· UFC 126 Preview: Who Can Topple The King?
The last year has proved to be a tough one for those who believe in indestructible fighters, with the losses of Fedor Emelianenko to Fabricio Werdum and B.J. to Frankie Edgar being Exhibits A and B. Many believed that the only way to see the top fighters lose was to match them against one another, but it turns out that sometimes there are bad matchups and that any fighter can lose on any given day.
It seemed as though that day for Anderson Silva was Aug. 7, 2010 at UFC 117. Silva was dominated by the smothering style of Chael Sonnen for 23 minutes, and it appeared that his middleweight title was all but gone. Then a Hail Mary triangle saved Silva’s belt, but it proved that he isn’t as invincible as we once thought. Six months later Sonnen is suspended from the UFC after two separate scandals, and Silva is gearing up to face perhaps the best striker that he has ever faced.
Belfort may have the best hand speed in the sport, and many of his highlight reel knockouts will live on forever. But if there is a perfect style to beat Silva, Belfort probably doesn’t have it. Silva’s biggest tests have come against wrestlers and grapplers: Dan Henderson, Travis Lutter, and Chael Sonnen. Silva’s best performances have come against aggressive strikers; he’s knocked out Forrest Griffin, James Irvin, Rich Franklin (twice), and Chris Leben. If Belfort relies on his striking against Silva, then there is a very likely chance that he will be added to the latter list.
Add to the situation that a dream matchup with UFC Welterweight Champion George St-Pierre could be waiting on the other side of this fight for Silva, and he could be more motivated than ever before. Any Anderson Silva is dangerous, but a motivated Anderson Silva could be, suffice it to say, indestructible.
Bader, Jones Battle To Be Next In Line
Two of the most highly hyped fighters in UFC history will battle on Saturday, and the winner could be the next in line for a shot at the light heavyweight title. Ryan Bader and Jon Jones should both be undefeated (the only blemish is Jones’ record, who was disqualified against Matt Hamill in a fight that should have been stopped minutes before it was), but that doesn’t take anything away from the magnitude of this bout.
The two fighters have taken drastically different roads to the top of the light heavyweight rankings, despite both having backgrounds in wrestling. Jones benefits from having the longest reach in UFC history, and his unorthodox strikes have left fans in amazement in more than one of his fights. Jones has power, but his length and wrestling have been his two biggest strengths thus far.
Bader, a former top-level wrestler in Division I, has developed massive punching power, as he has proved with knockout victories over Vinny Magalhaes and Keith Jardine. Bader is the quintessential “blue chip” prospect, and he’ll be taking on an opponent in Jones who was more like a three-star prospect who took the JUCO route—he was a JUCO national champion wrestler, in fact—and is now blossoming into a top-level prospect.
Fan Favorites Franklin And Griffin Aim For One Last Run
Two former UFC champions will also be in action at UFC 126, but both have seen better days. Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin are both coming off of injuries—Franklin suffered a broken arm against Chuck Liddell at UFC 115, and Griffin a shoulder injury in training that caused him to pull out of a fight with Antonio Nogueira at UFC 114—and both desperately need this win if they ever want to make a run at the light heavyweight title again.
Franklin’s knockout of the year candidate almost made people forget about an embarrassing loss to Vitor Belfort, and Griffin's grudge match win over Tito Ortiz did the same with his prior loss to Anderson Silva. The two have taken eerily similar routes to this fight—“jack of all trades” fighters who survived on striking against inferior opponents, with both even making it all the way to the pinnacle of the sport that way. But striking failed the two Ohio boys—Franklin is from Cincinnati and Griffin was born in Columbus—when they needed it most. Now each has the opportunity to use the other as a stepping stone, and it could be one last shot for two thirty-something fighters.
Quick Picks
- Silva round 2 TKO over Belfort – Belfort can’t help but be aggressive and Silva will make him look silly
- Jones unanimous decision over Bader – fight of the night provides fodder for fans for years to come
- Franklin split decision over Griffin - there’s really no way that this fight can be boring; another fight that people will be talking about on Sunday and Monday and beyond
- Carlos Eduardo Rocha round 2 submission over Jake Ellenberger – a mild upset here; wrestler Ellenberger gets too aggressive on the ground and gets caught
- Miguel Torres unanimous decision over Antonio Banuelos – Torres’ reach and boxing will be the difference here; he uses it to pick his opponent apart in a decision
- Paul Kelly round 1 KO over Donald Cerrone – aggressive Cerrone gets clipped on counter from Kelly
- Michihiro Omigawa split decision over Chad Mendes – Mendes hype train stops when he meets up with decision king in close matchup
- Paul Taylor round 1 TKO over Gabe Ruediger – Ruediger receives pink slip after getting pounded out
- Norifumi Yamamoto unanimous decision over Demetrious Johnson – “Mighty Mouse” is game, but so is Yamamoto’s power
- Ricardo Romero round 1 submission over Kyle Kingsbury – Romero gets second sub and a bigger fight next time
- Mike Pierce over Kenny Robertson – Pierce uses wrestling to win third straight
