In an alternate universe, UFC 130 is totally going to kick ass.� Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will complete their hard-fought trilogy and firm up the lightweight division title situation once and for all, while in the co-main event Quinton Jackson and Thiago Silva?s impending stand-up battle will provide more thrills than a rollercoaster packed with sticks of dynamite and on fire.� But alas, we?re in our universe, where injuries have scrapped Edgar/Maynard III and Rampage is facing a tough yet completely unassuming Matt Hamill.� UFC 130 does show promise ? it?s hard to overlook two highly-skilled heavyweights, we get to see if Thiago Alves is still in ?beast mode?, and Jorge Santiago returns to the Octagon after totally killing it in Japan.� Unfortunately, there?s about zero heat going into this event, so let?s break down the bouts and discuss why the event is worth hitting ?purchase? on your DVR?s remote control.�
Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill ? Ever since Rampage got paid to act alongside Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson in the ?A-Team? movie, his efforts in the Octagon can best be summed up by the phrase ?Dude has really been phoning it in?.� Hey, good for him for finding another revenue stream.� Fighting for a living sucks.� But now we have to get excited for a main event featuring a man no longer excited about fighting, and that sucks.� With his wrestling and burgeoning striking skills, Hamill is no pushover, and though in his most recent fights he barely squeaked by Tito Ortiz and Keith Jardine ? and he was unequivocally slain by Jon Jones ? he should at least force Jackson to break a sweat.� That merits a look-see, no?
Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson ? Mir was the champ, and when Nelson was announced as a member of the TUF 10 cast, there was never any doubt that he?d win it all.� Regardless of who they can and cannot beat in the current heavyweight roster, and regardless of their placement in the pecking order, they?re undeniably two very skilled bad mama jamas.� They met once in grappling competition years ago, but if recent fistic trends are any indication, expect this one to be a stand-up contest.� And maybe even a good one, at that.
Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne ? Struve is big and tall and good at crushing cans.� We?re not sure if Browne is a can yet, although thanks to Cheick Kongo repeatedly grabbing his shorts at UFC 120, he has managed to earn a ?draw? against one of the UFC?s elite.� Will Struve crush the American?� I have no idea, but it may be fun watching him try.
Rick Story vs. Thiago Alves ? As top dogs Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch proved, the best way to defeat Alves is to wrestle him to death.� Any deviation from that path will get you killed.� Story is great at wrestling, although it remains to be seen if his skills are comparable to St. Pierre and Fitch.� Ultimately, this means that we?re going to see either Alves commit murder or Story lay on top of him for three rounds.
Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago ? Brian Stann is a living, breathing GI JOE action figure who scored big when he smoked Chris Leben at UFC 125.� He should have his hands full with Santiago, though, who can hit hard and submit harder.� Compared to the other bouts on the card, this one has the most crowd-pleasing potential, as it?s very likely these dudes are going to just stand in front of each other and drop bombs.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/xtzRinsMhjI/
Diego Sanchez Jorge Santiago Evangelista Santos Rey Phillip Santos
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