Big Fights

I will start doing some event specific previews and write ups in the near future but I wanted to focus on two upcoming fights that have really sparked my imagination;

Silva v Sonnen 2

At the time of writing I don't think that this fight has been officially signed yet but it's a dead cert. I'd be amazed if Anderson Silva fought anyone else next. The build up to this one alone will be sensational. I mean love him or loathe him Chael Sonnen knows how to hype a fight and he has a real ability to get under Silva's skin. Everything about this will be great, the weigh in, the staredown, the only question that remains is whether Chael Sonnen can put in a repeat performance (minus the triangle) of the first fight. Most educated MMA writers that I read seem to think that the rematch will be very different, many feel that Silva will have his way in the second fight, and that he was seriously hampered by a rib injury in the first. Now I'm a huge Anderson Silva fan and there is always the chance that Silva simply catches him with a crazy strike from nowhere (invariably learned from Steven Segal) but I think it's gonna be another tough night for the Brazilian. Sonnen looked truly sensational against  Brian Stann in his most recent bout. He truly is one of the most impressive wrestlers in MMA and he's at the peak of his physical powers. Providing he doesn't get clipped on the feet (I think his stand up is actually underrated) and providing he has been working hard on sub defence, he could grind out a win. Having said that I don't think Anderson could think of much worse than losing his title to his newly found nemesis. Either way it's going to be an epic contest and maybe even a PPV record setter for the UFC.

Lesnar v Overeem

In a strange kind of way I'm looking forward to this heavyweight clash more than Dos Santos v Valasquez. I think it's the phsyical presence of the men involved, two giants squaring off always makes for a great spectacle.  Lesnar always brings star power and fan interest where ever he goes, and Overeem with his Thor-like physique will provide an asthetically well matched opponent. So how does the fight go down? I think Lesnar takes this one with some vicious ground and pound to reignite his UFC career. Overeem is a well renowned striker, a K1 champion and carries with him a wealth of fighting experience. I just think that he won't be able to stop the takedown, and even if Brock can't finish him early, Overeems suspect cardio will be tested to the limit with 5 minutes of Brock Lesnar lying on him. Overeems best chance is to stuff the takedown or maybe catch Brock with a knee as he is shooting in. Brock famously struggles when a fight remains standing for any length of time. I've never seen anyone who looks so tough react so badly to getting hit in the face (apart from maybe Bob Sapp). I think Lesner will get the takedown and win via TKO round 1.

As a side note, I realize that most people will already listen to this but I can't recommend highly emough the MMA Hour Podcast. You find it on ITunes or at http://www.mmafighting.com/