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UFC 62 Preview
By Stephan | August 24, 2006
Most people think this card is not particularly interesting and say they will give it a pass (not buy the PPV), we shall see. It is not a very strong card. The main event Babalu vs Liddell may be the only reason to get this PPV, but keep in mind that sometimes uninteresting cards do surprise us. It must the card with the most newcomers to UFC that I have ever seen (okay UFC1!)!
Prelim fights
Yushin Okami vs Alan Belcher
Yushin is making his debut at the UFC, he is a relatively newcomer to MMA (started in 2002), and has been fairly successful. He was slated to fight Terrell, but Terrel had to withdraw due to a bronchitis. Okami has very good standup and good take-down defense. Belcher is also making his debut at the UFC. Because not much is known about Belcher, while Okami has fought at a very good level (Anderson Silva, Jake Shields), I pick Okami by KO.
Wes Combs vs Wilson Gouveia
I really have not been impressed with Wes Combs, I’ dont know exactly what he’s still doing here, but I’ve only seen him in TUF3. His cardio was not too great either. On the other hand, Gouveia was totally impressive against Jardine in the TUF 3 finale, but he ran out of gas and thats really why he lost. If he’s smart, Gouveia should have corrected his cardio and if he can be as impressive as he was in the first round against Jardine, it should be an easy fight for him. Gouveia by KO.
Cory Walmsley vs David Heath
Two newcomers to the UFC. David Heath sounds like an intersting / weird fellow. He has been working in diverse entertainment wrestling organization (he may be well known – I wouldnt know anything about it). Cory seems to have slightly more experience and seems to be winning by submission, so why not, Walmsley by sumission.
Rob MacDonald vs Eric Shafer
As a Canadian, yes I’m disappointed that this fight is not on the main card, but truely understand why the UFC put it as a prelim. Rob really has to shine this time to stick around, he only has one loss (two if you include his TUF loss), but he has not been the most exciting fighter. We dont know much about Eric, he’s 28, and apparently he states that his favorite move is the flying armbar (I know a pro that nearly broke his neck doing it). Based and the fact that Eric has not risen higher before 28 and that Rob may have a little more big show experience, I predict Rob MacDonald by decision.
Main card
Nick Diaz vs Josh Neer
Thiego Alves was supposed to be facing Josh Neer, but apparently he got sick and ended up going to the hospital. So Nick Diaz who had been training for a fight that fell through took the fight. This is good development for Nick, he has lost his last two fights, and had another one cancelled. Nick is a great fighter that deserves a better record than what he shows lately. Josh Neer is good, but Nick Diaz is very hungry and will take it, by KO.
Jamie Varner vs Hermes Franca
Jamie is making his debut at UFC, he seems to have good experience in boxing and wrestling. Hermes is a pretty exciting fighter. He had a good victory against Caol Uno, and lost a close decision to Yves Edward. But that was a while back. He has been active and successful outside the UFC (WEC, AFC). He won in his latest UFC bout against newcomer Joe Jordan. Hermes is filling for Spencer Fischer who got injured while preparing for the fight. Again I will go with experience here, although Jamie does seem well rounded; Franca by decision.
Cheick Kongo vs Christian Wellisch
I really like Cheick’s standup, he is super crisp, he has world class Muay Thai. I think he could beat Tim Sylvia’s brawling style, but I digress. I am still not sure about his ground game though or his sprawling abilities. Most of Cheick fights usually end in KO or TKO. Regardless, he is facing an opponent that is the exact opposite of him, very good JiuJutsu and wrestling skills, and smart as well, Christian got into MMA to pay for his law school. Its a debut for Christian in UFC. This could be an interesting fight, will it go to the ground? But I really enjoy Kongo’s standup, so Cheick Kongo by KO.
Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin – Part Two
I’m sorry, but Griffin and Bonnar belong to UFC Fight Night, they’re claim to fame was their famous match, they have not risen up since (as Sanchez has). This fight will probably let us down, comparing it to the first epic. The reason, Forrest has greatly improved his skills while Stephan pretty much looks like the same fighter that he was on TUF. And as far as the competitors they both have faced, the nod goes to Forrest again. Griffin has fought much better caliber fighters than Bonnar has faced; Mahood, Sinosic, and of course Tito. Bonnar really should have lost against Jardine, had a lot of trouble with Sam Morgan, and got whipped by Evans. They do have similar style, so it might still turn out to be a decent fight, both really need a win.
There are rumours that the fight may not even happen at all, Bonnar may be injured.
If the fight happens, I still say its Griffin, by KO this time.
Renato Sobral vs Chuck Liddell – Part Two
This is great anticipated fight. This will not be a walk in the park for Chuck. Babalu has greatly improved since last losing to The Iceman almost four years ago now. For Babalu to win, he has to be able to take Chuck down and keep him there! Not an easy feat by any means, Chuck uses the fence to stand up. Babalu has great cardio, I’m sure Chuck’s cardio is very good as well, even if he rarely has had to need to go the distance. If Babalu does not take Chuck down and control him there, he could very well get KO’ed again.
I very much want Babalu to win, Chuck is too much of a one-dimensional fighter, the UFC should not be about one dimensional fighters. Wanderlei Silva would have been a great matchup for Chuck, but apparently thats also off. In the end, as much as I’d like, Liddell should prevail by KO, hopefully further than the 1st round.
In the end, I will still watch it, I am addicted! What do you think? Will you buy it?
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