Chris Leben vs. Jason MacDonald
This battle will give us a serious look at two of the top contenders for the Middleweight title.
Chris Leben made a splash on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. He lost to Josh Koscheck, but was brought back to the series when teammate Nathan Quarry was injured and had to leave the show. Leben lost again, this time to Kenny Florian, when Florian opened up a nasty gash on Leben in the second round of their fight. Since that time, Leben has been staging a comeback in major fashion, with a quick loss to Anderson Silva being the only blemish in his armor.
Jason MacDonald is a Brazilian jui-jitsu fighter out of Canada and made his mark in UFC with a convincing win over Ed Herman.
MacDonald is an excellent submission grappler, and the story of this fight will be whether or not he can avoid Leben’s punishing strikes and lock in a submission.
My pick: Jason MacDonald
Michael Bisping vs. Eric Schafer
Michael Bisping is an undefeated kickboxing specialist from Liverpool, England. He won a UFC contract last June as part of The Ultimate Fighter 3.
Eric “Red” Schafer is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. He’s currently 7-1-2 in MMA, and he did win his only UFC appearance at UFC 62 by choking out Rob MacDonald.
Bisping is a rising star for a reason, and his six-month delay from the Octagon has probably enhanced his desire to go out and make a good showing. He’ll look to end this one early and with a fury, and that’s exactly what I expect to happen.
My pick: Michael Bisping
Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine
The winner of this fight will likely be in line for a shot at the winner of the Ortiz/Liddell fight in 2007.
Forrest Griffin is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. He’s 3-1 in MMA, and his fight with Stephan Bonnar on season one of The Ultimate Fighter is widely regarded as one of the most exciting fights in UFC history. Griffin’s lone defeat came at the hands of Tito Ortiz in a decision loss that many question to this day. A win here would set likely set him up as the #1 contender for the light heavyweight title for a title match in mid 2007.
Keith Jardine is 11-2-1 in pro MMA fights and 3-1 in UFC. He beat Mike Whitehead at UFC 57 by decision and then lost to Stephan Bonnar in his next fight. His last appearance for UFC was at the Ultimate Fighter 3 finale in June, where he beat Wilson Gouvela by decision.
This could very well be a bloodbath and the most exciting fight on the card. Jardine probably has the advantage in stand-up, but if this goes on the ground, and I suspect it will, then Griffin will have Jardine greatly outmatched.
My pick: Forrest Griffin
Andrei Arlovski vs Marcio Cruz
Despite a rough year, Andrei Arlovsky is still considered to be the number one contender for Tim Sylvia’s heavywight title. His MMA record is 9-5, but that record doesn’t illustrate what a great fighter Arlovski truly is. He’s a master Sambo stylist and holds all kinds of mixed martial arts championships. He’s an International Master of Sport, an honor bestowed upon only the greatest fighters in the world. He’s also a former UFC Heavyweight champion, having lost the belt to Tim Sylvia by a knockout and then failing to capture the belt in an extremely boring rematch with Sylvia earlier this year.
Marcio Cruz is a relative newcomer to MMA, having only started fighting in late 2005. He’s got a record of 2-1 with his only loss coming to Jeff Monson.
This fight seems designed to give Arlovski an easy win, and that’s just what it’ll be. No matter if it’s striking or grappling, Arlovski will likely dominate the rookie
My pick: Andrei Arlovsky
Light Heavyweight Championship
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
Not only is this the biggest main event in UFC history, and not only is it a rematch between two guys who people love to watch, it will also be the biggest drawing card in the history of mixed martial arts and sports in general. Early estimates within the PPV industry peg this fight as pulling in over 1 million buys, and while that’s a huge number, if there’s any one fight that could pull that kind of number right now, it’s this one. It has all the intrigue of a well-booked wrestling rivalry; two guys that don’t like each other, one guy that destroys opponents with wild glee and one guy that is more of a showman than just about anyone else in sports.
Chuck Liddell is one of, if not THE hardest hitters in MMA today, and his appeal largely stems from the exciting (and quick) ways he tends to finish fights. He’s currently 19-3 in MMA, with his last loss coming to the legendary Randy Couture. In that fight, Couture dominated Liddell from the bell, outstriking him and pummeling him until the ref stopped the fight in the third round. Since that time, Liddell has mowed through competitors left and right and has become one of UFC’s biggest drawing cards. He destroyed Ortiz during their first meeting.
Tito Ortiz is likely the most polarizing figure in fighting today. He’s 50 percent fighter and 50 percent showman, leaving many to question if his head is in the game. Ortiz is 15-4-0 in MMA and is the former holder of Liddell’s light heavyweight championship. Ortiz began his UFC career as a training partner for Tank Abbott and made his debut in the UFC 13 tournament, where he made it to the final match only to lose to Guy Mezger. Ortiz lost to Frank Shamrock in a battle for the ages, and then defeated Wanderlei Silva to win the title at UFC 25. Ortiz’s most recent claim to fame would be his infamous and money-drawing program with Ken Shamrock, whom he would beat three times in route to a rematch with Liddell.
Chuck Liddell is a dominant fighter, one of the most dominant ever, but from all the previews, it seems like Tito Ortiz finally has something to prove. For Tito, this fight isn’t about the belt; it’s about proving once and for all that he’s a real fighter and not just a showman in a fighter’s body. If this stays standing up, then Ortiz might be in for a quick night, but if he’s able to withstand the huge barrage of punches that Chuck no doubt will open up with, he has a real chance to make something happen here. Nobody else in fight media is giving Ortiz a chance to win this thing, but Tito is on a mission and will likely shock quite a few people on Saturday night.
My pick: Tito Ortiz
Roundup: The Rest Of The Stuff
When it’s all said and done, discussion of the main event of UFC 66 will likely fall by the wayside after Dana White announces that Mirko Cro Cop has signed a deal with UFC to debut in February. For UFC, the Cro Cop deal could be huge; he’s one of the best fighters in the world and if they can educate the fans on his history, he should quickly become a guy that could draw over 1 million buys for his main events.
If UFC is able to sign away Fedor Emelianenko from PRIDE and put that match on PPV in 2007, it will likely blow away any kind of buyrate records the Liddell/Ortiz fight sets. Cro Cop will likely be matched up with Tim Sylvia for the heavywight title in mid-2007; it’s no secret that Dana White is not happy with the current UFC heavyweight champion, and putting Cro Cop against Sylvia virtually guarantees that UFC will have a money-drawing fighter in all weight classes.
