Just three weeks after hosting an event headlined by pound-for-pound contender Anderson Silva, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is back and blazing on the pay per view front with UFC 87: Seek and Destroy.
While the title may be overly cheesy and glaringly generic, the card itself is packed to the brim with meaningful fights.
UFC 87, frankly, contains a little bit of everything. It has talented prospects vying for viewership, the determination of the next lightweight title contender, and perhaps the most exciting welterweight title showdown of the year. This Saturday, live at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., welterweight champion and Canadian Georges St. Pierre (16-2) defends his title against undisputed number one contender Jon Fitch (21-2).
After having lost his title in April of 2007 to Matt Serra (9-5), St. Pierre began the short but difficult climb back through the talent laden 170 pound ranks. He convincingly acquired two victories one after the other over the likes of Fitch's teammate, Josh Koscheck, (11-2) and former champion Matt Hughes (42-7). Having earned himself another title shot, St. Pierre proved yet again why he is considered among the pound for pound greats in the sport. He absolutely dismantled Serra via second round TKO both winning back his belt and erasing the doubts that many had formed upon his unexpected initial loss to Serra. Several months later, the champion reflects, now facing a familiar situation.
"This scenario already happened to me before," St. Pierre told ufc.com." I won the title, and I lost my match, my fight, in the first title defense. It won't happen again."
Despite St. Pierre's stalwart assurances, challenger Jon Fitch provides a different perspective.
"I'm going to beat George St. Pierre. He's the cream of the crop right now, but I think I have the ability to beat him," said a confident Fitch.
While St. Pierre has been busy climbing to the top of the proverbial mountain, Fitch has busied himself rather intensively winning his last fifteen fights in a row, eight of them in the UFC. As Fitch himself acknowledges, a feat like that is far from easy.
"I've done a lot to prove that I deserve this. Eight wins in a row in the UFC is a hard thing to do," Fitch explained.
It is a hard thing indeed when perusing his impressive list of victims. With wins over Thiago (Pitbull) Alves, Diego (Nightmare) Sanchez, Brock Larson, and Chris Wilson to name a few, it's obvious that Fitch is not only legit but is undeniably worthy of a title shot.
A matter of fact St. Pierre agreed. "He's hungry; He's on the way up. He wants to have a title shot, so I'm glad the UFC gave him what he deserves."
The fight itself is a rather contentious affair. Georges St. Pierre's ability to control the pace due to his rounded stand up game and explosive wrestling has been incredibly stifling to opponents during his rise to the top. Fitch is fully aware of that fact but says he has observed something helpful to his cause.
"The thing I've noticed the most out of St. Pierre in his last performances is he's become a wrestler. Since getting knocked out, he's been unwilling to stand and trade with people," said Fitch.
Whether St. Pierre has truly become hesitant to exchange on the feet is a question that may be answered this Saturday night, as Fitch happens to be an accomplished wrestler in his own right. Training with Josh Koscheck and other American Kickboxing Academy alumni has given Fitch the time and intensity necessary to take his game to the next level.
"I have kind of a hybrid wrestling-jiu jitsu style that a lot of people have not seen and are unprepared for when they grapple with me or see me, so I think it's a big advantage because it's kind of an ace in the hole," Fitch said.
While standing, Fitch will most likely need to make it a rough and tumble affair, not allowing the champ the room necessary to take full advantage of his rounded standup arsenal. St. Pierre may be best served using his large variety of strikes to set up the takedown. Also, as several of Fitch's other opponents have done, St. Pierre may look for Fitch to over commit on his punches, allowing St. Pierre to capitalize with takedowns. Should the pendulum swing the other way, however, it will be interesting to see whether or not Fitch can keep St. Pierre down, as the champ is very competent off of his back.
It is also important to note that while St. Pierre has won the belt on several occasions, he has yet to go the full twenty five minutes en route to a decision. While seemingly a testament to his skill, it remains a factor nonetheless. Similarly, Fitch has never gone 25 minutes in a fight, so it's a distinct possibility that the championship rounds will be a major dynamic in deciding the outcome.
While it's clear that St. Pierre respects the abilities of Fitch, he feels that his prowess is more than enough to net him the win.
"I actually believe I'm stronger, more skilled, and I've got more tools and more knowledge than him. I think I'm a better overall fighter and better than he is in every single aspect of the game. At the end of the fight, I'm going to have my hand raised. I expect five five-minute [rounds] of war," said the champion St. Pierre.
In other action, the UFC has catered to the Minnesotan crowd by placing Minnesota native Brock Lesnar (1-1) formerly of WWE fame against perennial contender Heath (The Texas Crazy Horse) Herring (29-13-1). Lesnar, seemingly undaunted by his loss to former champion Frank Mir (11-3) in his octagon debut, states his purpose for fighting in the UFC so early in his mixed martial arts career.
"I'm here to fight, and I'm here to win to try to become the UFC heavyweight champion," said Lesnar.
In order to take his first successful step down the long road to that title, Brock will have to get past Herring. In any event, Lesnar's game plan should be rather simple to predict as Herring explains, "I think it's pretty straight forward. I think he's a pretty one dimensional fighter. I'm not saying he can't have picked up some more things, learned some different tools, but he's a big strong guy that's a good wrestler. No question about what he's going to come out and do. He's going to come out and try to take me down and ground and pound me."
With only two mixed martial arts fights under his belt and facing an opponent with over forty, Lesnar's future is interlaced with question marks. How will he react to being hit? Will his cardio overcome the potential fifteen minutes of fighting ahead? How much can his overall abilities truly have evolved after such a short period of time between fights?
Despite the WWE stigma that follows Lesnar wherever he goes, the big man is an accomplished amateur wrestler, a fact that doesn't hurt against the wrestling deficient Herring. To attain victory, Heath should look to throw hands with Lesnar testing the uncharted waters, while Lesnar will want to take him down and end the fight early with some mutton-fisted ground and pound. If Heath can last beyond the initial onslaught, the question marks will come into effect, and the public may garner a better understanding of the prospects that Lesnar presents.
In lightweight action, Roger (El Matador) Huerta (22-1-1) and Kenny (KenFlo) Florian (9-3) face off in what could easily become the fight of the night. Neither has produced a lackluster fight throughout their careers in the UFC, and with a potential title shot at current LW champ BJ Penn at stake, both competitors will be looking to impose their will upon one another.
For Florian, technical muay thai kickboxing could be the difference. With his precision leg kicks and razor-like elbows, it could be a painful night for Huerta if Florian managed to exploit his wider style of brawling power shots. In spite of that distinct possibility, Huerta has proven time and time again that he can fight through adversity and come back strong.
"Roger Huerta is going to bring endurance; he's going to bring strength. He's going to bring toughness. He's going to keep coming at me. He's kind of like the terminator. You hit him, and you expect him to be out, but he keeps coming at you. He keeps trucking forward," a candid Florian admitted. "I'm going to have to be at my best. I have to beat him technically and have my endurance and my strength as my backup."
Despite his ever improving standup game, Florian is hardly a stranger to the ground being a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt. Whether he is able to get a takedown of his own and impose, or work for a sweep from his back, he should provide difficulty for Huerta wherever the course of the bout takes them. While their tenacity is certainly close in caliber, Huerta sees the fight as a much simpler affair than many experts indicate.
"No offense to him, but it's a cakewalk. I want him at the end of the fight to say this guy was a better fighter. Truth is I'm never going to lose," Huerta said. "I'm going to be explosive; I'm going to be faster [and] stronger. I haven't hit my prime yet."
Referencing Florian's first title fight against former champion Sean Sherk, Huerta contends that it's his time for a crack at the belt.
"[Florian] had his chance; he obviously wasn't able to become the champion. I'm not going to give [him] another chance for that. This is my time, and I'm going in there to get it," said Huerta.
If Huerta is able to dictate the pace of the fight, land the more powerful shots in the standup, and control the ground aspect with his gritty wrestling ability, his victory is a definite possibility. Whatever the outcome of the fight, it is sure to be a visual treat for the fans.
Also on the main card, Manny (The Anvil) Gamburyan (9-3) faces Rob Emerson (9-6-1) in a LW matchup. Gamburyan and Emerson, both of Ultimate Fighter fame, have rather clear cut goals in the fight itself. Manny will be looking for the takedown to initiate his ground and pound and overall control. Emerson, on the other hand, will be looking to avoid the takedown and mix it up on the feet.
Whether or not mixing it up is possible for Emerson is the question. Coming off of a split decision victory against Keita Nakamura (14-3-2) is all well and good, but Emerson has failed to win many meaningful fights in his career when the odds were stacked against him. While Emerson is durable, Manny should be able to control his way to a decision at the least.
Gazing into the crystal ball, if Manny were able to win the bout, he may just set himself up for a rematch with Ultimate Fighter 6 winner Nate Diaz (9-2). In their first fight in June of 2007, Manny was forced to submit when his shoulder popped out of socket on a failed takedown attempt. Pending a victory here, his shot at redemption could be just around the corner.
In middleweight contention, exciting MMA prospect Demian Maia (8-0) faces Edmonton native Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald (21-9). Demian enters the UFC for the third time with some of the most illustrious Brazilian jiu jitsu credentials seen on the face of the sport, having even bested UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) in two separate Brazilian jiu jitsu matches. Whether he has the cardio or can develop the standup skills to contend with the upper echelon of the division is still unknown at this point. He may have a chance to showcase his standup here, as MacDonald, while having a reach advantage, isn't really known for his ability to box.
Even with Maia's considerable credentials, MacDonald holds the definitive edge in MMA experience. If the fight transitions to the ground, however, Maia should hold a significant advantage, at least earlier on while his cardio is still intact. The longer the fight goes on, the better chance MacDonald has of pulling off a late finish. "The Athlete" will most likely try to use his size to wear the smaller Maia down over the duration.
On the undercard, Luke (The Silent Assassin) Cummo (9-6) from the Ultimate Fighter season 2 takes on Tamdan (The Barn Cat) McCrory (10-1). Cummo is no stranger to standup warfare, but he'll have to be sharp indeed as McCrory stands tall at 6'4", 170 pounds. Tamdan being a fairly aggressive fighter will be trying to keep Cummo at the end of his jab. If Cummo is to be successful in silently assassinating the barn cat, he'll have to get work inside and stifle the range of his opponent.
Cheick Kongo (21-5-1) faces off against UFC first timer Dan Evensen (10-2). Admittedly, Kongo is a fierce striker, but his ground game at this point in time is extremely lacking. If Evensen is able to largely avoid kickboxing with Kongo and take the big man down, it's possible that he could exploit Kongo's weakness. Be that as it may, Kongo remains the favourite due to his experience, wrestling from the clinch, and deadly striking. He'll have to look to keep Evensen at range, stay on his feet, and bring some of his vicious knees into the equation.
In a battle of undefeated prospects, Andre Gusmao (5-0), formerly of the International Fight League organization, squares off against a late replacement in Jon Jones (6-0). Gusmao should be comfortable wherever the fight takes him, as he is both a capable capoeira and jiu jitsu stylist. Little footage of Jones is available, but it's readily apparent that he's keen on keeping the fight standing, having won five of his six fights via KO/TKO with one submission. Interestingly enough, all six of Jones's wins have come within the last year making him a rather busy yet unknown commodity.
Chris Wilson (12-5-1), also an International Fight League veteran, and the last man to face number one contender Jon Fitch, competes against Steve Bruno (12-3). Having given Fitch a stiff test en route to losing a unanimous decision, Wilson would certainly look impressive beating Bruno, a former champion in a Korean organization known as Spirit MC. Wilson's reach and ability to defensively wrestle could pay large dividends in this fight. Conversely, if Bruno is able to win, he will receive some instant recognition in the UFC's supremely stacked welterweight division.
Lastly, Ben Saunders (5-0-2) battles last minute replacement Ryan Thomas in a 170 pound welterweight fight. Formerly scheduled to face Ultimate Fighter competitor Jared Rollins, the match was changed when Rollins suffered an injury.
OFF THE MAT: Anderson (The Spider) Silva will no longer face Yushin Okami at UFC 90 but will face Quebec City's own Patrick (The Predator) Cote. The fight was altered when Okami had reportedly suffered a broken his hand. UFC 90 will take place Oct. 25, 2008 at the Allstate Arena, IL.
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Re:UFC 87
Date: 2008/08/10 16:15
By: KatiePery
Status: User
Karma: 0
Platinum Boarder
Posts: 1388
WOW for those of you who didnt watch it heres the results!
I am VERY sad that Roger Huerta lost. Kenny Florian just kind of ran from him! Im happy that GSP won! He kicked ass! Im COMPLETELY shocked at how good Brock Lesner did!
McCrory defeats Cummo by Decision (Unanimous). The judges scored the bout 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
Kongo defeats Evensen by TKO (Strikes) at 4:55 of Round 1.
Jones defeats Gusmao by Decision (Unanimous). The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, 30-27
Wilson defeats Bruno by Decision (Unanimous). All three judges scored the bout 30-27.
Saunders defeats Thomas by Submission (Armbar) at 2:28 of Round 2.
Maia defeats MacDonald by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:44 of round 3.
Florian defeats Huerta by Decision (Unanimous). All three judges scored the bout 30-27
Emerson defeats Gamburyan by KO at 0:12 of round 1.
Lesnar defeats Herring by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 30-26.
St. Pierre defeats Fitch by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 50-43, 50-44, 50-44.
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