UFC 114 Breakdowns and Predictions
UFC 114 finally brings The Ultimate Fighter Season 10: Heavyweights to an explosive conclusion by having the two head coaches square off as the main event. Winning coach “Suga” Rashad Evans is set to take on provocative coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in one of UFC’s most heated rivalries. Fireworks are set to fly in this match due to bad blood between the two, witnessed during their coaching stint at TUF 10. Other key fights to watch are Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller and Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway.
I have a feeling that Evans/ Jackson is going to be the MMA version of Mayweather/ Mosely. Evans has the speed and agility, while Jackson has the experience and power. Evans seems to be more grounded as a fighter after losing his title almost one year ago to the day of UFC 114. With Evans coming off of a unanimous decision win over Thiago Silva 4 ½ months ago, he must still be hungry for more.
Jackson was a powerhouse in PRIDE and was famous for knocking out his opponents in spectacular ways (remember that KO by power slam?). I have several doubts about Jackson: 1.) Jackson has not fought in over 14 months, his last opponent being a friend of Evans (Keith Jardine); 2.) Jackson starred in a new movie where he was one of the main characters, which may have cut into training time; 3.) Just eight months ago, Jackson blogged that he was done fighting, yet now he’s back in a cage, hmmm………On a side note, I have a personal bet running on this fight. Ready to go 0-3 against me, Art?
Prediction: Evans by decision
The Bisping/ Miller fight puts the English striker and TUF 3 winner against an American wrestler and submission specialist. Bisping has fought some big names in the UFC (Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Evans) and was able to hang tough with most of them, but none were submission specialists.
I’ll admit, I don’t know much about Miller, but his record looks impressive. He has 7 wins by submission in the first round, and his losses come only by decision. This fight will be interesting for two reasons: Bisping has never been submitted and Miller has never been K.O.’d, so watch for some firsts. Not to spark up bad memories of 113, but we had a preview of what can happen when an English striker fights an American wrestler…*ahem*
Prediction: Miller by submission
The Sanchez/ Hathaway fight feels like a test for the undefeated Hathaway. Having a perfect record is…well…perfect, except for one thing; nobody in the U.S. really knows much about the fighters he has defeated. 12-0 is very impressive, but you still have to wonder if he’s ready for Sanchez. UFC 114 will be Hathaway’s second fight outside of the UK/Ireland and first fight in the United States, which may play a factor on his nerves.
Sanchez, TUF 1 middleweight champion and a top contender is coming off of a nasty T.K.O. loss to BJ Penn for the lightweight title, however he has only lost 2 other times in his career and they were both by decision to quality fighters; Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch.
Prediction: Sanchez by TKO
~Ghetto
