This weekends UFC events is packed full of exciting match-ups and possible new beginnings. In the main event we have 2 ex-champions looking to get back on track for a run at the title. Chuck the "ICE MAN" Liddell & Rich "ACE" Franklin will be sharing each others company in the octagon as they both come into the night with hopes of restarting their careers and another crack at a belt. Chuck Liddell is coming off a loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 where he was stopped via KO in the second. It has been 14 months since Chuck has been in the cage and with that comes the question of ring rust and how will it play into this fight. Chuck has back to back losses since 2008 and was questioning retirement but now has found a new interest in making a run for the title. Rich Franklin has not strapped on the gloves for about 9 months were in his last fight he lost to Vitor Belfort via 1st round KO. So will the time away from the cage come into play in this battle of greats? Like always, I take the opportunity to watch their last fights and see what both will bring to the cage. In Chuck's last fight he looked in shape and ready to take the fight to Shogun. What I did notice is that Chuck seems to be losing some of his speed. His power is there but his punches just don't find there target like they used to. He was getting good shots in and there were times when he gave Shogun a good smack. What I also noticed was the leg kicks that Shogun was landing seemed to bother Chuck early in the round. They both worked some take-downs during the fight that I believed took a little out of Chuck. When you watch the punch that knocked him down, he was moving backwards and it seemed like he could not move quick enough to get out of the way. The good things I saw is that Chuck can still put those combinations together and if he lands most of them it usually means good night. I believe that in order for Chuck to come out with a win he will need to pace himself and pick his moments. Try not to rush in that much and to check those leg kicks. Chuck is also a great wrestler and knows how to win rounds when he needs to. If Chuck can keep his legs fresh, pace himself and keep landing combinations its going to be a long night for the Jim Carrey look-a-like. The other thing is that if Chuck hurts Rich he needs to pounce and put the ACE on ICE. There are lots of things that Chuck does right but it is the things that he might do wrong that will determine if he walks out a winner.
Rich Franklin is coming of a loss to Vitor Belfort where he was knocked out in the round. Watching that fight Rich was moving forward a lot and was working to find his range. Unfortunately he was tagged with a punch on the side of the head making him dazed. Belfort went in for the kill as he always does and finished the fight. Rich does have great footwork and head movement and awesome leg kicks. I don't believe this fight will be going to the ground that much but if it does it will be interesting to see how Franklin will do on his back. When he fights he always uses good angles and movement to find the range to land one of those devastating punches. I think that he will need to use those leg kicks to stop Chuck from planting that power foot and use lots of movement to keep Chuck guessing. I know that Chuck will not let Rich him keep up against the cage so he needs to watch out when they separate or Chuck will sneak in a KO blow. This fight is a must win for both fighters so it is sure to be a great fight with lots of action. It is possible that this fight will go all 3 rounds with both fighters not really taking big risks or chances but just trying to get the win. With both fighters coming off knock out losses I see this as being the outcome.
The other fight that is going to be a definition of wreckage and carnage is Mirko Cro Cop vs Pat "HD" Barry. These 2 fighters are all about bringing the pain. They both have devastating leg kicks and power in the hands. The one thing that I see may be a problem is Pat going into this fight with to much excitement and blowing all his energy early in the fight. As soon as the ref says fight Cop is going to rush towards Pat and keep the pressure on him from start to finish. I hope that Pat doesn't take to long to get started. If he does it may be a short night. I think this won't be the case since Pat is really looking forward to start his run at the top of the heap. I think Pat will be focused and ready to take on the challenge of meeting one of his idols in the cage. He will then ask for a autograph, so he said. I see one of these fighters getting knock-out of the night.
For all that tune into watch UFC 115 i don't see any one walking away disappointed. The other fights of interest are: Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann, Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel (another possible KO of the night), Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald (possible sub of the night in this one).
Below are my picks for UFC 115:
Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
Winner: Rich Franklin via Split Decision
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry
Winner: Pat HD Barry via KO in the 1st rd
Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann
Winner: Martin Kampmann via Split Decision
Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
Winner: Ben Rothwell via TKO in the 1st
Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald
Winner: Carlos Condit via Submission in the 2nd
Tyson Griffin vs. Evan Dunham
Winner: Tyson Giffin via Choke in the 1st
Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman
Winner: Matt Wiman via Split Decision
Don't forget to catch the prelims on Spike TV before the PPV
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