The Karate Blitz

Former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida continues his journey back to the top by fighting yet another All-American wrestler in Phil Davis.  Machida has used his stellar takedown defense and unusual movement to stifle nearly every wrestler he has faced.  Even against the current champion, Machida's feints and attacks confused Jon Jones until he took down The Dragon and elbowed him into a hazy consciousness.  Davis has used his wrestling and reach to build an 11-1 record, with the lone setback coming against another stellar wrestler, Rashad Evans, who negated his take downs and embarrassed him on his feet.  Can Phil Davis take Machida down?  If he cannot, Davis will lose the bout on points to the most accurate and elusive striker in the light heavyweight division.  But even a ground war is no guarantee for the submission-minded wrestler since Machida brings a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  A limited striker like Davis is tailor-made for on...

With the loss of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo now finds his name being thrown around as the best pound-for-pound fighter inside the Octagon.  When he puts his featherweight championship on the line against Chan Sung Jung, Aldo will have the opportunity to bolster the arguments in his favor.  Although Jung is not as heralded an opponent as Aldo's original opponent, Anthony Pettis, "The Korean Zombie" poses the kind of high-volume threat that can wear down a muscular opponent like Jose Aldo over time.  Similar to the Diaz brothers, Jung's high volume of work in the cage saps an opponents strength over time while he seemingly walks through any flurry of strikes.  Aldo, who typically finishes his opponents early, faces the possibility of gassing against the most active opponent he's ever faced, especially if the fight goes deep in the rounds.  Although he can be evasive and tough against an onslaught of punches, the lone KO loss on Ju...

Demetrious Johnson defends his belt against the brick-fisted John Moraga Saturday and the question centers around whether or not they flyweight champion can handle his power.  Against John Dodson, Johnson outsmarted the best athlete at flyweight.  Against Moraga, he may have to outsmart the hardest puncher at 125 or Johnson may find himself surfacing to consciousness as a triumphant Moraga celebrates across the perimeter of the Octagon.  Look for Moraga to stalk Johnson in hopes of landing the shot that ends the evening festivities definitively.  But Johnson's superior technique, footwork and spacing may be such an advantage we could be in for a bit of a snoozefest.  Look for Johnson to safely eke out five consecutive 10-9 rounds to keep his belt.

When the greatest fighter in UFC history, undefeated in the Octagon, takes on Chris Weidman, he carries the weight not only of defending a championship, but of an amazing winning streak that may never be duplicated. In Chris Weidman, the sublime middleweight champion Anderson Silva faces a more well-rounded version of the man who almost beat him, Chael Sonnen.  Where Silva tapped Sonnen to a triangle armbar, Weidman's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills garner respect from black belt practitioners.  Where Silva withstood six rounds total of Sonnen's ground and pound, Weidman's power crushed middleweight tough guy Mark Munoz.  Where Sonnen controlled Silva with his outstanding wrestling, Weidman's MMA wrestling might even be better. And then there is the 38 year old Silva- when does Father Time tap him out?  Any fighter could make his entire career off being the first one to stop Silva's 16 fight winning streak in the Octagon.  Then you have a rising star like Weidm...