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[size=x-large]Silva vs Sonnen II[/size]
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Main Card
Middleweight Championship Bout: Anderson Silva (c) vs Chael Sonnen
Light Heavyweight Bout: Forrest Griffin vs Tito Ortiz
Middleweight Bout: Cung Le vs Patrick Cote
Welterweight Bout: Dong-Hyun Kim vs Demian Maia
Featherweight Bout: Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Preliminary Card
Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Lightweight Bout: Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Lightweight Bout: Melvin Guillard vs Fabricio Camoes
Middleweight Bout: Constantinos Philippou vs Riki Fukudu
Facebook Preliminary Fights
Lightweight Bout: John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Lightweight Bout: Rafaello Oliveira vs Yoislandy Izquierdo
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[size=x-large]Main Card Outlook[/size]
Silva vs Sonnen: Nothing needs to be said about this fight from a hype perspective. It's the most anticipated rematch that I can remember since Liddell/Couture II which was 6 or 7 years ago. If you aren't dying to see this fight, then I don't know what to tell you. Gtfo of my thread I guess.
Griffin vs Ortiz: An interesting fight but maybe the least anticipated 3rd fight ever to a trilogy between two fighters with as many career accomplishments as these two. Apparently Tito will retire after this, and he will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame before this fight as well. Both men are former champions in the weight class, and the series is tied 1-1 with both men carrying a split decision victory over the other. That alone is enough to justify this fight being put in the co-main event slot (even though we originally were supposed to have a Bantamweight title fight in this slot). Hopefully we get two fighters who realize where they are at this point in their respective careers and they set out with one thought in mind; to put on a show for the fans.
Le vs Cote: Originally this was supposed to be Rich Franklin vs Cung Le, but Franklin obviously was moved to the main event of UFC 147 against Wanderlei Silva, whom he defeated via unanimous decision. With Franklin out: Insert, Patrick Cote. Cote is making his return to the UFC after being cut following a 3 fight losing streak (he has since won 4 fights in smaller organizations). Le has one of the more ascetically pleasing fighting styles in all of MMA, utilizing a wide array of kicks stemming from his kickboxing and Taekwondo background. Cote is also a stand up fighter, although he tends to stick with more of a boxing base. 8 of Cote's 17 career victories are by knockout, so expect a stand up battle when these two step into the cage.
Kim vs Maia: Kim holds a very impressive career record of 15-1-1 (1 No Contest) with his only career loss coming against the current Interim Welterweight Champ Carlos Condit. His most impressive career performance came against current Lightweight #1 Contender Nate Diaz back in 2011. Kim is a well rounded fighter who is a 4th-degree black belt in judo, as well as a solid kickboxer. His opponent, Demian Maia, is a former #1 contender in the Middleweight division who is making his debut at 170 pounds. Maia is a world class grappler, possessing a 3rd-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. When he has struggled in MMA, it has been with getting the fight to the ground, and being out-struck in the process. Unfortunately for Maia, I envision this happening to him in this fight, with Kim avoiding the takedown, winning the stand up, and winning a relatively easy decision.
Mendes vs McKenzie: When this fight was announced I saw a LOT of people scratching their heads, saying it was one of the most lopsided fights to be booked in recent memory. I've seen it described as 'a lamb to the slaughter' as well as a 'late April Fool's Day joke gone wrong'. Whatever the case, here's a quick overview. Mendes is a world class wrestler who was 11-0 before being KO'd by a knee against the undisputed 145 pound king Jose Aldo. McKenzie is very tall and lanky for 145 pounds, and is making his Featherweight debut in this fight. He is one of the most unique fighters in history, as he has 11 of his 13 careers wins via guillotine, which has been dubbed the 'McKenzietine'. Needless to say with Mendes being a stand out wrestler, the McKenzietine is probably McKenzie's one out in this fight. Stranger things have happened in MMA, and bigger upsets have happened, but Mendes will enter the octagon as a heavy favorite.
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[size=x-large]Prelim Fights to check out[/size]
Menjivar vs Easton: The expected prelim headliner, and with good reason. If you are like me, you love the energy, excitement, and nonstop action of the smaller weigh classes. These are two bantamweights that epitomize this style of fighting, as both are extremely well-rounded and love to push the pace. Menjivar has 24 career wins, including 9 by KO and 9 by submission. Easton holds a career record of 12-1 and possess a black belt in both Brazilain Jiu Jitsu and Taekwondo. Expect fireworks between these two.
Guillard vs Camoes: IMO this fight could have replaced the Mendes/McKenzie fight as the opener for the PPV card. Guillard is an always exciting fighter with a large fan base. His fights tend to end in one of two ways: with a knockout (of his opponent) or a submission (of Guillard himself). This is likely to be the case once again against Camoes, who has half of his 14 career wins by way of submission. Guillard has lost back to back fights against Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller after winning his previous 5 fights before that. He will look to get back to his winning ways against Camoes who is currently on an impressive 3 fight win streak of his own.
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