UFC 122

So I ran out of time this week, and it will be my shortest preview ever. (I really need to manage my time better) So here we go...


Goran Reljic vs. Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski
light heavyweight

After a failed two fight run at 185, Reljic returns to 205 where he first made his mark in the UFC. Flashy kicks and strikes wont save him against Soszynski, who is bigger, stronger, and more than capable of taking him down and grinding him out.

Soszynski via Unanimous Decision

Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta
welterweight

Sadollah is coming off a spirited loss to Dong Hyung Kim, and Sobotta is staring down the barrel of being 0-3 in the Octagon.Sadollah's pressure, and multifaceted arsenal will keep the German from getting anything going in front of his hometown crowd. If Sobotta get's Sadollah in trouble, he is more than capable of taking the fight to the ground where he is a much better grappler, and submission artist. It will be tight, but Sadollah gets the late stoppage.

Sadollah via TKO, Rd. 2


Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner
lightweight

Two lightweights who keep a good pace, and like to bang, have this fight tagged as my pick for fight of the night. Siver has his spinning back kick from hell, along with solid boxing, and Winner brings the whole arsenal of strikes. Both men have been beaten by fighters who put them on their butts, but with the two of these fighters preferring to keep things standing, we're going to see three rounds of fireworks. It will be close, but I see Winner eking out a split from the judges.

Winner via Split Decision.


Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera vs. Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara
middleweight

Another solid contender for Fight of the Night, Sakara vs. Rivera will be brutal, exciting, and could end quickly as well. Both fighters have solid stand up skills, and have the ability to end fights early. It's a tough fight to pick, and while neither fighter is likely to give an inch, both have been susceptible to getting caught early, and Sakara has a bit better boxing pedigree. Look for the fight to start and end with a flourish, as Sakara gets a nasty KO late in the first.

Sakara via KO, Rd. 1


Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Yushin "Thunder" Okami
middleweight

A very interesting fight that is also serving as a title eliminator for the next shot at the 185 pound strap, Marquardt vs. Okami should be a hard fought affair. Okami has solid takedowns and ground and pound, with improving striking. Marquardt is a bjj blackbelt, and extremely well rounded in all departments. Marquardt will get the better of the striking exchanges, and frustrate Okami by staying away from the counter punches he likes to throw. Okami usually can muscle his opponents around, and when he can't (see fights against Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz) he struggles a bit. In Marquardt, he has another beastly strong opponent, who will keep the pressure on him, and expose the holes in his striking game. It will be a tight, but clear cut win for Marquardt in the Judges eyes.

Marquardt via Unanimous Decision