UFC 175: The Start of a New Era, Again?

By Chris Huntemann, Columnist

 

Remember “The Machida Era?” 

Think back to UFC 98 when Lyoto Machida’s punches to Rashad Evans’ face crumpled him to the mat and landed “The Dragon” the light heavyweight title. No sooner did Evans hit the mat that we heard Joe Rogan proclaim “Welcome to the Machida Era.”

Well, it didn’t last very long. A controversial title defense against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua followed by a rematch and first-round knockout loss to Shogun ended “The Machida Era” before it really began. Machida had a chance to bring his era back to life against current Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones at UFC 140. But this time it was Machida’s turn to crumple to the mat, courtesy of a guillotine choke.

Since then, Machida moved to middleweight and hopes the third time is the charm as he takes on Chris Weidman for the middleweight title Saturday at UFC 175 in Las Vegas. Will “The Dragon” roar once again? Or, will Weidman prove his two victories against the seemingly unstoppable Anderson Silva were not a fluke?

I’ll get to the main event fight in a moment. 

First, let’s take a look at the other fights on this Saturday’s main card:

Marcus Brimage vs. Russell Doane (Bantamweight – 135 lbs.)

Brimage is a veteran of season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter (Team Michael Bisping vs. Team Jason “Mayhem” Miller, for those who don’t remember), where he showed great promise and power in his hands. That led to a three-fight win streak for Brimage before he helped launch the career of featherweight Conor McGregor by losing to him in April of last year.

Doane’s lone UFC fight resulted in a triangle choke victory against Leandro Thomas Issa at the UFC Fight Night: Lim vs. Saffiedine card in January. His record is rife with submission victories, and I like him to do the same here in an upset against a TUF veteran.

Prediction: Doane by submission

Uriah Hall vs. Thiago Santos (Middleweight – 185 lbs.)

Everyone knows who Uriah Hall is. He was pegged for stardom on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter, when he viciously knocked out every single one of his opponents, and Chael Sonnen himself said he could have been a number one contender for the middleweight title right on the heels of the show.

Given Chael’s current situation, we’re not sure how much stock to put in his words. It also didn’t help that Hall seemed so timid in losing the final of TUF to Kelvin Gastelum and then lost again to John Howard. He rebounded somewhat by sending Chris Leben into retirement last year.

Santos secured a TKO victory against Rony Markes – who’s no joke himself – in his last fight. But I think Hall continues his climb up the middleweight ladder with a TKO victory of his own.

Prediction: Hall by TKO

Stefan Struve vs. Matt Mitrione (Heavyweight)

Matt Mitrione is a curious case. He came across as a weirdo on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, but he proved his doubters wrong when he embarked on a five-fight win streak following his time on the show. Then he suffered a two-fight losing streak before alternating wins and losses in his next three fights.

Struve is fighting for the first time since having his jaw rearranged by Mark Hunt. More importantly, it's his first time competing in the cage since the discovery that he suffers from a serious heart ailment. I watched Struve fight in person when he submitted Pat Barry on the UFC Live 6: Cruz vs. Johnson card in 2011. Mitrione has serious power, and Struve has been knocked out before. But I like Struve to be methodical in his approach and use his reach advantage to set up strikes while avoiding Mitrione’s loaded fists.

Prediction: Struve by unanimous decision

Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis (Women’s Bantamweight Title – 135 lbs.)

I’ve said this before, but I don’t think Ronda Rousey will ever lose. To anyone. However, I said the same thing about Anderson Silva, and we saw what happened. But unlike the men’s middleweight division, I don’t believe the depth of talent is there yet in women’s MMA, even though it has been an exciting addition to the UFC. Ronda is clearly the best female fighter in the sport, and I don’t think any other woman even comes close to matching her incredible talent.

Ronda showed vastly improved striking in her latest bouts, and she ended her last fight thanks to a vicious knee to Sara McMann’s liver. Still, I like her to go back to Ol’ Reliable to successfully defend her title yet again. Once she gets a grasp on an opponent's arm, there's no escape.

Prediction: Rousey by submission

Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida (Middleweight Title – 185 lbs.)

There are those who claim Weidman’s victory against Anderson Silva and subsequent title defense were flukes – a product of Silva’s arrogance in the first fight and a freak broken leg in the second. I’m not sure I agree with that assertion for the first fight. Yes, Silva was trying to clown Weidman. Yes, Silva dropped his hands, which is a cardinal sin in MMA. But Silva tried clowning other fighters and dropped his hands against other fighters before.

The difference? Weidman didn’t take the bait. He stepped up his aggression, which is what the best fighters do. Machida won’t clown Weidman like Silva tried to do, but he will do his patented stick-and-move and basically play keep away from Weidman the entire fight. It’s up to Weidman to close the distance with Machida and give him no breathing room.

I think Weidman will do just that. Machida will avoid being finished, but he won’t avoid being ground into the mat by the master wrestler and ground-and-pound specialist Weidman. It looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to see the rebirth of “The Machida Era.”

Prediction: Weidman by unanimous decision

Let's open up the comment section for fan predictions and see how many folks agree or disagree with my picks.