UFC 79 Is Coming...

It is not MMA's defining event, but it sure looks to be a fun night for fans!

Undoubtedly, Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva is the fight most people are anticipating. Even though both of these fighters are coming off two-fight losing streaks apiece, the question still remains: Can Chuck beat Wanderlei? (Or, if you prefer: Can Wanderlei beat Chuck?) This match has been hotly debated for years, ever since Chuck Liddell publicly called out Wanderlei Silva, famously declaring, "I want Wanderlei Silva. I want to knock him out. He’s next." I am predicting that Liddell defeats Silva.

Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre should be a good one! But this fight loses some of its luster because (a) it is not Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra, and (b) because it is overshadowed slightly by Chuck vs. Wanderlei. It should prove to be a great fight, nonetheless. And it is the big rubber match of 2007. I am predicting that St. Pierre defeats Hughes for the second time.

Another intriguing fight is Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Sokooudjou is fairly new to MMA with only five fights under his belt (4-1-0). The 23-year-old Cameroonian's only loss was to Glover Teixeira at WEC 24 in October of 2006. However, following that loss he went on a two-win streak, defeating Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in 23 seconds at PRIDE 33 on Feb 2007, then Ricardo Arona in 119 seconds at PRIDE 34 a month and a half later. Sokoudjou is no joke. I hope that that he has a bright and dominating MMA career ahead of him. His biggest test to date will be facing 29-year-old undefeated Japanese-Brazilian fighter Lyoto Machida (11-0) who trains with #1 world middleweight Anderson Silva. Machida is a dangerous counter-striker who tends to frustrate his opponents with (among other things) his ability to quickly evade incoming strikes. This should be an excellent fight! Though I would love to see Sokoudjou succeed in his UFC debut, I am predicting that Machida wins.

You can see the rest of my predictions for this card here:
UFC 79 Predictions