UFC 116 Lesnar Vs Carwin: Never Underestimate the Undercards
It’s going to be intense; it’s going to be a fire fight. And not just because of the main event.
The UFC Octagon looks to reassert itself as the ultimate ground for mixed martial arts supremacy, so expect some heavy fireworks even before Lesnar and Carwin lock up.
In the co-main event, tough guy Chris Leben has agreed to step up and replace the injured Wanderlai Silva against Japanese Yoshihiro Akiyama. Less than a week after his impressive win over Aaron Simpson in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 11, Leben will assume the role of the other protagonist in the support bout.
“The Crippler” stopped the previously unbeaten Simpson via strikes in the second round—and heavily impressed the crowds. Leben’s list of victims includes current Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago and Strikeforce middleweight contender Benji Radach and American Kickboxing Academy standout Mike Swick.
Leben’s only defeat came at the hands of Anderson Silva, arguably the best MMA fighter today.
Akiyama, on the other hand, is no pushover either. In his past 14 fights, the Japanese has not tasted defeat. He was last beaten by Jerome LeBanner back in 2005 - and the Japanese has no intentions of losing anytime soon.
The 34-year-old judo black belt’s last appearance in the octagon was at UFC 100, where he got the nod of the judges against Alan Belcher. Prior to his UFC appearance, he defeated Dutch giant Melvin Manhoef and 2005 Pride Fighting Championships welterweight grand prix runner-up Denis Kang. With 12 of his wins coming by way of knockouts and submissions, Akiyama presents a real threat to Leben.
Akiyama was supposed to fight Wanderlei Silva, but the Brazilian legend had to withdraw from the fight because of a torn anterior-cruciate knee ligament and three broken ribs.
In an emotional blog at his personal website, Silva posted: ““I can’t fight. I’m really sad. I have been training for four months for this fight. This is a very difficult moment in my career. This is my work. I live for it.”
Fight fans need not despair because Silva’s substitute will certainly make up for “The Axe Murderer’s” absence. Yes, Silva’s ability to take and dish out punishment will be missed. But Leben and Akiyama can explode at any second, making for a very exciting match. With the fighters’ impressive KO and submission ratios, the judges won’t be needed in this one.
Another explosive match pits Chris “Lights Out” Lytle against Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Lytle is riding on a two match winning streak and will look to put Brown’s lights out early.
Lytle is coming to the match hungry for a knockout as he failed to come up with one in his last five fights. Last time around, Lytle faced Brian Foster during the undercard of the Nogueira vs Velasquez brawl, winning in style with a great knee bar.
Against Brown, Lytle vows not to leave the fight in the hands of the judges and hopes to win via KO or submission.
Matt Brown will certainly have his hands full when he laces the gloves against Lytle. Brown is coming off a loss to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist Ricardo Almeida under the Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy Welterweight championship bout, succumbing to a rear naked choke.
Looking at Brown's record, one may perceive that the fighter is very susceptible to submission attempts, with six of his eight losses coming by way of submissions. Lytle would be wise to exploit some of Brown’s weaknesses on the ground in their UFC brawl.
Catch the massive MMA action on July 3, 2010. Live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
UFC 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin. It’s going to be heavy.
Tags: