IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TROOPS
If you’re an MMA fan then tonight you’ll be tuning in for the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” on Spike TV at 9:00 PM, ET. While the UFC didn’t put on the best fight card possible for this event, the gesture is still appreciated and our troops are some of MMA’s biggest fans so make sure to tune in and enjoy the free show.
It would be nice to see John McCain there to support the troops but somehow I think he will be preoccupied.
If you’re not too thrilled by the scheduled fights perhaps you can tune in for a few MMA celebrity sightings. ESPN The Magazine’s Ryan Hockensmith reports that Brock Lesnar will be flying down from Minnesota to show his support for the troops. He goes on to report that many other people may be making a surprise appearance – so keep your eyes peeled.
In regards to the actual fights, there is only one battle that has major divisional implications. That would be the main event between Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
While most of you should be familiar with Koscheck by now, you may not be as familiar with his opponent. Yoshida was set to face Karo Parisyan at UFC 88. That is until Karo withdrew from the fight, due to a mystery injury, only two hours before the weigh-ins.
Yoshida is a Japanese mixed martial artist and an excellent Judo tactician. He is currently on a nine win fight streak. In his UFC debut, Yoshida made quick work by defeating the now defunct “War Machine” via an Anaconda choke. He is also a former Cage Rage champion.
Josh Koscheck was recently on the losing end in his fight against Thiago Alves at UFC 90. Josh took the fight on two weeks notice, replacing an injured Diego Sanchez. Kos, who is known for his excellent wrestling, did well in the stand up game but Alves’s leg kicks were lethal and lead to his victory. Now Josh is back, again on short notice.
This is a huge fight for Koscheck – if he wins he stays in the title picture. And if he loses, it’s his second loss in a row, and his future could be uncertain. Either way, he could be out of the UFC if he refuses to sign the same contract that got his teammate Jon Fitch kicked out – before Fitch agreed to sign it.
While Yoshida is a dangerous opponent I have to pick Koscheck here. Yoshiyuki is definitely capable of getting a submission – he is an excellent grappler. But Josh’s superior wrestling skills, along with his greatly improved striking should be enough to get the victory. This will be an extremely physical fight and I believe Kos will grind out another decision win.
WHO’S THE TUFFEST?
Three days after the “Fight for the Troops” card, The Ultimate Fighter will be determined.
Efrain Escudero vs. Phillipe Nover will face off to will determine the lightweight champion. Phillipe, who recently received his black belt in BJJ, is considered by most to be the irresistible favorite. But Efrain is no slouch and should provide Phillipe with his stiffest challenge so far.
Ryan Bader vs. Vinicius Magalhaes will determine the light heavyweight champion. Ryan has already been labeled with the stigma “lay n pray” for his boring wrestling only style while Vinny has looked very impressive with his BJJ skills.
Both fighters have made comments saying that they intend keep this fight standing – an interesting strategy considering it’s the biggest fight of their careers. Vinny has predicted he will knockout Ryan. To read more about Bader and Magalhaes, Dave Meltzer, over at Yahoo Sports, has a nice article on both fighters.
The only fights – outside of TUF competitors – will be: Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason MacDonald and Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson. McDonald will look to stay in solidify a top 10 spot in the MW division while the Burns-Johnson fight will be an intriguing rematch.
These two men previously fought at UFN 14 back in July. Burns was awarded a third round TKO but it was later discovered that Johnson was severely poked in the eye. The referee wasn’t aware and thought Johnson couldn’t continue due to a punch. This could be a testy fight and Burns has said that, “unless he decides he wants to take me down, I’ll stand and bang with him.”
Also, on the main card, the notorious Junie Browing will be taking on Dave Kaplan.
SILVA VS. CANE COULD HEADLINE UFC 95
According to MMABay, UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva could be set to fight rising light heavyweight star Luiz Cane in the main event at UFC 95 in London, England.
MMABay says they have now learned that this is one of many fights the UFC is scrambling to put together for the February 21st show. Other possible fighters mentioned for the card were lightweights Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson (not necessarily against each other) and light heavyweight scrapper Houston Alexander.
At this point, the list of fighters Silva has been rumored to fight is longer then the list he is not rumored to fight. It will be interesting to see what Dana White and Joe Silva finally settle on.
THIAGO SILVA CONFIDENT FOR UFC 94
Looking at UFC 94, two of the light heavyweight division’s most talented fighters will collide –and one will walk out of the octagon with his first career loss. That’s because Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva, both who hold perfect 13-0 records.
In a recent interview with Sherdog, Silva predicted the outcome of the fight and his attitude crossed into a mixture of cockiness and disrespect for his opponent:
“The opponents who have faced him attacked and stopped; I’ll have a different game plan. I want to see how he deals with someone who’s in very good shape and attacks him for five minutes over three rounds. I’m not underestimating him. He’s a great fighter, but I’d bet on me.”
“I’m not here to joke around. I have my goals, and I’m ready to beat Lyoto…. It will be a knockout in the first round … there aren’t any of his fights I really like. Lyoto’s a fighter who runs more than he fights. He’s not a fighter who will knock me out easily.”
“He scores points, and I’ll make it hard for him to score. I already faced the toughest fighters. I believe it will be more of a psychological fight than a physical fight for me.”
While I value Silva’s confidence, those are strong words coming from a fighter whose toughest opponents are Houston Alexander and James Irvin. While he beat them both in the fist round, he has never faced an opponent like Machida – someone who has a way of making his opponents look ineffective. This will be a great fight to compliment the main event at UFC 94.
The winner of this fight is most likely be one win removed from a possible title fight.
OTHER UFC 94 NEWS
Clay Guida vs. Nate Diaz is official as both fighters recently signed bout agreements. This fight is sure to be exciting and could very likely win “fight of the night” honors. Diaz is currently undefeated in the octagon, most recently defeating Josh Neer at Ultimate Fight Night 15.
He will face his toughest challenge yet from Clay Guida, who is a cardio machine and always pushes the action to its breaking point. Guida was impressive in his most recent victory – giving Mac Danzing little chance to breathe. A win could position Guida toward a title fight in 2009.
UFC 93 UNDERCARD EXPANDS
Martin Kampmann is set to take on UFC newcomer Alexandre Barros at UFC 93. This will be Kampmann’s fight at 170. His opponent, Barros, is a product of the Gracie Barra fight team in Brazil and is currently riding a nine fight win streak coming into his UFC debut
Kampmann had been successful at 185 but his recent one-sided loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC 88 caused Martin to consider dropping down in weight. The welterweight division will be no easier for the Dutchman but he should be more competitive there given his smaller frame. If he is successful in his WW deubt look for him to fight someone in the top 10 of the division.
-That’s all for now MMA fans. Be sure to check back on Friday when Inside Fight’s editor, Mr. Botter, gives us his inside report “The Botterm Dollar in MMA.” Enjoy tonight’s fights.
