UFC 117 Delivers In a HUGE Way

Anyone could see that UFC 117 was a well loaded fight card, even if the main event looked to be weak.  However, MMA is the most unpredictable sport on earth, and just when you think you have it figured out, your outlook gets turned upside down.

The obvious:  Chael Sonnen single-handedly sold this fight, and made a main event that nobody cared about a few months ago a must-see card, that perhaps will go down as the greatest of all-time.  Sonnen did the impossible, backing up the months of smack talk by taking the Champion Anderson Silva down at will, and holding him there and delivering a nasty dose of ground and pound.  He was about 90 seconds from being the crowned the new champion when Silva slipped in a triangle choke to pull out a miracle victory. 

Kudos to Silva for, for the first time, showing the heart of a champion.  However, credit Sonnen for doing what no man on Earth has ever been able to do, and perhaps more importantly, he has destroyed the aura of invincibility that Silva has carried his entire career.  Sonnen outstruck Silva on the feet, which that alone registers a “Holy Cow!” performance.  But to make Silva look totally outclassed and beaten for over 22 minutes is a feat that we may never see again.  Unless of course, Dana White and the UFC do the right thing and schedule an immediate rematch.  Sonnen took himself from being an unknown, anonymous mid-card fighter, to one of the best fighters on the planet, that can single-handedly carry a pay-per-view event.  His performance, both in and out of the Octagon, was amazing.

On the undercard, there were a slew of stories.  Clay Guida broke the jaw of Rafael dos Anjos, and forced dos Anjos to submit to the punishment.  Guida has shown improvement since moving to Greg Jackson’s camp, and there are many fans of the “The Carpenter” that are hoping this is the start of a run into the upper level of the lightweight division.

Your’s truly was one that was completely convinced that Matt Hughes days as a relevent fighter in the UFC were long gone, and that he was about to catch a beating at the hands of Ricardo Almeida.  WRONG!  Hughes looked fantastic, stunning Almeida with a left hook, then pouncing and using his brute strength to choke Almeida, a Gracie Blackbelt, unconscious.  Truly an impressive performance by Hughes, who just may have a little left in the tank.

Simply put, if you missed UFC 117, you missed a classic card, and perhaps the single greatest bout in history in the Sonnen/Silva matchup.  Let’s see what the UFC does for an encore!

UFC 117: How about that; a full fight card!

UFC 117 kicks off in a little more than an hour, and fight fans are in for a treat.  Those that get the pay per view or venture to their local watering holes will get a relatively rare occurrence:  a fight event loaded top to bottom with names and quality fighters, with story lines wound throughout.

We may be watching the final appearance of one of the all-time greats of the sport when Matt Hughes faces off with Ricardo Almeida.  Hughes streak of bouts with Gracie fighters continues with this fight.  Hughes’ skills have deteriorated greatly in recent years, but he’s still a strong welterweight.  Still, Almeida is a tough fighter with a great ground game.  I’m sure Hughes will be competitive, but I just don’t see how he pulls off a victory against this Gracie disciple.

The next number one contender spot is probably on the line when TUF winner Roy Nelson faces off with Junior dos Santos.  Nelson doesn’t exactly look like, um, an athlete, but make no mistake, he’s a skilled fighter. Still, Junior Dos Santos looks to be a star in the division for years to come, and I don’t see how he doesn’t land some lightning-quick strikes and win by stoppage.  Dos Santos is a complete fighter, and should simply outclass Nelson.

Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves go head-to-head in a rematch that will decide the number one contender spot for the welterweight title.  Fitch has been the perennial number one for years, but Alves has made a splash in recent years, shooting to the top of the division.  Fitch is a grinder, without having standout skills in any one area, but just consistently wins decisions over everyone in his weight class.  Alves is a huge welterweight with power in his hands, and is making a return after a year layoff that included a procedure to clear a pack of blood vessels in his brain.  In reality, this fight is the definition of a pick ’em, but I’m giving the edge to Alves based on his natural ability and athleticism.

Finally, there is your main event for the middleweight title, featuring Anderson Silva, undefeated in UFC competition, defending against Chael Sonnen.  Sonnen has done a masterful job of getting into Silva’s head with a trash-talk offensive that may be unparalleled in sports history.  That being said, titles aren’t won by talking smack, so he’ll have to use his high level wrestling and ground and pound in order to wrest the championship from the elusive Silva.  It’s hard to imagine that Sonnen, who was catapulted by his upset win over, could throw Silva down and pound him for 25 minutes. Still, that’s why they have the fights, so we will have to wait and see!