The Triangle Choke Super Saturday
A year ago I found myself in beautiful Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend. It was an incredible scene as boisterous crowds could be heard everywhere when Saints’ DB Tracy Porter returned Peyton Manning’s inerrant pass for a game sealing touchdown. This year, the atmosphere will only be greater as the UFC holds a spectacular event on Saturday, February 5th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. It will be a weekend full of blood and of course prop bets in the gambling capital of the world. Instead of who scores first, who wins the coin flip etc- how about which set of officials are worse? Will it be the typical ineptitude of Nevada judges or the biased NFL officials? You have to go with the NFL officials considering the Pittsburgh Steelers will be on the field. Either way, save your gambling money, use it to purchase the UFC PPV on Saturday night, then purchase some cheese curds and your favorite Wisconsin brew and chant, Go Pack Go on Sunday!
In all seriousness this is the best UFC card in some time. The main event features two of the all-time greats when former UFC stalwart Vitor Belfort will attempt to pry the title from Anderson Silva. Former UFC champs will battle when Cincinnatian Rich Franklin takes on Forrest Griffin in a contest between two of the most popular combatants in the history of the sport. Possibly, the most intriguing battle will be between young superstars Jon “Bones” Jones and Ryan Bader. How the card breaks down:
Main Event: UFC Middleweight Championship- Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort- Many fans newer to the sport do not understand the phenomena that was Vitor Belfort. Vitor hit the scene in dramatic fashion at UFC 12 in February of 1997 with the fastest hands in the sport. His Atlas physique combined with his speed led many to believe he was unbeatable. Unfortunately for Belfort, he faced personal tragedies that sidetracked his career while many questioned his devotion to the sport. The Phenom is 19-8 having won 5 in a row in limited action, with only one credible win, against Rich Franklin at UFC 103. There is no doubt that Belfort doesn’t deserve the title shot, however, he does possess the skills to pull off the upset. In Anderson Silva, you may find the perfect crafted mixed-martial artist. He is long and lanky yet still strong while possessing incredible quickness and footwork, not to mention phenomenal striking accuracy. With all that there have still been chinks in the Spider’s web, the question is can Belfort’s speed be Silva’s insecticide? This should be an entertaining quick paced fight but Silva is simply too much. Prediction- Anderson Silva via TKO due to strikes 3rd round
Light Heavyweight: Forrest Griffin vs. Rich “Ace” Franklin- Two of the Octagon’s most popular fighters will present an interesting fight where both guys like to mix it up. Forrest is a big light heavyweight who will no doubt have a significant size advantage on fight night. He is 17-6 overall going 3-2 in his last five against high level competitors. However, he hasn’t competed since defeating Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 in November of 2009 due to injuries. There is little doubt cage rust will be a factor for the rough and tough Griffin. Rich Franklin, a former high school teacher in Cincinnati, is no stranger to mixing it up. Ace, 36 years of age, is 2-2 in his last four and 28-5 overall. Like Griffin, Rich may experience some rust as well having not competed since ending Chuck Liddell’s career at UFC 115 this past June. Rich suffered a broken forearm blocking a Liddell kick yet managed to KO the Iceman for the dramatic win. This should be a great stand-up fight with plenty of blood. The winner will still be in the hunt in the stacked UFC LHW division with the loser likely competing for dollars and ratings only. Prediction- Forrest Griffin via UD
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Light Heavyweight: Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Ryan “Darth” Bader- Two of the brightest young stars in all of MMA will square off in a contest that has fans brimming with anticipation. Jon Jones is on the fast track from rising star to bonafide superstar. The 23 year old Jones stands in at an impressive-athletic 6’4”. His record stands at 11-1 with the only blemish resulting from a controversial DQ against Matt Hamill. In that fight, Jones simply manhandled the tough Hamill. Since then, Jones did the same to Brandon Vera and Vlad Matyushenko. There is little doubt that Ryan Bader will present a significant step up in competition. Bader has a very strong wrestling pedigree coming from the well respected Arizona State program. Bader, 12-0, is a powerhouse who continues to improve in all facets. He is 5-0 in the UFC’s Octagon with victories over Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. As is the case with Jones, this is a major step up in competition for Darth Bader. In close match-ups, the safe way to go is to pick the wrestler. However, Jones’ pure natural skills will be the difference. Either way, both of these guys will be around for a long while. Prediction- Jones via TKO due to strikes 3rd round
The event features two more bouts to air on the main card: Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha and Antonio Banuelos vs. Migues Torres. Spike TV will air two prelims which features Paul Kelly vs. Donald Cerrone and Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa.
The Prelims include four fights that feature a bevy of talent including Kid Yamamoto vs. Demetrious Johnson and Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricardo Romero.
I won’t be in Vegas to watch all of the action but it will much more enjoyable this year as I’ll be watching with my newborn girl! Thanks to all and enjoy a star studded weekend.
For a live results of the action packed event visit www.profighting-fans.com
By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Editor-in-Chief