UFC 158 - GSP vs. Diaz - main card


JOHNY HENDRICKS VS. CARLOS CONDIT

Johny Hendricks's five fight win streak in the welterweight division is almost as impressive as how he's won those fights- a mix of dominant wrestling and some sterling knockout power.  Condit, who has never been knocked out, brings Hendricks his sternest test, boasting a well-rounded mix of striking and submission skills.  Hendricks doesn't change much- he will either bomb you with his powerful left hand or take you down and rain misery there.  With that in mind, will Condit employ the same strategy he used to grind out a victory against voluminous striker Nick Diaz?  Where he would land a few strikes and then circle out of range?  He kicked Diaz quite a bit but against a top-tier wrestler like Hendricks those kicks translates into easy takedowns as it happened with Georges St. Pierre.  And does Hendricks have the cardio to keep up with Condit if he keeps the fight at a safe distance?  And has Hendricks fallen so in love with his punching power that he foregoes his wrestling game to stalk Condit around the Octagon, much like Rampage Jackson in the latter stages of his career?  The key for Condit might be to keep the fight standing and just outside the range of Hendricks's poisonous left hand.




JAKE ELLENBERGER VS. NATE MARQUARDT

Power meets power when Ellenberger takes on Marquardt in another stellar welterweight match-up at UFC 158.  Both men have dominated in recent fights, but Marquardt, at times, can fight uninspired.  When he dropped down from middleweight, Marquardt looked prepared to threaten GSP's stranglehold on the division but then a flat performance in the Strikeforce finale against Tarec Saffiedine nearly cost him a job with the UFC.  Ellenberger keeps circling the top of the mountain but must beat Marquardt to not lose any footing in the most competitive division in the UFC.  Look for a fair amount of exchanges on the feet but with Ellenberger eventually taking the tough-as-nails Marquardt to the ground and grinding out a victory if he brings anything less than his best.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UFC 160: Five Friday Questions

Image
1.  CAN SILVA AVOID THE GROUND? In their last meeting, Bigfoot Silva threw a low kick, Cain Velasquez quickly caught the kick, took Silva to the ground and dominated him from there.  Since that time, Silva admitted he made a mistake in his approach with Cain, but does that mean he won't throw kicks?  Is he practicing his takedown defense?  Cain is not only the fastest heavyweight but also the best wrestler, Cormier notwithstanding.  On his feet, Cain has been wobbled and his only loss came when Junior Dos Santos caught him in a stand-up exchange.  Silva might also hope to gas him out like he did with Alistair Overeem before he put him away, but Cain also possesses the best cardio in the division.  Still, anything is better than fighting Cain on the ground. 2.  WILL JUNIOR DOS SANTOS TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE GROUND? Dos Santos can outbox pretty much anyone in his division but any fighter who tries to stand with Hunt may land a few successfully, ...
Read more

UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen

Why bother, it seems, with Jon "Bones" Jones holding an edge over Chael Sonnen in every conceivable area the fight could rumble through. Striking?  Only Lyoto Machida, master of accuracy and speed, has come close to outstriking him and that was in the first round. Submissions?  Jones has submitted the last two BJJ black belts he's faced. Physicals?  Jones has the longest reach in any division and is the second tallest light heavyweight. Wrestling?  That just so happens to be Chael's biggest strength.  And Jones's. So what happens when Chael tries to pressure Jones with takedowns?  He'll need to threaten Jones with his own strikes to open up an opportunity for a takedown, but if he dares tread there he'll face Jones's UFC-best reach, elbows, oblique kicks and side kicks.  Clinch and you enter the elbow zone.  Kick and you find yourself on your back and again in the dreaded elbow zone.  A Sonnen victory would be a bigger upset than Ma...
Read more

UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Silva 2

Image
Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez walked through Antonio Silva like a paper finish line when they first fought one year ago.  Velasquez took Silva down early in the fight and finished him on the ground,  taking almost zero damage.  Coming into this fight we can only wonder if anything will change. Since their last meeting, Silva plastered both Travis Browne and heavily-favored former K-1 champ Alistair Overeem on their feet.  Neither of them threatened to take him to the ground, whereas the heavyweight champion wields the best MMA wrestling in his division and drags everyone down into his domain.  In reclaiming his throne, the constant threat of takedowns and actual attempts rattled former champion and boxing wunderkind Junior Dos Santos to the point it was Velasquez who landed the most significant strikes.  Silva must defend those takedowns or try to catch him much in the way Junior Dos Santos did in handing Velasquez his first loss. While Silva's...
Read more