MMA News Forums » MMA Forums » General MMA Forum

[iverbure]

UFC 80: Rapid Fire will come to us all on January 19, 2007 from the Metro Radio Arena Newcastle in Newcastle, England. The main event of the evening?

How about a battle between a former TUF Champion in Joe Stevenson and a former UFC Champion in B.J. Penn for the UFC Lightweight Championship? But that’s not where the story ends on this card. Beyond the aforementioned will be a rematch between two very good heavyweight fighters in Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum. And then there’s always The Irish Hand Grenade.

So let’s get to it.

B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson

What Penn brings to the table: B.J. Penn sports an overall MMA record of 11-4-1 with four (T)KO’s and four submission victories to his credit. In sum, he’s defeated legends of the sport like Renzo Gracie, Rodrigo Gracie, Takanori Gomi, Matt Serra, Caol Uno, and Matt Hughes. Further, three of his four losses have come to fighters that were heavier than him in Lyoto Machida, Matt Hughes (he also defeated Hughes once as was mentioned previously), and Georges St. Pierre.

Penn’s takedowns are good and his takedown defense is outstanding. His submission skills are simply some of the best in the business. The funny thing is that his stand up skills are actually underrated; he’s upper tier in that regard as well.

Perhaps the only weakness—and it’s a somewhat mild one—is that he has gassed against bigger opponents like Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre in the past.

Don’t forget, though, that he was injured in the fight against Hughes.

What Stevenson brings to the table: Joe Stevenson possesses an overall MMA record of 28-7 with six (T)KO’s and 12 submission victories to his credit. On one hand, Stevenson simply has not been in there with the same level of competition that Penn has. On the other hand, he has come through in big fights before like the TUF 2 Finale against Luke Cummo and in a bout against Kurt Pellegrino.

Stevenson is a big and strong lightweight. Further, he has very good takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills. His submissions are upper tier, which is punctuated by a guillotine choke that is the best in the game today.

Stevenson also has solid stand up skills.

Prediction: B.J. Penn is the better striker here. He’s also arguably the better submission guy and has more championship level experience. That said, Stevenson can play on the ground with anyone and has the kind of size that could give Penn some trouble.

Still, Penn can win this one in more ways than his opponent.

Penn via decision.

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum

What Gonzaga brings to the table: Gabriel Gonzaga sports an overall MMA record of 8-2 with three (T)KO’s and five submission victories to his credit. In sum, Gonzaga is a very big, strong, and athletic guy.

Along with this, he has very good takedowns, solid takedown defense, and excellent ground control skills. He’s also a BJJ black belt, so he’s got strong submission skills as well. In terms of technical striking, Gonzaga is above average.

In terms of explosiveness on his feet, just ask Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

The only knock on Gonzaga is that he hasn’t won any really hard fought victories at the highest level yet. By the way, he’s also lost to Fabricio Werdum in the past at a Jungle Fighting event, adding to the intrigue of this encounter.

What Werdum brings to the table: Fabricio Werdum sports an overall MMA record of 9-3-1 with two (T)KO’s and five submission victories to his credit. Before we start going into him, let’s say one thing.

He’s beaten Gonzaga via TKO in the past in the past. Oh wait, we already said that.

Werdum has elite jiu- jitsu and submission skills. We’re talking top of the food chain here, especially in the guard. His takedowns are good as is his takedown defense. However, his takedown defense is not impenetrable. That said, no one ever really seems to want to bring him to the ground due to fear of his submissions.

Werdum’s technical striking skills are good as well, even if he doesn’t necessarily bring much power into the equation.


Prediction: Werdum could win this fight on the ground. He could also win it on his feet as he did for a good portion of their first encounter. By the same token, Gonzaga won the takedowns/ ground control battle in their first fight for the majority of the competition and looks much bigger, stronger, and more experienced today. Thus, figure that Gonzaga will be able to take Werdum down and control him. Could he get caught in a submission? Yes. Will he?

That depends. If Gonzaga is willing and able to do the dirty work in this one, to win when the rounds get tough, he should win. This is a very hard one to call.

Gonzaga via a very close decision.

Marcus Davis (Interview) vs. Jess Liaudin

What Davis brings to the table: Marcus Davis sports an overall MMA record of 13-3 with four (T)KO’s and seven submission victories to his credit. In sum, he’s won his last 10 in a row. The reason?

This guy is getting very good.

Davis is very strong for this division. Along with this, he has solid takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills. He’s also improved his submission arsenal as displayed in his last bout against Paul Taylor. But that’s hardly the story on Davis.

We’re talking about a guy that has boxed professionally before at a high level. He’s also one tough hombre.

What Liaudin brings to the table: Jess Liaudin brings an overall MMA record of 12-8 with three (T)KO’s and eight submission victories into this contest. Like his adversary, Liaudin is also hot, having won his last five contests.

Liaudin is a very good submission/ jiu- jitsu fighter. He’s also improved on his feet. That said, he’s been knocked out before.

Prediction: Jess Liaudin is a better fighter than people think. If this fight hits the ground and he gets on top, it could be over. However, Davis is very hard to bring down and is getting much better on the ground. On the feet, though, this one goes Davis’s way big time.

Davis via TKO in round two.

Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason Lambert

What Gouveia brings to the table: Wilson Gouveia brings a 9-4 overall MMA record with three (T)KO’s and five submission victories to his credit into this bout. Further, he’s won his last three fights in the UFC.

Gouveia is a tough character with a well- rounded game. Along with this, he’s got good wrestling, jiu- jitsu, and striking skills. Further, he has some power and hasn’t been stopped in nearly four years.

Again, he’s a tough guy.

What Lambert brings to the table: Jason Lambert sports an overall MMA record of 23-6 with 12 (T)KO’s and seven submission victories to his credit. He’s won nine of his last 10 including a KO victory over Renato Sobral in his last match.

Lambert has solid technical striking skills. He also has reasonable submission/ jiu- jitsu skills. But when it comes to takedowns and takedown defense, he’s well above average. Further, he’s as strong as an ox and has been stopped only once in the last five years or so (by Rashad Evans).

Prediction: This is a very tough one to call. One could see Jason Lambert taking Gouveia to the ground and pounding his way to a victory. Further, you could see him landing a big punch on his feet.

Then again, Gouveia could beat Lambert in a technical sense on his feet and/ or submit him. But if Babalu couldn’t submit Lambert, figure Gouveia won’t either. Does he have enough on his feet to win the fight? Can he take his opponent down and control him?

It’s certainly possible. But guess is no.

Lambert via TKO in round three due to ground and pound.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Jorge Rivera vs. Kendall Grove: Rivera is tough hombre on his feet. That said, Grove is better on the ground and has a reach advantage. Figure that’s what comes through in the end.

Grove via submission in round three.

Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson: Robinson is fighting close to home, but Hardonk has fought against more advanced competition.

Hardonk via TKO in round two.

James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara: Lee is very good on the ground. Sakara can bang and has more UFC experience. But experience isn’t always the difference.

Lee via submission in round two.

Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor: Taylor looked well rounded and strong in a loss to Marcus Davis. Kelly is undefeated but hasn’t fought against the same level of competition yet. Tough call.

Taylor via submission in round three.

Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout: Eklund is the better ground fighter. Stout is better on his feet. Who wins?

Usually it’s the ground fighter. How about the striker this time?

Sam Stout via decision.

MMAFighting.com - UFC 80: Rapid Fire Preview

I didn't read all of it however they usually have pretty good reviews on the UFC events.