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Official Weigh In
UFC 62 Preview
Courtesy of bettormma.com
By Peter Sumolong
Main Event
UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Chuck Liddell (18-3) vs Renato Sobral (27-5)Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is the biggest name in MMA. The mohawked (is that a word) one possesses unbelievable KO power and an uncanny ability to keep the fight standing (bet you thought I was going to put great takedown defense right?). Liddell makes his opponents fight his fight, and negates their strengths. Liddell has been on a tear in the last few years, having defeated Tito Ortiz, Jeremy Horn, Tiger White, and Randy Couture (twice). Liddell is at the top of his game right now, and will be difficult for anyone to beat. Renato “Babalu” Sobral is a Brazilian submission artist who has tapped his last five opponents. In all, it has been ten straight victories since Sobral’s 2002 loss to Liddell. Sobral has been fighting in MMA since 1999 in the RINGS organization. Sobral is a tough striker with a terrific ground game. Not only can he dish out devasting ground and pound, but he is also active with submissions. Sobral’s finest MMA moment was his IFC Global Domination Tournament victory. In what was called the best tournament in MMA history, Babalu gutted out 3 wins over the likes of Trevor Prangley, Shogun Rua, and Jeremy Horn. Babalu’s recent UFC opponents (Sonnen, Wiuff, Van Arsdale) have not exactly been the best, but he finished them nonetheless.
The outcome: The last time these two fought, Liddell caught Babalu early with a well-placed shin to the dome. This fight will go on longer, and resemble Liddell’s fight with Jeremy Horn. As much as people try to drag Chuck to the ground, they can’t. He forces them to trade strikes with him, a very dangerous proposition. If you stand toe to toe with The Iceman, there’s a good chance you’ll end up crumpled on the ground at some point. That point will be the 3rd round. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell retains his belt with a 3rd round KO.
Main Card
Forrest Griffin (12-3) vs Stephan Bonnar (9-3)Do you smell that? That’s the smell of desperation my friends. Both Griffin and Bonnar are coming off losses, so a win here is imperative if either man still has designs on a title shot. Griffin’s last UFC fight was a loss to a one-legged Tito Ortiz. Many, including the UFC, call the fight controversial, but let’s be honest, Tito won the fight on one leg. It did, however, display Forrest’s never say die spirit. Griffin has shown well-rounded skills in his UFC career, submitting Bill Mahood and KO’ing Aussie fan favorite Elvis Sinosic. Both Griffin and Bonnar do many things well, but are not exceptional at any particular thing. For all his great skill, Forrest degenerates into a glorified bar brawler if the fight turns into a standup war. Stephan Bonnar is coming off two lackluster performances, a controversial win over Keith Jardine, and a demoralizing loss to Rashad Evans. Bonnar is a skilled jiu-jitsu player with solid boxing skills. Bonnar has wins over Sam Hoger, James Irvin, and Jardine in his UFC career.
The outcome: Both fighters will be under pressure to put on a fight like their previous one. It’s hard to top the most significant fight in UFC history. Both of these fighters like to slug, but Bonnar seems to fight a more controlled style than Griffin. Griffin is tough on the ground, but Bonnar will look to take him down and control him. I see Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar winning by split decision.
Cheick Kongo (8-2-1) vs Christian Wellisch (6-2)Cheick Kongo cuts an imposing figure at 6’4 and 240 pounds. The French fighter made a successful UFC debut with a TKO win over Gilbert Aldana at UFC 61. A talented striker, Kongo better hope his ground skills are up to par against “The Hungarian Nightmare.” Christian Wellisch was a teammate of my brother’s on the San Francisco State wrestling team about ten years ago. So you know he has ground skills. The level of competition Wellisch has faced is less than stellar, but he does train with one of the best camps in the world in AKA in San Jose.
The outcome: I find this to be a very tough call. Wellisch will succumb to the pressure of a UFC debut, and Cheick Kongo wins one for France by 1st round KO. Whoever wins, the UFC is praying that the victor wins in impressive fashion. With the talent pool of the UFC HW division as thin as it is, anyone who wins impressive could challenge for a title.
Hermes Franca (15-5) vs Jamie Varner (11-1)
Hermes Franca is the real deal. The Brazilian jiu jitsu blackbelt with powerful strikes is another tough contender in the UFC lightweight division. It will be nice to see his skills on display on the TV broadcast. Hermes has fought tough competition in the UFC with wins over Rich Crunkilton, Caol Uno, and most recently Joe Jordan with losses to the tough Yves Edwards and Josh Thomson. Hermes will continue his roll on Saturday night. Jamie Varner is another fighter out of the Arizona MMA scene. An accomplished wrestler and grappler, Varner is in over his head against Franca. Varner has a number of submission wins to his credit, but I feel Franca is at the top of his game.
The outcome: No offense to Jamie, but Franca is on another level. Hermes Franca wins by triangle choke in round 1.
Nick Diaz (12-6) vs Josh Neer (17-4-1)Gracie Fighter Nick Diaz steps in as a last minute replacement for Thiago Alves. Love him or hate him, Diaz always makes for an exciting fight. This one will be no exception. A very skilled fighter, Diaz is just as well known for his bizarre, inflammatory behavior. Diaz’ rap sheet is an interesting one:
1. Attacking Joe Riggs in a hospital after the two fought.
2. Throwing a shoe (wtf?) at Diego Sanchez prior to their fight.
3. Constantly talking trash mid-fight to Robbie Lawler before putting him to sleep.
Diaz is an interesting character to say the least. Coming off a win in Stockton, Diaz is winless in his last three UFC fights to Sherk, Riggs, and Sanchez. Nick brings a nasty disposition, surprisingly effective hands, and good jiu jitsu to every fight. As strange as I think he is, I never tire of watching him fight. Josh Neer is a Miletich fighter who is coming off a disappointing loss to Josh Burkman at UFC 61. Neer is a tough striker with an adequate ground game. He also has the heart of a lion in gutting out wins over TUF stars Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard. Neer was more prone to showboat than engage in his fight with Burkman, let’s hope Diaz lights a fire under him.
The outcome: This fight could be a real sleeper. Both guys can fight on the ground or standing. I have a feeling Diaz will keep it standing. Neer doesn’t have anything that Diaz hasn’t seen before. This fight will look a lot like Diaz-Lawler. Nick Diaz will win by TKO in round 2.
Preliminary Bouts
Wes Combs (12-1) vs Wilson Gouveia (6-4)I just spit water all over my keyboard. Wes Combs? The guy who was finished by Mike Nickels? I don’t know. Gouveia I understand, but Wes Combs?? In Wes’ defense he has 12 wins, 9 by TKO. He just doesn’t beat anyone good. Wes is also a manager for The Spearmint Rhino in Rialto (thank you ufc.com!) so life can’t be that bad. Gouveia is a talented fighter for American Top Team. He looked good in his fight with Keith Jardine until the later rounds where he began to tire. He’s beaten Kazuhiro Hamanaka and Ron Faircloth (which is ok), but has lost to Rory “I Wipe Tushies For A Living” Singer. Gouveia can handle himself on the feet, as well as being good with subs.
The outcome: Gouveia better hope this only goes one round. Combs also hopes this will be over early, so he can be back at The Rhino by nightshift. Wilson Gouveia wins by armbar in round 1.
Cory Walmsley (7-1) vs David Heath (5-0)Expect another fight between two anonymous white guys with shaved heads and tattoos. Walmsley is a former pro wrestler who looks incredibly strong. “Hard Cor” has five wins by submission and hasn’t fought since 2004. David Heath is an Oklahoma native who’s finished all five of his opponents.
The outcome: Let’s just be real here. These guys have no business in the UFC. David Heath wins by TKO in round 2 due to strikes.
Rob MacDonald (4-1) vs Eric Schafer (3-1-2)Well I guess people do have a right to complain about this card. So Rob how’s that shoulder feeling? Rob and his famous shoulder return to the UFC after a submission win over Kris Rotharmel. Though Rob seems like a nice enough guy, I’ve never been impressed with him as a fighter and question his place in the UFC. “Ravishing Red” Eric Schafer has some decent credentials. Schafer has an impressive submission win over Jason Guida, a guy who once choked out Marvin Eastman. Schafer’s three wins have been by way of submission.
The outcome: Whatever. Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer wins by rear naked choke submission in round two.
Yushin Okami (16-3) vs Alan Belcher (8-1)The Japanese MMA invasion hits the UFC! Yushin Okami is a very talented fighter who actually deserves to be in the UFC. A former welterweight, Okami is making the jump up to middleweight. Okami looked very good in a controversial decision loss to Jake Shields, and has defeated MMA vets such as Nick Thompson and Ryuta Sakurai. Okami’s strength is his takedowns and ground and pound. He has a tremendous heart and never gives up. Alan “The Talent” Belcher steps in to replace David “I Pull Out of More Fights than I actually fight in” Terrell. Seven of Belcher’s eight wins have come this year so he is relatively inexperienced compared to his opponent. He has five wins via TKO and lost a decision to Marvin Eastman in just his second MMA fight.
The outcome: Okami is a stud and should prevail in this one. I really think he’d be better served in the welterweight class. Belcher is still relatively young in the fight game. Yushin Okami will win a unanimous decision.
IPPON!!
) so they should book this one.