UFC 83 PREVIEW

Let me preface this by saying I think it’s great the UFC is going to Montreal, Canada. I just wish they could’ve picked another date, say a month from now. I’ve had to endure that annoying “OLE” song for the past two weeks while my beloved Boston Bruins have battled it out with the dreaded Montreal Canadiens. So on Saturday April 19th between the hockey game and the UFC I’m looking at about 5-6 hours of that chant. That however is not my biggest problem. The Main Event as you all know is Matt “The Terror” Serra (a New Yorker, and more than likely a Yankee fan) against George St. Pierre (a definite Canadiens fan) so who do I (a Boston guy) root for? Let’s break it down. This may help me decide.
George St. Pierre is as well rounded a fighter as there is, and he’s always improving. He looked great as he took apart Matt Hughes, and the way he out-wrestled Josh Koschek was nothing short of amazing. On top of that his personality makes it hard not to like him.
Matt Serra is coming off a back injury and hasn’t fought since he beat GSP. He’s the Welterweight Champ, but also the underdog, which suits him fine. His fighting style is a little awkward which seemed to be a problem for GSP the first time these two met. He’s also very mentally tough which has been the one knock on St. Pierre.
This is a tough one to call and I’m really going outside the box on this one. If the Bruins win on Saturday so will Serra (St.Pierrre will take that loss very hard like all Canadien fans do). If the Canadiens win GSP will be feeling good which could mean trouble for Serra. My prediction the Bruins and Serra will be victorious and finally “OLE” will go away.
As for the other Pay-Per-View bouts. Rich Franklin will be taking on Travis Lutter in a fight I personally can’t wait for. Both fighters are coming off losses to Anderson Silva. Lutter looked much better in his loss than Franklin did in his. Lutter’s ground game is much better than Franklin’s and he’s shown KO power. Let’s not forget he’s been training with Muay Thai specialist Mark Dellegrotte and Franklin hasn’t look so great in the Muay Thai clinch in the past. Franklin, on the other hand, always looks good (unless he’s fighting Anderson Silva) he’s also never been submitted in the Octagon. Beyond that his take down defense is very good and he should have the advantage standing. Franklin is more than capable of winning this fight, but somehow I see Lutter winning by submission.
Nate Quarry will be up against TUF alum Kalib Starnes. Starnes is coming off a loss to Alan Belcher, while Quarry won his last bout against Pete Sell. My guess is that Quarry wont let this fight hit the ground and Starnes will get KO’d.
Michael Bisbing will be making his first appearance as a Middleweight as he takes on Charles McCarthy. Bisbing was on the small side as a light heavyweight but still looked good. It remains to be seen what affect the drop in weight will have on him; McCarthy is a strong guy who will look to exploit Bisbing’s ground game. My feeling is Bisbing had quick hands before the drop in weight, they shouldn’t have gotten slower. Bisbing by TKO.
Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek I’m going to go with Danzig in this one. Danzig is a smart fighter and has more experience. And what will be a battle of two Canadians; Joe Doerksen will get a rematch against Jason MacDonald. MacDonald beat him the first time and I don’t see anything different this time. So as much as the Montreal fans annoy me you must admit there a passionate bunch and with a fight card like this we’ll be reminded with every chant of “OLE”… “ OLE”