This one is a great card. Even better if Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra were fighting as well and there were two belts on the line, but this one will be fun just because Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic are signed and fighting (Not each other). For those of you who may have missed it, St. Pierre is out with a knee injury. Check out this old blog.
Let's talk about some of the top fights on the card:
Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter (Middleweight championship)
Prediction: It's tough to pick against Silva after how he literally man-handled the former middleweight champ Rich Franklin by using his nasty Muay Thai clinch.
Silva uses the Muay Thai clinch to knee Franklin (Photo by Josh Hedges)
But here goes...
Lutter has looked so controlling in his fights lately; remember the way Matt Hughes looked? Right now Lutter looks extremely confident and knows exactly what he wants to do in the Octagon. Yes, they're both Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, so they might neutralize each other on the ground, but I think Lutter will power himself into better positions for the ground-and-pound. But Lutter, has to, absolutely has to, stay out of that Muay Thai clinch. But if these two hit the ground, there could be a stunning display of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Lutter by referee stoppage in the fourth.
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Eddie Sanchez (Heavyweight)
If I were an MMA fighter, I wouldn't head into the Octagon with anything less than a helmet and shoulder pads against Cro Cop, but good luck Eddie Sanchez. Cro Cop is one of the greatest strikers of our time. His kicks are world reknown, and the highlight reel of his knockouts is extensive. Sanchez, who is 1-0 in the UFC, is not only fighting the legend of Cro Cop but a much more experienced fighter. Sanchez survives the first round, but Cro Cop wins by knockout/TKO in the second.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Marvin Eastman (Light heavyweight)
Prediction: With Jackson and Cro Cop's contracts being purchased by the UFC, it's clear the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions got even more interesting. Jackson, who has already beaten Chuck Liddell in Japan, was brought in to challenge "The Iceman" for the belt. Eastman, who beat Jackson in Rampage's first MMA bout, appears to be a UFC tune-up for Jackson. You never know, that could really get the 37-year-old fired up and "The Beastman," who is 0-2 in the UFC and hasn't fought in the UFC since 2004, could surprise all of us. But I still see Rampage being too much for Eastman. Rampage wins by ref stoppage in the first round.
Patrick Cote vs. Scott Smith (Middleweight)
Prediction: I know nothing will ever live up to that first Forrest Griffin/Stephan Bonnar match. For some reason, I see this match going down that avenue. Cote is 0-4 in the UFC and obviously needs a win. Smith is 1-1 in the UFC and, like Cote, wants to strike. You may not expect much in this fight, but I think this one will turn into a Rocky movie type slugfest where no one puts a hand up to protect themselves and it turns into a street fight by the second and third rounds. Cote wins the surprise fight of the night by split decision.
Comments (1)
man, i with you on the lutter stoppage. fight style is important, but did you see the spider at UFN8 all pimped out. i gaurantee lutter has his nose to the grindstone and ends up taking out Silva.