Given that I have recently moved across the country and am sort of busy with that I have been unable write about MMA recently and will be forced to keep this one abbreviated. However, this free card packs too much of a punch to completely ignore so I lets get right too it.
Facebook Card
If you get the chance tune into facebook for a few fights. It’s stacked with relative unknowns who can truly lay it all on the line. Kyle Noke vs Ed Herman should be exciting as both guys are tough and far from conservative but the main attraction to this portion of the card is Joseph Benavidez vs Eddie Wineland. Wineland is a scrappy fighter with tons of hart that gave Faber some trouble in his UFC debut and Benavidez is one of the top bantamweights in the world. In fact he has only lost to UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz. The winner of this fight might not be far away from a title shot so tune in because you might see them again soon.
Duane Ludwig vs Amir Sadollah
I’m going to be honest. I don’t like Amir Dadollah. I think he is overrated and generally boring/borderline annoying. He and Ludwig should be game for an exciting fight though. Their styles will likely lead to some interesting striking exchanges and I would be somewhat surprised if this one saw the third round. Even though I don’t like Amir, a lot of people think he is bee’s knees so tune in and judge for yourself.
Donald Cerrone vs Charles Oliveira
Holy Scrambling Ju Jitsu Batman! If you don’t know who these two guys are yet you haven’t been reading my blog (which isn’t particularly surprising). Charles Oliveira has some of the slickest bjj in all of MMA and he has been on a tear in the UFC, losing only to Jim Miller (significance to come). Donald Cerrone on the other hand is really likable… well kind of likeable. He carries his tough guy cowboy gimmick to the extreme but more often than not he backs it up in the cage. He is scrappy, hard to keep down, hard to hit, and flat out hard to hurt. I tend to think he is partially a product of relatively weak competition but there is no denying that he leaves it all in the cage. Oliveira will be looking to expose him but I think even someone of his skill will have trouble getting a hold of Cerrone. I expect fireworks and a potential fight of the night candidate with Oliveira picking up another win.
Jim Miller vs Ben Henderson
The fact that this is not the main event is absolutely beyond me. Ben Henderson and Jim Miller are nothing if they aren’t top contenders for the lightweight title. Miller might be the most deserving title contender not lined up for a shot in the business today. Henderson on the other hand is a former WEC champion and all around promising prospect. To boot, neither one of these guys know how to be boring, it isn’t in their blood. If the cards were to fall right the winner of this could end up next in line to fight the winner of Maynard vs Edgar III. Both fighters have strong wrestling but are extremely well rounded. Jim Miller submitted Charles Oliveira (see above) and Henderson has a knack for surviving some of the most excruciating looking submissions only to come out on top. Both men bring to the table fast hands and superb athleticism. The difference may be in attitude. Jim Miller is a fighter, you can tell by looking at him. You get the feeling that he would just assume hit you in the mouth as to look at you. Henderson on the other hand is one of those super-dudes. He seems to be the best at everything. He is athletic, nice, smart, and generally seems like a good guy. I may expect Cerrone vs Oliveira to be a fight of the night contender but this fight is the front-runner. If you tune in for no other reason tune in for this fight.
Dan Hardy vs Chris Lytle
It isn’t that I hate this fight or that I think it will be boring; it is just that I think this is the most overblown fight in some time. Dan Hardy hasn’t won a fight in his last three and Chris Lytle is coming off a huge upset lose. Both guys are more impressive names than the aforementioned fighters but the reality is that this fight means a lot less. On the bright side, I do expect that this will be nothing short of thrilling. Both Lytle and Hardy love nothing more than to stand and exchange punches and unless one of them plans “an Anthony Johnson” (and by that I mean they plan to ruin everyone’s good time), this one is going to be really exciting. Hardy is probably fighting for his job and Chris Lytle was knocking on the door of title contention before his set-back so both men have extra motivation to win and win with style. This fight wont be one you are sorry you watched so keep your TV on after the Henderson/Miller fight.
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