While the upcoming UFC fights may be disgusting in terms of their ability to produce the highest quality matches possible, they may fail entirely in their ability to deliver the highest quality of fight, but there are some fights where there are some fighters that have been put in the position to change the course of their careers, and who have nothing to be afraid of if they blow it all in a big gambit.
The first of these fighters is Chris Lytle, who’s set to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 86. The people picking Chris to win are, for the most part, picking him because they want Koscheck to lose. Still, Chris has put himself in a great position by fighting one of more controversial fighters. Koscheck will get him attention, and while, on paper, Chris should lose this fight, if he comes out on top, he has everything to gain. He’ll get attention, the opportunity to call out a younger, fresher fighter (a part of Koscheck’s generation) if he wants to, and have that fight legitimized.
The second is obvious. James Irvin has nothing to lose by stepping in to fight Anderson Silva. Again, those who are picking James to win that fight are mostly picking him because they think that Anderson will lose to the lightheavyweight division, to larger opponents, not because they believe Irvin is a better fighter than Anderson. Even Irvin’s mother probably doesn’t believe that. Still, in winning this fight, Irvin puts himself in the position to get alot of attention. He hasn’t got alot of press for killing Houston Alexander when they fought, and that’s probably fair, as Irvin is a streaky fighter and Alexander was a relative newcomer, but beating the wrecking ball would help legitimize Irvin, though it may still cause speculation among those who believe that it was purely on the basis of his size. Irvin can at least make himself the subject of alot of conversation.
And if he loses, so what? He lost to one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, and Anderson is seen as a more legitimate 205 pound force. It doesn’t affect Irvin negatively, because nobody really believed that he was better than the Brazilian to begin with.
The third is Jon Fitch. Like Irvin, there are very few people that actually expect him to beat a more skilled fighter. I have a hard time mentioning Fitch on this list, because I don’t even believe that him winning is a destinct possibility. Still, if he beats Georges St. Pierre, he will take his place as the top fighter of the new generation. He has beaten Diego Sanchez already, and his win over Thiago Alves makes it clear that he’s one of the toughest guys in the division. The only young up and comer he hasn’t fought is Koscheck, and Kos’ recent losses have made him a bit less credible anyway. A win over the man ranked #1 at 170 pounds would put Fitch in serious contention for that ranking, and a dominant win would make him look like a force to be reconned with. And if he loses, so what? He become the gatekeeper for a new generation and a staple of the mid-card.
I’ve saved the fourth for last part because, chronologically, his fight will be coming the last, but mostly because I think that he has the most to gain, even though he’s not looking at a belt or even a top opponent. That’s Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Yoshida is stepping into this fight coming off of what I believe to be the most dominant performance on the UFC 84 card. He bulldozed Koppenhaver, and while Koppenhaver is a weak competitor, Yoshida displayed an impressive game and showed that he deserved to fight someone who might make for an interesting fight. His matchup with Karo Parisyan will give him the opportunity to do something that very few fighters get to do: be a fan favorite before even being well known. Karo isn’t well liked in the sport, and there’s a reason for that (mostly because he’s got the reputation of being an arrogant prick), so Yoshida has the opportunity to punish a fighter that everyone wants to see punished.
Yoshida isn’t expected, by alot of fans, to win against an opponent with a huge amount of experience, but if he does, and makes it impressive, he’s establish himself as one of the most well liked fighters in the division. He has the opportunity to pick up alot of fans of Japanese MMA who are longing for a substantial judoka willing to use his judo (since Nakamura and Sokoudjou have pretty much forsaken that game in their recent performances), and he has the opportunity to put on an exciting fight against an opponent who’s formidability won’t be drawn into question. It’s a contractual wet dream, especially given that if he loses, Yoshida will probably still have one more fight (though probably against another pathetic competitor) to regain his foothold in the UFC.
There’s plenty that can change in the UFC, and we’ll see if any of these guys can pick up the W and open up their career options. If they don’t, after all, they just stay where they are, but who wants to see that?
Loading ...
July 4th, 2008 at 6:09pm
I’m guilty of picking Irvin over Anderson. My decision is definitely influenced on size and I do think fighting 20 pounds above will only sway things in his favor.
Also, I have faith that Yoshida will pull the “upset” on Karo. I thought that the Winner of last years Cage Force tournament at Welterweight was definitely going to make noise elsewhere whether it was Hardy or Yoshida. I’m just hoping they rematch soon.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:51pm
Ernest, I think that Irvin has a shot at beating Anderson, because I definitely think that Irvin is big enough to make size matter. I’m picking Anderson, but I think that Irvin will make it interesting.
I’m also pulling for Yoshida, and I’m gonna pick him over Karo, because I think Karo’s lazy ass is going to show that he no longer deserves to be in the top promotion.