Jan 18 2008
Rear Naked Ramblings - UFC 80 Preview
News and notes from around the MMA world …
- Ken Shamrock has an opponent for his March Cage Rage fight.
- MMAPayout looks at the UFC 80 Countdown Show.
- Dave Meltzer writes about Fabricio Werdum and Gabriel Gonzaga which is a rematch of a fight that Werdum won 4 years ago.
- CBS Sportsline analyzes UFC 80.
- UFC is going to work with TNA Wrestling to help in promoting Brock Lesnar.
- Kimbo Slice says that he’s going to make Tank Abbott piss blood.
- B.J. Penn wants another crack at Georges St. Pierre after Joe Stevenson.
- FHM showcases the girls of the octagon.
- Dana White doesn’t think Europe is a profitable market.
Talking Points
UFC 80 comes from Newcastle, England on Saturday and it has an early start for US viewers. It’s a 3PM Eastern/Noon Pacific start time, which means I’m going to be watching this show before I eat lunch. I should have live play by play here on the blog.
B.J. Penn faces Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in the main event for the lightweight championship. Interestingly enough, it’s a title that has evaded Penn, who is a former welterweight champion. The reason why this fight is for the lightweight title is because former champion Sean Sherk failed his drug test for steroids and was suspended. He was then stripped of the belt, but according to Dana White, will get the first shot at the new champ. Penn and Sherk have been squawking at each other through the media and their match-up is a natural one, and would’ve been the match-up had Sherk not failed his drug test. Stevenson was the next in line and he’s in his first main event on a PPV show. The show itself is one of the weaker efforts on paper and is a show that more than likely will be one of the lower bought efforts since the UFC explosion in 2006.
But at least the this fight should be good. The match has all the makings of a ground war that should be fast paced for at least a few rounds. Stevenson will probably try and push the pace to test Penn who has been out of shape in the past. But after watching the countdown show on Spike TV, he looks to be taking his training very seriously. I think Penn will win by submission, but not until at least the third round. This is one of those fights where Stevenson can make his name just as much by losing a great fight, as he could by upsetting Penn. Not too many people are expecting him to win. While it’s not the marquee style of main event, especially after all the star power on the December card, it should still be a fun fight and one that should bring the goods.
The semi-main event pits Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum. After beating Mirko Cro Cop and main eventing against Randy Couture, Gonzaga is now a big name in the UFC. But I’m not sure about Werdum. Werdum actually beat Gonzaga when both were early in their career, so this is a revenge fight for Gonzaga. Werdum fought in Pride and made his name there, but after his fight last year against Andrei Arlovski, it doesn’t seem like he and Gonzaga should be all that close. You’d think that with the level of competition he’s faced in his last two fights, Gonzaga should be ready to fight at different level than Werdum. I think Gonzaga wins the fight, either by a knockout or submission in the second round. They’re both jiu-jitsu fighters, but Gonzaga seems to have the better stand-up based on what I’ve seen from both in the UFC. With a win, you’d think that Gonzaga would be thrown right back in with the top heavyweight fighters again.
