UFC 113 Main Card Preview
UFC 113 comes to you live this Saturday night from the Bell Center in Montreal. The long awaited rematch between Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua for the light heavyweight title will take place, as well as a matchup between two of the top contenders at 170lbs with Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley.
Check out our UFC 113 Undercard preview here.
Patrick Cote (13-5) vs. Alan Belcher (15-6)
A year and a half after a devastating knee injury, Patrick Cote makes his return to the UFC against Alan Belcher. In his last fight against Anderson Silva, Patrick Cote made headlines by lasting two rounds against the champ before his knee gave out. Carrying a 4-5 record in the Octagon, Cote looks to build upon the momentum he had before his injury to get another shot against Silva, who he is confident he will gain a victory against should they rematch. First, he'll have to shake off the ring rust and prove hes recovered from his injury.
Across the cage, Alan Belcher comes into this fight on the heels of back to back Fight of the Night performances (and a Submission of the Night thrown in there for good measure). A 10 fight veteran of the UFC, Belcher holds notable wins over Wilson Gouveia and Dennis Kang. Belcher is a fierce striker who also holds a brown belt in BJJ, proving that he can finish a fight from anywhere and earning the nickname 'The Talent.'
Look for…
…Cote to struggle to shake his ring rust off and for Belcher to capitalize. Belcher holds a significant height advantage over Cote, and that will only makes things more difficult for the Canadian. If Belcher can keep his foe at bay, Cote will find it difficult to explode and close the distance on 'The Athlete,' a combination not conducive to winning.
What We Think:
Rich Keefe – Alan Belcher def. Patrick Cote via Unanimous Decision
Nick Cattles – Patrick Cote def. Alan Belcher via TKO in the 2nd Round
Josh Deering – Patrick Cote def. Alan Belcher via TKO in the 3rd Round
Smitty – Alan Belcher def. Patrick Cote via Unanimous Decision
Kimbo Slice (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (1-0)
What can you say about Kimbo Slice that can't be found on YouTube? If theres one thing he is good at, its straight up brawling. But in his last fight, we saw a new man…a man who is convinced that he can win by doing more than just standing up with his opponent. Despite being a knockout artist, Slice tried to demonstrate his newfound abilities in the cage in a snooze-fest of a win over Houston Alexander. Hopefully, he remembers what got him to the dance and gives his fans what they want: 15 minutes of hard punches.
Fellow TUF 10 co-star Matt Mitrione comes into this fight with only one professional fight under his belt, a TKO victory over Marcus Jones. The former NFL linebacker was a polarizing figure in the TUF household, as his waffling over whether or not he wanted to fight in the quarterfinals polarized the house (and kept Kimbo on the shelf). Like Kimbo, Mitrione's strength lay in his hands, and hopefully, this will result in a standup war with Slice.
Look for…
…Kimbo to go back to what got him to the dance and try to stay standing up with Mitrione. Kimbo needs to realize his limitations and remember what got him where he's at. This fight should be a slugfest, but that's what most said about Slice vs. Alexander in their last fight. Hopefully, this one will come as advertised.
What We Think:
Rich Keefe – Kimbo Slice def. Matt Mitrione via TKO in Round 1
Nick Cattles – Kimbo Slice def. Matt Mitrione via TKO in Round 1
Josh Deering – Kimbo Slice def. Matt Mitrione via TKO in Round 1
Smitty – Kimbo Slice def. Matt Mitrione via TKO in Round 2
Sam Stout (15-5-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5)
Sam Stout comes into this fight on a two fight win streak for the third time in his UFC career. So far, he has been unable to make it three in a row, but as of late, Stout has looked like a much improved fighter. Most recently, he took a unanimous decision over skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Joe Lauzon at UFC 108. Don't, however, expect this Xtreme Couture standout to provide an exciting finish. Six of his last seven fights all went to a decision.
Jeremy 'Little Heathen' Stephens is a Muay Thai and boxing machine who carries 12 wins via KO into this fight. To date, Stephens has two Knockout of the Night awards and, despite having mixed success, has 9 fights over 2 and a half years in the UFC under his belt. Simply put, Stephens can straight up throw hands and is one of the best strikers 155.
Look for…
…two guys to go toe-to-toe and slug away until the final bell rings. Stout has a reputation of not finishing fights lately, but he can bring it with the best of them, as evidenced in his two Fight of the Night battles with Spencer Fisher. Stout has looked damned good as of late, but so has Stephens. This is a pretty even battle that could go either way.
What We Think:
Rich Keefe – Sam Stout def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision
Nick Cattles – Sam Stout def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision
Josh Deering – Sam Stout def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision
Smitty – Jeremy Stephens def. Sam Stout via TKO in Round 3
Josh Koscheck (14-4) vs. Paul Daley (23-8-2)
Josh Koscheck has come a long ways since his days in The Ultimate Fighter. An outstanding collegiate wrestler, Koscheck has become one of the more well-rounded fighters in MMA, as his standup has improved to the point where he rarely needs to use his wrestling to win. His last win over Anthony Johnson, although marred by several stoppages, was one of Koscheck's finest performances, holding his own while standing up against a very dangerous striker. He will need to carry that momentum into this fight.
Paul Daley is one of the bigger guys at 170lbs that you will find. So big, in fact, that he couldn't make weight for his last fight against Dustin Hazelett, which helped lead to a devastating knockout of 'McLovin.' But with a shot against GSP on the line, Daley shouldn't run into that problem this time. Daley is one of the most dangerous fighters in the welterweight division in the same way that Wanderlei was so dangerous for years. His strikes are violent and capable of very bad things, as evidenced by his 18 KOs.
Look for…
…either a highlight reel knockout or a real grinder of a fight on the mat. Koscheck will look to take Daley down and keep him there, while Daley will want to strike with Koscheck as much as possible. Both fighters have explosive power, and because of this, Knockout of the Night could easily come from this battle.
What We Think:
Rich Keefe – Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley via Submission in Round 2
Nick Cattles – Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley via Unanimous Decision
Josh Deering – Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley via TKO in Round 3
Smitty – Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley via Unanimous Decision
Lyoto Machida (25-4) vs. Mauricio Rua (12-1)
Rich Keefe drops knowledge on this bout here.
Just months ago, many people considered the current reign of champion Lyoto Machida as the beginning of "The Dragon Era." Essentially untouchable in his first few UFC fights, few thought Machida would lose his belt anytime soon. Mauricio Rua, however, changed everything. Taking away Machida's speed and his ability to elusive with a sound strategy, Rua lost a very close decision that many felt he should've won. While many feel history will repeat itself, most forget one thing: Machida is an incredibly intelligent and cerebral fighter. A disciplined practitioner of Shotokan Karate, Machida will take what he learned of Rua from their last fight and use it to change the tide in this one. Look for him to stay very active in the cage to keep Rua busy and not let him relax, and to stay away from the leg kicks that almost cost him a title.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua is a fighter who many thought would be the best in the world by now. Coming out of PRIDE, many felt that Rua was one of, if not the, best light heavyweights in the world. After a loss to Forrest Griffin and a lackluster performance against 72 year old Mark Coleman, many questioned whether or not 'Shogun' would ever reach his potential. But after a highlight reel KO of Chuck Liddell and a solid performance against Machida, the Mauricio Rua of old seems to be back. 'Shogun' is one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world and is a dangerous Muay Thai striker, which makes him a dangerous fighter no matter how you want to approach him. Itll be interesting to see how he approaches Machida in this fight, as his gameplan for their last encounter had only one flaw: an inability to finish the fight.
Look for…
...'Shogun' to be much more aggressive in this fight and for Machida to welcome him into his wheelhouse. The golden rule of MMA is that you do not leave the fight in the hands of the judges, and 'Shogun' did just that in his last fight. He will want to try and finish Machida this time, but Machida is disciplined enough to have a game plan should this happen. Pure and simple, this fight will be a chess match that could really go either way. This one has the potential to be an all-timer, and should Machida win, we might be due for Machida-Shogun III.
What We Think:
Rich Keefe – Mauricio Rua def. Lyoto Machida via TKO in Round 4
Nick Cattles – Mauricio Rua def. Lyoto Machida via TKO in Round 4
Josh Deering – Lyoto Machida def. Mauricio Rua via TKO in Round 4
Smitty – Lyoto Machida def. Mauricio Rua via Unanimous Decision
Follow Smitty (smitty@985thesportshub.com) and the rest of the Boston Throwdown crew at www.BostonThrowdown.com and www.twitter.com/BostonThrowdown.
