Saturday,
January 19th, UFC makes it's way back to England for UFC 80: Rapid Fire.
The event airs live at 3 p.m. EST and 12 p.m. PST. The event will also
be re-played at the normal UFC times of 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST.
I am as excited about this event as I am for nearly every MMA event.
We are going to see the crowning of a new LW champion after the Sherk
scandal and we get to see Gonzaga step back into the Octagon after his
beat-down by Randy Couture.
Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout: The Swedish fighter Eklund is making
his UFC debut. Eklund is a well-rounded fighter whose last win came
via unanimous decision in Bodog Fight. Stout is returning to the Octagon
after suffering a decision loss in a spectacular fight against Spencer
Fisher. Stout definitely boasts the higher level of competition having
fought 3 times in the Octagon. This should give him the upper-hand in
this fight. Sam Stout by TKO round 1.
James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara: Although this is Lee's fight fight
in the UFC, he is no stranger to MMA. Lee is the King of the Cage LHW
champion having last defeated Danny Bessant in November. Lee also finished
Travis Wiuff in just 39 seconds at Pride 33. Sakara is coming off a
vicious KO by the knee of Houston Alexander. Sakara is a black belt
in BJJ and a pro boxer, but has not had very much success in the UFC
losing 3 of his 5 fights. James Lee by submission round 1.
Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor: This fight is obviously a showcase of
England's talent as both fighter hail from the UK. The undefeated Kelly,
who is making his UFC debut, is a teammate of TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping
at Wolfslair Academy. Taylor seems to be reserved for UFC cards in England.
His last fight was against Marcus Davis in which he almost finished
by TKO before being submitted later in the first round. Paul Taylor
by TKO round 1.
Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson: Hardonk, the Dutch striker, struggles
when the fight hits the ground. In his last two fights, he has been
submitted by Frank Mir and lost a lay 'n pray decision to Justin McCully.
Robinson, who hails from Ireland, is fighting in his second UFC fight.
He lost his first in the second round by TKO to Eddie Sanchez.
If this fight stays on the feet, I will take Hardonk, but if it goes
to the ground Robinson will win this fight. Antoni Hardonk
by decision.
Jorge Rivera vs. Kendall Grove: Rivera is a UFC veteran having fought
in the UFC since UFC 44 in 2003. He even appeared on TUF 4 The Comeback.
Kendall Grove was TUF 3's MW winner. At UFC 74, Grove surprisingly lost
to Canadian Patrick Cote. One thing that Grove has over most any other
fighter in the MW division is his height. He stands 6'6". Rivera has
been KOed by a couple of hard-hitters in Chris Leben and Terry Martin.
I don't think his chin is weak but it may be questionable. Kendall
Grove by submission round 1.
Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason Lambert: This is the kind of fight that
casual MMA fans question how it made the main card but the real fans
are excited for. Both of these fighters are moving up the ladder and
they fight like they have nothing to lose. They put it all out in the
playing field, in this case the Octagon, to try and win while at the
same time trying to entertain the fans. Lambert, with his win over Babalu,
was on some fans top ten, but I think that Gouveia is the more technical
of these two fighters. Wilson Gouveia by decision.
Jess Liaudin vs. Marcus Davis: Liaudin is 2-0 in the UFC and deserves
a step-up in competition. Marcus Davis provides just that. Davis, whose
strength lies in his boxing, was a contender on TUF 2. He lost his fight
at the finale to Melvin Guillard. After that, Davis left the UFC for
a year to develop other areas of his game. Since his return, Davis has
won 5 straight including three submission wins and is now making a splash
in the WW division. Marcus Davis by TKO round 2.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum: This is a rematch from Gonzaga's
first loss. The pair fought back in 2003 in a fight that ended when
Gonzaga gassed and was mounted and finished with strikes. Many felt
Gonzaga was invincible after delivering a devastating high-kick KO to
Cro Cop, brought back to Earth after being defeated by Randy Couture
at UFC 74. Werdum fought his first fight in the UFC against Andrei Arlovski
in what was one of the most boring fights in recent UFC history. Werdum
has changed camps and now trains at Chute Boxe. The brass at UFC, in
GSP's words, was not impressed with Werdum's performance. Werdum is
a ranked HW and I expect him to show that in this fight. With both fighters
having world-class BJJ, I don't see either of them being submitted.
Gonzaga has the power to KO Werdum, but I don't that he will be able
to pull it off. I see this fight being a technical ground fight and
with Gonzaga's gas tank being questionable I am taking Fabricio Werdum
by decision.
BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (LW Title Fight): Let's get it out of
the way... Will BJ Penn have the gas tank for this fight? It seems by
listening to his interviews he will. Also, 155 suits him much better
than 170. Kenny Florian was the first fighter from TUF to get a title
shot, but I don't believe he earned it. I also do not count Serra's
title shot as a fighter from TUF earning a title shot. What I am saying
is, I think Stevenson is the first fighter from TUF to earn a title
shot.
I do not see Stevenson finishing BJ by any method. What Stevenson has
to do is play defense for the first two rounds and hope BJ gasses. He
then needs to win the third, fourth, and fifth rounds to take the decision.
This, of course, is all dependent on BJ's training and cardio. With
this being said I take BJ Penn by submission round 2.
