Johnny Toetags
03-23-2005, 11:34 AM
It's been a long time since there's been so much build-up before a UFC event. In fact, you probably have to go back to Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz at UFC 40 to find a similar level of mainstream attention to a UFC pay-per-view. After all, one of the side-effects of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter reality show has been that it basically helped hype the showdown between the Iceman and the Natural over a few months on semi-primetime TV - so you know that everyone involved will be hyped and ready to go!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/BKDOTCOM/ufc52.jpg
Date: 4/16/2005
Time: 5:00 PM EST
Joe "Diesel" Riggs vs. Ivan Salaverry
Joe "Diesel" Riggs comes into this one as a late replacement, which is fitting seeing as he had to pull out late from his last fight - a much anticipated showdown with David "The Crow" Loiseau and he's got a tall order to fill in the pankration expert Ivan Salaverry. Ivan, coming off a surprising submission win over the tough Tony Fryklund will look to get on a UFC win streak and, hopefully, edge closer and closer to a title shot. Diesel can bang, but Ivan can take a shot. Ivan's deadly on the mat but Joe's no slouch either. Riggs is on something of a streak here as he's been keeping busy... I have a feeling he'll try to remind the UFC crowd of who he is with a big win. Expect to see the winner of this one match up with Loiseau sooner than later - with the winner of that fight getting a shot at the belt shortly there after.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Travis "Diesel" Wiuff
Aaaah... yes. Babalu! About time he came back to the limelight. Mixing Gracie jiu-jitsu with a strong wrestling background and a never-say-die attitude. After a 3 year absence in the UFC he returns to face a very tough test in Travis "I was called Diesel first!" Wiuff. Both these guys will breathe some much needed fresh air into the light heavyweight ranks and could quickly be in the hunt for big fights. Travis is a great wrestler with big-time power behind his slams and strikes so this is a good match up. Wiuff is now slimmed down to light heavy and will be making his debut in the UFC but don't look for too many first time jitters out of this guy - he's been in some wars. Diesel will probably take it to Bablu early and go hard for the first round - we'll see how the Brazilian adapts.
Mike Van Arsdale vs. John Marsh
Van Arsdale's a bit of a mystery to me - so I won't waste your time writing about someone I don't know. He's got a decent record of wins over unknowns and a loss to Wanderlei Silva. Apparently, he's a good wrestler. We'll see. Marsh has the experience advantage over him, but has usually come out on the losing end when facing big names. These guys have nothing to lose - could be sleeper.
Joe Doerksen vs. Patrick C?t?
As I predicted in my original preview, "Lightning" Lee Murray has bowed out of the card due to legal troubles. This makes three or four occasions that the much hyped heir to the UFC bad boy throne has burned Zuffa and no-showed an event, so it's safe to say that at this point - bridges are begining to burn. So stone-fisted and granite jawed Patrick C?t? must now adjust his gameplan dramatically as he's facing fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen. Joe, a slick submission artist fighting out of Winnipeg Alberta is a polar opposite to Lee, so this'll test C?t? big time. Whereas Patrick was expecting a stand-up war and potential show stealer, now he must contend with tough grappling and a good kick game. Doerksen, who actually beat Murray before, is probably young Patrick's biggest test to date and he learned about this less than 2 weeks before the fight. Unfair to C?t?? Probably... but this isn't the first time he's been shafter by the UFC - props to him for stepping up.
Georges "Rush" St. Pierre vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller
This should be another good one folks... potentially a show stealer. Former Team Oyama member Jason "Mayhem" Miller steps up to the big show to face now UFC veteran and TKO star Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. How will the big bright Vegas lights affect Miller? We'll see. Having lingered in relatively small shows up until this point, Miller's ready to step up and show the world what he's got - namely a sound and slick submission game and a ton of heart. He's got some big wins too, Ronald Jhun, Inoue and Denis Kang. These two were supposed to fight some time ago as well, so there's some familiarity there. His opponent is fast rising Canadian Georges St. Pierre, who's coming off a tune-up fight (in which he very nearly ripped off Dave Strasser's arm!) after a hard fought loss at the hands of Matt Hughes. Rush admitted to some nerves after the Hughes fight and who can blame him - getting such a big opportunity so early in his career. Look for Rush to try to get back in the hunt for a shot at the welterweight belt with a win here - with St. Pierre's crisp powerful striking, textbook jiu-jitsu and vicious ground and pound - this one has fight of the night written all over it.
Matt "The Law" Lindland vs. Travis Lutter
Team Quest vs. Lion's Den? Sign me up. Travis is a relative unknown but he sparked some interest at UFC 50 where he came in on short notice and knocked out K1 kick boxer Marvin Eastman in a very sweet one punch ko. Fighting out of the Lion's Den one assumes Travis is well rounded with good defense and decent striking... we know he's got the power! He'll need it too... Matt "The Law" Lindland is no slouch and believe me, he can take a hell of a punch. World class wrestler with a new killer instinct - Matt has stated he expects to have the Middleweight belt around his waist soon. And that means taking it from former training partner Evan Tanner. Don't think Matt's overlooking Travis though - if anything he'll try to make a solid statement in this one.
Matt Hughes vs. Frank "Twinkle-Toes" Trigg
This is one of the fights I'm most looking forward to, and have been for a long time. A rematch from UFC 45 - where Frank Trigg had one of the better showings we'd seen up to that point over the legend-in-the-making Matt Hughes until he fell victim to a standing choke. That's one thing you can never do against Hughes - make a mistake. Just ask Georges St. Pierre. This welterweight title fight should be a great one, and seeing the tough times Miletich Fighting Systems have been going through the past 2 years it's good to see their poster boy back on top. While I'd like to see Renato Verissimo back in the title hunt soon, look for this one to mix up the welterweight rankings... make no mistake Trigg is motivated, if he fights smart and puts the pressure on - he's got as good a shot of beating the wrestling phenom as anyone. There's plenty of bad blood to fuel this fire, that's for sure.
Oh, and on a personal note - I have a message for Frank. Dear god man, the novelty has worn off - change that nickname I'm begging you!
Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
Potentially the biggest rematch in UFC history this one has all the makings of a classic. In their previous fight, Randy had just stepped down to light heavyweight after an up and down career with the big boys. Expectations were low, and so it seems fair to assume the Iceman took him lightly. Chuck confessed to frustration and cardio troubles as the fight wore on. Well, Randy took it to him and hasn't stopped since - beating a who's who of UFC talent - and decisively at that. One of the best mixed martial artists today, the Natural's not getting any younger yet he seems to be getting better by the fight.
Now, both fighters are (almost) household names thanks the UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series where they both co-star as opposing coaches. As bad as Randy beat Chuck in the octagon, Chuck's Team has been wiping the mat with Randy's. All those weeks of competition and training in close quarters is bound to stoke the fires of competition, which makes this fight that much better.
Will Randy beat Chuck to the punch again? Can the Iceman keep getting back up if/when the Natural slams him down time and again? Will Liddell's strikes test Couture's chin? We'll see. This one's hard to call... it seems too easy to believe that this fight will be a carbon copy of their last encounter. However if Couture can impose his gamelan as he usually does - it very well could be.
This is for the light heavyweight title - but maybe more than that it could be for a shot to unify the LHW titles as Pride FC and the UFC have been mending fences over the past few months, so it's safe to bet that
Make some popcorn, call the buds over and crack open some suds - but before you do make sure you check out our UFC 52 pick 'em contest... what's better than a good UFC show? Lording your MMA know-how over your fellow message board posters of course!
discuss this article HERE. (http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?p=22551#post22551)
- Jean-F. Pag? (mailto:jfpage@bloodyknux.com)
Administrator
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/BKDOTCOM/ufc52.jpg
Date: 4/16/2005
Time: 5:00 PM EST
Joe "Diesel" Riggs vs. Ivan Salaverry
Joe "Diesel" Riggs comes into this one as a late replacement, which is fitting seeing as he had to pull out late from his last fight - a much anticipated showdown with David "The Crow" Loiseau and he's got a tall order to fill in the pankration expert Ivan Salaverry. Ivan, coming off a surprising submission win over the tough Tony Fryklund will look to get on a UFC win streak and, hopefully, edge closer and closer to a title shot. Diesel can bang, but Ivan can take a shot. Ivan's deadly on the mat but Joe's no slouch either. Riggs is on something of a streak here as he's been keeping busy... I have a feeling he'll try to remind the UFC crowd of who he is with a big win. Expect to see the winner of this one match up with Loiseau sooner than later - with the winner of that fight getting a shot at the belt shortly there after.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Travis "Diesel" Wiuff
Aaaah... yes. Babalu! About time he came back to the limelight. Mixing Gracie jiu-jitsu with a strong wrestling background and a never-say-die attitude. After a 3 year absence in the UFC he returns to face a very tough test in Travis "I was called Diesel first!" Wiuff. Both these guys will breathe some much needed fresh air into the light heavyweight ranks and could quickly be in the hunt for big fights. Travis is a great wrestler with big-time power behind his slams and strikes so this is a good match up. Wiuff is now slimmed down to light heavy and will be making his debut in the UFC but don't look for too many first time jitters out of this guy - he's been in some wars. Diesel will probably take it to Bablu early and go hard for the first round - we'll see how the Brazilian adapts.
Mike Van Arsdale vs. John Marsh
Van Arsdale's a bit of a mystery to me - so I won't waste your time writing about someone I don't know. He's got a decent record of wins over unknowns and a loss to Wanderlei Silva. Apparently, he's a good wrestler. We'll see. Marsh has the experience advantage over him, but has usually come out on the losing end when facing big names. These guys have nothing to lose - could be sleeper.
Joe Doerksen vs. Patrick C?t?
As I predicted in my original preview, "Lightning" Lee Murray has bowed out of the card due to legal troubles. This makes three or four occasions that the much hyped heir to the UFC bad boy throne has burned Zuffa and no-showed an event, so it's safe to say that at this point - bridges are begining to burn. So stone-fisted and granite jawed Patrick C?t? must now adjust his gameplan dramatically as he's facing fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen. Joe, a slick submission artist fighting out of Winnipeg Alberta is a polar opposite to Lee, so this'll test C?t? big time. Whereas Patrick was expecting a stand-up war and potential show stealer, now he must contend with tough grappling and a good kick game. Doerksen, who actually beat Murray before, is probably young Patrick's biggest test to date and he learned about this less than 2 weeks before the fight. Unfair to C?t?? Probably... but this isn't the first time he's been shafter by the UFC - props to him for stepping up.
Georges "Rush" St. Pierre vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller
This should be another good one folks... potentially a show stealer. Former Team Oyama member Jason "Mayhem" Miller steps up to the big show to face now UFC veteran and TKO star Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. How will the big bright Vegas lights affect Miller? We'll see. Having lingered in relatively small shows up until this point, Miller's ready to step up and show the world what he's got - namely a sound and slick submission game and a ton of heart. He's got some big wins too, Ronald Jhun, Inoue and Denis Kang. These two were supposed to fight some time ago as well, so there's some familiarity there. His opponent is fast rising Canadian Georges St. Pierre, who's coming off a tune-up fight (in which he very nearly ripped off Dave Strasser's arm!) after a hard fought loss at the hands of Matt Hughes. Rush admitted to some nerves after the Hughes fight and who can blame him - getting such a big opportunity so early in his career. Look for Rush to try to get back in the hunt for a shot at the welterweight belt with a win here - with St. Pierre's crisp powerful striking, textbook jiu-jitsu and vicious ground and pound - this one has fight of the night written all over it.
Matt "The Law" Lindland vs. Travis Lutter
Team Quest vs. Lion's Den? Sign me up. Travis is a relative unknown but he sparked some interest at UFC 50 where he came in on short notice and knocked out K1 kick boxer Marvin Eastman in a very sweet one punch ko. Fighting out of the Lion's Den one assumes Travis is well rounded with good defense and decent striking... we know he's got the power! He'll need it too... Matt "The Law" Lindland is no slouch and believe me, he can take a hell of a punch. World class wrestler with a new killer instinct - Matt has stated he expects to have the Middleweight belt around his waist soon. And that means taking it from former training partner Evan Tanner. Don't think Matt's overlooking Travis though - if anything he'll try to make a solid statement in this one.
Matt Hughes vs. Frank "Twinkle-Toes" Trigg
This is one of the fights I'm most looking forward to, and have been for a long time. A rematch from UFC 45 - where Frank Trigg had one of the better showings we'd seen up to that point over the legend-in-the-making Matt Hughes until he fell victim to a standing choke. That's one thing you can never do against Hughes - make a mistake. Just ask Georges St. Pierre. This welterweight title fight should be a great one, and seeing the tough times Miletich Fighting Systems have been going through the past 2 years it's good to see their poster boy back on top. While I'd like to see Renato Verissimo back in the title hunt soon, look for this one to mix up the welterweight rankings... make no mistake Trigg is motivated, if he fights smart and puts the pressure on - he's got as good a shot of beating the wrestling phenom as anyone. There's plenty of bad blood to fuel this fire, that's for sure.
Oh, and on a personal note - I have a message for Frank. Dear god man, the novelty has worn off - change that nickname I'm begging you!
Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
Potentially the biggest rematch in UFC history this one has all the makings of a classic. In their previous fight, Randy had just stepped down to light heavyweight after an up and down career with the big boys. Expectations were low, and so it seems fair to assume the Iceman took him lightly. Chuck confessed to frustration and cardio troubles as the fight wore on. Well, Randy took it to him and hasn't stopped since - beating a who's who of UFC talent - and decisively at that. One of the best mixed martial artists today, the Natural's not getting any younger yet he seems to be getting better by the fight.
Now, both fighters are (almost) household names thanks the UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series where they both co-star as opposing coaches. As bad as Randy beat Chuck in the octagon, Chuck's Team has been wiping the mat with Randy's. All those weeks of competition and training in close quarters is bound to stoke the fires of competition, which makes this fight that much better.
Will Randy beat Chuck to the punch again? Can the Iceman keep getting back up if/when the Natural slams him down time and again? Will Liddell's strikes test Couture's chin? We'll see. This one's hard to call... it seems too easy to believe that this fight will be a carbon copy of their last encounter. However if Couture can impose his gamelan as he usually does - it very well could be.
This is for the light heavyweight title - but maybe more than that it could be for a shot to unify the LHW titles as Pride FC and the UFC have been mending fences over the past few months, so it's safe to bet that
Make some popcorn, call the buds over and crack open some suds - but before you do make sure you check out our UFC 52 pick 'em contest... what's better than a good UFC show? Lording your MMA know-how over your fellow message board posters of course!
discuss this article HERE. (http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?p=22551#post22551)
- Jean-F. Pag? (mailto:jfpage@bloodyknux.com)
Administrator