The UFC middleweight division will have a lot of questions answered over the next couple of months.
Middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who is three months removed from his comeback submission victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, is set to take on knockout artist Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 this February to determine the UFC 185lbs champion.
However, before Belfort and Silva brawl for the gold on Super Bowl weekend, Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami are set to fight for a title shot against the winner of the UFC 126 main event.
Silva, who has fought both of the middleweight contenders at some point in his career, understands he will meet the winner of the bout in 2011 if he can defeat the dangerous Belfort. However, that does not mean he is capable of picking the man who will come out on top in the main event of UFC 122 this weekend.
“This is a very closely matched fight; both competitors are well rounded and could win by strikes or submissions, “stated Silva in an official press release, courtesy of Spike TV. “I can’t pick a winner. With a shot at the UFC title for the winner, I am obviously very interested to see who wins. I am excited to see who wins but no matter who it is, I look forward to defending my UFC Middleweight title against him in the New Year.”
While Silva’s interest in the bout is quite obvious, the 185lbs title-holder is not the only fighter who will be watching intently this weekend.
Convinced he sits just outside the top tier of the division, “Ultimate Fighter” winner Michael Bisping has suggested as of late that a title shot is not too far off down the road for him. Considering that, one can be fairly certain that he, like Silva, will have his eyes peeled for the next top contender. However, unlike the champ, Bisping believes he knows who is going to take home the victory on Saturday night.
“I’m actually expecting Okami to pull this off,” Bisping said. “It’s a great fight between two tough, well-rounded guys. But based on the way Chael Sonnen controlled Marquardt in their bout, I think Okami has a chance to use a similar strategy and take the win. I think Okami will take him down, hold him there, beat him up a little and basically do more damage.”
However, the man who defeated Bisping at UFC 110 earlier this year, PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva, thinks differently.
While “The Count” believes that Okami will be able to bully Marquardt in the same manner Sonnen did at UFC 109, Silva believes the well-rounded former middleweight top contender has a distinct advantage on the feet, as we saw in his fights against Wilson Gouveia and Demian Maia.
“I think this is going to be a good fight between Marquardt and Okami,” Silva said. “Okami is very strong and tough on the ground. Marquardt’s good on the ground too, but I think Marquardt is the more complete fighter. He has good hands and I think this is going to be the difference.”
Check out the complete list of middleweight fighter picks below:
Anderson Silva: Undecided Wanderlei Silva: Marquardt Michael Bisping: Okami
Alan Belcher: Marquardt
Tom Lawlor: Marquardt
Kyle Noke: Marquardt
Alessio Sakara: Marquardt
Kendall Grove: Marquardt
Chris Leben:Undecided
Follow @HeavyMMA on Twitter for all the latest MMA news. Also, become a fan on Facebook for exclusive coverage and giveaways.
