UFC Fight Night Goes Mile High
More TV bouts
Apr 2, 2008
On a card that features a lightweight main event loaded with
long-term repercussions, the clash between Nate Diaz and Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) could end up playing just as big
a role in the division's long-term outlook.
As a reigning TUF champion, Diaz (8-2) certainly won't be hurting for high-profile opportunities, but it wasn't until recently that he convinced fans to buy into his stock post-reality TV stint. Reason being the unfortunate circumstances that surrounded his bout with fellow finalist Manvel Gamburyan (Pictures).
A recurring shoulder injury doomed Gamburyan and all but handed the
crown to Diaz, who was written off by many as probability's
favorite Californian. That perception has fallen by the wayside
faster than Tom Cruise's sanity thanks to a pair of impressive
submission wins over Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists Junior Assuncao (Pictures) and Alvin Robinson (Pictures).
Diaz better have that anti-grappler mojo bottled up because Pellegrino (11-3) would love to cash in on the windfall that comes with derailing any of SpikeTV's golden children.
Until now, all Pellegrino has proven is that he can handle the division's lesser lights like Nate Mohr (Pictures) and Alberto Crane (Pictures). Even the real Batman occasionally slaps around The Mad Hatter for kicks, but he still gets serious when The Joker rolls around.
Now is the time for Pellegrino to get serious, as Diaz is turning out to be one of the more offensively dynamic fighters the UFC has seen in some time. The tradeoff of course is that Diaz is severely lacking in the wrestling department, and that is an edge that Pellegrino must look to take advantage of.
Early on, expect "Batman" to do just that while he rides out the top position before reverting to form and pressing the action a bit. That will be the precise moment in which Pellegrino ensures his own downfall because he won't do well at all in a grappling exhibition against Diaz.
Diaz keeps his improbable run of success against grapplers going with a second-round rear-naked choke win over MMA's caped crusader. Christian Bale won't like this one at all.
Houston Alexander (Pictures) vs. James Irvin (Pictures)
Any red-blooded MMA fan knows the value of a quality throw down and, thankfully, the UFC has come to the same realization by matching Mr. Nebraska himself, Houston "The Assassin" Alexander, against the snake-bitten but dangerous James "Sandman" Irvin.
Luck has never been kind to Irvin (13-4, 1 NC), who has shown flashes of high-ceiling potential in the past while dealing with misfortunes straight from the theatre of the bizarre. A laundry list of injuries and an explicably improbable no-contest against Bobby Southworth (Pictures) are but the tip of the iceberg, although Irvin's last bout saw Lady Luck finally show the native Californian some long overdue love.
Intended to be a showcase fight for promising Brazilian slugger Luis Arthur Cane (Pictures), Irvin was all but handed a win after Cane landed a blatantly illegal knee on the ground, which gave Irvin the "W," albeit in unsatisfying fashion.
That feeling of want is something Alexander (8-2, 1 NC) became familiar with in his last UFC bout, when Thiago Silva (Pictures) handed the native Nebraskan his first loss in nearly seven years. More troubling than the loss itself was the fact that Alexander didn't come out with the same primal fury that overwhelmed previous UFC opponents Alessio Sakara (Pictures) and Keith Jardine (Pictures).
It was that unstoppable will and the striking acumen to back it up that transformed the previously unknown Alexander into a UFC regular. Getting thrashed for the first time in a long time will be the ultimate measuring stick for Alexander, who is faced with a decision that every fighter inevitably runs into: Either pull a Jay-Z and brush the dirt off your shoulder or play dead and call it a career.
Against Irvin, Alexander will at least have an opponent who will test his willingness to jump right back in the pocket and throw down without fear of return fire.
Alexander will do the jigga man proud by taking the fight right to Irvin, who will find little space for his wide hooks to land as "The Assassin" crowds his quarry and cuts loose with knees and uppercuts. No one has been able to stand up to Alexander's close quarters carnage thus far, and Irvin won't be the first as he ends up on the wrong end of a first-round knockout. I'd make a Sandman joke here, but I have too much respect for Neil Gaiman.
As a reigning TUF champion, Diaz (8-2) certainly won't be hurting for high-profile opportunities, but it wasn't until recently that he convinced fans to buy into his stock post-reality TV stint. Reason being the unfortunate circumstances that surrounded his bout with fellow finalist Manvel Gamburyan (Pictures).
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Diaz better have that anti-grappler mojo bottled up because Pellegrino (11-3) would love to cash in on the windfall that comes with derailing any of SpikeTV's golden children.
More importantly, this may be the last chance Pellegrino, otherwise
known as "Batman," ever gets to position himself for a run at the
title after losing a critical contenders clash against Joe Stevenson.
Until now, all Pellegrino has proven is that he can handle the division's lesser lights like Nate Mohr (Pictures) and Alberto Crane (Pictures). Even the real Batman occasionally slaps around The Mad Hatter for kicks, but he still gets serious when The Joker rolls around.
Now is the time for Pellegrino to get serious, as Diaz is turning out to be one of the more offensively dynamic fighters the UFC has seen in some time. The tradeoff of course is that Diaz is severely lacking in the wrestling department, and that is an edge that Pellegrino must look to take advantage of.
Early on, expect "Batman" to do just that while he rides out the top position before reverting to form and pressing the action a bit. That will be the precise moment in which Pellegrino ensures his own downfall because he won't do well at all in a grappling exhibition against Diaz.
Diaz keeps his improbable run of success against grapplers going with a second-round rear-naked choke win over MMA's caped crusader. Christian Bale won't like this one at all.
Houston Alexander (Pictures) vs. James Irvin (Pictures)
Any red-blooded MMA fan knows the value of a quality throw down and, thankfully, the UFC has come to the same realization by matching Mr. Nebraska himself, Houston "The Assassin" Alexander, against the snake-bitten but dangerous James "Sandman" Irvin.
Luck has never been kind to Irvin (13-4, 1 NC), who has shown flashes of high-ceiling potential in the past while dealing with misfortunes straight from the theatre of the bizarre. A laundry list of injuries and an explicably improbable no-contest against Bobby Southworth (Pictures) are but the tip of the iceberg, although Irvin's last bout saw Lady Luck finally show the native Californian some long overdue love.
Intended to be a showcase fight for promising Brazilian slugger Luis Arthur Cane (Pictures), Irvin was all but handed a win after Cane landed a blatantly illegal knee on the ground, which gave Irvin the "W," albeit in unsatisfying fashion.
That feeling of want is something Alexander (8-2, 1 NC) became familiar with in his last UFC bout, when Thiago Silva (Pictures) handed the native Nebraskan his first loss in nearly seven years. More troubling than the loss itself was the fact that Alexander didn't come out with the same primal fury that overwhelmed previous UFC opponents Alessio Sakara (Pictures) and Keith Jardine (Pictures).
It was that unstoppable will and the striking acumen to back it up that transformed the previously unknown Alexander into a UFC regular. Getting thrashed for the first time in a long time will be the ultimate measuring stick for Alexander, who is faced with a decision that every fighter inevitably runs into: Either pull a Jay-Z and brush the dirt off your shoulder or play dead and call it a career.
Against Irvin, Alexander will at least have an opponent who will test his willingness to jump right back in the pocket and throw down without fear of return fire.
Alexander will do the jigga man proud by taking the fight right to Irvin, who will find little space for his wide hooks to land as "The Assassin" crowds his quarry and cuts loose with knees and uppercuts. No one has been able to stand up to Alexander's close quarters carnage thus far, and Irvin won't be the first as he ends up on the wrong end of a first-round knockout. I'd make a Sandman joke here, but I have too much respect for Neil Gaiman.
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