UFC 87: Tears, Trials, And A Title

With UFC 87: Seek And Destroy on the horizon (August 9th), the hype for the matches have begun to steadily build. This event has it all: Georges "Rush" St.-Pierre puts the Welterweight Tilte on the line, Brock Lesnar returns to the octagon with a vengeance, Kenny Florian faces the juggernaut Roger Huerta, and Manny Gamburyan dukes it out with young gun Rob Emerson. It has become one heck of a card for UFC 87. But who will shine and who will fade on this night of fights? Let's take a look at the matchups.

First, we have Georges "Rush" St.-Pierre putting his Welterweight Title on the line against Jon Fitch. While many think that Fitch is a flop opponent for the mighty St.-Pierre, let's take a closer look. St.-Pierre is 16-2-0 in MMA action. Fitch is 21-2-0. Both only losing twice means there is much more on the line than a title. This may be the biggest fight of Fitch's career so far. Not only does he have a shot at the Welterweight Title, but he can give himself the credibility as a top contender if he wins. On the other side, anyone who watches UFC and has seen St.-Pierre fight knows that he is no pushover by any extent. This man has faced the best and beaten them senseless. There is a definite reason why he is the Welterweight Champ. In the end, I believe it will be a very competitive fight. My prediction: St.-Pierre retains the Welterweight Title by split decision after 3 full rounds.

Next, we have the fight with the "big names". Former WWE superstar (and attempted NFL player) Brock Lesnar takes on "The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring. Now, before you start counting out Lesnar, look a little closer. With a record of only 1-1-0, he is still fairly new to full-on MMA competition. What he lacks in ground work and submissions he makes up for in standing combat, relying more on his upright punches and kicks. However, Herring is an animal. While he may weigh 15 punds less than Lesnar (265 lbs for Lesnar > 250 lbs for Herring), he has proven himself as a force to be reckoned with inthe UFC. With a pro record of 29-13-1, he is not to be taken lightly. He is very balanced, excelling on both the ground and on his feet. My prediction for this fight: Lesnar pulls off the upset of the year with a 2nd Round KO. And yes, Lesnar will do it standing upright. No ground victory here.

After this, we have what I consider to be the dark horse match of the night: Kenny Florian will lock horns with "El Matador" Roger Huerta. Even though he is less experienced in the UFC than Huerta, Florian has proven himself to be a great underdog fighter. He has alot of heart, and has some great ground skills to his credit as well. However, he will have to use every trick in the book to win this match. Florian is the definite underdog here. Huerta is a bonafide maniac. With a standing record of 22-1-1, he is to the UFC what Frankenstein was to the villagers: A monster. Huerta can do it on the ground and on his feet. One slip-up by Florian could spell disaster, as Huerta will take any oppertunity to demolish Florian. My prediction: Huerta wins by submission early in the 3rd Round. "El Matador" will beat "KenFlo" into the ground, then break what is left of him in half on the ground. Not pretty, but entertaining to say the least. Sorry "KenFlo", no upset special today.

Finally, in the 4th big match-up of the night, we will see Manny "The Anvil" Gamburyan take on Rob "The Saint" Emerson. We all saw what both of these men could do on The Ultimate Fighter. They are both very skilled fighters. Manny, small as he is, has an incredible amount of heart and durability, despite his earlier injury, which in my personal opinion was a fluke. Emerson is a very balanced fighter who can beat you upright and on his back, with a great variety of puches and kicks while standing to a great combination of "ground and pound" and submission manuevers. This will be a very entertaining fight all the way through. My prediction for the fight: Gamburyan wins by unanimous decision after 3 rounds. Size doesn't mean anything in UFC, and Manny will certainly prove that with a convincing victory over Emerson.

No matter if these predictions turn out right or wrong, UFC 87: Seek And Destroy will be an event worth watching. I'm gladly going to pay out of my pocket to see the sweat fly and the blood run. Whatever happens, this event will go down either wy as one of the biggest events of the year.