The UFC returns to Germany for a Saturday show on Spike TV that features a title eliminator tilt in the main event where Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami will battle for the right to challenge for the middleweight title in 2011. For Marquardt, it is a potential second chance, while Okami steps into the Octagon hoping to secure his long-awaited first shot at UFC gold.
While the remainder of the card features a collection of new names, foreign talent (some of whom are local) and former TUF competitors that will leave some underwhelmed, to me, this is a chance to showcase some new talent in another of the UFC’s emerging markets. And its free, and free is good.
Kris McCray (6-1-0) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (8-0-0)
The night kicks off with a combination of all three elements typical of these events: former TUF competitor, local draw, and a new name, all rolled into one.
McCray makes his return to the Octagon after falling to Court McGee at the TUF 11 Finale, and does so in front of a pseudo hometown crowd; a military child, McCray was born in West Germany before it was no longer separate by a large, graffiti-tagged wall.
Prior to hitting the TUF House, McCray ran through regional competition in the UWC, using his wrestling base to dominate six-straight opponents. Though he showed great resolve while working into the finals from the wild card position, “The Savage” also showed a somewhat limited arsenal which will need to have expanded for him to have a long-term future with the organization.
Rocha makes his UFC debut off eight-straight wins, with a pair of sevens in the mix: seven victories by submission, and seven fights ending in the first round. While none of the names on his list on conquests will ring a bell, rattling off eight-straight wins is impressive no matter who you’re fighting.
Seth Petruzelli (14-6-0) vs. Karlos Vemola (8-1-0)
People love “The Silverback” and I understand why: he’s engaging, owns a smoothie shop and ruined an entire organization with a one-footed jab to the glass jaw of Kimbo Slice.
From an organizational standpoint, he’s also willing and able to put on entertaining bouts with lesser known names, as witnessed by his “welcome back” fight to the UFC opposite Ricardo Romero. This time, Petruzelli welcomes Vemola to the light heavyweight ranks, a second consecutive tough test for the likeable EliteXC assassin.
The 25-year-old Czech drops to 205 after suffering a loss to Jon Madsen in his UFC debut. Entering on a eight-fight smashing streak – all eight wins came by first round finish – it was clear that a cut to light heavyweight made the most sense for “The Terminator.”
A second-straight loss for either one of these fighters could mean an exit from the company, so expect both to come out winging heavy hands from the word “go.”
Duane Ludwig (27-11-0) vs. Nick Osipczak (5-2-0)
Long-time veteran competitor Ludwig makes his return to the cage after an awful ankle injury ended his bout with Darren Elkins back in March, stepping up to the welterweight division to face former British TUF competitor Osipczak.
This might be just the kind of contest Ludwig needs to return to the win column in the UFC. Finally facing someone who isn’t going to submit him in the opening stanza, Ludwig’s heavy hands and solid stand-up should play well opposite the Brit. The only lingering question will be the impact of the ankle and his eight-month stay on the sidelines.
Osipczak is a member of the TUF 9 cast who has shown promise, despite dropping two-in-a-row. Out-wrestled by Greg Soto last time out and narrowly edged by Rick Story the fight before, Osipczak also gets away from his personal kryptonite – wrestlers – and gets a chance to show off his striking also.
Not many people survive three-straight losses in the cage, so expect both men to come out swinging for the fences, and continued employment.
Pascal Krauss (9-0-0) vs. Mark Scanlon (7-0-0)
This one could turn out to be really fun.
A pair of unbeaten, young talents, Krauss is the hometown favourite, obviously, while Scanlon comes from the feisty Team Kaobon camp in Liverpool that has produced Terry Etim and a trio of Pauls – Kelly, Sass and Taylor.
Both fighters favour submissions and will be looking to prove they belong with the big boys, so we’ll either end up with a mediocre kickboxing affair that sometimes happens when two grapplers collide, or we’ll get an intriguing back-and-forth on the canvas tat solidifies one or both as options in the welterweight division moving forward.
Vladimir Matyushenko (24-5-0) vs. Alexandre Ferreira (18-6-0)
Everyone knows what they’re going to get with Matyushenko, an experienced wrestler who has faced all kinds of quality opponents over his career. “The Janitor” brings a quality top game, good clinch work and a collection of fantastic hats into the cage.
Ferreira brings an outstanding grappling pedigree into the cage, and wins over current and former UFC competitors Fabio Maldonado, Brandon Lee Hinckle, and Heath Herring. I know that’s not a real who’s who of top talent, but “Cacareco” has submitted seven-straight opponents, and 17-of-18 overall.
Kyle Noke (17-4-1) vs. Rob Kimmons (23-5-0)
The former bodyguard of the late Steve Irwin, Noke is an under-the-radar kind of guy. His time on TUF 11 made him more of a household name, but people seem to miss the fact that three of his four career losses have come against Scott Smith, George Sotiropoulos and Hector Lombard. That’s some quality opposition.
Kimmons is a good-but-not-great middleweight who admirably answers every UFC phone call with his hat and lunchbox in hand. He is, essentially, he perfect type of fighter for a card like this and an opponent like Noke.
This is another one of those fights that could deliver fireworks, as both guys need to score win to stave off a change of employers. Soszynski has dropped two-of-three, while Reljic has lost two-straight after an extended layoff after back surgery, leaving little margin of error for either fighter.
The Croatian was thoroughly impressive in his debut, stopping Wilson Gouveia before moving to middleweight following his layoff. Those two appearance were less than expected, resulting in dropped decisions to both C.B. Dollaway and Kendall Grove, prompting Reljic to climb back up the ladder.
Soszynski has become an extremely popular fighter following his time on The Ultimate Fighter, and parlayed that recognition into a swift climb up the ladder after the cameras stopped rolling.
Back-to-back wins set up a main card pairing with Brandon Vera, but the bump up in competition was too much, as Vera outclassed his Polish-Canadian counterpart. A doctor’s stoppage win and a TKO loss both opposite Stephan Bonnar followed, and now Soszynski stands in need of a strong performance to remain more than another middle-of-the-pack light heavyweight.
Amir Sadollah (3-2-0) vs. Peter Sobotta (8-3-0)
If there were ever a fight that fully embodied what these overseas cards are about on the weaker end, this is it. Sobotta is a German fighter who has underwhelmed in two UFC appearances, while Sadollah is a former TUF winner treading on that accomplishment alone it seems.
While he looked good in handling both Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn, Sadollah was incapable of mounting any offense against Dong Hyun Kim last time out. While that isn’t necessarily a great shortcoming – Kim is unbeaten after all – Sadollah simply looks one-dimensional and that just doesn’t work at this level.
Fortunately for the affable TUF 7 winner, he excels more at that one dimension than Sobotta has to date inside the Octagon. Two appearances have resulted in two unanimous decision defeats, neither of which has yielded any “flash of potential” moments.
Expect the loser here to exit the organization.
Dennis Siver (16-7-0) vs. Andre Winner (12-4-1)
Can’t sugar-coat this one: Siver gets a showcase fight in front of the hometown faithful.
Fresh off a Fight of the Night performance in a win over Spencer Fisher, the German kickboxer steps in with Winner, a TUF 9 cast member who comes in off a painfully dull performance against Nik Lentz. While Winner does have a pair of wins inside the cage and quick hands, he appears so focused on utilizing only his boxing that it’s hard to see him coming away with a win.
Siver will never be a title contender, but that doesn’t mean he’s without positives. A multi-faceted striker, the 31-year-old is a tough out in the middle of the division and has won three-of-four. He could get caught if he remains too static in front of Winner, but his offensive game is predicated on spinning kicks and striking from numerous angles, so the local favourite should be safe in this one.
Jorge Rivera (18-7-0) vs. Alessio Sakara (19-7-0)
These two just love to bang and should end up delivering a quality contest in the process.
Both are experiencing a bit of a resurgence in their careers, riding three-fight winning streaks. Rivera’s comes after nearly a year away from the cage following the passing of his daughter. In his last outing, Rivera dominated TUF 1 alum and bona fide tough guy Nate Quarry, leaving “The Rock” a bloody mess in need of serious facial surgery.
Sakara has put together his trio of victories after shifting his camp to Coconut Creek, Florida and joining forces with American Top Team. After losing his middleweight debut, the Italian has stopped both Joe Vepedo and James Irvin, with a split decision victory over former title contender Thales Leites sandwiched in between.
If you’re looking for technical mastery or dynamic grappling, look elsewhere. This one will be bombs away from the beginning.
Nate Marquardt (33-9-2) vs. Yushin Okami (26-5-0)
In the chain reaction of events following Chael Sonnen’s positive test post-UFC 117, Okami’s original opponent Vitor Belfort was promoted to challenging Anderson Silva, while Marquardt was tabbed to replace “The Phenom” here to determine who is next in line in the middleweight division.
Marquardt has been in this position before and hopes to change to outcome. When he met Sonnen at UFC 109 with the #1 contenders spot on the line, the Team Quest staple dominated him for three rounds en route to earning a title shot. Fresh off a quick win over Rousimar Palhares, the Team Grudge / Greg Jackson trainee will need to be the one dictating the pace and placement of this fight if he hopes to reverse his fortunes this time around.
In addition to being the last man to earn a win over Anderson Silva – albeit by DQ – Okami is also a fighter long considered overlooked in the middleweight division. Whether it has been injuries causing a bump in the road or decision victories that felt fans wanting more, the Japanese fighter has been a force since losing to the frequently mentioned Sonnen back at UFC 104.
Both are elite competitors with more than one way to win this fight; Marquardt has a strong stand-up and submission game, while Okami has shown improved power in his boxing and can grind out a decision with the best of them. With both men eager to compete for championship gold, expect them to be cautious early, but come hard once they find their range.
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