Music to listen to: Entrance music for Fedor Emelianenko
Before I preview UFC 157, here are some general MMA thoughts on events/announcements that have taken place over the last two weeks.
-I expected Anthony Pettis to get a well-deserved title shot in the UFC. I didn’t expect it to be in the featherweight division against Jose Aldo in August for the title. There have been some indications that Aldo would eventually move up to the lightweight division in the future but this is now his second consecutive title fight against a competitor who’s a veteran in that very division. My assumption is that Pettis didn’t want to face the winner of the Benson Henderson/Gilbert Melendez fight that will take place in April. If Pettis waited for the winner, he may not see the octagon until early 2014 so he took the title shot in the lower weight class. This may also be an indictment on the state of the featherweight division outside of Aldo that there wasn’t another competitor to contend for the title.
-Not surprised that Jon Fitch was cut by the UFC. The welterweight division within the promotion has seen an increase in talent over the last year and Fitch hasn’t elevated his skill level to keep up. He’s 1-2-1 in his last four fights and hasn’t been asthtically pleasing to watch fight relative to his stature within the promotion.
-Good to see Nate Marquardt back in the UFC. Looking forward to his fight against Jake Ellenberger in March.
-Slowly starting to get intrigued by Bellator. I like the timeslot and network to see the fights. This allows fans like me to develop a routine of looking forward to the event every Thursday night and putting it into my calendar.
-A new year, same ole injuries with fighters in the UFC. Rory MacDonald was the latest person to drop out of a fight when he withdrew from the scheduled contest against Carlos Condit at UFC 158 due to a neck injury. Johny Hendricks will now face Condit in March. MacDonald was a victory away from fighting for the welterweight crown and now he must wait in the back of the line.
-I like the UFC 160 fights of Cain Velasquez against Antonio Silva and Alistair OVereem vs. Junior Dos Santos. Its like a semifinals for the heavyweight title all on one night.
Now to UFC 157:
Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche: This fight will end in a submission victory for Rousey but it will last more than one round. Carmouche’s biggest strength is grapping which is unfortunate because Rousey is the best ground fighter in female MMA. We’ve all seen the highlights of the armbar submissions Rousey has imposed on all of her opponents. Carmouche will keep her distance to start the fight but Rousey will show some improved standup to soften up the challenger for the next round.
Prediction: Rousey by second-round submission
Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida: I wish this contest was five rounds because each competitor usually takes one or two rounds to develop their opponents’ distances and implement the fight plan. Both guys are veterans with the classic wrestler vs. striker matchup analysis stereotypes in full effect to a certain point. We’ve seen Henderson use his powerful standup, especially his left hand, to deliver punishment to the opponent while Machida has excellent ground skills and looked dominant in his last win over Ryan Bader in August 2012. Of note, Henderson’s last fight was in November 2011 in a win over Mauricio Rua.
Prediction: Henderson by decision
Other picks of interest:
Urijah Faber over Ivan Menjivar
Josh Koscheck over Robbie Lawler
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
The Sports Inquirer 
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