Thirty Helens would agree that at first glance UFC 67 is stacked at the top featuring three of the brightest and most exciting stars in the sport of mixed martial arts.
A rather curious and intriguing aspect of UFC 67 is the fact that had this event taken place roughly 365 days earlier, it would have likely been in Japan inside a PRIDE ring.
Funny how quickly the face of MMA changed seemingly overnight, because if it wasnt for varying degrees of separation, so to speak, UFC 67 would a different animal altogether. It probably would be filled to the brim with matches featuring the likes of Cheick Kongo (Pictures), Shonie Carter (Pictures) and Matt Serra (Pictures). I would not be surprised if Zuffa threw Ortiz-Shamrock IV into the mix.
Luckily for UFC fans, the trio of Silva, Jackson and Filipovic at one point or another opted to walk away from PRIDE and into the open, welcome arms of the UFC (yes I know Silva was with cage Rage in between; save the e-mails).
Stateside fight fans have already had to change their underwear twice after watching striker extraordinaire Anderson Silva dismantle and discard Chris Leben (Pictures) and Rich Franklin (Pictures). Yet they crave more.
Many American fans, especially those who comprise Generation TUF, have only heard rumors of the striking prowess of Cro Cop and the frightful slams of Rampage. They all heard the stories, the campfire tales of how Mirko once kicked the antlers off a moose and how Jackson once scooped up a hippo and slammed him into a river. Now, theyll finally get to witness these modern day Paul Bunions live.
Well all see if theyll live up to the hype.
The title will stay put
Dont get me wrong: I will probably be silently cheering for UFC middleweight title challenger Travis Lutter (Pictures) because he is a class act, a genuine guy who seems to have not one ill bone in his body.
Lutter is the type of guy who would stop highway traffic just to let a school of ducks cross the road and the kind of human being who would prevent humanity from watching Kate and Leopold.
Also, Lutter has been the constant underdog in virtually every professional scrap hes been in and the fans dont appear to acknowledge his existence. Im not one to ever cheer against a fighter, especially someone the caliber of Silva (and, for sake of friendly chatter, Silva seems like a good guy, too), but it would be fitting to see Lutter, a man virtually nobody sees winning, score the upset.
Now thats not to say that I think Lutter actually will win. My pick is a Spider stoppage late in the first round, but I wouldnt be shocked if Lutter makes a fight of it. My theory is that Silva has a decent enough sprawl and Lutters takedowns arent close to Josh Koscheck (Pictures)s. Silva will be able to keep the fight on the feet and after he finds a slight weakness, its adios amigo.
If and when Silva prevails over Lutter, there really isnt much on the horizon right now in terms of fighters under contract to the UFC who will give Anderson a run for his money. As long as he continues to work on his sprawl, hell be virtually impossible to beat. And since I dont foresee Matt Lindland (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures) or Paulo Filho (Pictures) coming over the UFC any time soon, Silva might actually set a record for consecutive defenses of a UFC title.
Ive been playing this fight in my head repeatedly and I keep coming to the same conclusion: a Silva knockout victory. Moreover, this fight doesnt seem like a true title fight in my eyes and Im willing to bet that I am not the only man who feels this way.
Sure, Lutter was the champion of TUF 4, but did he really earn his title shot? I my opinion he hasnt because he did not tear through the best opposition en route to said title challenge.
What I find a bit disturbing is the fact that Lutter landed the chance at becoming the UFC middleweight champion before Matt Lindland (Pictures), a man who choked out The Serial Killer. Its just a minor gripe of mine and this is not a knock against Lutter whatsoever. I just feel at this point in the game, there are other fighters more deserving of a shot at Silvas title than Lutter.
Maybe thats why the main event doesnt truly feel like a championship fight. Or maybe its because the main event of UFC 67 isnt a rematch.
Hes here
Yes sir, Cro Cop is finally in the U.S. and finally in the UFC.
For anybody out there who doesnt know what Cro Cop is capable of doing, I suggest running out and buying as many PRIDE DVDs from our Sherdog store as possible. Aside from a slip up against one Kevin Randleman (Pictures), the Croatian heavyweight striker has only lost to the elite of the elite (Nogueira, Fedor and former K-1 World Grand Prix champ Mark Hunt (Pictures)).
Cro Cop fights similarly to Anderson Silva except not as graceful or as precise. His coup de grâce, however, is his mythical left high kick. Hes nearly decapitated many a foe with it and once it connects, its lights completely out.
The only flaw that has plagued the 32-year-old Filipovic over the years is his stamina. Hes prone to tiring out, but I doubt thatll be a problem against Eddie Sanchez.
As usual, there is a throng of cynics out there who dont believe in Cro Cop just yet because he still is a relative unknown here in the States. There is some debate as to whether or not Mirko will catch on here in America and if Zuffas signing him would end up being worth it.
Naturally, such trivial ballyhoo should be discarded like yesterdays trash because its virtually impossible for Filipovic not to become a superstar in America. For all the skeptics out there or for the legions of fans who have not seen him in action, all it will take is one swift kick to Sanchezs head and thats it the Cro Cop Fan Club will have thousands of new members within minutes.
Where he goes from there is anybodys guess (that is, of course, unless Sanchez pulls off the upset). Will Zuffa slowly pit him against B level fighters in an effort to string together a highlight reel of epic proportions?
My guess is that Zuffa throws a few sheep into the wolfs lair for a full year. UFC president Dana White wont let him fight Tim Sylvia (Pictures) for the belt just yet. They have to build him up like a great pyramid first.
My only question then would be, provided Cro Cop is as successful as I think he will be, what would happen if Sylvia lands a right hand onto the Croats jaw?
That would be one hell of a monkey wrench.