UFC 58: USA vs. Canada Preview

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UFC 58 COUNTDOWN

  • Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau

UFC Middleweight Champion Rich “Ace” Franklin has not had a loss since 2003. What’s more important is that it was Franklin’s only loss. Franklin won the title from Evan Tanner at UFC 53, and defended it for the first time at UFC 56, against TUF 1’s Nate Quarry. Now Franklin faces a huge threat in David “The Crow” Loiseau. Loiseau, like Franklin, is a deadly striker. His devastating elbows have achieved legendary status. Loiseau has the potential to give Franklin his best opposition to date in the UFC, but I don’t know if he can handle the power and speed of The Champ. Prediction: USA; Ace via KO.

  • BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre

BJ Penn is a bad motherf*cker. I don’t care about the contract dispute with K-1 and UFC; I’m just happy to see him back in the Octagon. This fight, which will determine the number one contender for Matt Hughes’ Welterweight title, has the potential to be an all out war. Georges St. Pierre, the nicest guy in UFC, is a bad motherf*cker in his own right. St. Pierre has already earned his title shot in the eyes of most fans, but UFC President Dana White is banking on building up some drama for that title bout. Penn believes the title is still his, and he’s beaten Hughes before. While St. Pierre has a loss to Hughes, he’s improved more than any fighter in UFC since that fight. Penn better not take St. Pierre lightly, or it’ll be over before he knows what hit him (or choked him out). I dig Penn, but I have to stick with Rush on this one. I think he wants this more than anyone knows. Prediction: Canada; St. Pierre via submission.

  • Diego Sanchez vs. John Alessio

John Alessio hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since his loss to Pat Miletich at UFC 26. He’s racked up an impressive amount of wins in other organizations since, but he hasn’t fought any top name fighters. He has a great opportunity to make a name for himself if he can defeat TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez (I’ve officially run out of stupid nicknames for this f*ckin’ kid). The undefeated, and often underappreciated, Sanchez is looking to make Alessio just another victim (all in Christ’s name, of course). Prediction: USA…hey, wait a minute. Is Alessio even from Canada? Whatever; Sanchez via submission.

  • Yves Edwards vs. Mark Hominick

I would like to take a moment and address Mark Hominick. Kid, I don’t know who the hell you are, or why Dana White hates you, but feeding you to Yves Edwards is pretty f*cked up. The 9-4 Hominick makes his UFC debut against the 28-9-1 Edwards. Edwards is the kind of guy that can make you tap just as fast as he can knock you out. I’m sure Hominick has skills, but I think the fact that he’s a Lightweight and Canadian was more attractive to UFC when they booked this fight. Prediction: USA; Edwards via TKO.

  • Mike Swick vs. Steve Vigneault

They’re really stretching this whole USA vs. Canada thing. Steve Vigneault is 11-5, with losses to Cote and Loiseau, and wins over nobodies. TUF 1’s Mike Swick is 7-1, with no notable wins, and his one loss to TUF 1’s Chris Leben (and if you saw TUF 1, you heard about that fight at least a hundred times). This could really go either way, but Swick is lightning fast with his striking. Prediction: USA; Swick via KO.

  • Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout

Kenny Florian, another goddamn TUF 1 guy, is only 3-2, but shows a lot of promise. Stout, who is making his UFC debut, is 8-1-1. Stout only has a year’s worth more experience than Florian, so this is a tough one to call. I like Florian, but I think Stout could give him as much trouble as Diego Sanchez did. Prediction: Canada; Stout via TKO.

  • Nathan Marquardt vs. Joe Doerksen

Back to the more experienced fighters. Both of these guys have impressive records, and they both favor submissions. Most of their winning fights (that didn’t end in a decision) have gone almost the full three rounds, and they both have experience in the Octagon. They are a very even match-up, but I have to go with experience with this one. Prediction: Canada; Doerksen via submission.

  • Jason Lambert vs. Rob MacDonald

Rob MacDonald, oh how I loathe thee. Canadian MacDonald was the whiny motherf*cker from TUF 2 that spent a good 80% of his time bitching about a nagging shoulder injury. He even continued bitching, on the internet, after being eliminated from the show. Apparently Mr. MacDonald doesn’t like being called a whiner. Tough shit, crybaby. Anyway, the 3-0 windbag makes his official UFC debut against the 19-5 Jason Lambert, who is also making his UFC debut. I think Dana White set this fight up so the fans can cheer on MacDonald getting his ass handed to him. Prediction: USA; Lambert via TKO.

  • Tom Murphy vs. Christopher Midoux

If you’re asking, “who and who?!” you’re not the only one. According to the little amount of information I could find on him, Tom Murphy has had one professional mixed martial arts fight…and that was February 2005. Midoux is 5-5, with his most notable loss to Jeremy Horn. Of course, that doesn’t mean shit, since Jeremy Horn has padded his record by fighting anyone willing to take a punch. From what I’m told that includes kids at the playground and the elderly. This fight probably won’t even make the prelim shit that they show after the main event. Prediction: Who gives a f*ck.

Look for results immediately following the event, and my thoughts on the aftermath of UFC 58 next week.