Every MMA event brings questions - after the event passes, these questions get answered.
2. GSP is back and hungry.
3. Babalu knows how to turn an impressive victory into a contract termination. Jackass.
On Saturday night, a new set of questions will be answered when London's O2 Arena hosts arguably the biggest fight in Mixed Martial Arts history as UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson takes on PRIDE FC Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson. After this fight, the sport will finally have an undisputed 205-pound champion of the world.
UFC 75: Champion vs Champion has many other questions besides who will leave London undisputed champion. Here are five that we will soon have the answers to:
1. Can the UFC deliver another solid U.S. effort with a tape-delayed airing of a PPV?
The last time the UFC ran a show from the United Kingdom was UFC 70: Nations Collide in April. While the event ran live on UK PPV, it was broadcast on tape-delay in the United States. For their next overseas event, UFC 72: Victory from Northern Ireland, the UFC decided to run the event live on PPV in the States. This meant a 3pm start time on the east coast.
Apparently, Zuffa was not happy with the U.S. PPV revenue drawn from UFC 72: Victory because Saturday's event will go back to a tape-delayed format. The question now is can they deliver the goods?
All signs point emphatically to yes.
As already mentioned, Jackson/Henderson is a monumental fight for any card, let alone a free one. The event also has a number of solid undercard bouts that make it undoubtedly the best MMA card to ever run on free television.
It should also be noted that the tape-delay format for UFC 70: Nations Collide did not detract from the enjoyment of the show - and the same should be true for Saturday. It is true that the tape-delay meant that U.S. fans had to stay away from MMA sites the entire day or else risk finding out results – but there were also a number of positives.
First, it saved viewers $40 which is certainly nice. Second, for the U.S. broadcast the power of editing allowed a terrible Machida/Heath fight to be scrapped in favor of a much more entertaining Etim/Grice battle. Third, while there were commercials all they did was keep down the number of endless filler promos for upcoming UFC PPV's that are normally run during events.
If UFC 75 is brought to U.S. viewers in the same fashion that UFC 70 was, it will definitely deliver the goods.
After he was signed late last year, everyone predicted that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic would wreak havoc in the heavyweight division and capture UFC gold with ease. Then UFC 70 took place and CroCop would be knocked out cold by a brutal headkick from Gabriel Gonzaga. Mirko's road back to title contention starts Saturday night and the question is – has he put the humiliation of his last fight behind him?
The world will find out when CroCop steps into the cage with Cheick Kongo Saturday in London.
Many fans are calling this bout a ‘gimme' fight for Mirko – but this could not be farther from the truth. Kongo has a UFC record of 3-1 with his latest win coming at UFC 70: Nations Collide over Assuerio Silva. Cheick is a powerful man and will come to fight on Saturday.
It is true that Kongo has shown his takedown defense and ground game to be completely inept but that will not matter in this fight. This fight will be decided in the area that Cheick has shown he is more than capable in - striking. The former kickboxer could very well be a top 3 striker in the UFC heavyweight division and CroCop will have his hands full.
Still, CroCop is the more seasoned veteran and holds a striking advantage. If his loss to Gonzaga is truly behind him he will go into this fight on a mission and pick up a victory. However, if thoughts of Gonzaga's shin smashing into his skull are still on Mirko's mind he will fight timidly, get caught by the mammoth Kongo, and suffer the first back-to-back losses of his career.
England native Michael Bisping breezed through TUF3 light-heavyweight division more impressively than any other TUF winner ever has. Bisping however, did not have to fight the man thought to be his biggest threat in the competition – Matt Hamill.
Hamill was forced to withdraw from the competition after suffering a hand injury. The injury came as a shock to viewers since all the editing throughout the season seemed to be hyping up a Bisping/Hamill finals match-up. The fight will finally happen this Saturday and it may be even more important for Bisping to win now than it was then.
Bisping is being built up by the UFC as a poster-boy for their UK market. He is undefeated and has put together two impressive victories since winning TUF3. Bisping will now look to dispose of his old rival Hamill. If Michael were to lose this Saturday it will be a huge defeat in his home country and will take away all the momentum he has built up since winning TUF.
When compared to Hamill, Bisping has better striking, BJJ, cardio, and experience. Hamill holds only one advantage over Bisping which is his outstanding wrestling. Will this be enough to carry Matt to a victory?
Bisping better make sure it is not.
4. Can Marcus Davis continue his steady climb up the welterweight ranks?
Marcus Davis has very quietly gone on a four-fight win streak in the UFC welterweight division. The former pro-boxer has possibly the best stand-up game in the division with his last victory coming from a vicious KO just a minute into his fight with Jason Tan. While Davis's hands were his biggest claim to fame during his run on TUF2, he has shown great improvements in his ground game. Since last October, Davis has submitted both Pete Spratt and Forrest Petz.
The UFC higher-ups have shown no desire to hotshot Davis to the top of the crowded welterweight division and instead are slowly brining along the 34 year-old Maine native. On Saturday, Davis's climb up the ranks will continue when he takes on England's own Paul Taylor who will undoubtedly have the crowd on his side.
It is important for Davis to come into this fight strong. A loss will put his quest to fight the bigger names of the division in jeopardy. If he defeats Taylor, the UFC will almost be forced to bring Davis to the next level of competition to see what he is capable of.
Since the win, Alexander has been one of the most talked about fighters in the UFC. Fans will now get to see if Alexander is more than a flash in the pan when he fights Alessio Sakara on Saturday.
It is apparent that Alexander has knockout power. Rumor has it that he is incompetent on the ground, but that should not matter here since the only time this fight will hit the canvas will be when one fighter gets KO'd. Sakara is a very accomplished striker and the leather will be flying here.
It is not like Alexander will be challenging for a title anytime soon even if he wins – but an underdog coming out of nowhere and putting a few victories together is always a fun story.
Will Houston keep his streak going?
Find out all the answers Saturday.
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