Posted By Anton Gurevich
Event of the Year Candidate:
UFC 123 had it all; Knockouts, submissions, dramas and of course controversy. This stacked fight card was a good compensation for the disappointing UFC 120 and 122 fight cards. UFC 123 is my candidate for Event of the Year, right next to Strikeforce: Miami and UFC 116. I'm not gun-shy when it comes to criticizing the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but this event was hands down a great night of Mixed Martial Arts entertainment.
Rampage Jackson:
First of all, I would like to say that Rampage Jackson's entrance to the PRIDE tune was one of my most emotional moments as a fan of this sport. We've seen the glimpses of old Rampage, a fighter who's constantly looking to knock out his opponent. Jackson looked in excellent shape, and provided Machida one of the toughest challenges of his career. Facing the winner of Bader/Jones would be a much better option for Jackson than a rematch against Machida, as a winner will earn a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Maybe it's just me, but a rematch either Shogun Rua or Rashad Evans, who would be reigning Champions, is more prestigious than a rematch against a fighter currently on a two-fight losing streak.
Sotiropoulos vs Siver match-up:
George Sotiropoulos is 7-0 in the UFC. Enough said. And to tell you the truth, I don't think that Dennis Siver is the right opponent for Sotiropoulos. Siver is a great fighter, don't get me wrong, but he's not a fighter who should stand between Sots and a title shot. I want to see Sotiropoulos competing against Sean Sherk. "The Muscle Shark" is extremely hard to submit, has top-tier wrestling skills and a great boxing. Sherk is also a former Champ, and beating a former Champ would be a much better option for Sotiropoulos than squaring off against the relatively lackluster Dennis Siver.
BJ Penn:
"The Prodigy" proved critics wrong with a great victory over Matt Hughes. But when I look at Penn's future at Welterweight, it's hard to picture him against huge Welterweights like John Hathaway, Martin Kampmann, Carlos Condit and Dan Hardy. BJ Penn is too small, and we'll all see the difference against Jon Fitch, who looked gigantic against Thiago Alves in his last fight. Penn couldn't make more than 170 to this fight, as most of the Welterweights cut down from 175-190 pounds. If Penn beats Fitch, it could be a short way for him for a shot at the title, but again, I doubt he can hold his place against fighters with such a huge size advantage.
Maiquel Falcao:
I have to admit that I don't know much about Falcao as a fighter, but I was not too impressed with him last night. Just to rephrase myself: I was more disappointed with Harris than impressed with Falcao. The Brazilian showed signs of a trademark Chute Boxe aggression, but most of the time he was just walking around inside the Octagon. Harris had the worst day in his MMA career, and Falcao simply showed lack of killer instinct with his defensive approach. Don't get me wrong, Maiquel Falcao will be one of the top fighters in the UFC Middleweight division, but he needs another fight to make a clear statement. Alessio Sakara makes a perfect match-up, just to see how "Big Rig" deals with a "World Class Striker".
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