What not to expect at UFC 129: GSP vs. Shields
Posted on April 27, 2011, 08:39 AM by Anton GurevichUFC 129 is just around the corner, with five promising match-ups on the main card of the night. The event is headlined by Georges St. Pierre's sixth consecutive UFC Welterweight title defense in a fight against Jake Shields, as Jose Aldo's UFC debut in a Featherweight title fight against Mark Hominick serves as the co-main event attraction of the night.
There's no doubt about UFC 129 being one of the biggest events in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, with fighters looking to prove their worth in front of the 55,000 attendance at the sold-out Rogers Center. A lot has been said and promised, but here's five sure things you shouldn't expect at the UFC 129 main card action:
Photo: Francis Specker.
Jake Shields to KO Georges St. Pierre
Jake Shields knocking out Georges St. Pierre will be one of the biggest surprises in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. However, Jake Shields' main goal is to take this fight to the ground, where he can utilize his elite submission skills to take the belt away from St. Pierre. Shields knows he has nothing to offer against St. Pierre on his feet, what is also one of the French-Canadian's biggest strengths. It will be a game of chess between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields, with GSP playing on the whites with Striking and Shields on the blacks with Grappling.
Mark Hominick and Jose Aldo going to distance
Mark Hominick and Jose Aldo are two of the most dangerous Featherweights on the planet. Both finished four of their last five fights with brutal knockouts and perfectly executed submissions. And just like Hominick, who will enjoy a tremendous local support, Jose Aldo has a lot to prove in this fight. The Brazilian phenom wants to make a statement in his UFC debut, and will be definitely looking for a memorable highlight reel finish. As for Hominick, it's hard to imagine Shawn Tompkins' protégé wrestling for five rounds with Aldo. It's all or nothing for both Hominick and Aldo in this fight. Expect fireworks, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Randy Couture to defeat Lyoto Machida
Everyone knows Randy Couture will come to this fight with a clinch-dirty boxing gameplan, looking to frustrate Machida and play on his weaknesses. But reality is a little bit different. Lyoto Machida is better than Couture in both striking and grappling, not speaking about speed and movement. Without all these components, Couture's wrestling will be close to irrelevant inside the Octagon. But hey, "The Natural" already proved numerous times that impossible is nothing.
Slugfest between Vladimir Matyushenko and Jason Brilz
Brilz and Matyushenko are very calculated fighters, who almost never take risks during the fight. Jason Brilz is coming off defeat against Rogerio Nogueira, as Vladimir Matyushenko will look to establish a winning streak after convincingly beating Alexandre Ferreira at UFC 122. Both have a lot to lose, especially in front of 55,000 spectators at the sold-out Rogers Center. It will be a wrestling war between these two excellent grinders, but definitely not a Korean Zombie – Leonard Garcia styled match-up.
Ben Henderson to submit Mark Bocek
Ben Henderson has eight impressive submission victories on his record, but it will be a whole different story against the Canadian veteran Mark Bocek. Benderson will have to find another path to victory in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as going down to ground with Bocek is the most unlikely one. Fans can safely expect a very technical fight between Bocek and Henderson, which will be probably decided on the feet.
Comments
u can never count randy out, although his chance are very slim.
If Randy beats Machida, which I believe he will, colktfo (and you Anton) I'm going to post a big fat I TOLD YOU SO on your wall :)
couture is 1 of the best grapplers their is in ufc . i think couture has good enough hands too get the job done . never count that man out .
Agree with everything except the last statement!
Ben Henderson in my opinion is the most underrated Lightweight
even more than Alvarez and Melendez.
His striking is awesome and his ground game is sick!
Ben Henderson submit Cerrone and Varner, so i dont expect to be a
technical fight, more like a domination from Henderson and a second round Submission yes i said submission( tha's actually my lowkick pick) or maybe a TKO.
On the Randy issue i agree 100% on his wrestling being irrelevant vs Machida and again agree with Randy possible making a surprise in the fight, as we all know Captain America is not going out with out a fight!
Wont count randy out..
and homminck fight would be about how long he can withstand aldos beating
and ben henderson winning by guillotine wont be that shocking either,
he has a nasty guillotine plus you dont need to be a bjj black belt to get a guillotine done well, look at overeem(lhw) who submitted vitor belfort whos a carlson gracie black belt via guillotine
and brilz fight against lil nog was exciting (a FOTN) and there were plenty of trading hard shots between him and lil nog, and at the end of round two he even had lil nog badly hurt
match-ups make fights. The fight between Brilz and Matyushenko has "wrestling" written all over it.
like everything about this article, I disagree. two wrestlers going at it typically means two guys who aren't strikers winging punches = SLUGFEST!!! Unless one has a significant advantage the wrestling, they will cancel out. It comes down to who has the better punches that night. Also, there is no way you can ever count out any outcome when fighting is so unpredictable and has so many variables.
Yeah munoz vs simpson for example
and dollaway vs munoz
Dam no respect for Randy!
where did you see me disrespecting Randy Couture? Come on...
Your saying Randy can't defeat Machida. We all know anything can happen in this sport. Coutures a legend, come on....
Respect for Randy is a given, however we've seen Machida elude quicker and more explosive fighters than Randy. When you break down all aspects of the fight technically and physically the only thing in Randy's favor is his history of pulling off an upset. This aloe won't be enough to win
word.
All true, but as a Chuck fan, Chuck beat him twice and by devastation!
Lol its so true, but I really think this time he wont do it. I'd be amazed if he proved everybody wrong again. If I had to pick one particular fight to look to that sets my mind on that result (Machida winning), it would probably be the Vera fight. Machida wins, EASILY!
If Randy wins I will walk down to the octogenarian from my 500 level uppper bowl seats at the Rogers Center and apologize to him personally!
*octagon
Firefox spell correction....
couture always has a chance
Machida is better than Couture in grappling? I disagree completely with that one.
machida is the al round better fighter.. and i think cagerage you are under underestimating lyoto grappling....
I think Machida vs Couture will be somewhat similar to the Vera fight except Machida is 10x the fighter Vera is an will come away with the victory. Still you can never count out Captain America!
I love Randy Couture, I really do but can't we just be real and admit that he isn't the same Randy from the early 2000's. I'm really a big fan and has helped this sport grow a lot, but his record isn't the greatest. I'd say The Natural beating The Dragon is a long shot, but I'm not counting out Old Man Randy.
GTFO Randy better than Hendo lol.
Common bro your talking about Captain America in Randy Couture! Dan Henderson isn't even an Assistant Captain of America!
LOL you guys are funny. But for real, HENDO is the real Captain =D
But The title should have been "What to expect at UFC 129: GSP vs. Shields"
Jake Shields VIA Sub - round 3...Yes, he will once again shock the world. Never sleep on Jake Shields.
Jose Aldo VIA embarrassment KO in front of 55,000 fans.
Lyoto Machida Via TKO: Thank you for the great memories, Randy.
Vladimir Matyushenko Via Decision, but can go either way.
Ben Henderson Via almost however he wants the fight to end.
I like your picks and I agree with most of it. I did pick sheilds for a win but I only did it feeling it has 40% chance of being right. I think GSP is likely to win but If there was ever a guy to get the upsets it's Jake so I am picking him in hesitation and curiosity. The rest I think will be spot on.
We normally agree when it comes to a lot of fighters.
Yeah it is true. We must subconsciously have something in common when we pick or like a fighter.
Agree on virtually all accounts. As a side I think painting the Shields vs GSP fight as Grappler vs Striker is flawed. GSP is leagues better at striking, but he's primarily a grappler, and I think a better one that Shields even. GSP is definitely the better wrestler. Shields is a great submission fighter, but when's the last time he tapped a great grappler? Someone even close to as good as GSP? Probably Mike Pyle 3 and a half years ago, but I think that's the only really high level grappler he's ever submitted. And the wrestling discrepancy is pretty vast in favor of GSP. Shields is a pretty good wrestler, but I don't think anywhere near GSP.
In short I agree that it is very unlikely that Shields knocks out GSP, but I disagree with the wording that it's striking vs grappling. The way it is worded it assumes that the gap in grappling is in shields favor as much as the gap in striking is in GSP's favor. I would make the case that GSP has advantages in both places, although not nearly as drastically on the ground.
I also highly doubt that Hominick survives the whole fight against Aldo. He's really tough though, and I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility. I also disagree with the notion that Hominick is some sort of knockout, finishing artist. He has real boxing skill, and the fight should indeed be quite good. He's a really underrated grappler, but I don't think he has the wrestling for that to be a factor, not to mention Aldo is no slouch there either. With that being said I don't think he has a way to really stop Jose Aldo on the feet unless he lands the best liver punch of his career, in a very Yves Jabouin type of way.
I do agree that it is very unlikely that Couture beats Machida, and good call throwing in that it's never good to discount him. He somehow finds ways to win when he probably shouldn't. Agree completely on the Vladdy Brilz tip. I doubt Bendo submits Bocek as well, but as my fellow lowkickers have mentioned he does have a very good guillotine. Don't forget that Bocek was tapped by Mac Danzig of all people 3 years ago.
Overall good post, Anton.
If Randy wins Dana will give him titleshot
A LHW title shot out of nowhere?! There's a line already.
We all know Machida likes to come in, clinch, & delivery knees to the body. I see Randy grabbing a hold of him & dishing out punishment.
Two were wrong... Well it wasn't a slugfest but a ko by vladdy and no wrestling