Jon Jones will likely dominate Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 159.
Jones’ reach, athleticism and takedown defense could lead to him forcing Sonnen to engage in a standup battle. Sonnen‘s striking is nowhere near the level of Jones, and that should make for a one-sided main event.
This begs the question—which fight on the main card will be the show stealer? There’s only two viable answers to this question.
Pat Healy versus Jim Miller could be an excellent fight, but Miller has too much UFC experience to go along with his superior striking for that fight to remain competitive for three rounds. Vinny Magalhaes and Phil Davis could turn into a fun grappling affair, but as long as it remains on the feet, boredom may be the only emotion this fight induces.
Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo
So that leaves us with a heavyweight tilt and a middleweight grudge match. Let’s begin with the clash at heavyweight, shall we?
From an outside perspective, Roy Nelson versus Cheick Kongo looks like a comedic bout. The uneducated fan mumbles a remark such as, “really, this monstrous looking guy is going to fight this fat dude? He’s going to kill him.”
Not so fast my friend.
This “fat dude” can fight, and actually, he’s the favorite in this fight. Nelson brings it every time he steps foot in the Octagon. Despite his physique, he pushes the pace and takes an incredible amount of punishment. After all, he’s the Majin Buu of the UFC.
He seems to always turn his bout into a brawl, and that should happen again tonight.
Hopefully, he can cure this clinching disease that Kongo has gotten “hold” of. Kongo, a dynamic kickboxer, has become somewhat of a boring fighter lately with his latest scraps turning into hugging competitions.
Nelson will fix that tonight. He’ll lure Kongo into a striking battle, which could turn into the best bout of the night. Will it though? It will if the co-main event doesn’t steal the show after…
Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher
Do you like grudge matches between two high-level strikers? See Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher in the co-main event.
Bisping and Belcher have a lot of animosity between them because Belcher has called out Bisping for the past few years. Bisping‘s ego was damaged, so trash talking ensued.
Finally, two of the middleweight division’s best will go at it with emotions running high. Will this grudge match fail to deliver an entertaining fight like most grudge matches? Nope.
Both of these fighters are well-rounded, but both are at their best when they stand and trade strikes. That gives reason to believe Belcher versus Bisping remains on the feet.
If you’ve never seen Belcher before, he’s an entertaining striker with great kicks, solid knees and a remarkable jab. Bisping‘s no slouch on the feet either.
The best part about this matchup is both men have great cardio and can push the pace on their opposition. Who will break first? Who’s ego will be crushed?
Get ready, this has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
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