UFC on FOX 2: The Strengths and Weaknesses of Every Fighter on the Main Card

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The UFC's second event on the FOX network will take place this Saturday.

Pivotal bouts featuring contenders Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, Chris Weidman and Demian Maia will make up the tripleheader at the United Center in Chicago.

Though all men are hailed as some of the best in their class, where do each of their strengths and weaknesses lie?

Chris Weidman

Strengths: Wrestling and Athleticism

The former NCAA Division I All-American from Hofstra has quickly become one of the most talked-about prospects in the sport. The budding middleweight has shown that his wrestling skills can rival most, having gone 3-0 in the UFC with victories over veterans Alessio Sakara, Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor—submitting The Ultimate Fighter veteran in the first round.

 

Weaknesses: Striking and Transitions

Lest we forget, the New Yorker is barely three years into his mixed martial arts career. Weidman has shown improvements, though his overall striking skills remain lacking. Even more so, it's his transitions on the feet to the ground that remain his most glaring flaw, though Weidman, under the tutelage of Ray Longo and former champion Matt Serra, will soon get a grasp for all things MMA.

Demian Maia

Strengths: Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling

As far as submission specialists are concerned, Demian Maia remains one of the sport's most accomplished inside the Octagon. The Brazilian opened up his UFC career with five straight submission wins, with Ed Herman, Nate Quarry and Chael Sonnen among his victims. His wrestling skills are vastly underrated, as the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion has been able to take down even the most grappling-savvy opponents.

 

Weakness: Striking

Despite having shown dramatic improvement in his bout with Mark Munoz, Maia seemed to have regressed, especially in his bout with fellow countryman Jorge Santiago last October. Looping hooks was the common call of order for Maia, who took the decision but in arguably his most lackluster performance. 

Michael Bisping

Strength: Striking and Conditioning 

Though he may not be regarded as the most powerful striker, Michael Bisping has crisp stand-up, transitioning well between both his kicks and punches. His knees and elbows have become a valuable asset as well, using those close-quarter shots to wilt the likes of Charles McCarthy and Jorge Rivera in the past. His pace is unrelenting and is often what cripples most of his opponents, most recently Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

 

Weakness: Wrestling

His jiu-jitsu is vastly underrated; however, Bisping's wrestling has always been left wanting. He has made some strides in recent years, even taking down some of his own opponents. Though if there's any knock against the Brit, it's that he ends up on his back more often than not. Against Chael Sonnen, that could be a recipe for disaster.

Chael Sonnen

Strengths: Wrestling and Conditioning

The self-proclaimed ruler of the middleweight division, Sonnen is at the top of his class for a reason. A world-class wrestler, Sonnen has made a smooth transition from the amateur circuit to the big leagues of the UFC, grinding out opponents such as Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt and Brian Stann with his high-level grappling skills.

His pace is hard to match, as Sonnen is regarded as one of the hardest workers in the sport, which is evident thanks to his nonstop, aggressive approach that few opponents have an answer for.

 

Weakness: Submission Defense

In his bout with UFC champion Anderson Silva, Sonnen was less than two minutes away from a dominant and decisive decision win before The Spider latched onto a fight-ending submission. If it was the first time, you could chalk it up to recklessness, but as it stands, Sonnen has been victim to jiu-jitsu more times than he would care to remember. It's been eight times.

Phil Davis

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Strength: Wrestling

A former NCAA Division I champion from Penn State, Phil Davis is one of the newest additions to the mixed martial arts world with one of the best foundations. The Californian has used his amateur wrestling background to procure an undefeated record, which was capped off by a decision win over Pride veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last March, when Davis dove time and time again on the legs of the Brazilian, working him to the ground and grinding out the clock.

 

Weaknesses: Striking and Transitions

Much like Chris Weidman, Davis still finds himself a relative novice in the sport, having made his mixed martial arts debut in October of 2008. With that being said, Davis has shown problems in the past in transitioning his rudimentary striking skills with his takedowns. Nogueira was able to stave off several advances in the early goings of their bout, though the predictability of Davis later ebbed when the Alliance MMA fighter switched tactics.

Rashad Evans

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Strengths: Speed, Wrestling and Knockout Power

Rashad Evans ascended the light heavyweight division not because he's the biggest or most intimidating, but because he has arguably the most well-rounded blend of skills among his peers.

The former champion has shown both speed and one-punch knockout power in the past. Now, both kicks and punches have since been incorporated into his repertoire of skills, which were built on the foundation of his collegiate wrestling background at Michigan State.

 

Weakness: Susceptibility to Punches

It's not so much that Evans has a weak chin, per se, but he's been rocked by some of the most heavy-hitting fighters in his division. On his stint on season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter, Evans was rocked and dropped by future teammate and friend Keith Jardine. Chalk that up to overzealousness.

Then, Evans was subsequently knocked out by Brazilian karate specialist Lyoto Machida. Strike two.

Soon after, "Suga" met with the towering Thiago Silva, who managed to give Evans a scare in the third, leveling him with a powerful right. Strike three.

And of course, there's the infamous battle with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in which the Pride vet nearly earned a late-rally stoppage when he dropped Evans with a barrage of strikes in the waning moments of their bout.

I'm not a baseball aficionado, but the New Yorker, by my estimate, was out two strikes ago.