Author: Pat

265 lbs: Cheick Kongo vs.  Paul Buentello

Odds: (-575 Kongo / +375 Buentello )

The third matchup of the event is a guaranteed slugfest in the Heavyweight division, with French kickboxer Cheick Kongo squaring off with UFC veteran Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello.  Both Kongo and Buentello are strikers with knockout power, so this is a don’t miss fight and a strong candidate for a future UFC Ultimate Knockouts DVD.

Paul Buentello, a long-time UFC competitor, has been fighting professionally for over 10 years.  In many ways he is a throwback to the early days of the UFC.  He is a very one-dimensional striker, his conditioning is noticeably subpar, and he has never really developed his grappling skills very much.  Obviously, though, a one-dimensional fighter does not last as long in the sport as Buentello has unless that one dimension is extremely good.  Buentello’s striking, offensively at least, is ridiculously powerful.  He doesn’t have the fastest hands or the best technique, but every punch he throws is with bad intentions, and any one of them could knock most fighters out.

Kongo, who is also primarily a striker, is much more technical than Buentello, and makes much better use of kicks.  He probably has less power than Buentello, but that is the only area in this fight where he will give up the advantage.  He has better technique, better cardio, better wrestling, and better ground and pound.  That is a huge advantage, because he can most likely outstrike Buentello, but if he finds himself getting beaten to the punch he has the option of taking the fight to the ground, which Buentello does not have.

What makes this fight so compelling is not only that both men are excellent strikers, but that both have shown some vulnerability in their chin.  When two guys who can throw bombs, both of whom are vulnerable to knockouts, go toe to toe, crazy things can happen.  In that regard, Buentello has a chance to upset Kongo based solely on how much power he packs.  The much safer bet, though, is that the younger, faster, more skilled Kongo will catch Buentello and put him to sleep, most likely in the first round.

Prediction: Cheick Kongo via First Round KO.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

185 lbs:  Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin

Odds: ( Sakara / Irvin)

The second bout of the evening features the middleweight debut of powerful striker James “The Sandman” Irvin, who will be facing journeyman Alessio Sakara.  Irvin has not fought since he was destroyed by Anderson Silva in 2008, while Sakara is coming off an impressive upset victory over Thales Leites in August.  Sakara is the more well rounded fighter probably, but Irvin has extremely dangerous hands, so this is a compelling bout.

Sakara, a tough Italian who is decent at everything and spectacular at nothing, has had mixed success in UFC.  His best attribute is his striking, which is serviceable but not overly powerful.  He also has decent wrestling, although once again, it is a long way from being top-level.  He looked impressive in his last outing, against Thales Leites, but was destroyed by mediocre fighters in Chris Leben and Houston Alexander.  Unless he wants a repeat of those two pastings, his best bet is to try as hard as he can to get this fight to the ground, but Irvin has at least as much power as those guys and is a superior striker, technically, to either of them.

Irvin, who is known as “The Sandman”, came by his nickname honestly.  He has crisp, technical striking, good handspeed, and knockout power in both hands.  What has prevented Irvin from becoming a top competitor is that his striking is pretty much the extent of his offensive game.  He has enough wrestling to keep a bad wrestler from taking him down, and that is it.  His submission game is as close to non-existant as a professional fighter can be.

Luckily for Irvin, Sakara is not equipped to expose the holes in his game.  The only kinds of opponents who are going to beat Irvin are top-level strikers like Anderson Silva or guys that can take him down and control him on the ground.  Sakara is completely overmatched by Irvin in the standup, and while he does have the superior ground game, it is not good enough to overwhelm Irvin, especially when he is going to have to wade through Irvin’s punches to secure takedowns.  I expect this one to end fairly quick, with Irving capitalizing on his huge striking advantage and earning the first round knockout.

Prediction: James “The Sand Man” Irvin via First Round KO.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

155 lbs: Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty

Odds: ( Guida / Gugerty )

In the opening bout of the evening, frenetic wrestler Clay “The Carpenter” Guida will look to halt his two-fight losing streak against tough competitor Shannon Gugerty, who will be trying to push his Octagon record past the .500 mark. With rumors of BJ Penn moving up to the Welterweight division, the Lightweight title picture might be wide open pretty soon, so a win here is necessary for both guys, not only to position themselves for a run up the rankings, but quite possibly to remain employed by the UFC.

Gugerty, who began his professional career with a win over future WEC star Cub Swanson, is an effective grappler who has finished 75% of his victories with a submission. Despite his dangerous submission attack, though, Gugerty is also rather vulnerable to being submitted himself, and lost to both Spencer Fisher and Terry Etim, neither of whom are renowned for their amazing jiu-jitsu, by submission. His standup is mediocre at best, and his wrestling is not excellent either.

Guida, one of the most recognizable fighters on the UFC roster because of his wild mop of curly hair and ring entrances reminiscent of Animal from Muppet Babies, has become a mainstay in the Lightweight division with his powerful wrestling, frantic pace, and super-aggressive boxing. His standup is not excellent, but he comes forward with so much determination that it is hard for opponents to deal with at times. Obviously, Guida’s best tools are his wrestling and his cardio, which allow him to push fights for the entire duration without any letup. Guida’s problems begin to arise when he can’t impose his will on his opponents. If he can’t dictate the pace of the fight and when it goes to the ground, he tends to flounder. Against Gugerty, though, Guida will have the huge advantage in wrestling, so that should be an issue.

Put simply, Gugerty is overmatched in this one. Guida will outwork him on the feet, and Gugerty’s wrestling is nowhere near good enough to prevent Guida from taking him down basically at will. Expect Guida to control this fight easily, doing damage from the top position and completely overwhelming Gugerty.

Prediction:  Clay “The Carpenter” Guida via unanimous decision.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…