5-0 record at just 30 years old, with wins over the likes of Jeremy Horn and Elvis Sinosic. Van Arsdale did put up a decent fight against Couture, so look for a solid showing, but I am confident that Babalu will submit Van Arsdale.

  • Joe Riggs vs. Nick Diaz

Don’t let his loss to Matt Hughes fool you, Joe “Diesel” Riggs is a tough son of a bitch. He’s a former 300 pounder fighting in the Welterweight division. Granted, he didn’t make weight for his fight with Hughes, which would have been a title shot if he had cut weight in time. Riggs seems to thrive on challenging himself, and right now there is no better challenge than a hungry Nick Diaz. Diaz is coming off of a loss to TUF 1’s Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 2 finale in November. Both of these fighters are well-versed in submissions and striking, and they both want to get back into the title race, so I’m expecting an all-out war. I have to give this fight to Riggs, based on experience and his hunger to prove that he can hang with the 170 crowd.

  • Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara

Coming off of a devastating loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 55, Sinosic has a lot to prove. With a record of 6-8-2, this could be the last time we see Elvis in UFC action if he doesn’t pull off a win. Sakara also fought at UFC 55; his debut for the company. Unfortunately the bout ended suddenly in the second round when Sakara was kicked in the groin by Ron Faircloth. The fight was declared a No Contest. Sakara is going to be out to make a name for himself with this fight. My money is on the younger, stronger Sakara.

  • Jeff Monson vs. Brandon Lee Hinkle

The last time UFC fans saw Jeff Monson was at UFC 35, losing to Ricco Rodriguez. Monson is currently on an impressive 13-wins streak, and is looking to make Hinkle number 14. Brandon Lee Hinkle made his UFC debut at UFC 55 against Sean Gannon, a man I hate more than Tito Ortiz and Frank Trigg combined. It was a shit fight, and no one was really able to tell if Hinkle has any real skills, or if he’s just really good at beating up fat cops from Boston. Neither of these guys have ever beaten anyone of importance, but Jeff “The Snowman” Monson has a clear experience advantage, and superior submission skills. Look for Monson to submit Hinkle.

  • Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Aldana

If you looked at Gilbert Aldana’s 5-0 record, you might think that Buentello will tear through him like Mir will tear through Cruz. However, Aldana has won all five of his fights by KO (his first professional fight ended in three seconds). Paul Buentello is coming off of a loss to UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC 55, which ended in 15 seconds. If Paul doesn’t have his shit together, he could suffer the same fate against a virtual unknown. I normally don’t bet against the favorite, but my money is on Aldana to upset The Headhunter.

  • Justin Eilers vs. Brandon Vera

Justin Eilers lost his last two UFC fights (UFC 51 to Buentello and UFC 53 to Arlovski), but he’s a decent fighter with a 9-4-1 record under his belt. Brandon Vera made his UFC debut against Fabiano Scherner at Ultimate Fight Night 2, earning a win and bumping his record up to 5-0. This fight could really go either way, as they’re pretty evenly matched. Like several other fighters, this could be Eilers last bout for UFC if he doesn’t pull off a win. While Vera shows a lot of promise, I expect Eilers to emerge victorious.

  • Mike Whitehead vs. Keith Jardine

Whitehead is probably the most overrated guy from TUF 2. He never really impressed me, and the way he handled defeat on the show was embarrassing. Jardine’s most recent win was over Kerry Schall at The Ultimate Fighter 2 finale. He’s shown good striking skills, and as long as he can avoid Whitehead’s takedowns, Jardine should have no trouble ending this fight in a TKO.

Just remember, kids, if you do decide to place bets based on my predictions, don’t come crying to me if I’m dead wrong. However, if I’m correct, please feel free to send some of your winnings to my Paypal account. Look for results and my thoughts on UFC 57 next week.