UFC 122 Main Card Breakdown
Posted by Dylan Horner (Staff Writer)Nov 11
This Saturday, November 13th, Spike TV is going to be broadcasting UFC 122 via tape delay from the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. UFC 122 will be the second event held in Germany; the last being UFC 99. The last time Dana White came to Germany, they event drew a lot of negative attention and minors were banned from attending. In March 2010, MMA was banned from being broadcast in the country, but that didn’t deter Dana White, and the show will go on. Let’s take a look at these main card fights and breakdown each one:
The first bout of the broadcast is a Light Heavyweight contest between TUF 8’s “The Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski (21-10-1) and Goran Reljic (8-2). Both fighters are coming off a tough loss in their last fight, which both coincidentally took place at UFC 116. Three of six fights for Soszynski have resulted in a bonus at the end of the night (Submission of the Night 2x, Fight of the night 1x). For Reljic, this will be his return to Light Heavyweight after dropping to Middleweight and going 0-2. The key to success for Reljic will be to keep the pressure on Soszynski and keep him from getting comfortable with his striking. Although both fighters have good BJJ skills, Soszynski has as many submission victories as Reljic has fights.
Up next is a Welterweight battle between TUF 7’s winner, Amir Sadollah (3-2) and Peter Sobotta (8-3). Both men are coming off of decision losses in their last fight and should be hungry to get back on the winning track. Since winning the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah has gone 2-2 and will need a decisive victory if he wants to avoid the same fate that received by Efrain Escudero. Sobotta has yet to taste UFC victory and will most likely be cut following another loss. Sadollah has shown that he has good cardio and can work for a full 3-round fight, so this could be a fifteen minute striking match.
The third fight of the night features yet another TUF alum as Andre Winner (11-4-1) takes on dangerous kick boxer, Dennis Siver (16-7). In Winner’s last fight, Nik Lentz used his wrestling to keep Winner grounded and pressed up against the cage and prevented him from using his striking. Against Siver, however, you can almost guarantee there will be nothing but striking, as that is Siver’s strength. Both men are crisp strikers and this fight could end at any moment, so don’t blink.
The Co-Main Event of the night is a Middleweight bout between Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera (18-7) and Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara (15-7-1). On paper, these two men are nearly identical: majority of victories by way of knockout, most fights ending in the first round, identical height and reach, and both men love to stand and trade punches. The biggest difference between the two, though, is their age; Rivera is coming in about ten years older than Sakara. Not much is predictable in MMA, but with their track records, you can bet the house that this fight will end in a knockout.
Finally, in the Main Event of the evening: Nate “The Great” Marquardt (30-9-2)) vs. Yushin “Thunder” Okami (25-5).
After the incident with Chael Sonnen that forced him out of his rematch with Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort was removed from his fight with Okami and named the new Number One Contender. Following his quick stoppage of Rousimar Palhares, Nate Marquardt was named Belfort’s replacement to face Okami. The winner will earn the next shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship following the Belfort/Silva fight. In Okami’s recent fights he’s shown his improved striking and takedown defense; both areas in which Marquardt is strong. It will be interesting to see if Okami with FINALLY get the recognition he’s so long sought out, or if Marquardt will get his second crack at the Middleweight belt.
On a card that has a former TUF fighter in just about every fight, expect some good things to happen. While this card may not be stacked in the sense of big names, it is full of talent from top to bottom.
Make sure you tune in on Saturday evening to watch it all play out. Also, if you want to avoid spoilers, remember to stay away from any social network and MMA sites.
Check out our UFC 122 predictions contest powered by Born Stronger, enter and you could win yourself a nice shirt.
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