The UFC returns to national television on Saturday night with “UFC on FOX 3: Miller vs Diaz.” With many apologies to Super Fight League and their Sunday event headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson, the FOX event is the biggest thing going this week. The main event features a fight with implications on the lightweight division; even if the winner doesn’t receive a title shot, they’ll certainly be placed high “in the mix,” as Dana White is so very fond of saying.
With that in mind, this week’s edition of 3 Questions is focused squarely on UFC on FOX. Let’s dive in.
Will UFC on FOX 3 Deliver Exciting Fights?
The first two installments of UFC on FOX were long on star power. The first edition featured the heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, and the second featured Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping.
Yeah, there were plenty of stars. But the fights didn’t deliver in terms of excitement, leaving fans with an underwhelming feeling once the shows ended.
The UFC is taking a different approach with the third network television event. Instead of using stars to drive interest in the show, the matchmaking here seems to be geared more towards creating exciting fights. Jim Miller and Nate Diaz aren’t the biggest names in the company, but they should combine for an awesome fight. The same goes for Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson and Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher.
It’s an interesting deal. The lack of star power may hurt the show, but the sacrifice in ratings for this show would be worth it if the fights deliver great action. It’ll create more interest for future shows.
I think it’s a great idea on paper, but it will be interesting to see how the new direction plays out on television.
Will Lack of Activity Hurt Alan Belcher?
Alan Belcher has only fought twice since January 2010. He made his return to the cage last September after suffering an eye injury that nearly ended his career. He returned in fine form, beating Jason MacDonald into submission.
But now Belcher is taking a significant step up in competition—at least from MacDonald—when he faces Rousimar Palhares, master of leg locks. Palhares is one of the meanest fighters in the sport; he’s not above twisting your foot off your leg if need be. Belcher will need to be wary of Palhares and his takedown attempts, because the ground is the one place you don’t want to be with the Brazilian.
Belcher has always been a talented fighter. He has many advantages over Palhares. But he’s spent so little time in the cage over the past two years, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s going to hurt him against better competition.
Is Johny Hendricks the Real Deal?
Outside of a loss to Rick Story at the tail end of 2010, Johny Hendricks has been perfect in his MMA career. A two-time NCAA champion, Hendricks has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the sport. He’s combined that with a deadly boxing game; all you need to do is watch Hendricks and his knockout of Jon Fitch to understand just how much power Hendricks has in his hands.
“Big Rig” is one of the best prospects in the welterweight division—and let’s be honest, that’s one of the best nicknames in mixed martial arts—but he’s facing an opponent with the kind of game to nullify any advantages Hendricks may have in the cage. Koscheck is a phenomenal wrestler, having notched four All-American awards during his time at Edinboro University. In many ways, both fighters are mirror images of each other. They’re fantastic wrestlers, but both guys prefer to stand and trade power punches whenever possible.
A win over Koscheck would be a big deal for Hendricks’ fighting career. It would also legitimize him, taking him from prospect to contender. There’s a lot riding on this fight, and a potential title shot could be waiting for the winner.
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