Time for the latest edition of Verbal Submission
Music to listen to: Disappear by Sonic Youth
This Saturday, the UFC will have another event that will be hyped as the biggest fight card of the year with the top fighters in the world and other hyperbole to get fans to pay $55 to view the festivities from their homes.
However, UFC 121 may not only be the best fight card we’ve seen this year, it presents a main event that will have significant ramifications on the entire sport.
Before I get to UFC 121, let’s look back quickly at UFC 120.
-Major respect to Carlos Condit for getting the victory over the overrated Dan Hardy. While Condit isn’t in line for a title shot yet, this was an essential step in his development.
-If I have to see Michael Bisping get any more promotion as a top-flight middleweight, I’m going to throw something against the wall. Once again, I know it’s the UFC’s job to make good business but if we have to see another uninspired decision victory from the Brit, it will turn to bad business for the viewers.
The UFC continues to promote the fighters from England to get fans excited about the events in that part of the world but the fighters have to deliver on the expectations.
There have been some articles written this week about how MMA won’t work in Europe. That’s very short-sighted by people who only view MMA through UFC-colored glasses.
There are promotions in Great Britain, France, Poland, Russia, the Netherlands and other countries in Europe that put on MMA events that are successful. Boxing, kickboxing and other combat sports have also had followings.
The UFC is trying to bring an American promotion with a sport that is still in its infancy, MMA, by sports standards. Its going to take a generation of fans following the sport and knowing the ins and outs of it to truly embrace it.
OK, on to UFC 121.
Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez: I said two years ago that Valasquez was going to be the UFC heavyweight champion and that day may have finally come.
If this was a weightlifting contest, than Lesnar would win by TKO in the first round. He is the stronger fighter but outside of that, Velasquez has every other advantage.
Novice fans of MMA see Lesnar’s imposing physique and think that he is just going to throw Velasquez around the cage for five rounds and win easily.
The only advantages that Lesnar has from a skill standpoint may be wrestling and even that advantage is minimal. Velazquez is used to fighting guys bigger than him back in his wrestling days at Arizona State. He’s seen someone like Lesnar before.
The standup advantage for Velazquez is significant. He has quicker hands, better technique and more movement than Lesnar.
If the fight goes to the ground, Lesnar may have an advantage on top position but besides that, the difference in the fighters is minimal.
Finally, the biggest factor in this fight may be stamina. We’ve seen Lesnar fatigue in fights before, particularly the Couture fight. We’ve not seen Velasquez struggle with his wind in any fight.
However, neither fighter has ever made it to the “championship rounds,” meaning the fourth and fifth round. If I had to choose one fighter to do better in these rounds, it would be Velasquez because it has to be tough for Lesnar to carry the weight around for all of that time.
This is a significant fight in the heavyweight division for several reasons. If Lesnar wins, the only other viable heavyweight contender in the UFC would probably be Junior Dos Santos, who Lesnar would probably dispose of easily at this stage of their careers. Than you will start seeing the questions of when heavyweights from other promotions such as Alistair Overeem and Fedor can find their way into the UFC. I seriously doubt that either man will ever step into the UFC cage in the near future but that may be an issue to consider.
If Velasquez wins, it would open the door for interesting scenarios. As a Mexican-American, the promotional opportunities are massive for the UFC. This may actually be a good thing to get one of the most passionate ethnic group of fight fans to become involved in MMA. As for in the ring, there can be major promotion for Lesnar/Velasquez 2, a Dos Santos fight, etc.
So, for once, the UFC can state their hyperbole about this being the most important fight in the history of the heavyweight division and not be completely off. Its not the biggest fight ever, but maybe in the past year or two.
Prediction: Velasquez by TKO fourth round
Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann: Shields is finally in the UFC. Many older fans of MMA have been looking forward to this moment for several years. He has been successful in numerous promotions but will finally have the chance to prove himself in the biggest stage.
He doesn’t get an easy opponent to start off with as Kampmann is an excellent fighter who is good in each aspect of MMA.
In the standup aspect of the fight, the advantage goes to Kampmann, who has had extensive experience in kickboxing. However, Shields is one of the top ground practitioners in the sport and has jiu-jitsu skills that are not matched by many other welterweights.
I’m going to take Shields because we saw from his fight with Dan Henderson that not only can he take a punch and I would argue that Hendo has a stronger punch than Kampmann, but once the fight gets to the ground, Shields has the ability to grind out victories from that position.
Prediction: Shields by decision
Paolo Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez: Both fighers will be game, but the size advantage that Thiago has will be too much for Sanchez to handle for the undersized welterweight.
Prediction: Thiago by TKO second round
Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill: Both of these guys have trained together and Ortiz even served as a mentor for Hamill in the start of the younger fighter’s career. Ortiz claims he is FINALLY healthy after years of physical ailments that have prevented him from fighting at his highest level.
Both guys are wrestlers who are comfortable on the ground, so I’m looking at the standup aspect of this fight to see who has the advantage there. We’ve seen more range and technique from Hamill lately so that’s who I will take. Lets just hope that if Ortiz loses, he doesn’t have another excuse about why he was defeated.
Prediction: Hamill by decision
Those are my thoughts, what about yours?
The Sports Inquirer 
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