UFC 75 is the first time in the history of Mixed Martial Arts in which a champion from PRIDE is facing off with the champion in the UFC. Granted the unification bout most fans wanted to see is not the fight we will be shown in the main event of UFC 75. Long time PRIDE and UFC 205 pound champions Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell were both upset and because of their defeats we will now be treated with this inticing showdown of "Dangerous" Dan Henderson and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. But before I give you my thoughts on this matchup let?s go through this exciting card taking place September 8th in London, England.











Welterweights: Gleison Tibau (14-4) vs. Terry Etim (9-0)


An intriguing match up here as the submission specialist Terry Etim faces off against the Brazilian Gleison Tibau. Etim coming off a submission win in his UFC debut over Division 1 wrestler Matt Grice would love to force Gleison Tibau to tap. The UFC is also rooting for Terry Etim to win this bout impressively because he would help grow the sport in the UK. Etim from Liverpool with a victory may team up with Bisping as the poster boys for the UFC`s expansion in the UK. Though, Tibau is a rugged veteren who has never lost by submission. This will be a huge test to see if Etim is well rounded enough to defeat Tibau. I do not think Etim has the stand up to hang with Tibau as I see Tiabu winning a rather boring unanimous decision.











Welterweights: Anthony Torres (5-1) vs. Jess Liaudin (11-


Liaudin vs. Torres is a classic example of a preliminary match in the UFC. One fighter is a prospect trying to get on a roll in the UFC (Torres) and the other fighter is a rough, rugged veteran trying to show the world that he is getting better with age (Liaudin). Liaudin may very well be getting better; training with Team Quest he has gotten four straight wins. But he will have tough test against the Hawaiian. Torres is coming off the biggest win of his career over Pat Healy and looks to continue his success. I think Torres will get another victory over Liaudin with a unanimous decision, but I will not be surprised if Liaudin sneaks in a takes this victory with a submission.











Lightweights: Naoyuki Kotani (17-6-5) vs. Dennis Siver (10-4)


This welterweight showdown between Naoyuki Kotani and Dennis Siver looks to be an even match up on paper. Both fighters lost their UFC debuts and both have a wealth of experience in mixed martial arts. But in this bout it seems like a bad matchup for Dennis Siver. Siver`s four defeats have all come by way of submission and the ground game is Kotani`s specialty. That is why expect this fight to end early as Kotani should force Siver tap out.











Middleweights: Thiago Silva (10-0) vs. Tomasz Drwal (14-1)


In a very intriguing fight we have two fighters with excellent records going at it in a preliminary bout. Silva who comes from the famed Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil is known for knocking out opponents with the soccer kicks his camp his known for. Though Silva`s stand up is not as crisp and dangerous as his stablemates Shogun and Wanderlei Silva`s are. Now Drwal has an excellent record and seems to be well rounded winning fights by submission and knock out. Whether the fighter will be able to have equal success in the UFC is still to be seen. I predict Drwal to live up to his record and finish Thiago Silva standing at some point in this fight.











Welterweights: Paul Taylor (8-1-1) vs. Marcus Davis (17-4)


This fight has a chance to be the fight of the night. Both fighters like to bang but have the potential to submit fighters at the same time. Paul Taylor, the former Cage Rage Middleweight champion, has beaten good fighters such as Jess Liaudin and "Little Cro Cop" Zelg Galesic. Marcus Davis is riding high on a nine fight winning streak and which include four wins in the UFC. In those fights he showed that, the former professional boxer, has developed some good ground skills to go with his dangerous hands. In this fight I see it as a tough match up for Paul Taylor, as Marcus Davis can outstrike him standing and has good ground skills which make this fight dangerous for Taylor no matter where this fight goes. Overall, I see this fight ending in Davis? favor by either TKO or decision.











Light Heavyweights: Houston Alexander (7-1) vs. Alessio Sakara (15-5-1)


The two fighters here are trying to get two straight wins in the UFC. Alessio Sakara the Italian UFC veteran will be taking on "The Dean of Mean" conquerer Houston Alexander.





HOUSTON ALEXANDER Vs Keith Jardine








Expect this fight to be a stand up war as both Houston and Sakara like to duke it out. This fight will be a huge test to see if Houston Alexander is the real deal or just a flash in the pan. In his fight with Jardine, even though he won the fight early in the first round he was hurt by a straight jab from Jardine. And this fight will prove whether that was early jitters or that his chin is really weak. Alessio Sakara has good boxing skills and this is a good test to see if either fighter can continue to rise the rankings of the UFC Light Heavyweight division. I predict Alessio Sakara to either win a standing unanimous decision or to knock out Alexander in either the second or third round.











Heavyweights: Mirko Filipovic (22-5-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (10-3-1)


In his first fight in the Octagon since his shocking upset loss to Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko Cro Cop will be taking on the dangerous Cheick Kongo.





CROCOP vs SILVA








CROCOP vs GONZAGA








A quite intriguing match up based on the fact that both fighters are accomplished kick-boxers. Yet, don`t think that Kongo is on the same level than Cro Cop, no matter what Dana White might say. Cro Cop has fought on the biggest of stages of fighting, K-1, PRIDE, and recently UFC. Kongo has only fought against C and B level competition in the UFC. Expect the inexperience of Kongo to play a factor and he will be wild with his kicks and punches, and Mirko to be crisper and more selective with his striked eventually ending this fight by a right high kick which will instantly put him back into the UFC Heavyweight mix.











Light Heavywights: Matt Hamill (3-0) vs. Michael Bisping (13-0)


In his third fight since winning the Ultimate Fighter 3 the UFC`s poster boy for the UK Michael Bisping will go up against his TUF rival Matt Hamill. This fight is very intriguing because both fighters are complete opposites. One is a stud wrestler, the other an accomplished kick-boxer.





HAMIL vs NICKELS








BISPING vs HAYNES








BISPING vs ROTHAERMEL








The key to this fight is Bisping?s takedown defense. In his last two fights in the UFC vs. Sinosic and Schafer he was taken down but survived and ended up stopping both opponents. Yet Matt Hamill is on a different level than Sinosic and Schafer in terms of wrestling. In this fight expect Hamill to come in with wild strikes coming forward trying to push Bisping to the fence and take down "The Count". Expect Hamill to get atleast one takedown and it will be up to Bisping`s jiu-jitsu to offset and counter Hamill on the mat. If Hamill comes in expecting to stand with Bisping expect this fight to end quickly, in terms of TKO or KO for the Brit. In conclusion, I see Hamill taking down Bisping but not hurting his rival enough to keep the fight on the ground. Therefore they will fight enough standing in which Bisping should outclass and knockout Matt Hamill in either the first or second round.











UFC Light Heavywight Championship: Dan Henderson (22-5) vs. Quinton Jackson (27-6)


So many elements play into this championship fight playing out that it is a very hard fight to call. Henderson a natural 185 pound fighter beat the man that always seemed to be in Jackson`s way in Wanderlei Silva. In his February fight with Silva, Henderson made Silva look slow and old. Those might not be all caused by Henderson but we must give credit where credit is due. Quinton Jackson left the PRIDE organization after being the number two guy in their middleweight division for the last few years.





HENDERSON vs MISAKI








Since then he`s put up lackluster wins against Marvin Eastman and Matt Lindland. His last fight with Chuck was quick and we didn`t really get to see if Quinton returned to the form that wrecked havoc on PRIDE fighters like Ricardo Arona and Kevin Randleman. Based on both fighters, Henderson and Jackson, I highly doubt that on September 8th we will see a one punch knockout which occurred in Jackson`s victory over Liddell.





RAMPAGE vs LIDDELL








RAMPAGE vs LIDDELL II








Instead, I expect to see a fight where both guys will be standing much of the fight with Quinton getting the better of the exchanges. Henderson will try to takedown Rampage but it will be very difficult to takedown the newly crowned UFC champion. In Quinton`s fight with Lindland, it was very difficult for the Olympic Silver Medalist in Greco-Roman Wrestling to take Rampage down. Henderson who was an Olympian in Greco-Roman Wrestling will likely have the same difficult time. Henderson`s only way to win is to land that huge right hand of his, but Quinton has a great beard. It took Silva 7 knees to the face to put him away and he was still smiling back. Overall, I see this fight going the distance with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson winning a Unanimous Decision and retaining his UFC Title.

Article By: H-Wigget1968