UFC 97 Breakdown: The Main Card

Photo by Sherdog.com

Expect Kongo to hand out
an NC-17 rated beating.

Disheartened K-1 fans may finally get their kickboxing fix, as two of the best strikers in the heavyweight division will finally put fist to face in the Octagon. That’s the hope, since neither Kongo nor Hardonk has ever shown a taste for mat work. However, Hardonk is practically impotent on the ground, while Kongo has at least half an idea of what he’s doing when he leaves his feet. That’s plenty enough to beat Hardonk, who does not have the wrestling to stop basic takedowns. Consider Kongo’s vastly underrated ground-and-pound, and it looks like that dream kickboxing match may turn into an involuntary rhinoplasty, with Hardonk getting the Mickey Rourke special.

Pride can be a funny thing, and Kongo’s own ego may compel him to go after Hardonk on the feet. While it’s no given that Hardonk would carve up the Frenchman in short order, it’s hard to imagine Kongo’s spindly hind quarters holding up against the Dutchman’s precision leg kick assault. Kongo should spend the next few days locked in a room watching tape of Hardonk’s grappling follies and force the idea of any Jean Claude Van Damme-style showdowns out of his head.

Lots of people wonder what kind of fighter Hardonk would be if he just had some proper MMA training. Reality takes a backseat to fantasy here. Most will root for a fight that looks like Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed with high kicks, but we’ll probably get Kongo handing out an NC-17 rated beating instead.