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Tap Out Preview, UFC 46: Super Natural
Posted by John MacKinnon on Jan 31, 2004, 02:33
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TSM Tap Out Preview
UFC 46: Super Natural
Welcome everyone to the first Tap Out of 2004.
2003 was a fantastic time to be an MMA fan as both the UFC and PRIDEFC delivered some of the most exciting events in MMA history full of mind-blowing action and historic fights. Last year started off for the UFC with a rather lackluster card in UFC 41: Onslaught - especially in relation to their previous show, UFC 40: Vendetta. It ended with an equally less-than-stellar, but highly controversial, show in UFC 45: Revolution - the company's 10th anniversary show. However, in-between these two shows there was UFC 43: Meltdown and UFC 44: Undisputed; two of, in my opinion, the best shows in the company's history. Both prominently featured former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Randy "The Natural" Couture and his quest to capture the highly coveted UFC LIGHT-Heavyweight Championship.
Now, on January 31st, the 40 year old Couture will take centre stage once again and put his title on the line against Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. When Randy is the in the octagon, you know you're going to get a thrilling fight, and with UFC 46: Super Natural, there is no lackluster card and it certainly won't be a less-than-stellar show, as the UFC is kicking off 2004 with -quite possibly- the event of the YEAR.
A bold statement, it's true, especially with Wrestlemania XX around the corner, but from top-to-bottom, this show is absolutely amazing. With 2 title fights, a heated grudge match, the return of one of the most exciting fighters in modern MMA, and some of the top up-and-comers in the sport today, UFC 46 is not only Super Natural, but it's Super STACKED as well.
Here are the matches:
Light-Heavyweight Title
Randy "The Natural" Couture (C) vs. Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort
Welterweight Title
Matt Hughes (C) vs. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn
Heavyweight Grudge Match
Frank Mir vs. Wes "The Project" Sims
Return of The Ronin
"The Ronin" Carlos Newton vs. Renato "Charuto" Verissimo
Rise of Rivera/Enter Murray
Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera vs. "Lightning" Lee Murray
Battle for the Future
Karo "The Heat" Parisyan vs. "Rush" Georges St. Pierre*
Putting Together a Broken Division: Lightweights
Hermes Franca vs. Josh "The Punk" Thomson*
Matt "The Terror" Serra vs. Jeff "The Big Frog" Curran*
(*Preliminary Fights: May, or may not, be shown on PPV due to time constraints)
Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort
Fighters:
Name: Randy Couture
Nickname: The Natural
Height/Weight: 6'1 / 205 lbs.
MMA Record: 12 - 5 - 0
Style: Greco-Roman Wrestling
From: U.S.A.
Association: Team Quest
Last Fight: vs. Tito Ortiz (Win *Decision* UFC 44: Undisputed)
vs.
Name: Vitor Belfort
Nickname: The Phenom
Height/Weight: 6'0 / 205 lbs.
MMA Record: 11 - 3 - 0
Style: Jiu-Jitsu
From: Brazil
Last Fight: vs. Marvin Eastman (Win *TKO* - UFC 43: Meltdown)
Overview:
Underdog
The word inspires and intrigues us. How could someone, even in the face of inevitable loss, keep fighting? Or better yet, how could someone defy logic - defy the odds - and not only keep fighting... but win? Randy Couture has made a name for himself by defying the odds. Randy Couture -at 40 years of age- keeps fighting. Randy Couture, without doubt, is at his best when he is the underdog.
Before UFC 43, Couture was seen as a washed-up heavyweight. He lost his last two fights against much larger opponents and the fire in his eyes, seemingly, was gone. Before UFC 43, Randy Couture was seen as a great fighter, but one that perhaps time had finally caught-up to. At UFC 43, Randy Couture faced Chuck Liddell; a fighter who was thought to be unbeatable. At UFC 43, "The Natural" was the underdog. After UFC 43, Randy was not seen as a washed-up heavyweight, but rather, he was seen as a reborn fighter who was made for a lighter weight class. After UFC 43, the fire was back and Randy Couture was the #1 contender to Tito Ortiz's Light-Heavyweight title (or, in UFC terms he was "The Interim LHW Champion").
I remember watching "Undisputed". I remember watching that title fight and just being in awe of Couture's skills and how he (literally) put a spanking on the young, brash, champion. It was not the greatest technical fight of the year, but in terms of drama and emotion, it was in the top 3. The crowd changed frequently between "Tee-toe" and "Ran-dee" in the early stages of the bout, but as the fight went on there was less "Tito" and a helluva lot more "Randy" chants and when the night was over Randy Couture had the crowd on their feet as they witnessed a new champion being crowned.
Watching both of those fights, vs. Chuck and vs. Tito, I couldn't help but recall another time where Randy Couture played the role of the Underdog only to put a whoopin on some "unbeatable" fighter. That time was UFC 15; that fighter was a 19 year old "Phenom" by the name Vitor Belfort. At the time, Belfort had taken the MMA world by storm with his lightning fast hands and thunderous wins. In all of his UFC fights, none of them went beyond the 5 minute mark and at such a young age, Belfort had nowhere to go but up. Couture, in contrast, was even then considered a lil too old for the fight-game and despite his age, was actually less experienced than young Vitor.
The fight certainly did not go as expected � well, it kind of did. Belfort came out and unleashed his quick hands on Couture and it seemed to go like his fights with Abbot, Telligman, Ferrozzo, but this was no ordinary wrestler he was facing � this was one who had some boxing training himself and Couture was able to withstand the opening flurry and took Belfort to a place he had never been before in the octagon � past the 5 minute mark. The secret to his success was in the clinch � Belfort�s speed was determined by the amount of movement he had; in the clinch that movement was limited and therefore he couldn�t tee off like he did in his previous matches. Couture was able to throw jabs and uppercuts in the clinch while Belfort was generally clueless and tried to keep up (bad move in MMA). Couture also pressed the fight against Belfort and had him backtracking � what everyone thought Vitor would do to him. Couture controlled the fight and as anyone who has seen Randy fight know, when Randy controls the fight, the fight is over and won. This fight proved 2 things � never count Randy Couture out, and that Randy Couture could box� 2 things that people forgot in 03 and now know for sure.
Which brings us to UFC 46. This is the first time in a long time that Randy Couture is the favourite to win; He is not the underdog; He does not have the odds stacked against him. He is the champion and by extension, isn�t as hungry as he was when challenging and doesn�t have anything left to prove. Will this affect his game? Can Vitor take advantage of this, somehow? We shall see...
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Randy Couture
Strengths:
- Excellent Takedowns
- Unorthodox Boxing
- Strong Chin/Strong Heart
- Excellent Conditioning
- Well devised gameplan (Smart!)
Weaknesses:
- Age (It HAS to catch-up to him sometime!)
- Prone to leg kicks and high kicks.
- Susceptible to submissions (Inoue, Overeem, Illoukhine)
Vitor Belfort
Strengths:
- Fast Hands
- Hard Knees
- Good Jiu-Jitsu/Submission Skills
- Very Quick
- Fighting with a purpose
Weaknesses:
- Inconsistent
- Lacks mental focus/toughness
- Sometimes sloppy
Thoughts and Analysis:
This is such a bad fight for Vitor.
"Good" Vitor, will beat you with explosiveness; he'll come out and unload until it's over. For that to happen, he needs space. With Couture, you need to know how to operate within a closed-off space. Couture is all about control; once he's in control, it's as good as over. I think someone like Wanderlei Silva could do well vs. Couture. Someone like Quinton Jackson could do well. Someone like Vitor Belfort? I don't think so.
"Bad" Vitor will take his time and play a much slower game. I don't think he can take Randy down, and I don't think that Randy will play the guard-game for long. And despite the guard being a controlling position for JJ guys, I don't see Belfort controlling Randy down there either.
What Vitor needs to do is back away and pick his shots. And even then, has Randy ever been KO'd? Randy will be the aggressor, but not right away. He'll press the fight, but may have a taste of it standing to see what Vitor is bringing. That's the best bet Vitor has. Throw in some hard leg kicks (unless he hasn't been training in Muay Thai very hard - those knees on Eastman would suggest otherwise), get Randy to shoot in and try to land those knees. If it's unsuccessful, lay and pray for the standup. Rinse and Repeat. Randy seemed prone to high kicks in his fight with Tito - it was only one, but the potential is there to exploit. That's a big risk though, but it would be a surprise that I don't think Randy would expect as he's probably expecting a boxing match.
What Randy needs to do is the same as he did with Chuck and Tito - totally breakdown Belfort's game and take him down to the mat. From there pound on him until (i)the bell rings, (ii)the ref stops the fight, or (iii)Belfort gives an arm or his back and then go for a submission. Do I think Randy can do all these things? Yes. Do I think Vitor can stop him from doing all these things? No. Vitor, at least I don't think, is "all there". He can be easily distracted from his gameplan and when left on his own devices, I can't see him rising to the occasion. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a big Belfort fan - I'd rather him have one or two more fights under his belt before he goes up for a title shot - but I just think Couture is on a totally different level mentally and that, above all else IMO, is Randy's greatest asset and will be the controlling factor in this fight. Randy is one of the smartest fighters in the game and has said that he has - after all these years - finally gotten around to finding his training groove.
Final Decision: Couture, TKO, RD 2.
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn
Fighters:
Name: Matt Hughes
Height/Weight: 5'9 / 169 lbs.
MMA Record: 31 - 3 - 0
Style: Wrestling
From: U.S.A.
Association: Militich Martial Arts
Last Fight: vs. Frank Trigg (Win *Sub/Choke* UFC 45: Revolution)
vs.
Name: BJ Penn
Nickname: The Prodigy
Height/Weight: 5'9 / 155 lbs.
MMA Record: 6 - 1 - 1
Style: Jiu-Jitsu
From: U.S.A.
Association: Lewis Vale Tudo
Last Fight: vs. Takanori Gomi (Win *Sub/Choke* - ROTR 4)
Overview:
"Pound for Pound" is a tough concept to grasp. We all know what it means; "Weight and size not considered, this fighter is the best in the world." It's based on skill-level and dominance in a fighters respective division. Matt Hughes, pound for pound, is considered one of -if not THE- best fighter in the world. His dominance over the welterweight division is undeniable. At his weight, there is quite possibly no one who can stop him. BJ Penn, pound for pound, is considered to be one of the highest skilled fighters in the lightweight division. He takes to fighting like a fish to water. Fighting comes as naturally to him as breathing does to us. However, the best pound for pound fighter at a lower weight could very easily lose to the 3rd, 4th, or 5th best in a higher weight class.
Years ago when Royce Gracie was dominating the fight scene, size didn't really matter. His skill level was so great in comparison to the competition that it nullified his opponents size, and quite often, used it to his advantage. 10 years later and things have certainly changed. A high skill level just doesn't cut it any more. Fighters are wise to the tricks of Jiu-Jitsu artists, they are aware and know how to defend against submissions. Bigger Fighters are getting more well trained, they are becoming better conditioned. Size does matter. When the fight goes long and you have 10 pounds on your opponent, those 10 pounds feel a lot heavier when that opponent is tired. Carrying that extra weight means you can probably lift heavier objects; are stronger. The disadvantages, of course, are that by being heavier you expend more energy than your opponent; you get tired quicker. The longer the fight goes, those 10 pounds feel a lot heavier when you are tired.
BJ Penn is moving up a division. The Lightweight title is virtually non-existent, and there aren't many challengers left for Matt Hughes. The opening was there, and he took it. Penn feels that moving-up in weight won't affect him physically; that he can easily make the transition. He feels that he will be successful in this new venture. Under normal circumstances, I'd share the same sentiment. This, however, is not under normal circumstances, and his opponent is not a normal fighter. HE IS GOING AGAINST MATT FREAKING HUGHES!
Matt Hughes doesn't even belong in the Welterweight division! He has the strength to compete as a light-heavyweight for crying out loud, and is probably going to compete for the dust-ladened Middleweight title sometime this year. He picks up and throws around Welterweights like they were small children, imagine how he'd throw around a jacked-up lightweight? *Imagines* OOOOOOOH DADDY this fight is going to be awesome!!
This is a dream bout. BJ Penn is what his nickname says he is; a Prodigy. In just 4 years he picked up Jiu-Jitsu, then went down to Brazil, and then took them to school. Show him how to do something once, and he'll learn it and apply it like he invented it. He has knock-out power, he has been training with Randy Couture in wrestling, and his smaller size will definitely help him on the ground to set-up and apply submissions.... It also helps that he's uber-flexible and can put his legs behind his head without the use of his hands. If anyone can successfully move up a weight and challenge Matt Hughes, it's BJ Penn. If there's anyone who can squash BJ Penn like a bug, it's Matt Hughes. Hughes has remained undefeated since early-2001 and has only lost to 2 men in his career (To 'Pele', and to Denis Hallman twice). In the span of 5 years he has amassed an astounding 31 wins against the likes of Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, and Gil Castillo. Simply put, Matt Hughes is the most dominating fighter in the world.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Matt Hughes
Strengths:
- Excellent Takedowns
- SLAM! (Strong Like A Motherfucker... and he likes to slam people)
- Good-Very Good Submissions
- Great Submission defense
- Surprising Standup (as in, Surprisingly good; he'll catch ya)
Weaknesses:
- Prone to getting caught in Submissions
- Not the greatest stand-up defense
- Might be a problem with Motivation
BJ Penn
Strengths:
- Great Submissions
- Good Knees
- KO Power
- Very Quick
- Motivated
Weaknesses:
- Small(er)
- Inexperienced (Only 8 fights)
- Doesn't go for submissions as much as he should
Thoughts and Analysis:
The more I think about this fight, the more I really, really like it. It's "classic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. American Wrestling" which means each style plays into the strength of the other. BJJ is meant to be used when you're on your back and Wrestling is meant to be used to get your opponent on his back. With two world-class grapplers like Hughes and Penn, it should make for a very active ground-fight. However, there is an added attraction in the stand-up game. Matt Hughes will probably want to stand with Penn a lil bit before going in for the takedown and I think Penn is willing to oblige. Penn is a pretty darn good striker and Hughes is no slouch himself, so this could make for some exciting exhanges. But this fight will be decided on the ground, and will either end with Penn getting a submission on Hughes or Hughes beating Penn into either a decision or ref stoppage. Penn is too slick to get submitted and too quick to get knocked out. Hughes is too strong to get caught in a triangle (see: Newton, Carlos) or an Armbar especially by a lightweight and I don't think Penn has the power to KO Matt. Hughes, however, can very easily get Penn up against the cage and pound him all night long; and that's how I think this fight will go.
Final Decision: Hughes, TKO, RD 3
Frank Mir vs. Wes Sims
Fighters:
Name: Frank Mir
Height/Weight: 6'1 / 240 lbs
MMA Record: 6 - 1 - 0
Style: Jiu-Jitsu
From: U.S.A.
Association: Ricardo Pires Jiu-Jitsu
Last Fight: vs. Wes Sims (Win *DQ* UFC 43: Meltdown)
vs.
Name: Wes Sims
Nickname: The Project
Height/Weight: 6'9 / 255 lbs.
MMA Record: 4 - 2 - 0
Style: Wrestling
From: U.S.A.
Association: Hammer House
Last Fight: vs. Frank Mir (Loss *DQ* - UFC 43: Meltdown)
Overview:
On 6.6.03 at UFC 43 Wes Sims broke the rules. Not just the rules of the octagon, not just by holding on to the fence and kicking a downed opponent; but by taking advantage of a situation that could have potentially ended Frank Mir's career, Sims broke the rules of human decency. "The Project" stands 6'9, he's a giant, there is no reason a man of his size should be stomping down upon anyone; it's a cowardly move and he should have been suspended for it. He claims that Mir was gauging his eyes while on the ground, that he had to have surgery to repair the damage caused. He claims to be the real victim in this case and he says that this match is HIS grudge match.
Frank Mir was concussed after the fight; that much is clear. He apologized to the crowd for such a poor ending despite it not being his fault. Mir was clearly winning the fight having put Sims in a number of submission moves and sooner-or-later one would have stuck... or would it? Sims, despite his cowardly act, still had the dominant position at the end of that fight; he had Mir up against the fence and was on top of him. But rather than do something productive, he did something primal; he went for the kill. Now, at "Super Natural", both men will be going for the kill in this heated rematch that could quite possibly decide the next #1 contender for the UFC Heavyweight Title.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Frank Mir
Strengths:
- Great submissions
- Good takedowns
- Good striking
Weaknesses:
- Can be overwhelmed/overpowered
- May be carrying around too much weight
Wes Sims
Strengths:
- Very Good Submission defense
- Size (Reach advantage)
- Has something to prove
Weaknesses:
- Inexperienced
- Questionable striking
Thoughts and Analysis:
This is one of the hardest fights to predict who will win. Mir dominated Sims in their last fight, yet was unable to finish it. Sims was taken down immediately after rushing in so that probably won't happen again. "The Project" trains with the Hammer House which features some of the best wrestlers in the world; so the odds of being taken down again that easily lessen. He also had dominant position as the fight was stopped so what could have happened afterwards is up-in-the-air. He has the reach advantage, so if he worked on his boxing he could keep distance with Mir and set up for a KO. He also has been training with Ricco Rodriguez, so his submission defense has probably greatly improved. With that said, Mir is not your conventional submission fighter and I don't think Sims can hold out the full 3 rounds. Although, I would not be surprised to see Sims KO Mir in mid-match...
...Sims also said he will have Bill Goldberg in his corner.
*cough*
Final Decision: Mir, Sub, RD 2
Carlos Newton vs. Renato Verissimo
Fighters:
Name: Carlos Newton
Nickname: The Ronin
Height/Weight: 5'9 / 170 lbs
MMA Record: 12 - 7 - 0
Style: (Dragonball Z) Jiu-Jitsu
From: Canada
Association: Warrior MMA
Last Fight: vs. Renzo Gracie (Win *Decision* PRIDE: Bushido)
vs.
Name: Renato Verissimo
Nickname: Charuto
Height/Weight: 5'9 / 170 lbs.
MMA Record: 3 - 0 - 0
Style: Jiu-Jitsu
From: U.S.A.
Last Fight: vs. Gil Castillo (Win *TKO/Corner Stoppage* - ROTC 4)
Overview:
I'm going to be honest; I have never seen Renato Verissimo fight. Hell, I've only heard of him via this card. All I know is that he is BJ Penn's BJJ teacher and that's it... but that's enough, really. He's a good-great grappler, and that's all I need to know to be excited for this fight. Why is that, you ask? Well, while I haven't seen Verissimo fight, I HAVE seen his opponent, Carlos Newton, fight. And Carlos Newton, especially when put against a good grappler, makes for some VERY EXCITING fights.
The first time I saw Newton fight was at UFC 17. It was a 4 man middleweight tournament which featured BJJ artist Allan Goes and American wrestler Dan Henderson. The later he faced in the finals which is one of the most action-packed fights you'll ever see with the COOLEST takedown EVER! Though Newton did not win that fight, he won me (and many others) over and I became a fan for life. A month later, Carlos went over to PRIDE and managed to put on another amazing match (amazing being an understatement) against submission fighter (and MMA Legend) Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE 3. With only 6 fights under his belt, Newton managed to be in 2 of the best MMA matches ever. At PRIDE 19 he put on another classic against former-Chute Boxe member Jose "Pele" Landis-jons. Most recently, at PRIDE: Bushido, he and Renzo Gracie had what many call the Fight of the Year.
It's no coincidence that great fights seem to follow Carlos. He is a consumate showman (often capping off his wins with a "Kamehameha!" and believes in taking risks. If there's an opportunity, he'll take it. If there's not, he'll make it. He is very well rounded with good muay thai, underrated (see, very good) Wrestling and judo, and jiu-jitsu which will make your mouth water. Add to this great conditioning and a nearly-indestructible chin and you've got yourself a must-see fighter. Will Verissimo be up to task and be able to keep up with Carlos? Let's hope so, cause this could be another classic-Carlos Newton match.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Carlos Newton
Strengths:
- Great submissions
- Very Good takedowns
- Good striking
- Great Chin
- Great conditioning
Weaknesses:
- Too Confident?
- May be drained from having to shed 20 lbs to make weight
Renato Verissimo
Strengths:
- Great Jiu-Jitsu/Submissions
- Good Striking
Weaknesses:
- Inexperienced
- First time in the octagon
Thoughts and Analysis:
Newton wants to strike. Supposedly, Renato is willing to throw down. This will start off with some leg kicks, some jabs, maybe a hook or two, and then it will be brought to the mat most likely by Carlos. Newton will quickly improve position, try for the mount, and get an armbar. Hopefully, inbetween all of this, Verissimo will be equally active and they will trade submissions and stand back up, throw down again, take it to the ground, and more submission goodness will follow. Whenever Newton faces a masterful grappler, the fights go long and are always fun to watch. Hopefully this will be the same way... either way, I see Newton taking this.
Final Decision: Newton JD
Jorge Rivera vs. Lee Murray
Fighters:
Name: Jorge Rivera
Nickname: El Conquistador
Height/Weight: 6'1 / 185 lbs
MMA Record: 6 - 1 - 0
From: USA
Association: Team Elite
Last Fight: vs. David Loiseau (Win *Decision* UFC 44: Undisputed)
vs.
Name: Lee Murray
Nickname: Lightning
Height/Weight: 6'1 / 185 lbs
MMA Record: 7-1-1
Style: Kickboxing
From: England
Last Fight: vs. Jose Pele Landis-jons (Win *TKO* - )
Overview:
"Have you ever seen the film "Gone in 60 Seconds"? - Lee Murray, MMAWeekly Radio 30/1/04. In the past few days I've been hearing a lot of hype on Mr. Murray. I can't substantiate any of it as I have never seen him fight. A street-fighter by his own admission, he claims to have fought over 300 fights outside the ring. His striking ability is highly regarded in some circles and he is most known for knocking out two very notable names. Most recently, he KO'd Pele which certainly put him on the fight map. However, he may be best known as the guy who, supposedly, KO'd Tito Ortiz while the UFC was in London for their "Brawl at the Hall" PPV. It is said that the two got into a scuffle in a bar/club which led to them going outside and had Murray knocking out the -at the time- UFC Light-heavyweight champion.
Jorge Rivera, in contrast, is a quiet, simple, man of god. His most notable accomplishment was at UFC 44 where he defeated heavily favoured David "The Crow" Loiseau and nearly KO'd him in the last seconds of the final round of the fight. That fight was one where heavy hits were exchanged and Rivera was the one left standing. Murray will have to come in with excellent striking to put Rivera down. This, above every other fight on the card, is going to be the "Slugfest" where two men, who couldn't be more different, are bound together by a shared goal: to knock the other man out.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Jorge Rivera
Strengths:
- Good striking
- Can take a shot
Weaknesses:
- Not very well rounded (takedowns? submissions? ...Not a lot)
- Stamina?
Lee Murray
Strengths:
- Great Striking?
- Knows some submissions
Weaknesses:
- First time in the octagon
- Prone to submission/takedowns?
Thoughts and Analysis:
It's always hard trying to predict how a fight will go when you haven't see one of the fighters actually fight. There's only so much a record and "word on the street" can tell you. I had never seen Rivera before and had picked Loiseau to go over. Now I'm in quite the predicament: Do I side with the proven Rivera, or do I side with the unknown in Murray? Does the UFC see big things in Murray and that's why he is over here, or do they see him as something to feed to Rivera? The only thing I do know is that they wanted a predominantly stand-up fight and that's probably what they're going to get. Murrays prediction of "Gone in 60 Seconds" could very well come true going by some of the hype I've heard in the past few days. But Rivera took some good shots against Loiseau and still had some left in the tank at the final moments of the fight. This is a tough one to call, but the one thing I can say is that at least one of them will be making a trip to the hospital when it's all said and done.
Final Decision: Rivera, JD
The Rest of the Card (Non-Televised)
Karo Parisyan vs. Georges St. Pierre
On a card with names like Couture, Belfort, Penn, Hughes, Newton on it, could it be possible for these two young fighters to steal the show? I think it's certainly possible. Parisyan made his mark at UFC 44 where he perfectly executed a rolling kimura lock on Dave Strasser for the tap out. Judo is so hot right now. George St. Pierre made his impression in the UCC/TKO; his raw power mixed with the "triple threat" of MMA (Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai) as well as agility makes him prime to be a top name in the sport in the next 5 years. However, this is his first time outside the UCC and into the octagon and infront of such a large crowd - this may have an effect on the young Canadian. I think this match will essentially be Karo's Judo skills vs. St. Pierre's power where either "Rush" will avoid getting submitted and pound Parisyan down, or Karo will eventually get the best of Georges and the fight will be over. All things considered, I see the later happening as St. Pierre will eventually get gassed and that's when Parisyan will capitalize. I love and hate this fight as it features two promising stars going at it where one has to win and the other has to lose. Hopefully, St. Pierre will impress enough to get called back another day as him vs. Hughes is a dream match, and I hope even more that this fight is so good that the UFC will HAVE TO air it. I see Parisyan, Sub, RD 3.
Hermes Franca vs. Josh Thomson
This is probably the fight I am least wanting to see, and I still want to see it so that should tell you a lot about this card. The thing is, this isn't a very different scenario than some of the fights above. Franca is a BJJ stylist with knock-out capabilities. Thomson is a striker with submissions. This fight is indicative of where MMA has come in the past 10 years where, as Bruce Lee once said, "No way, is the way". Both guys are undefeated; Thomson started earlier but Franca has more fights under his belt. Experience shouldn't really be a factor here; if it goes to the ground it's Francas fight; if it stays standing it's Thomson. I think Franca can take Thomson down and do his work. Franca, Sub, R1
Matt Serra vs. Jeff Curran
Matt Serra has had 2 very memorable fights, at least to me. His fight with Shonie Carter was insane and even in losing Serra made a name for himself. His fight against Kelly Dullanty solidified my fandom of his when he put on a submissions clinic. However, Serra must be considered a disappointment for the UFC as he hasn't been able to string together a consistent set of wins. Jeff Curran is the last in a long line of potential challengers that have been set up to face Serra at this event, and has received this fight on a few weeks notice. Neither guy has the most impressive record, but I think Serra has faced much better competition and should take this in a walk. Serra, Sub, R2
So there you have it. UFC 46 is tonight at 10:00pm EST and you can watch it LIVE! on PPV. MMA isn't worked like Pro Wrestling, but with cards like this, they don't have to be. The excitement is very real and you will find yourself feeling it when some action goes down in the ring. If you're looking to give MMA a shot in 2004, this is probably the best place to start. I apologize for the lack of exciting graphics or colourful fonts or anything of the sort; I'll try to improve the format for the next event that I will preview which will most likely be UFC 47 which will feature the match all fight-fans have been waiting for, Tito vs. Chuck! As well as the "return" of former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia as he takes on Andre Arlovski. I'll have a review of this event up as soon as possible for all those who were interested, but didn't buy, but still want to know what happened (shame on you for not ordering!). Till next time...
SUPPORT THE SPORT!
(I'd like to thank Sherdog.com for supplying the fighting statistics as well as MMAweekly.com for up-to-date news coverage as well as Dave Dymond for allowing me to partake in writing for the site.)
- John MacKinnon
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