On October 16th, 1998 in Sao Paolo, the Ultimate Fighting Championship would hold its "Ultimate Brazil" card at the Ginasio de Portugesa. In what would be remembered as a night Wanderlei Silva was handed his most humiliating loss (up until his recent KO defeat to Chris Leben) by Vitor Belfort and Pat Miletich capturing the UFC lightweight (Now Welterweight) championship. While the crowd was appreciative and the fans loud, the upcoming hard times for the SEG would inevitably force them to sell to Zuffa, and well you know the rest of the story.
On Saturday night, August 27th, 2011, The UFC returns to what is arguably, the home and mecca of Mixed Martial Arts : Brazil. From Royce Gracie to Demian Maia, every Brazilian on the current UFC roster was eager to get a shot on this card, both young and old. And while we won't get to see a "Legends Tournament" like I alluded to in previous postings earlier in the year, we will no doubt get the best of what the UFC has to offer, as Anderson Silva will defend his belt and his reputation as "The best fighter, ever" on the line.
Onto my picks :
Silva vs Okami - Anderson Silva will take on Japanese fighter Yushin Okami in the main event. Okami last saw action last November, disposing of Nate Marquardt at UFC 122 in Germany, while Silva did his best Dhalsim from Street Fighter impression with a front-push kick Knockout of former #1 contender Vitor Belfort in February. Okami has been training with Chael Sonnen's Team Quest in preparation for Silva, who's wrestling skills are known to long be his weak point.
I can only see Okami trying to stand in the pocket and withstand Silva's methodical, strategic standup in the hopes of going for a takedown and trying to grind it out (as it certainly did help Sonnen in his 23 minute and 55 second dominance of Silva). The question is will he be able to withstand combinations and attacks from every angle. The answer to this is probably no, and I have a feeling that after a round and a half, the man known as "The Spider" Will have his hand raised.
The Pick : Silva by KO.
Rua vs Griffin - The co-feature is one that will be contested at 205 lbs, with former champions Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Forrest Griffin renewing acquaintances. This is a rematch, as the Brazilian Rua was defeated by the American Griffin at UFC 76 in 2007. Rua is fighting for the first time since looking out of shape and ultimately losing his belt in March against Jon Jones, While Griffin grinded out a unanimous decision victory over former Middleweight kingpin Rich "Ace" Franklin at UFC 126, the same card that Silva floored Belfort.
I expect to see Rua a lot more prepared for Griffin this time around. There will be a lot of standing and trading, as both are Muay Thai standup competitors and can take shots with the best of them. The question will be whom will tire first. In a fight that will certainly have fight of the night honors being mentioned, The Brazilian will take the victory in a close, yet impressive, decision.
The Pick : Rua by Decision.
Schaub vs Nogueira - A Heavyweight tilt between grizzled PRIDE veteran Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and TUF graduate and prospect Brandon Schaub are another one of the highlights on the main card. Big Nog hasn't fought in nearly a year and a half, as his last fight was against Cain Velasquez (in which he took the KO loss from the current UFC heavyweight champ) in February 2010, in the meantime pulling out of a rematch with Frank Mir due to knee surgery, while Schaub is coming off a victory against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in February, in which he was losing up until the Croatian fell flat on his face.
Ring rust will definitely be a factor for Nog. At 35 years old, It is clear the wear and tear on his body has taken its toll. However, Schaub seemed to be lacking in all facades of the game against Cro Cop : He was beaten to the punch routinely by an older man, and while Schaub scored with takedowns, it was obvious he struggled. Fortunately for Schaub, Cro Cop has a bad knee and a even worse chin. Unfortunately for Schaub, while Noguiera's chin isn't what it was, it might be enough to take Schaub's punches. And if it is, expect an upset.
The Pick : Nogueira by decision.
Palhares vs Miller - The Spike prelims before the main PPV card are highlighted by a middleweight clash between BJJ whiz Rousimar Palhares and Dan Miller. In a fight that will give us a contender for "Submission of the night", I expect the Brazilian to derail the American Miller's trip to Rio.
The Pick : Palhares by submission.
Those are my picks. Questions? Want to get back to me? Leave a comment or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com . You can also follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next time, fight fans!
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