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Originally Posted by Salvy_Mic Karo's already fighting in an August UFC against none other than the widely reviled Diego Sanchez. Don't get me wrong, I'm a TUF fan and I like Diego...but Karo is a local SoCal fighter and I absolutely love his style and aggressiveness. Therefore, I'm taking Karo by armbar.
As for a hypothetical UFC 62 card, Chuck Liddell vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral is already a sure thing, and Sean Sherk vs. Kenny Florian is almost a sure thing as well.
Here's some other fights I think could happen:
Paul Buentello vs. Marcio Cruz- It looks like the typical striker vs. grappler fight, but Buentello is very well-rounded, of course being a much better striker above all else. Cruz, of course, is a world-class BJJ guy, but I see this fight ending in a fashion similar to the way Trigg vs. Charuto ended back in the day. The winner of this fight heads back towards the front of the line, and by all means, probably has a next fight against Brandon Vera.
David Loiseau vs. David Terrell- Another fight that will help define the middleweight pecking order, and a good return bout for Loiseau after the pounding he took at the hands of Rich Franklin. If it's not either one of these two, then look for someone like Nate Marquardt to fill the void, but rest assured, some combination of Loiseau-Terrell-Marquardt is sure to happen.
Michael Bisping vs. UFC debutante- Expect an easier fight selection for Bisping who is PPV ready and looks like he can put on a good fight any night. A fight similar to Griffin vs. Mahood or Sanchez vs. Gassaway in their own PPV debuts.
Joe Riggs vs. random welterweight- As always, Riggs follows a hard-fought win over mid-level fighters with a quick submission loss to guys on his level or better. He is the epitome of gateway fighter and is always willing to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere, any weight. The UFC seems to be really high on him, and always gives him the chance to redeem himself after a loss, so I see no different here. Perhaps he wishes to take out his TUF frustration on Josh Koscheck, who's next fight will surely be a PPV fight.
Afterwards, look for the usual filler-style prelim fights to debut fighters or find a spot for guys not in anysort of title hunt.
I was almost tempted to put Penn in my card, but I think the more logical choice to place his redemption fight would be at UFC 63 or 64, against the UFN winner of Parisyan/Sanchez. It establishes right away the next contender for whoever wins Hughes/St. Pierre II.
I also expect Mike Swick to follow TUF guys Griffin, Quarry, Leben, Stevenson, and Florian in stepping up to top 10 competition against Evan Tanner. The set-up is already there: the young, hungry, talented, exciting up-and-comer who wants to get to the top against the experienced, reliable, popular, stalwart veteran who's already been at the top and wants to get back.
Don't be surprised to see Bonnar fight a big name here, or Griffin to fight another LHW contendor. As well, I expect to see LWs like Guillard, Fisher, or Hominick to fight Jens Pulver, the former champion to get the next LW title shot. |