Looking Ahead: UFC 126
I don't know about anyone else, but out of all the upcoming cards, this is the one I'm most excited for.
More than Lesnar against Velasquez, Rampage against Lyoto, and even more than Bisping against Akiyama (shocking).
This is the card for Super Bowl weekend, and this looks to be the best one in a really, really long time. Originally, this was going to be UFC 127, but it was recently announced that there will be no event on January 29th, and this will be UFC 126.
Right now there are only 4 potential matchups (I read that all have been agreed on), and I have a guess for what the 5th main card matchup will be.
First Fight: Chris Lytle Vs Anthony Johnson
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Chris 'Lights Out' Lytle is coming off a unanimous decision win over Matt Serra, to avenge the loss from TUF 4 Finale. Lytle outboxed Serra all 3 rounds, and it never looked like Serra stood a chance.
Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson has been out of the Octagon since November of last year when he lost to Josh Koscheck via rear naked choke at UFC 106. I haven't been able to find anything on Johnson since July, when he said he hoped to be back sometime in November or December.
All the cards up until 124 appear to be set, so he could return at 124, or 25, but those have quite a few announced matchups. So my guess is obviously 126. Lytle is on a 4 fight win streak and is hoping to make some noise in the division. Johnson would be a great matchup, because they would stand up and box for the whole fight, as Lytle is a former pro boxer, and 6 of Johnson's 8 wins are via KO or TKO.
Lytle via some ridiculous submission that earns him Submission of the Night in round 3
Second Fight: Jon Jones Vs Ryan Bader
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Two of the UFC's most promising young prospects at 205, Jon 'Bones' Jones and Ryan 'Darth' Bader would put on a great fight. I'm not sure how Jones would try to go about this. He would have a 10.5 inch reach advantage, but Bader has got the one punch knockout power.
This could just turn into a ground battle, depending on who gets the top position, as 3 of Jones past 4 fights have ended with him on top, pounding the guy's face in. (Disregarding the fact that one of them was a DQ loss to Matt Hamill because Steve Mazagatti is a fool, but I digress).
Jones vs Bader would be a great fight, and the winner would only be one more fight away from a title shot (according to what I last read from Dana White). I figure Jones will trash Bader just as he has everyone else.
Jones via (T)KO round 1
Third Fight: Evan Dunahm Vs Kenny Florian
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Evan '3D' Dunham (3D?) and Kenny 'Kenflo' Florian would be the third bout of the evening, and both Dunham and Florian are coming off losses to Sean Sherk and Gray Maynard respectively.
Many feel Dunham was robbed in his fight against Sherk, and I can't say I disagree. On the other hand, Florian was rolled over by Gray Maynard on his way to a title shot. Florian against Dunham would be to see which of them can stay relevant at 155.
If Dunham were to win, he would be considered a legitimate title contender, whereas Florian would then be a gatekeeper. If Florian were to win, then maybe he gets a shot against the loser of Edgar vs Maynard, and Dunham would have to go back and revamp his training to compete in the division. Also, all but one of Kenny Florian's wins have been finishes, so this will probably be a contender for some fight night bonus.
Florian via submission in round 3
Gosh they have ridiculous nicknames...
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Co-Main Event: Forrest Griffin Vs Rich Franklin
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Forrest Griffin and Rich 'Ace' Franklin would have pretty much zero implications for the future of the sport.
Franklin is coming off a first round knockout of Chuck Liddell, and Griffin has been out of the cage since last November, at the same card as Anthony Johnson, but on that card, Griffin won a split decision over Tito Ortiz. Griffin vs Franklin would be a battle of two of the sports former brightest stars. Franklin would be looking to make some noise in the twilight of his career, and Griffin, always a fan favorite, would be looking to climb back to the top of the LHW division.
While he has lost 2 of his last 3, the losses were to Anderson Silva and and Rashad Evans. However, before that, he beat Shogun and Rampage. If he can replicate that kind of success again, maybe he can get back to that LHW belt that he last held 2 years ago.
Not to mention, Jared Vergara claims that Rich Franklin is "a bum" and that he stands no chance against Forrest Griffin.
Griffin via unanimous decision
Main Event: Anderson Silva Vs Vitor Belfort
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Anderson 'The Spider' Silva will finally be taking on Vitor 'The Phenom' Belfort. Silva, as I'm sure everybody knows, is coming off a 5th round submission win over Chael Sonnen. Originally, Sonnen was going to be granted a rematch, but after his positive drug test, he was suspended.
Vitor last fought in September 2009, when he beat Rich Franklin via KO, 3 minutes into the first round. Before that he had 4 more wins, so he is currently on a 5 fight win streak. Belfort has fought twice at middleweight and he has the striking prowess to hang with Silva.
This will be an incredible fight, and with as long as we've waited for it, the hype will be as big as it is for Brock Lesnar. (okay maybe not) I still see Silva coming out as the champion, even though Belfort will definitely test him in the stand up game.
Anderson Silva retains the Middleweight Championship Belt via KO in round 4
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