The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to England on Saturday night, and this time it will be Bedlam – a place, scene, or state of uproar or confusion. I’m sorry, but I just had to use the cheesy UFC nickname in my opening line. Anyway, this is one of the most intriguing events of the year, as just about every fight could go either way (unfortunately, you can’t say that about every UFC event). Known as the “cursed” event, the original headliner in this one was supposed to be Chuck “the Iceman” Liddell taking on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for a possible future title shot. Both fighters are now injured and off of the card, and after numerous states of confusion and uproar, we end up with a welterweight fight between Thiago Alves and Matt Hughes as the new main event, possibly for a title shot.

This is the first time where I can remember a card having at least one fight from all five UFC weight classes, so fans should be treated from everything from the amazing speed and endurance of the lightweights to the power and beauty of the heavyweight division. Plus, you’ll get everything in between. I’m picking this event as a sleeper for best of the year, and here goes your preview.

 
Prelims

HW: Eddie Sanchez (8-1) over Antoni Hardonk (6-4) – I won’t go as far as guaranteeing that the loser will be out of the UFC (Sanchez is 3-1 in four career UFC fights, so I don’t think his spot is on the line), but Hardonk could definitely be gone if he can’t find a way to KO the extremely athletic Sanchez, who, unfortunately for Hardonk, possesses one of the best chins in the heavyweight division. Expect Sanchez to win this one easily.

WW: Paul Taylor (8-3-1) over Jess Liaudin (12-9) – Here is another one where the loser might be out of the UFC. Liaudin – a Frenchman – has an extremely unorthodox fighting style, and he’s confused two welterweights so far in his three UFC fights, as he sports a 2-1 UFC record. Taylor has amazing endurance, as was shown in his last fight against Paul Kelly, but the fact that he has two straight losses means that he needs to start proving himself on the big stage.

LHW: Luiz Cane (7-1) over Jason Lambert (23-7) – I’ve never really been impressed by Lambert – a short, stocky fighter who could be fighting at heavyweight – so I’ll go with Cane and the puncher’s chance in this one.

WW: Roan Carneiro (12-6) over Kevin Burns (5-1) – Roan (2-1 UFC) sports an amazing physique along with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu skills that could take him far. Burns is a newcomer to the UFC, and the Iowan will have to show some amazing ground skills – his specialty – to take this one.

LW: Thiago Tavares (13-1) over Matt Wiman (9-3) – This matchup really confuses me. I know that Wiman has been hot recently (three consecutive wins in the UFC), but he’s a young guy who still needs to prove himself. Tavares, on the other hand, is one of the most respected young fighters in the UFC, and he’s even borderline top ten in the lightweight division. That being said, Wiman is in trouble in this one, especially if he tries to stand with Tavares. I’d say that Tavares has the edge in just about every aspect in this one, even the ground, which is Wiman’s specialty.

MW: Martin Kampmann (15-2) over Jorge Rivera – This is a fight that could go either way, which is something that you can’t exactly always say in the UFC. Kampmann (3-0 UFC) is trying to come back from an injury that kept him out of the main event way back at UFC 72 last June, and he’ll be relying on his striking power in this one. Rivera, 36, has ten years on Kampmann, and he has been using that experience to his advantage in recent fights, especially when he knocked out Kendall Grove in just over a minute at UFC 80. Rivera is well-rounded, so he’ll try to take Kampmann to the mat. I’ll still take the young guy from Denmark.

Main Card

HW: Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1) over Brandon Vera (8-1) – Classic striker (Werdum) vs. grappler (Vera). I usually take the grappler in these types of matches, especially when he has the size advantage (15 or so pounds and two inches). Both fighters are extremely experienced on a big stage (Vera is 4-1 in the UFC and 2-0 in the WEC; Werdum is 1-1 in the UFC and 4-2 in PRIDE), so that should just about cancel out in this fight. Basically, it comes down to the fact that Vera should be fighting at light heavyweight and Werdum should be fighting for the heavyweight title.

MW: Nate Marquardt (26-7-2) over Thales Leites (12-1) – Marquardt is 5-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming to Anderson Silva in a title shot last July. He’s extremely well-rounded and, at just 29, has an incredible future ahead of him. Leites is a 26-year-old submission fighter, and his only loss in the UFC was to Martin Kampmann in his debut. This fight should be all over the place, and it’s my pick for fight of the night.

WW: Marcus Davis (14-3) over Mike Swick (11-2) – Both of these fighters are alums of the TUF house (Swick was season one and Davis was season two), and they’ve both come a long way since falling short during their reality show days. Davis, known as the “Irish Hand Grenade,” is a former pro boxer who sports a 6-1 UFC record (notable wins over Pete Spratt and Shonie Carter). He’s extremely experienced at 34 years of age, and he’ll have to use that experience to overcome the speed and aggression of Mike Swick. Swick, who has fought at 205 pounds in the past, is possibly the biggest welterweight in the UFC not named Georges St. Pierre, but I’m not sure if a size advantage is enough to overcome the superior fighting skills of Davis.

MW: Michael Bisping (15-1) over Jason Day (17-5) – Day, a 29-year-old Canadian, surprised us all at UFC 83 by knocking out Alan Belcher in the first round, but I’m not sure if the well-rounded fighter has enough for the British wrecking machine Bisping, who sports a 5-1 UFC record since winning The Ultimate Fighter 3. Bisping, fighting for the third time in his native Britain, should take this one easily.

WW: Thiago Alves (14-3) over Matt Hughes (42-6) – I’ve correctly picked the last eleven UFC main events in a row, and I’m counting on Alves, a dangerous striker who trains with American Top Team to help continue my streak in this one. Hughes, a future UFC Hall-of-Famer, is a wrestler who doesn’t have much else to back him up. He was dominant when he could outwrestle anybody at 170 pounds, but those days are over, as was shown when Georges St. Pierre dominated him with takedown after takedown last December. Alves is just 24, and he is incredibly well-rounded. I’m not sure if a Hughes in his prime could beat this Thiago Alves. I hope that he knows to watch out for the leg kicks.



Let’s fight!