Main event is ****, lets be honest about that, only a miracle will lend an exciting bout between thse two styles, besides being very anticlimactic. The undercard saved it though, Maia and Nate is one of those fights you really have no clue how it will unfold. Theres a great fighter between these two and I doubt its Nate. Vera of course, when is on..really is the only possible foil for Silvas standup because of his technical prowess. If he throws more than 10 strikes per round, Kristoff is limping out of the cage.
I normally might be Silva because his agressive and violent style is the ind that usually eats Jardine up ala Wanderlei and Alexander. That said Jardine is on that 1 win then loss 1 thing right now and I dont expect him to lose a secound straight. IMO Silva has a weak chin and Jardine will finish him inside 1 although the opposite wouldnt shock me.
I actually enjoy watching the style match-up of a wrestler vs a Submission artist. I don't think that Nog is quite as past it as people make him out to be. The man beat Barnett in Pride... and then a half year later people were saying he was shot when he fought Herring in the UFC. I like to call that "Pride to UFC syndrome". Another fighter who caught that illness was Cro Cop at the top of his game directly before becoming shot months later in the UFC. It's just silly. I love the match-up, and it's a fight that had to happen. Besides that... fighters don't need to be in their prime, or need to be fighting to see who is the best in the world for it to be a very interesting or intriguing fight. We are talking about Randy Couture vs Nog... I wouldn't miss it for anything. I love the undercard as well.
Both guys are a little past their prime, which makes this a competitive and interesting match up, I'm looking forward to this one!
UFC 104 and WEC 44 could be the most exciting events of the year. Of course that depends on what match-ups are conconcted for Strikeforce 20. I also still haven't watched any of that DREAM stuff.
Maia/Marquardt is the best fight on the card. Nog/Couture is a pathetic fight and just an example of the UFC trying to put a good name on Coutures resume. You dont think the UFC knows Nog is completely done? Of course they do, thats why this fight is happening. Silva is absolutely terrible, fortunately Jardine isnt great either. But I got Jardine in this fight. I got Rosholt in this fight. I think Rosholt is going to take him down and control him for 3 rounds. This card is average at best.
Actually, this card does suck. I am usually pumped the week before a UFC event. Not so much this week.. Couture and Nog are both dinosaurs coming off losses. Neither of these guys deserve a shot at Brock any time soon. And their styles ensure the match will end in a boring decision... The only fight I'm really excited to watch on this card is Maia vs Marquardt. Silva vs Jardine and Vera vs Krystoff (spelling) are decent matchups. Chris Leben? Uhm, save him for the preliminaries. He doesn't deserve to be on the main card, unless he's facing a fighter better than him. This card is nowhere near the quality or the significance of UFC 100 and 101.
He gets beat by every decent fighter he faces though. He has power in his hands, which makes him exciting, but if he's not facing a quality opponent, then it doesn't belong on the main card. But the rest of the preliminary fights don't deserve to be on the main card either, so I guess Leben gets the spot by default.
Jorge Santiago is top 10 in the world,Mike Swick top 10 in the world and Chris Leben KOed them both other decent guys he beat would be Alessio Sakara and Jorge Rivera. Cleary he isnt a top level guy but his punching power wins him alot of fights he shouldnt win therefore that helps make him incredibly exicting.