UFC 175 Preview
When you beat the man who most people consider to be the greatest fighter in UFC history a big target is painted on your back. That is the case for Chris Weidman as he would beat Anderson Silva not once but twice in 2013. It was long thought that Anderson Silva would never lose the title and that he would retire as the greatest champion in UFC history. Then came along Chris Weidman who would take full advantage of Silva’s mistakes and his cockiness. The first fight between the two would see Silva begin trying to goat Weidman into getting aggressive and making a mistake. It was a usual strategy for Silva but this time it ended poorly as Weidman earned the knockout. With many people saying Weidman got lucky a rematch was scheduled to see if Weidman could prove that he truly was the best middleweight in the world. In the second fight Silva would unleash a kick that was checked by Weidman resulting in Silva breaking his leg. It was yet another fight that has not convinced everyone that Weidman deserves to be considered better than Silva. With Silva on the mend and a rematch likely in the works after he returns, Weidman goes about defending his championship in one of the more complicated divisions in the UFC. With Weidman winning the championship all the former contenders that lost to Silva, and would likely not be getting a rematch against Silva, all of a sudden became top contenders once again. Weidman now has a long line of fighters to defend his belt against, along with likely another fight against Silva, and it all starts when he faces another living legend. The first test that Weidman will get to defend his belt will be against the karate specialist and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. It has taken some time to form this fight as Weidman was originally scheduled to fight Vitor Belfort in May. Belfort would not be able to fight after the fallout due to the TRT ruling by the fight commission and Machida would be the replacement. Weidman would injure his knee in preparation for the May fight and the matchup was pushed back. Finally Weidman gets back into the ring to show that he is a lot more than just the thorn in Silva’s side. Weidman wants to prove that he is truly the best middleweight fighter in the world and that he can beat the other top contenders in the division. It won’t be an easy task as Machida is one of the most difficult fighters in the UFC to prepare for because there are very few fighters that fight like Machida. He is the master of the counter strike and can be impossible to hit at times. With a karate background, Machida has an awkward stance and stays just outside of the range of his opponents. As he stays out of the range he lets his opponents strike and follows their strikes with counters before getting out of their range once again. It is a tough style to prepare for but Weidman is confident that he can figure it out and can beat the former champion. Weidman is one of the most balanced fighters in the UFC as his wrestling base makes him good on the ground but his heavy hands make it dangerous to stand with him. In this fight Weidman will likely look to keep the fight on the feet and avoid the BJJ of Machida, a largely underrated part of Machida’s game, and be patient enough to take the chances when he gets them. It is a good matchup and a true test of Weidman as a champion as he faces a tough opponent in Machida who will be looking to turn this fight in his favour and win a second belt in a second weight class. The fight is a good matchup but Chris Weidman is the new breed of fighter that is truly comfortable everywhere the fight goes and he will be able to overcome Machida with a knockout win in the third round.
AS Weidman looks to make everyone forget about the most dominant champion in UFC history a champion looking to take that title from Silva will enter the octagon. She is one of the newest UFC champions in a young Women’s Bantamweight Division but she has made a big impression. Ronda Rousey has yet to lose in her MMA career and although it is only 10 fights the way she has won is one of the most impressive feats in the UFC. In her first 8 fights Rousey would end the fight with an armbar, her first seven fights ended in the first round. It was never a doubt that Rousey was looking for the armbar in every fight and yet she would always lock it in to get the win. Her last fight was out of character though after changing things up and knocking Sara McMann out in the first round. Since entering the UFC Rousey has not been as dominant as she was in Strikeforce with her first fight almost ending with her being submitted in the first round and her second fight going beyond the first round for the first time in her career. Still she is extremely dominant and although the competition has been ratcheted up in the UFC she is still approaching the level of dominant champions in the UFC. In her way to getting there will be Alexis Davis who could provide a serious challenge to Rousey. Davis is a jiu jitsu practitioner with black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Japanese Jiu Jitsu. She is a powerful striker that can fight and grind out a win on the ground. Rousey has yet to face someone with this level of jiu jitsu meaning that the armbar may not be as easy to get as it has been in the past. Still despite this being a new challenge for Rousey there is little doubt for many that she will win this fight. Rousey may not be able to end this fight in the first round like many of her fights but she is still such a dominant and complete fighter in the division that it will be hard for anyone to beat her as she continues to be one of the greatest champions in the UFC.
Fight Card
Main Event:
Chris “All American” Weidman vs. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida [Middleweight Title] (Pay-per-View)
Main Card:
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis [Women’s Bantamweight Title] (Pay-per-View)
Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs. Matt “Meathead” Mitrione (Pay-per-View)
Uriah “Prime Time” Hall vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos (Pay-per-View)
Russell Doane vs. Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage (Pay-per-View)
Undercard:
“The California Kid” Urijah Faber vs. Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Ildemar “Marajó” Alcantara vs. Kenny Robertson (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Chris Camozzi vs. Bruno “Carioca” Santos (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
George Roop vs. Rob Font (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Luke Zachrich vs. Guilherme “Bomba” Vasconcelos (UFC Fight Pass)
“King” Kevin Casey vs. Bubba “The Fighting Texas Aggie” Bush (UFC Fight Pass)
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