Wednesday, October 20, 2010

UFC: 121 Lesnar/Velasquez Breakdown

It's that time again when a UFC belt is up for grabs. 121 not only has a title fight, but is also stacked with big UFC names, both those who need a win to stay in the limelight and those looking to make their way to the top.

In the main event, it's Brock Lesnar defending his belt for the third time, this time against #1 contender Cain Velasquez. In his last fight, Brock showed he can take crazy amounts of punishment and still come out with the win. The fight showed the champ has heart but also exposed his lack of technique both in the stand up and setting up his takedowns. However what he lacks in technique he more than makes up for in size and strength, which is what got him to where he's at in the first place. Velasquez is not only a decorated grappler but a crisp striker who showed he has the enough power in his hands to stop even the most durable fighter. Lesnar overcame size and strength in his last title defense and is now up against cardio and speed. Though Lesnar keeps surprising and improving, I see Velasquez being able to stuff the takedowns, pepper Lesnar with shots, and slowly take over the fight as it goes into the latter rounds, but maybe it's just wishful thinking.

For the co-main event, we have the UFC debut of Jake Shields, who is currently on 14-fight win streak, against Martin Kampmann, who is gaining momentum in the welterweight division. Jake Shields proved the power of his wrestling in his last outing where he decisively decisioned Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Dan Henderson. He also took Henderson's best shots, and though he did get dazed, was able to continue unlike many other's before him. Martin Kampmann comes in as the underdog though he has all the tools to deliver the upset. He's got very crisp, technical striking and superb ground skills which he showed off in his decision win over jiu jit siu ace and heavy handed Paulo Thiago. Though I see Kampmann being able to compete with Shields on the ground and outstrike him on the feet, I hope Shields takes it in an impressive mannner, for the sake of having another challenge for GSP.

Also on the Main Card, it's master vs apprentice as former UFC LHW champ Tito Ortiz takes on his TUF alumni, Matt Hammill. Though both wrestlers, Hammill's fighting approach is more striking oriented, and though Tito has him beat in both experience and the caliber of fighters they've faced, Hammill is still young, has some good hands, and is catching Tito on the decline of his career. Gabriel Gonzaga takes on Brendan Schaub, Gonzaga looking to stay relevant while Schaub looks for the next step in competition. With the exception of Roy Nelson, Schaub has KO/TKOed everyone whose entered the cage with him but Gonzaga has been in there with the best and has shown power and technique both in his striking as well as his submission game and should have the advantage wherever the fight takes place. In another exciting match up, it's Diego Sanchez vs Paulo Thiago, both coming off losses and looking for a big win. Though similar in their strong jiu jit siu games and semi-predictable striking, Thiago seems to have the advantage in size and power which will more than likely give him the win in combination with Sanchez's frenetic pace. which seems to do him more bad than good nowadays. Sam Stout/Paul Taylor should make it to the PPV considering both are known for their extremely exciting fights. It's a stacked, stacked card. Let's see how it goes

1 comment:

  1. every single match has the potential to be amazingly entertaining. i have my picks to win but no matter which way the matches go, im just looking forward to some great displays of MMA!

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