It seems like it has been forever, but we’ll finally have a UFC PPV to check out this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC 130 event will be headlined by former UFC light heavyweight Rampage Jackson as he’ll be taking on TUF veteran Matt Hamill.
The event was supposed to be headlined by a UFC lightweight title fight re-match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, but of course that fight was scrapped due to both fighters being injured. I want to take a look at 5 killer questions heading into this event:
- Has Rampage Jackson taken Matt Hamill serious leading up to this fight? If Rampage Jackson has taken him serious, I expect this fight to pretty much be a beatdown with Jackson getting his hand raised. However, if he has slacked a bit in training(which I suspect he may have), I expect this fight to be much tougher for Jackson than it has to be. There’s absolutely no reason why Jackson should be fighting Hamill after fighting the likes of Lyoto Machida. I understand that Thiago Silva messed up by altering his urine, and a replacement had to be found and all. However, if the fans aren’t too happy about Jackson fighting Hamill, then you can bet that Jackson isn’t too thrilled with it either. It’s no secret that Jackson hates training, and I can’t think of a better scenario in which someone like Jackson would slack off because he may feel Hamill doesn’t belong in there with him. Be sure to check back this week for the preview.
- Is Rick Story a top ten welterweight if he beats Thiago Alves? I’ve been on the Rick Story bandwagon for a while now. The kid has won five straight fights, including 4 wins in 2010 in the UFC while giving Johnny Hendricks his first career loss. He is tough as nails and could certainly put Alves on his back as GSP did to grind out a win.
- Is Frank Mir done as a title contender with a loss to Roy Nelson? This is one fight that I can’t wait to see. We’ve seen Mir get dominated by Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, and we saw him beat one dimensional Cheick Kongo and an aged Mirko Cro Cop. Nelson has KO power, good cardio, and is great on the ground as well. Mir will turn 32 years old this week, but would he have one more run for a title if he were to lose to Roy Nelson this weekend?
- Can Jorge Santiago shake off his past UFC losses and assert himself as a contender with a win over Brian Stann? Santiago is a very good fighter, but he was very young during his first UFC stint and was sent packing after back to back KO losses to Alan Belcher and Chris Leben. Santiago went on to go 11-1 competing against pretty good competition in several different organizations. Stann has good power as evident in his KO win over the iron chinned Chris Leben. Will the past losses loom in the mind of Santiago, or will he blast Stann and announce himself to the new UFC audience?
- Is Miguel Torres in a trap fight against Demetrious Johnson? Torres was originally supposed to face Brad Pickett, but Johnson stepped in on short notice due to an injury forcing Pickett off the card. Historically, Torres has had problems stopping takedowns but he will have a HUGE reach advantage over Johnson as well. Johnson has won three straight since suffering his only loss, ironically it was against Brad Pickett in whom he is replacing.
Overall, this card took a huge hit when Edgar/Maynard was scratched but there are still several good matchups on this one. Be sure to make Pro MMA Now your home as we bring you fight previews and daily updates heading into this weekend.