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View Full Version : Vanavond UFN 13... UFC Fight Night Goes Mile High



Tony
02-04-2008, 11:30
Vanavond gaat de grote knaller van een UFN van start... Absoluut de beste line up ooit voor een UFC Ultimate Fight Night.

In een ander topic werden de undercard matches al besproken..
Bij deze de maincard :D



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With a main card that features the "Lau" trying to stop the "Flo" and a welterweight showdown that pits two of the division's most exciting regulars, you simply can't go wrong forsaking any real world responsibilities in favor of watching this show live.


Kenny Florian (Pictures) vs. Joe Lauzon (Pictures)

Expect the Cold War to turn hot when a pair of UFC regulars face off in a bout that could mean a future title shot for the winner. The road to such validation has been a long and winding one for both Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian and Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon considering the hostile welcome their kind often receives in the UFC.

A cast member on the very first season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Florian (8-3) was forced to compete as a middleweight and somehow managed to reach the division finals on an improbable combination of gusto and moxie. Now safely entrenched in the lightweight division, he has moved past his days as a James J. Braddock-level underdog and transformed into a promising prospect with dominating wins over Alvin Robinson (Pictures) and Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Pictures).

The real crucible of Florian's worth, however, came against long-time UFC contender and premier pop locker Din Thomas (Pictures). While the bout was tainted by a disastrous knee injury suffered by Thomas, Florian nonetheless established that he could more than hold his own against the savvy old-timers that populate the UFC.

Although Florian got to work his way into contention, Lauzon (16-3) was thrown to the wolves from the word go. His UFC debut saw him matched against former lightweight champion Jens Pulver (Pictures).

If the UFC expected Lauzon to roll over and play dead for Pulver, no one sent the news over to "J-Lau," who overwhelmed the former champion early in the first round with his unique brand of youthful ultra-violence.

Lauzon's next move was an unsuccessful stint in "The Ultimate Fighter" house, which ended with a loss to Manvel Gamburyan (Pictures) in the show's semifinals. Thankfully, the UFC realized the value of keeping a network administrator on the active roster, and Lauzon has gone on to score one-sided submission wins over borderline contenders such as Brandon Melendez (Pictures) and Jason Reinhardt (Pictures).

That newfound submission prowess is widely credited to Lauzon's decision to move out to Hilo, Hawaii, and train under Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy B.J. Penn (Pictures). Against Florian, he will need all the help he can get.

Most fighters would be hard-pressed surviving Lauzon's trademark opening offensive onslaught, but Florian excels at controlling the tempo and terms of his bouts and has shown a knack for exploiting the holes in his opponent's style. If anything, Lauzon's habit of storming out of the gate will work against him as Florian quickly turns danger into opportunity by scoring a takedown and working his vicious and varied ground-and-pound on an overmatched opponent.

Lauzon's first move will turn out to be his worst. Florian takes a first-round TKO win with a bloody blitz of mounted elbows. Given Florian's propensity for drawing blood, can someone please get him to ditch "Ken-Flo" for "Blood-Flo"?

Just make sure I get my cut on merchandising.

Alves vs Parisyan
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Someone figures to break through the glass ceiling of the UFC welterweight division when MMA's premier judoka, Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, takes on Brazilian muay Thai ace Thiago "Pitbull" Alves.

That glass ceiling has kept both Parisyan and Alves from challenging the likes of Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) and Matt Hughes (Pictures), but a win here means a chance to break out of the contender role and stake a claim in MMA's most top-heavy division.

That's a reality Alves (13-3) has come to realize after being regularly relegated to undercard status on several occasions despite notching a half-dozen wins thus far in the UFC. While he certainly didn't start his UFC career off on the best foot with losses to Spencer Fisher (Pictures) and Jon Fitch (Pictures), he did mix in a thrashing of Ansar Chalangov (Pictures) and an impressive comeback over Derrick Noble (Pictures) that had Joe Montana blushing.

As is turns out, the Marquis De Sade has nothing on Alves, who went on another leg kick spree against Chris Lytle (Pictures) en route to a cut stoppage win. While Lytle was all too willing to stand toe to toe with Alves, that is not a luxury the young Brazilian should expect against Parisyan.

Known as much for his brash personality as his Newton-defying arsenal of judo throws, Parisyan (18-4) has made his living on MMA's senior circuit by becoming one of the few to adapt judo's gi reliant techniques to the less than friendly confines of the Octagon.

One of Gokor Chivichyan's prized pupils, he has posted a 9-2 mark in the UFC, but losses to Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) and Diego Sanchez (Pictures) have left many wondering if he is merely a solid contender who will never reach the deep end of the pool. Having already missed out on a title shot thanks to an ill-timed injury, another loss may keep Parisyan from ever reclaiming that opportunity, while a win could finally net him the high-profile bout he needs to relaunch his championship campaign.

Granted, Parisyan enters this bout a heavy favorite, but he's looked downright blasé in his last few UFC bouts -- a fact that doesn't bode well against the hyperactive Alves.

Unless Parisyan can slip Alves a few Ritalin pills during the pre-fight warm-ups, bank on Alves controlling the distance and peppering "The Heat" with leg kicks aplenty. As his legs continue to swell and buckle under Alves' endless fire, Parisyan will find balancing himself borderline impossible, never mind scoring a takedown.

Winning on the feet against Alves simply isn't an option for Parisyan, who drops a lopsided unanimous decision to "The Pitbull." For those of you wondering, Alves is officially the 2,346th mixed martial artist to use that nickname.

Tim Boetsch vs Matt Hamill

In a light heavyweight division full of familiar faces, the tilt between Tito Ortiz (Pictures) protégé Matt "The Hammer" Hamill and human caber toss champion Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch may just elevate the winner into the elite company that runs the division.

For those of you who don't skip work to attend Highland Games tournaments, the caber toss is basically the manliest thing ever. The gist of it involves lifting and flipping a 20-foot tall wooden pole while everyone in the crowd wonders, "How'd he do that?"

Boetsch (7-1) elicited the same reaction in his UFC debut when he took David Heath (Pictures) and treated him no better than he would a caber in taking a dominant TKO win. Flipping Heath like a cheap piece of real estate won "The Barbarian" plenty of new fans, although no one will confuse Boetsch for Conan anytime soon. It's a good thing, too, since all those fur underoos would have PETA up in arms with the quickness.

Few would be better equipped to answer that question for us than Matt Hamill (Pictures) (3-1), who has the sort of frustrating style that will test the patience of any opponent. TUF champion Michael Bisping (Pictures) learned that lesson all too well in what was supposed to be a showcase for Britain's favored son.

Undaunted, Hamill enters this bout determined to build on what was by far his most impressive MMA performance. In Boetsch, however, Hamill will not be facing an undersized striker that he can push around with impunity. Hardly a stranger to the wrestling mat himself, Boetsch competed at the D-1 level, which gives him the sort of strong amateur background needed to resist Hamill's attempts to drag this bout to the ground.

Of greater importance, though, is the idea that Hamill may have fallen in love with his striking based on his performance against Bisping. Such a move would end tragically for Hamill, who lacks the versatility and experience to handle Boetsch's varied striking attack.

That will be the tipping point in this bout, as Hamill's overstated wrestling pedigree gets exposed by Boetsch, who goes on to pick apart "The Hammer" en route to a second-round TKO win.

Afterward, expect Boetsch to drive the fans wild with a flawless mathematical proof for the riddle of steel. Arnold Schwarzenegger eat your heart out.

Kurt Pellegrino vs Nate Diaz
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On a card that features a lightweight main event loaded with long-term repercussions, the clash between Nate Diaz and Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) could end up playing just as big a role in the division's long-term outlook.

As a reigning TUF champion, Diaz (8-2) certainly won't be hurting for high-profile opportunities, but it wasn't until recently that he convinced fans to buy into his stock post-reality TV stint. Reason being the unfortunate circumstances that surrounded his bout with fellow finalist Manvel Gamburyan (Pictures).

A recurring shoulder injury doomed Gamburyan and all but handed the crown to Diaz, who was written off by many as probability's favorite Californian. That perception has fallen by the wayside faster than Tom Cruise's sanity thanks to a pair of impressive submission wins over Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists Junior Assuncao (Pictures) and Alvin Robinson (Pictures).

Diaz better have that anti-grappler mojo bottled up because Pellegrino (11-3) would love to cash in on the windfall that comes with derailing any of SpikeTV's golden children.

More importantly, this may be the last chance Pellegrino, otherwise known as "Batman," ever gets to position himself for a run at the title after losing a critical contenders clash against Joe Stevenson.

Now is the time for Pellegrino to get serious, as Diaz is turning out to be one of the more offensively dynamic fighters the UFC has seen in some time. The tradeoff of course is that Diaz is severely lacking in the wrestling department, and that is an edge that Pellegrino must look to take advantage of.

Diaz keeps his improbable run of success against grapplers going with a second-round rear-naked choke win over MMA's caped crusader. Christian Bale won't like this one at all.



Ik heb drastiosch moeten knippen in de tekst omdat ie te lang was voor dit forum blijkbaar...

De echte tekst vind je hier: UFC Fight Night Goes Mile High (http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=12115)