UFC 157 preview

UFC 157 poster

The day is upon us. In a couple of hours the UFC will kick off it's 1st event to host a Women's MMA bout. I'm so pumped for the event due to the historical importance it has but also because the card from top to bottom is pretty darn sick. I'll be going into detail on what are the fights that excite me the most and predicting most of the card.

The 1st three fights will be shown on Facebook and are pretty solid. John Manley vs Neil Mangy is a bout from 2 of the best Ultimate Fighter contenders from last season. Both guys are fun as heck to watch and will be looking to put on a great show, more so due to the fact that the UFC is noticeably trimming it's roster lately (released 16 fighters were released this week) and a loss couple mean they'll be cut. Magny is the betting favorite at -160 and I expect him to pick up the win inside the 15 minutes.

Another prelim fight that I love, this on is on FX, is Michael Chiesa vs Anton Kuivanen; I don't really know that much about Anton but am a huge fan of Chiesa right from the start of his TUF run. How could you not root for this guy to win the series when in episode 2 he lost his father, in the end he wound up winning it all and getting the six figure UFC contract, this will be his debut and I expect him to win without any real problem. Still I would not be on him, not because he will lose but the -200 is not an enticing number to risk any cash on.

The final prelim fight will be Brendan Schaub vs Lavar Johnson. This fight between 2 heavyweights will be pretty darn awesome, these guys may not have the best record but win or lose they always put on a show. Schaub is the favorite at -150, Big Lavar is at +120. I find the +120 enticing enough to take the risk but regardless of who you are rooting for or betting on this is a fight that will most certainly not go the distance. If there is a prop regarding the fight ending in a KO, I'd take it in a heart beat.

The main card features 5 bouts, 3 of them are really attractive to me. The other 2 are Josh Koscheck vs the returning Robbie Lawler; not a fan of Josh but I expect him to win and so does Vegas with a -450 spread. And Urijah Faber vs Ivan Menjivar, Faber never comes through in the big spotlight  (i.e. title fights) and Menjivar has been winning but not being really entertaining; I think the California Kid will take it but love the +300 for The Pride of El Salvador.

Court McGee has been a personal favorite for a long time, Josh Neer always puts on fun fights so this has the makings of a fun scrap. I'm really interested to see how McGee works now that he is down to fighting at 170; I really expect the bearded one to take the win, although that -300 is not a good bet IMO.

The fight that has me really hyped up is Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs Dan "Hendo" Henderson. These are to warriors that have made their mark all over the world: Japan, Brazil, the US and their styles make it for a really interesting fight. Hendo and his H bomb a sick overhand right he is famous for, as seen here KOin Michael Bisping at UFC100

are always on the attack, while Machida is widely known as one of the best counter strikers in the world today as seen here when he knocked Ryan Bader out cold at UFC on Fox.

So we get a guy who is always hunting against a guy who patiently waits for his opponent to open up to kick/punch the shit out of him; while some say this means Machida will be running away for 15 minutes I see it the other way around where it will be a awesome, action packed chess match. Machida is favorite at -260, I will gladly take Hendo at +200; the one thing that scares me a bit from Henderson is his 13 month layoff and knee injury during that time (if you remember it was his knee injury and subsequent failure to find some to fight Jon Jones the reason UFC151 was canceled back in September), but if there is one thing I've learned from Dan is that, even at 42, he has the biggest heart in all of the UFC. Picking Hendo to win.

The main event of the evening will feature the 1st ever womans MMA bout in UFC history pitting "champion" Ronda Rousey vs Liz Carmouche (the first openly gay fighter in the UFC), this is a huge step into making WMMA relevant and this is a matchup that will be good. Rousey has become a huge star and rightfully so: she is the 1st American woman to win a medal (bronze) in Judo in the Olympics, she has won all 6 of her pro MMA bouts in the 1st round via armbar, she freaking hot and is great with the media. Check out this sick armbar she put on a very tough Meisha Tate, it's pretty sick

Carmouche has been in the Marines, has fought for Strikeforce, Invicta and other smaller companies and has busted her ass to get where she is and, according to the UFC, was the only fighter willing to step up and face Ronda.

This fight is crucial for the future of womans MMA and I really hopes it goes well. Which result is better for the sport? Rousey winning quick and not even making it interesting? Liz pulling off the huge upset? I was discussing this with a buddy, @thekrankylopez, a few minutes ago and he says the UFC needs Ronda to win, I think Ronda is already a star and regardless of the outcome she will continue to be so if Carmouche wins the fight you now have another start and a rematch set up. It's always fun to play fantasy booker but we never know what will happen until it actually does.

From what I've read ticket sales have been great, PPV advance buys are looking good, there has been tons of media for the event -talking big media like ESPN, HBO, USA Today and other large outlets, not shitty blog writers and specialized media that already covered the sport-, maybe more than at any other UFC event. So all is looking good, now it's time for the ladies to get in the octagon and prove everything us hardcore fans already know and the world wants to see.

If you have not seen the great UFC Primetime specials they put of hyping this fight you are missing out on something great. After watching all 3 episodes how could you now root for these two chicks (not saying it in a derogatory way, you pricks). Here is the 1st episode:

Ronda is a HUGE favorite at -1400, Liz is the underdog at +700. If I was going to bet, I'd take the +700 just for the heck of it since 10 bucks will make 70 and in Ronda's case $10 will make you under a dollar. I expect Ronda to go home with the Bantamweight belt but I'm rooting for Liz since she trains in San Diego.

No doubt this will be a great night of fights at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Who do you expect to win? Agree with my picks? Either way let me know at @MrKhakbaz and enjoy this historic card!

Mr Khakbaz out!