UFC 116 Punch Drunk Preview

UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin Punch Drunk Preview

After more than eight month of waiting, this event is finally here. People have been waiting to see Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin step into the cage together since October, and now it’s coming to fruition. Of course, last weekend’s results up the ante even more; with Fabricio Werdum upsetting Fedor Emelianenko, the throne long occupied by “The Last Emperor” has been vacated, and one of these behemoths will stake their claim Saturday night.

Jon Madsen (5-0-0) vs. Karlos Vemola (7-0-0)

On a card headlined by an unbeaten heavyweight who has never been out of the first round, the opening encounter on the event schedule features Karlos Vemola.

An undefeated Czech who has smashed his way to seven straight wins and the Cage Fighters Championship’s heavyweight crown, Vemola’s dominance is reminiscent of Shane Carwin’s climb to UFC stardom. Simply put, he’s dominated everyone he’s faced and could earn himself a place on the heavyweight fast-track with another impressive showing.

Opposite Vemola will be Jon Madsen, the TUF 10 alum who has managed to grind out two decision victories after his time in the TUF house. While his wrestling has always kept him in the game and brought him five straight wins, this will be the toughest test to date for the HIT Squad member.

The same can be said for Vemola, but “The Terminator” has shown an ability to finish fights at every stop, while Madsen relies on scoring more points and grinding down his opposition. If he can do that for fifteen minutes against a fighter with Vemola’s power, I’ll be impressed.

Daniel Roberts (9-1-0) vs. Forrest Petz (17-7-0)

Heading into his UFC debut, Daniel Roberts talked a whole lot of junk about finishing John Howard in the first round. Everything was going okay until Howard did what he told me he would do – punch Roberts in the mouth and end his night before the first round ended.

Now, Roberts and his quality grappling game will have to score a victory over returning UFC veteran Forrest Petz to avoid unemployment. “The Meat Cleaver” has earned four straight wins over regional competition, and has fought some tough customers in his day, including holding wins over Dan Hardy, Luigi Fioraventi and the fighter formerly known as “Crazy Horse,” Charles Bennett.

Gerald Harris (15-2-0) vs. Dave Branch (6-0-0)

This could be the undercard fight that surprises.

Harris has been impressive in his two UFC outings, stopping both John Salter and Mario Miranda. Originally one of the favourites to win Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter, Harris was stopped by eventual winner Amir Sadollah, but has not lost in non-reality TV competition in nine fights.

Branch is a Renzo Gracie black belt who has earned six-straight victories. His most recent, a second round submission over Derek Mehman at Bellator 15, earned him the invite to the UFC, and he has a chance to showcase his skills right off the bat.

Harris likes to use his wrestling to bring the fight to the floor so he can pound out a win, but taking it to the ground could be dangerous against an accomplished jiu jitsu player like Branch.

See why we think this one could be interesting?

Kendall Grove (11-7-0) vs. Goran Reljic (8-1-0)

Grove is in trouble, and not just because he’s facing Goran Reljic.

The winner of TUF 3, Grove has always been an up-and-down competitor who hasn’t put it all together as people expected him to coming off the show. His inconsistency has always left him on the brink of being cut, and now he’s opened his yap and gotten himself bumped off the Spike TV Prelims LIVE broadcast and into more hot water.

“Da Spyder” was critical of the network’s choices on the show that made him a household name, and the UFC responded by bumping Grove from the television broadcast. While many TUF winners have an unspoken immunity, a loss for Grove will most likely be the last time we see the outspoken Hawaiian inside the Octagon.

I’ve rambled on a about this fight enough already, but here’s one last thought: expect Reljic to be a lot better than when we saw him at UFC 110 in Australia.

Seth Petruzelli (12-4-0) vs. Ricardo Romero (10-1-0)

“The Kimbo Killer” returns to the Octagon for the first time in more than three years, riding a four-fight winning streak and getting a chance to showcase his skills and personality on the Spike TV broadcast thanks to Kendall Grove’s comments.

Much like his BFF “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Petruzelli is an entertaining cat who sometimes puts on a better show before the fight than he does inside the cage. This cannot be one of those times. You don’t always get a second chance with the UFC and “The Silverback” needs to make the most of this opportunity.

He’s not got an easy draw either, as Romero is another of the tough AMA Fight Club competitors to come out of New Jersey. Working with head trainer Mike Constantino and the Miller brothers, Romero has rattled off five-straight wins, including a first round submission of James McSweeney. He’s got a legit ground game and will certainly give Petruzelli all he can handle in his UFC return.

Brendan Schaub (5-1-0) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (18-2-0)

If Brendan Schaub doesn’t win this fight I’m going to scream. There is nothing about Chris Tuchscherer that I like as a fighter; he’s survived by winning a horrible majority decision over Tim Hague back in February and hasn’t displayed the kind of cardio it will take to stay with the TUF 10 finalist in this one.

On the other hand, Schaub looked very good in his post-TUF debut, dropping Chase Gormley in under a minute, and reminding many why he was considered a quality up-and-comer before getting starched by Roy Nelson at the TUF 10 Finale.

Seriously – I need Schaub to win this fight. C’mon, dude. Help me out.

George Sotiropoulus (12-2-0) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (16-4-0)

This lightweight battle has the potential to be an exciting affair. While not the marquee names in the division, both Sotiropoulus and “Batman” are very much in the mix at 155, and the winner will move even further up the standings after this one.

Pellegrino hasn’t lost since being submitted by Nathan Diaz back in April 2008. He’s won four straight, with his performance against Fabricio Camoes in his home state of New Jersey being the most recent, and more impressive of the bunch. He was able to shake the BJJ specialist and score a submission victory of his own after being down through the first round, and he’ll need more of the same this time against the ever-improving Aussie.

Quietly, Sotiropoulus has put together a 12-2 record, with those two losses coming against Shinya Aoki and TUF 11 alum and countryman Kyle Noke. He too had his best performance to date in his last outing, also wowing the hometown fans with his win over Joe Stevenson at UFC 110 in Sydney.

Honestly, I’m pumped for this fight. I love a good grappling match, and this will definitely fit the bill.

Kryzsztof Soszynski (21-9-1) vs. Stephan Bonnar (11-7-0)

After literally butting heads in Australia, these two entertaining light heavyweight sluggers will do it all over again. If it’s anything like their first meeting, it’s going to be an exciting affair.

“The Polish Experiment” has done well since debuting with the company on TUF 8, winning three-of-four following the finale, including impressive performance against Andre Gusmao and Brian Stann. While a cut cause by their clashing heads handed Soszynski the win last time these two met, the Winnipeg, Manitoba native was getting the better of the exchanges with Bonnar.

By participating in the TUF 1 Finale against Forrest Griffin, Bonnar bought himself a lifetime deal with the UFC. It’s ridiculous, but it’s true. Now, he could lose his fourth-straight, a scenario that put Keith Jardine on the unemployment line. He’s entertaining both inside and outside of the cage, but there might not be a fighter on the roster that needs a win more than Bonnar does right now.

Chris Lytle (28-17-5) vs. Matt Brown (11-8-0)

In an interesting bit of MMA media fun, “The Immortal” Matt Brown competing in this contest shares his name with the Heavy MMA editor-in-chief, and bears a striking resemblance to Bloody Elbow’s Luke Thomas. Maybe I’m the only one who finds this stuff interesting…

What everyone will agree upon is that this fight should be fun. Chris Lytle contests always are. Last time out, the veteran competitor surprised everyone by submitting Brian Foster. Earning the win wasn’t what caught everyone off-guard, but rather the method; Lytle normally slugs it out with his opponents in an effort to earn a Fight of the Night bonus. Instead, he took home Submission of the Night.

Brown – the fighter, not my boss – looks to bounce back from a submission defeat to Ricardo Almeida, and has the all-around skills necessary to hang with the equally well-rounded Lytle. This will be the second time these two have faced either other, with Lytle winning the first by submission prior to Brown’s move to the UFC.

Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1-0, 1 NC) vs. Chris Leben (20-6-0)

Two weeks after impressing against Aaron Simpson, Chris Leben returns to the cage as a late replacement for Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event. “The Crippler” looked better than he had in some time in halting Simpson’s unbeaten streak, and he’ll need to be equally as good this time around against Akiyama.

While the Japanese judoka initially balked at the idea of facing the original Ultimate Fighter bad boy, Akiyama eventually agreed to face Leben. It’s a good thing too; Akiyama needs a win to prove the UFC’s investment was a worthy one, and a resurgent Leben is a good measuring stick.

Ultimately, this is a very similar match to the originally scheduled contest between Akiyama and Silva; Leben is basically a younger, more one-dimensional version of “The Axe Murderer” and Akiyama has to make a statement with this fight or risk being an overpriced bust in just two fights under the Zuffa umbrella.

Brock Lesnar (4-1-0) vs. Shane Carwin (12-0-0)

This fight is awesome and there is nothing more that I need to say. Awesome, and I can’t wait.