UFC 163 Preview
A week after the lighter weight classes were featured at UFC on Fox 8 the Featherweight belt will be up for grabs at UFC 163. In the fight will be one of the most dominant Brazilians in the UFC and a fighter who makes every stand up when he is in the octagon. Jose Aldo reminds a lot of people of a lighter Anderson Silva. The Brazilian is currently on a 12 fight win streak including three title fights in the WEC and four title fights in the UFC. Aldo is a member of the Nova União camp and as one of the best members in one of the best camps he has proven to be unstoppable. Aldo is looking to pick up where Anderson Silva recently left off as the only Brazilian holding a belt right now. Brazil has been one of the most dominant countries in the UFC but after Anderson Silva lost to Chris Weidman there was only one Brazilian left holding a belt. Aldo is now the man representing a country that loves the UFC. Aldo is more than capable though as he has yet to lose in the UFC and has rarely been challenged in the octagon. After Anderson Silva lost the belt though, the UFC has been a little up in the air. Nobody is safe after the most dominant fighter in UFC history fell to a young rising star. Now every division could be in for a change at any moment. The man in the Featherweight division that will be looking to do this will be Chan Sung Jung, affectionately known as The Korean Zombie. This nickname, one of the best in the UFC, comes from a very real place as Jung can easily be mistaken for a zombie in the octagon. He received this nickname because no matter what happens to him in a fight he constantly goes forward. Like a zombie Jung isn’t too concerned about his own well-being during a fight as he constantly presses the action looking for the big finish and a fight of the night bonus. Now he fights for the UFC Featherweight title, after Anthon Pettis dropped out with an injury, with only three wins in the UFC. He gets the shot thanks to his constant ability to make fights exciting. He will go in with this mentality but also with the chance to shock the world and beat one of the best fighters in the UFC. Jung will have his work cut out for him but he still has a chance as nobody has truly tested Aldo. Jung has shown that he can finish a fight both on the ground and on the feet meaning that he will not care where the fight goes. He will try to get inside on Aldo and use his brawling style to keep the champion off-balance while showing his chin and ability to continue fighting no matter what Aldo throws at him. Jose Aldo on the other hand will try to avoid the brawl and stay on the outside where he can use his devastating kicks to limit the movement of Jung. Like Jung, Aldo is not concerned about where the fight goes although he may want to avoid the striking of Jung. Don’t be surprised if Aldo takes the fight to the ground and use his superior ground game to finish the fight. Although Jung is not afraid of the ground his Jiu Jitsu will not match Aldo and if the fight goes to the ground it may only be a matter of time until Aldo ends the fight. Although Jung will help to put on a very exciting fight he does not seem to be up to the standard of Aldo and that will be his downfall. Aldo is just a better all around fighter and technique can beat a brawl if Aldo is smart about his gameplan. Expect Aldo to remain the only Brazilian to hold a belt as he will beat Jung via submission in the third round.
There will be a break from the light weights though as the Light Heavyweights will also be featured on the main card. Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis will represent the heavier fighters in their co-main event fight with real title implications. Machida has constantly been ranked at the top of the light heavyweight division and this year is no different. After losing to Jon Jones in a title fight in 2011 Machida would slow down but remain one of the best. In his only fight in 2012 he would beat Ryan Bader in convincing fashion with a second round KO. He would also take out Dan Henderson in a split decision earlier this year. Now he sits as the #1 contender in the Light Heavyweight division and is one fight away from getting another title shot. Meanwhile Phil Davis is just making his way up the light heavyweight title ladder and a win against the #1 contender would change everything for him. After spending 2010 and 2011 climbing up the ladder Davis would lose to Rashad Evans and would have a Could not Continue fight in 2012. Davis would come back though beating Wagner Prado and Vinny Magalhaes on his way to the elite fighters in the division. Now he has a chance to prove that he belongs amongst the best in the division if he can beat Machida. Davis needs this win to show the UFC that he is an elite fighter after making it to that level in 2012 and falling to Rashad Evans. Machida is just looking for another title fight in his long and storied career that may be nearing an end. At 35 years old Machida might not have much time left and now is the time for him to make one more run at the Light Heavyweight title. It will be an interesting fight between two players on opposite ends of the spectrum but will it be the young rising star or the savvy veteran who comes out on top?
Fight Card:
Main Event:
Jose “Junior” Aldo vs. “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung [Featherweight Title] (PPV)
Main Card:
Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs. Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (PPV)
Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos (PPV)
Thales Leites vs. Tom “Kong” Watson (PPV)
John “Hands of Stone” Lineker vs. Jose “No Chance” Maria (PPV)
Undercard:
Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes vs. Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh (Sportsnet 360/FX)
Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes vs. Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff (Sportsnet 360/FX)
Sergio “The Panther” Moraes vs. Neil Magny (Sportsnet 360/FX)
Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall vs. Iliarde Santos (Sportsnet 360/FX)
Rani Yahya vs. Josh “The Gentleman” Clopton (Facebook)
Ednaldo “Lula” Oliveira vs. Francimar “Bodao” Barroso (Facebook)
Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde (Facebook)
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