There is the potential for a major outbreak of upsets on the UFC 130 fight card this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has done a fantastic job in putting together great stylistic clashes.
Sure, the card is without a standout main event, but generally these types of UFC events are the ones that turn out to be the most exciting.
With the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard lightweight championship bout scratched due to injuries, the former co-main event light heavyweight tilt between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill has now stepped into the spotlight of the UFC 130 main event.
Jackson, a former light heavyweight champion, is the significant favorite for notable reasons. Outside of a declining Tito Ortiz, Hamill has yet to defeat an upper-echelon light heavyweight. He had his chance at UFC 88 against Rich Franklin, who dominated throughout and earned the third-round TKO due to a nasty body kick.
In December 2009, Hamill was tossed around like a rag doll in his bout against current champion Jon Jones. He still picked up the disqualification victory due to illegal elbows from Jones, but in all fairness, Hamill was never in that fight.
With that said, Hamill is a dangerous light heavyweight who is perennially on the bubble of breaking into the top-10 rankings.
Heading into this bout, many people are questioning Jackson’s mindset. Is he focused? How did his training camp go?
According to Jackson, he is mentally and physically prepared to go into UFC 130 and get the job done. Hamill isn’t the type of fighter to overlook. He has the wrestling, chin and tenacity to give Jackson a lot of problems if the bout goes the distance. A win over Jackson would easily push Hamill over into the top-10 rankings.
In the co-main event, Roy “Big Country” Nelson takes on former heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
While Mir is often credited for his high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), Nelson isn’t too shabby in that area as well.
At Grappler’s Quest 2003, he defeated Mir by points in the grappling tourney. Yes, the match was a long time ago, but meaning can still be taken from the outcome.
The ground prowess of both of these world-class heavyweights could be closer than originally thought. Neither fighter is imposing on the feet, but they both have shown glimpses of power in the past, especially Nelson.
The main area of concern for Mir is the wrestling department. He has shown struggles against good wrestlers with solid submission defense, and Nelson boasts both of those qualities. While Nelson has a higher affinity for BJJ, it would be foolish to overlook his ability to sniff out takedowns from multiple areas in a fight.
Will it be enough for “Big Country” to thrust himself into title contention?
Rick Story is another underdog to watch on this potential upset-ridden card.
He faces a stern test in former welterweight title contender Thiago Alves, who has had his share of problems in making weight. At UFC 117, Alves failed to make weight for his rematch with Jon Fitch. The bout was long awaited, but it never quite lived up to the hype, as fans watched a cardio-depraved Alves get completely outclassed by the superior wrestler.
At UFC 124, Alves returned with a new diet regimen. He credited the Dolce Diet, a diet by MMA fighter and nutritionist Mike Dolce, for improving his lifestyle and in-ring performance. The “new” Alves looked phenomenal in his unanimous decision victory over John “Doomsday” Howard, but there is a major difference between Howard and Story.
While Howard is primarily a striker, Story is a crafty grappler who could present Alves with some of the same problems he had against Fitch. Story doesn’t necessarily boast Fitch’s wrestling talent and resiliency, but he has the ability to constantly press Alves with takedowns and truly test that newfound cardio.
A fight with major upset potential that no one is talking about is the bantamweight bout between Miguel Torres and Demetrious Johnson.
Former WEC champion Torres gained his notoriety from his memorable wars in the blue octagon.
He is one of the fiercest competitors the sport has ever seen, but he could meet his equal against Johnson on Saturday.
Johnson is an intelligent fighter with one of the most explosive shots in the sport.
It’s going to be tough for Torres to deal with Johnson’s complete game of improved striking and world-class wrestling.
If Torres is forced to fend from his back for all three rounds, will he be able to topple Johnson’s strong top game?
If he sticks to his strengths, UFC 130 could be “Mighty Mouse’s” true coming-out party.
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