As a fan, follower and writer of MMA, there are several
fight cards every year that make me seat back in awe of the history that might
unfold on the night of the event. Cards such as Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Hendo,
UFC 134, UFC 139 and Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov have
been such cards this year.
With the final month of 2011 upon us, UFC 140: Jones vs.
Machida has the opportunity to be another one of those cards. On paper, it has
three fights on the main card that could possibly headline on any given fight
night. Let’s take a look at the top three fights in Toronto this weekend.
Tito Ortiz (16-9-1)
vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5): Tito vs. Rogerio is one of those
matches that fans would’ve loved to seen several years ago, over time the two
have lost some luster. Rogerio comes in on a two-fight losing streak and Ortiz
has only one win in his last seven matches. There is no title shot at stake nor
is there a possibility of one, but there is pride. Rogerio is a prideful
Brazilian who will do all he can to make his country proud and Ortiz…well, he’s
not one of the most polarizing figures in the history of MMA for no reason.
This fight will feature two icons of the division looking to show they still
got it. On a historic side note, with this match Tito passes Matt Hughes for
the most fights in UFC history.
Frank Mir (15-5) vs.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6-1-1): This is the second time these two
heavyweights have faced off in the octagon; Mir beat Nogueira via 2nd-round
TKO in 2008. Since then, Mir has gone 3-2 while beating the likes of Cheick
Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson but he’s suffered (T)KO losses to Shane
Carwin and Brock Lesnar. Rodrigo, on the other hand, is 2-1 with wins over
Randy Couture and Brendan Schaub. His lone loss in that time was to former
champion Cain Velasquez. Both have great stand-up skills and are black belts in
BJJ, which should make for an interesting match if this goes to the mat.
Light Heavyweight Champion
Jonny “Bones” Jones (14-1) vs. former champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida
(17-2): After losing in 2009 to Matt Hamill via DQ for illegal elbows,
Jones has been unstoppable. He is 5-0 since that bout and has won the light
heavyweight title in March of this year. Jones has already successfully
defended the title once against Rampage Jackson at UFC 135 in September, but
will look to defend it against another former champion in Lyoto Machida.
Machida, whose last fight was a KO win in Toronto this past April, is looking
to regain the title he lost over 18-months ago to Mauricio Rua.
The lanky and speedy Jones will look to use his 10-inch
reach advantage to keep the unorthodox Machida at a distance. This bout
promises to be a showcase of incredible mixed martial arts as both fighters are
skilled in many fighting styles. Machida and Jones both have knockout power and can submit any opponent. This can be a classic five-round battle that both fighters show incredible skill or it can be a fight that ends quickly with one fighter controlling every aspect of the bout.
UFC 140 is one of those cards that, on paper, looks like it can be an instant classic. But, as we all know it isn't until the end of the night that we know how great a fight card.
Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt.
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