UFC 99 Preview: The Main Card

Mirko Filipovic vs. Mustapha al Turk

The Breakdown: By now, Mirko Filipovic was supposed to have high kicked the heavyweight division into a 55-year coma. Of course, MMA is the kind of sport where phrases like “supposed to” carry all the weight of a Drudge Report headline. Gone is the King of the concussion and in his place is a fighter no one knows what to make of. Which makes gauging his chances against the straight-forward ground control game of Mostapha Al Turk all the more difficult. If a hint of the old Tyson-esque destroyer of brain cells still exists, Al Turk might as well hit the mat the second the bell sounds. Lately though, we’ve been getting a flat-footed sideshow who makes you wonder if a Duran Duran fan could really be all that tough.

The X Factor: Lost amidst the usual conspiracy theories surrounding Filipovic’s rapid downfall is the fact that he’s a 34 year old man whose spent over 15 years competing in fight sports of some form or another. That is a massive physical toll on an already undersized heavyweight. If Filipovic has exhausted all the athletic greatness his genes could give him, this may be the last time anyone bothers to give him a second look.

The Bottom Line: This match has upset written all over it but, I can’t help but pick Filipovic. All he really needs to do is avoid a takedown or two and throw more than one strike every other minute. That’s always been the key to Filipovic’s game and while no one should be expecting anything that approaches the Croatian’s past self, he still has enough left in the tank to take out middling heavyweights like Al Turk. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare myself for an inbox full of angry Duran Duran fans.