Music to listen to: From Scratch by Freedomtik
Before I preview UFC on Fox 2, lets review some previous mixed martial arts happenings in the last two months because I haven’t done a Verbal Submission in a while.
-It was a smart move for Brock Lesnar to retire. Even if Lesnar never suffered health setbacks throughout his MMA career, he would have still struggled to become a consistent top heavyweight title contender. Yes, he did end up winning the UFC title, which is a respectable accomplishment, but the evolution of the other top heavyweights in the division who had better background training would have lapped him. Lesnar would have been a solid draw and won the majority of his fights but with the prospect of consistently losing to better competition, plus the health issues making him less able to train and defend himself, retirement was the best option.
-Johny Hendricks is a bad man.
-If Nate Diaz can stay focused and find a way to defend against takedowns, there’s no reason he couldn’t be a contender for the lightweight crown in the UFC.
-I saw the Outside the Lines story on ESPN about the pay wages of UFC fighters. I can see how the Zuffa organization can see the story as a biased, negative portrayal of the organization and the treatment of fighters. Relative to the amount of money bought in from events, the percentage of money that the fighters get may be smaller than other sports. However, we also don’t know the exact numbers because of Zuffa’s right as a private company to withhold making financial information public. Furthermore, the story contained interviews from Ken Shamrock and Monte Cox, two men who notoriously have tenuous relationships with Zuffa, so their opinions may have biases of their own. The overall impression is that people who are unfamiliar with how combat sports work would look at the story and feel that Zuffa is unfairly treating their fighters. However, if you’re reading this post and know about how MMA promotions work, you know that for every fighter who earns six figures for every contest, owns numerous gyms and has multiple sponsorships, there are dozens and dozens of fighters who are only making $10K per contest, have minimal sponsorship money and don’t get a portion of the pay-per-view revenue. That’s the reality of the sport.
-The whole Anthony Johnson situation at UFC 142 was unfortunate because he’s an excellent fighter but to come to the event that many pounds over the weight limit wasn’t professional. I thought Vitor Belfort handled the situation in a classy way and was rewarded with a win in the end.
-I can watch Jose Aldo’s post-fight celebration again anytime. I’m not usually an advocate of someone going into the stands after a victory to gloat a triumph but the scene of Aldo celebrating the victory with his fellow Brazilian fans in a rabid state was a nice reminder of the connection that a fighter can share with his audience.
-I tweeted after UFC on FX that Melvin Guillard has the athleticism of a title contender but the skill and makeup of a mid-carder. That critique may be harsh and hyperbolic in nature but it doesn’t take away from the fact of Guillard consistently looking like a viable fighter to elevate to a higher level to only show disappointing efforts in the actual contest. Jim Miller is an excellent fighter in his own right but there’s no reason that he should have beaten Guillard in the first round.
OK, now let’s get to the actual fights taking place on Saturday:
Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis: This is a fight that has been nearly a year in the making. Davis is coming off of a knee injury and hasn’t fought since an uninspiring decision victory over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March 2011. Davis’ wrestling background would hint towards a strategy that leans towards getting takedowns but he surprisingly struggled in this technique in the Nogueira fight. Furthermore, he hasn’t shown the ability to consistently show strong standup tactics in his last few fights. However, it must be noted that has multiple submission stoppages on his resume, so the ground attack advantage may to Davis.
Evans has all of the tools needed to become a champion again. He looked sharp in his last fight, a TKO of Tito Ortiz in August 2011. Despite all of the deserved discussion about Jon Jones, Evans himself has only suffered one career defeat and has defeated numerous top fighters in his own right. Once known for conservative fight tactics, Evans has opened up his standup attack and has excellent boxing skills.
While Davis is an upcoming talent, Evans holds the advantage in every aspect of the contest. Davis may try to grind out a decision using his wrestling skills but Evans’ escape techniques from the ground will be too much. Prediction: Evans by decision
Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping: This was supposed to be a fight between Sonnen and Mark Munoz to determine the top contender in the middleweight division.
Bisping struggles with wrestlers. Sonnen’s strength is wrestling. Bisping has a questionable chin. Sonnen has never been stopped in a fight accept for submissions.
Prediction: Sonnen by 3rd round TKO
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
The Sports Inquirer 
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