UFC 114: Don’t Call it a Preview
__________________________________________________________________________The one fight wonder known as Rampage vs. Rashad is almost one year in the making, so its no surprise that it will be in the spotlight all by its lonesome for UFC 114. 
Rampage, ahem, quit upon having his feelings hurt by Dana White at UFC 108. Upon hearing of this farce, the first thing that came to my mind (and posted shortly thereafter) was “this guy won’t be retired for very long”.
Which brings me to my next point…
Rampage Jackson (-105) over Rashad Evans. Rashad Evans is the more complete fighter, however Rampage has been on quite the roll since moving his camp to the United Kingdom. The story behind this fight is that Rampage and Rashad hate each other. The fight basically sells itself.
However, I’ve had the feeling for a while that Rampage hates Rashad more than Rashad will ever be capable of hating anything. Rampage has something to prove. To Dana. To fans who think he ‘went Hollywood’. Most importantly to Rashad Evans.
The last time this Rampage stepped into an octagon, he Kayoed Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 before the fans could put down their beers.
Rampage in the first round. And if this fight goes to the ground, Rashad had better prepare to be slammed.
Michael Bisping (-170) over Dan Miller. Neither of these fighters have been impressive lately, and while this may be a loser leaves town bout in disguise, all of the pressure rests squarely on Michael Bisping’s shoulder.
This is somewhat of an ‘Answer the critics’ bout for Bisping. And I’m one of his harshest. Bisping is once again away from his comfort zone of the O2 arena, the only venue in which he has truly impressed.
Against a fighter who Michael Bisping should beat to justify his worth in the UFC, Michael Bisping doesn’t need to just win – he needs to win convincingly.
I’ll throw him a bone this last time, but if Bisping drops this one I will never pick him in a fight as long as I live. I don’t care if he’s fighting a reincarnation of Kimbo Slice who fell off the wagon and lost 200 pounds due to a crack addiction. I’d still take Kimbo in the first round, especially if biting were to be legalized.
That said, don’t make me look foolish, Mike. I’m warning you.
Todd Duffee (-325) over Mike Russow. Duffee seems to be on the fast track to the top of an already stacked heavyweight division. A win here would be no walk in the park, but it would be a nice feather in Todd Duffee’s cap especially as the Heavyweight title picture starts to open up a big more. This one could get ugly. In a bad way.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (-675) over Jason Brilz. As Ridrigo’s legacy continues to dip, Rogerio’s simultaneous rise up the light heavyweight ranks has sustained the family name.
From my vantage point, Rogerio Nogueira has an outside chance to be a breakout star in the UFC light heavyweight division within the next several months. A one sided victory over Jason Brilz will keep him on the rise, and hopefully his ultimate title fight destination isn’t against Shogun (that fight would blow).
This fight has officially been put on knockout watch.
Diego Sanchez (-200) over John Hathaway. Despite being on an outright tear to start his career, John Hathaway still seems to be putting the pieces together to be a more complete fighter. Hathaway’s record looks very impressive on paper, and while the UFC may have a future star in this guy, a very tough litmus test will come in the form of Diego Sanchez.
Sanchez was brought down to earth after a one sided loss at the hands of B.J. Penn. Sanchez should have a renewed focus, and I don’t expect to see him make any of the mistakes that will be necesary for Hathaway to pull off the big upset.
Sanchez should keep Hathaway grounded throughout the course of the fight, likely earning a submission or decision victory.
Projected Fight Honors
Fight of the Night: Amir Sadollah vs. Dong Hyun Kim (from the prelims)
Submission of the Night: Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Knockout of the Night: Rampage Jackson over Rashad Evans
Projected Buyrate
UFC seems to have placed all their eggs in the 114 basket. After a somewhat half assed promotional effort for UFC 113 (although they did launch MMA Live on ESPN which was huge), UFC has done a good job with an awesome UFC Prime Time special featuring rivals Rampage and Rashad.
UFC is shooting for one million buys for this one, but I think they undershooot a bit. 960,000 buys.
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Tags: Diego Sanchez UFC 114, Rampage vs. Rashad, UFC 114, UFC Prime Time Rampage vs. Rashad
