UFC 85: BED-LAME

I’m just kidding Dana. UFC 85: BEDLAM will be taking place this Saturday afternoon in London’s O2 Arena. In what was supposed to be a much anticipated fight between Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, fans will instead see former two-time welterweight champ Matt Hughes take on Thiago “Pit-bull” Alves in the main event. I’ve got to give the UFC credit for putting on a decent show despite all the injuries and last minutes substitutions. There are some pretty good match ups despite the criticism Dana White and Co. have faced from almost selling out the fight then having to scratch out the main draw. With competition growing against the UFC, fans are demanding championship caliber fights on every card to dish out $50 for the show on pay-per-view. In my opinion, UFC 85 has delivered.

Don’t count out Matt Hughes just yet. Hughes returns to the cage for the first time since being on the receiving end of a beating at the hands of current welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. Hughes hasn’t looked as dominating in his last three fights, losing twice to GSP and winning in a cautious decision vs. Chris Lytle, but I see Matt making a big come back against Alves. His wrestling is arguably the best in MMA next to Randy Couture and his ground and pound is second to none. I think Matt’s standup has always been overshadowed by his ground game and some people have overlooked it in the past only to end up eating leather. Hughes is hungry and looking for a big win. Hopefully Hughes isn’t looking past this fight. We all know he can’t wait to fight Matt Serra.

Thiago is a very good young fighter looking to make a name for himself against the greatest welterweight of all time. He has very strong standup and a good ground game, but he needs to keep this standing. Hughes is a very cerebral fighter and will game plan for Alves’ slow starts. I think Thiago will counter this by trying to bring pressure to Hughes early in the first round. “The Pit-bull” will bring a ton of intensity and tenacity to this fight. He will be a handful.

I think Thiago will push the pace early in this fight. He’ll come out swinging hard and will be looking for the explosive knockout. Hughes will stand with him in the first frame. Thiago will get very comfortable tagging Hughes pretty effortlessly. Alves win the first round and bloodies Hughes. The second round will be a different story. Alves will come out wanting to do more of the same as the first round, but Matt Hughes will get a big takedown early in the round. Once in Matt Hughes’ world, Thiago will have a hard time getting out. His ground game isn’t good enough and he will succumb to Matt’s ground and pound. Matt Hughes wins by late second round TKO.

On to the under card:

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day – Bisping is being spoon fed here. He’s a big favorite and the face of the UFC in the UK. I don’t see this fight lasting very long. This is Bisping’s second fight at 185 lbs and has been training non-stop since January. He’ll be in shape and ready. Day has fought a decent list of fighters, but this will definitely be his biggest test to date. He needs to test Bisping’s cardio. If he’s in better shape he has a chance, but I think Bisping will win by first round TKO.

Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick – This looks to be a very entertaining fight. This is probably the most evenly matched fight on the card. Both fighters will come out swinging and will test each others chins early. I think this will be a great back and forth battle that will last all three rounds. I see Davis having the slight edge in striking and will get the unanimous decision.

Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites – This will be an explosive fight. Nate has fought against Anderson Silva. Almost surviving a round with “The Spider” will make for great ring experience and confidence. I think Thales Leites is a bit overmatched and will be KO’d in the first round.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon Vera – The best fight on the card in my opinion. Brandon Vera ran through everyone he faced in the UFC until he met Tim Sylvia. Vera just seemed to have a tough time getting started against the Maine-iac. I see him bouncing back and looking to go toe-to-toe with Werdum. Fabricio is a master on the ground and has very heavy hands, but lacks form. Brandon Vera will expose the holes in his standup. After being tagged a few times, Werdum will try for the take down. Brandon Vera is good on the ground, but Fabricio is in a different league. Brandon needs to keep this standing. Vera by third round TKO.

SPACEMAN OUT!!!

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