UFC Live 6 Preview
Last year the UFC added two weight classes and will be adding a new one soon and most of these changes came from the WEC. When WEC was absorbed into the UFC the 145 and 135 weight classes were created. These new weight classes had many groaning as they were thought to be boring with not power and no knockout ability. In fact the lighter classes have hosted some of the most exciting fights since entering the UFC last year. With the speed and technicality of these lighter fighters makes the fights they put on some of the most active and exciting fights in the UFC. This is true of the 145 pound champion Dominick Cruz who is one of the fastest fighters in the UFC. Cruz was the Bantamweight Champion in the WEC defending his belt twice in the WEC and was named the UFC Bantamweight Champion when the WEC was dissolved and brought into the UFC. Since then Cruz has only defended his belt once as he beat Urijah Faber at UFC 132. The Urijah Faber fight was an extremely fun fight to watch as both fighters seemed to sprint around the ring at a rapid pace. The fight continued at this pace for all five rounds as Cruz walked away with the belt around his waist officially defending his belt of the first time. Meanwhile the rest of the Bantamweight division has been scraping it out to figure out the rankings and figure out who will get the next title fight. One of these fighters is Demetrious Johnson who has fought twice in the UFC since coming in from the WEC. Johnson is yet another fighter who makes sure that the pace is fast and furious with almost an endless battery. These fighters will face off on Saturday as the UFC shows their live cable audience a title fight and one that should be thrilling and sure to attract even more MMA fans. The current champion and challenger are very similar in fighting style as they both love to push the pace and can do exactly that for as many rounds as they need. They do have their differences, however as they pose a classic matchup. Cruz is mainly a kickboxer who can mix it up on the ground but his Jiu Jitsu purple belt is far from what is the norm for true wrestlers. Meanwhile Johnson is comfortable on the ground as he has ended 5 fights by submission. Of course Faber was also a wrestler much like Johnson and instead to stood up with Cruz due to the speed of the fight. Cruz and Johnson will have a classic matchup of wrestler vs. striker but Cruz has seen this before in his last fight. If Cruz can move enough to keep it standing he will be in good shape as Johnson is not as skilled on his feet. If the fight goes to the ground Cruz will be in tough but still will have the ability to hang with him. I think that Johnson is a great fight for Cruz and this fight will definitely be exciting but I believe that Cruz will be just too much for Johnson and will win by Unanimous Decision and retain his belt.
While the lightest weight class will be on display at UFC Live there will also be some heavier contenders fighting for their chance at their own belt. Just before the title fight two big heavyweights will face off as Pat Barry and Stefan Struve both look to get back into the title conversation. Pat Barry is one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division but has had an up and down career in the UFC. Barry has yet to string together more than one win as he has been impressive one fight and less than so in the next. In his last fight Barry looked very impressive but was shocked along with the rest of the audience when Cheick Kongo was knocked out twice by Barry and came back to get the KO victory. Now Barry will face another impressive heavyweight that has been on the losing end as of late. Stefan Strive looked to be on the fast track to the heavyweight title as the 6’11” fighter towered over all of his opponents. That was until he faced the 6’7” Travis Browne and was on the losing end of one of the best KOs of the year. Struve will now try to get back on track towards the heavyweight title as will Barry. Whoever wins this fight will look to get back into the conversation but don’t expect this fight to go the entire three rounds as both will be looking to finish.
Fight Card
Bantamweight Title:
Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (Sportsnet/Versus)
Main Card:
Pat “HD” Barry vs. Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve (Sportsnet/Versus)
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman (Sportsnet/Versus)
“Handsome” Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig (Sportsnet/Versus)
Undercard:
Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello “Tractor” Oliviera (Facebook)
Michael “The Menace” Johnson vs. Paul Sass (Facebook)
Mike “The Hulk” Easton vs. Byron Bloodworth (Facebook)
Shane Roller vs. TJ Grant (Facebook)
Josh “The Dentist” Neer vs. Keith Wisniewski (Facebook)
Walel “The Gazelle” Watson vs. Joseph Sandoval (Facebook)
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