TPWW Forums - what fights in the UFC do you want to see NOW and why?

OPINION - a lot of the most compelling fights are in the 205 lb weight class, and that is reflected in this post.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...aOQ9OnqsxwnSQw Clay Guida vs. Melvin Guillard http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5oinU6Fug...guillard+6.JPG

not sure who i would give the advantage to. Guillard has probably the fastest hands in the division, maybe the most powerful hands in the division, and possibly the most raw physicality in the division, which has been enough to steamrole his competition lately - even top competition like Evan Dunham. and he's a HUGE lighweight. the true question in my mind that might be answered by this fight is "how good has Guillard gotten?" it would say alot if he were to finish Guida early, like he has been able to do to most people. it would say even more if he finished him late or won a decision against Guida. the logic being that Guida is durable enough to last enough time for Guillard to beat himself. but if Melvin can maintain an effective gameplan against someone like Guida for 3 rounds, then that shows that Guillard made the necessary mental improvements and is probably the most dangerous fighter at 155.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...ps1i4vLMDlS17g Melvin Guillard vs. Gray Maynard http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...D1d9_enzn9wjow

my OPINION - probably not a great match-up for Maynard because of Guillard's speed and striking. the question being if Maynard's power and wrestling would be enough to shut Melvin down. yes, i know that Guillard is also big, strong, and a good wrestler with solid take down defense. like i said, probably a less than ideal match-up for Gray Maynard.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...0-9eLmmLhKuPEA Rory MacDonald vs. any of the above named fighters or current champ, Frankie Edgar http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...4yplHdQUmxxsod

that pimpley faced little creep is GOOD. as in better than good in ALL areas of mixed martial arts. at 20 or 21 years old, he has been dominating high-level competition like Nate Diaz, and Mike Pyle. and outside of those already mentioned in this post, i am hard pressed to come up with his next tough challenge, other than maybe someone like Evan Dunham or *Ben Henderson, maybe Jim Miller. Frankie Edgar is amazing. he beat BJ Penn twice, then came back from an onslaught from Gray Maynard to score a draw and retain the lightweigh title. it looked to me at the time that Edgar actually won that fight.

* oh, yeah. that reminds me, Ben "Smooth" Henderson http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...ytmSONIKMVoC8w vs. any of the above mentioned fighters.

"Shogun" Rua http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...fV5_suJUMY9qx_ vs. "Rampage" Jackson http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...wwNeuWu8l5KOsi

Rua looked great against Forrest, but looked horrible against Jon Jones. a testament to Jon Jones? an indictment against Forrest? i dont know. but i think Rampage would have been a much tougher test for Shogun than Forrest.
i would be inclined to give a slight advantage to Shogun because Rampage, while still good at what he does, is SO one-dimentional (read: predictable) and doesnt really seem to be inclined to improve where he has been lacking.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...FWTDyEYFQo7PZQ "Rampage Jackson vs. Thiago Silva http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...0yJj3uNPlBx1Nw

two BRUTAL fighters. both are heavy hitters. Quinton has the faster hands, i think, and Thiago has the better ground game. Rampage might have the better chin, so that, coupled with the better hands should give him an advantage. but again, his one-dimentionallity could easily bite him in the ass in this fight.

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...sXGTLKrJYrLtkw Thiago Silva vs. "Shogun" Rua http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...z5q_bTtR9qSr4A

this could be another brutal fight to watch. i would give Shogun the advantage on the feet (speed) + i dont know if i've ever seen Thiago throw a kick. if it goes to the ground though (with Silva in top position, that could be very bad for Shogun.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...1JijK7XtufFxZ7 "Shogun" Rua vs. Rashad Evans http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...vzbfGdnoiQaO9A

my OPINION is that this would be andvantage: Rashad Evans. Shogun has the better kicks and more reach with his kicks, and the big overhand right. Rashad has speed, athletisism, WRESTLING, speed, and can probably keep a faster pace early in the fight. not that Rashads cardio is bullet proof, but i can see Shogun gassing earlier. not that i totally lack faith in Shogun, but it can be hard to tell what condition he will be in for a fight (injuries.) one thing that is apparent with Rashad is that he gets better every fight. after leaving Greg Jackson's camp, it seemed in his fight against Tito that he made a move from athelete to fighter (in a good way.) since his loss to Machida, Rashad = Clubber Lang http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...rRJQai0ZVCgK9G

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...F8pTDAepw2cqWy Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...YHXPdM0C8mAyIk

II. in their first fight Lyoto whooped his ass. then he went 2 and 2. more like 1 and 3 if you consider that there is NO WAY he should have gotten that decision in his first title defense against Shogun. i know that there are some who say that he should have won the decision against Rampage, but that fight was too close to split hairs over. in Lyoto's defense, i've always thought it possible that he could be a victim of his own mystic - where if he is not absolutely running rings around his opponent, it feels like he's losing.

even owing his one loss to Machida, i think that Rashad would be more confident next time. since his loss to Machida, he has gone 3 and 0. and he is a better fighter than he was before. thats not saying that Machida isnt still great, but the mystic has eroded somewhat. still, styles make fights - which is why i think Rampage did pretty well against Machida and not so well against Rashad. this could still prove to be just a stylistic bad match-up for Rashad.

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...T8Z0_KMu4vkmbZ Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...HAjZdZ43N5Xl1Q

neither of these guys are THAT good. but i like fights that have some implications. the implication here would be whether Mitrione is ready to step up to some "name" competition. this fight is actually scheduled to happen in the near future. i see this one going to a decision, but i'm not sure in who's favor.

so, those are some fights that i would be excited for. no disrespect meant for the weight classes that were entirely left out, but @ Welterweight and Middleweight, the reigning champs seem to have those divisions pretty well sewn up, and i dont know enough about enough of the fighters in the new 145 and 135 pound weight classes.

i probably wont order UFC 134. i would like to see Jones/Rampage (is Jones really this good [probably] or can Rampage knock out Jon Jones and win the back the title [probably not]), but the rest of the car looks like shyte. i would have liked to have seen Hughes/Sanchez, but with Sanchez out, Hughes/Koscheck seems like a likely win for Koscheck.

UFC 135 looks sweet though. i'll definitely be getting that.