UFC 85: Bedlam Brings Youth Movement to MMA

UFC 85: Bedlam was supposed to be the chance for Chuck Liddell to battle UFC sophomore Shogun Rua. However, the show has gone through more than a handful of fight changes.

With the event quickly approaching the card, should be set. The underlying theme in a few of the more intriguing match-ups is the chance for younger fighters to prove themselves against more experienced competition. Leites vs. Marquardt, Kampmann Vs. Rivera, and the main event, Alves vs. Hughes.

The card has some interesting bouts with several fighters having an oppurtunity to give themselves a jump in the rankings.

Kampmann vs. Rivera

Martin Kampmann was supposed to fight Rich Franklin at UFC 72. Unfortunately, he completely destroyed his knee before the bout.

Franklin went on to face Yushin Okami at UFC 72. After beating Okami, Franklin got his second shot at belt holder Anderson Silva. The second attempt for Franklin went as well as the first, total destruction.

Kampmann has re-emerged with two healthy knees and a desire to regain the shot he lost. Kampmann sports a 15-2 record while winning his last eight in a row. He trains out of Vegas with the boys and girls at Xtreme Couture.

The "Hitman" is well-rounded but has received a well earned reputation as an  extremely dangerous striker.

The obstacle in the way of Kampmann's return is UFC vet Jorge Rivera. Rivera is a former cast member of TUF and is coming off a small upset of Kendall Grove. Unfortunately for Rivera, I think he is nothing more than a tune-up match for Kampmann. Kampmann has a ton of up-side and the UFC wants to give him a challenge, but a guy that he should be able to beat.

If Kampmann beats Rivera, look for him to start moving quickly up the ranks of the Middleweight division. The UFC and Joe Silva were going to give him a shot at the big-time. If he proves he's healthy, he may get it after all.

Leites vs. Marquardt

Thales Leites sports a 12-1 record with his only loss coming at the hands of the above mentioned Kampmann by decision. Leites was supposed to fight Marquardt at UFC 81, but  he had to pull out because of a broken hand. Leites is a highly skilled ground fighter and has finished seven of his twelve fights by submission.

Leites will face his biggest challenge to date when he faces off with Nate "The Great" Marquardt. The great one is a former Middleweight Pancrase champion and has held the belt several times. Marquardt is a BJJ black belt under Ricardo Murgel and currently trains with Greg Jackson, who runs one of the best camps in all of MMA.

If Leites can beat Marquardt, it immediately puts him in the top five Middleweights. He would probaly have to get through one more top-tier guy but, after that, would be a logical choice to be considered for a shot at Anderson Silva.

Many people believe that if anyone is going to beat Silva it's going to be a ground fighter like Leites, Damian Maia, or Ricardo Almeida.

Hughes vs. Alves

The main event has some very interesting implications. If Alves wins, he should be considered the number one contender and would get the winner of GSP and Fitch. If Hughes wins...well it doesn't matter because said Dana White promised him Matt Serra.

Alves is a member of the American Top Team and has a background in Muay Thai and a BJJ blackbelt.

He's punishing striker who's last three fights have been TKO's. His last fight was against top ten ranked Karo Parisyan. Alves showed his Muay Thai skills and made the ref step in to stop the fight and save Parisyan.

If Alves gets past Hughes, he should be looking at a title shot. He more than likely would face off with the Dynamic GSP. This would be best case scenario for fans and the UFC alike as the fight would be a stand-up clinic.

On the other hand, Matt Hughes is coming off of a complete annihilation at the hands of GSP. Hughes is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history and one of the best wrestlers to transition to MMA.

I'm interested to see where Matt Hughes' head is at. What motivation does he have for this fight? Win or lose, he gets what he wants, a chance to beat the crap out of Matt Serra. If he takes Alves lightly, he is going to get Knocked out.

There has been a lot of rumors about Hughes retiring and we may see him hang up the gloves after the serra fight.

Quick Notes

I'm not going to break down the other fights on the main card because there has already been several write-ups but I will give a quick mention.

Werdum vs. Vera

I'm a huge Vera fan and think he will be holding the belt within the next two years. I think his striking is just to good for Werdum. As long as he can stay standing with Werdum, the fight will go his way.

Bisping vs. Day

Day was good against Belcher but isn't going to be able to handle Bisping. I was really looking forward to the Leben vs. Bisping fight and hope Joe Silva gives us that match in the future.

Davis vs. Swick

Davis has great hands and if Swick stands with him I think it's going to end badly for Swick. The good news for Davis is I think Swick may stand with him and we will see a highlight reel KO. HOORAY!