Armando’s Look At: UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen
Tonight, the Octagon returns to Boston, Massachusetts for the first time since the UFC’s original visit back in August of 2010. That warm summer night, the TD Garden hosted the UFC 118 PPV headlined by then UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar’s title rematch against living legend, BJ Penn. For this highly anticipated return the UFC brings its Boston aficionados another amazing event this time live and free from the same TD Garden arena. The main card features a main event between former UFC champion, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, taking on Chael Sonnen and a co-main event between powerhouses Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne. Yet, the entire event is so well put together from top to bottom that a little bit of extra attention was needed to not overlook the preliminary matches this evening. So without further a due, here are some picks and summaries of the supporting cast for the UFC’s return to Massachusetts for the inaugural Fox Sports 1 show live from Boston for UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen
UFC Fight Night Preliminaries
Brad “One-Punch” Pickett (24-7) vs. Michael “Mayday” McDonald (15-2) 3-round Bantamweight Bout
Thanks to Pickett’s (+170) second hand nature to throw caution to the wind by fearlessly attacking his foes McDonald (-190) might find himself in a whirlwind of trouble or extinguish the flames of Brad with one perfectly timed counter punch. The California native was last seen in action this past February against Interim Bantamweight Champion, Renen Barao at UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald when he came up short of writing MMA history by becoming the youngest fighter to ever hold a UFC belt. While the loss was a just minor setback, the sky is the limit for this 22-year old prodigy still under construction. McDonald has a long career ahead of him and with adversity comes the greatest opportunity for a fighter to better themselves by emerging as a stronger, more capable version. Only thing is that for a seasoned combatant like Pickett, he has been there and done that thanks to his huge heart and resiliency in the cage. For a return bout fans can assume that McDonald asked for the toughest available challenge and the UFC willingly obliged his request. As long as Michael dictates the pace and controls exactly where the fight takes place he can slide back to the winner’s circle with a probable 2nd round finish of his WEC alumni as long as he doesn’t become desperate for an opening and get caught by the game changing power of “One Punch” Pickett.
Conor McGregor (13-2) vs. Max “Blessed” Holloway (7-2) 3-round Featherweight Bout
The fourth & last 145-pound tilt on the card rounding out this featherweight sandwich puts the most intriguing contest near the top of the preliminary spot for the simple reason that it won’t go the distance and it will be as beautiful as it is brutal. McGregor (-260) enters the cage as only the second Irish fighter to ever fight in the Octagon and has done his country proud already with a blistering 1st round KO of Marcus Brimage for his UFC debut in April of this year at UFC on Fuel TV 9. The former, multiple division Cage Warriors Fighting Championship title holder owns 12 KOs out of his 13 victories, the sole win coming by way of submission. McGregor’s boxing ability is stellar to say the least and he has yet to showcase his Muay Thai in the UFC cage. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long as late replacement fighter Max Holloway (+220) enters as a blessing in disguise because his come forward-trade leather style is always a fan friendly due to the fact that Max loves to engage an opponent at close quarters. The Hawaiian comes into this fight fresh off of a controversial split decision loss to Dennis Bermudez at UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2, a fight many people believe he won. As luck would have it, there won’t be a need for the judges this time as these two up and coming superstars will likely paint the canvas red with each other’s blood in a fast and furious stand up war that will leave fans clamoring for a sequel. McGregor continues his path of destruction with a 3rd round KO via body shot.
Mike Thomas Brown (26-8) vs. Steven “Super” Siler (22-10) 3-round Featherweight Bout
Former 145-pound WEC title holder Mike Brown (-215) comes out retirement to take on his latest challenger in this cross roads affair against “Super” Siler (+185). The underlying subtext of this showdown will be if Mike’s heart is still 100% in the game. If it is, then the ex-champion should have no problem overpowering his opponent over the course of 15 minutes with his trusty yet relentless double leg take downs that only the Norwich University wrestler can apply. Brown is extremely adept at changing levels when necessary and can do so thanks to his deceiving punching power that keeps his foes on the defensive. Now, if The American Top Team’s heart and soul aren’t completely submerged in the mentality of competing inside the Octagon then it’s going to be a long night for the Maine native. Brown’s last match was a decision win over Daniel Pineda at UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir in May of 2012 while his adversary has won 8 out of his last 10 fights. Siler was last seen grinding out a decision verdict over Kurt Holobaugh this year at UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen and the Californian can surely upgrade his credentials by adding a former champ to his list of casualties. Brown should find his rhythm after a rough first round against Steven before applying his kryptonite to “Super “Siler’s game plan and out wrestling him to a points win if not, an upset isn’t totally out of the question.
Diego Brandao (21-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (17-9) 3-round Featherweight Bout
The first fight on the card with “Fight of The Night” implications pits fierce featherweights Brandao (-330) and Pineda (+270) in what should be a barn burner of a battle. As the first ever 145-pound TUF winner, Brandao only made that accolade stand out further by knocking out every fighter he tangled with during his time on the show before making it to the TUF Season 14 Finale and wining it by 1st round armbar submission over Dennis Bermudez . Brandao’s heavy hands are menacing and the way he charges out of the gate only strikes further fear into any opponent seeing as how his willingness to engage in serious shoot outs walks the line between truly heroic and reckless. Since claiming the TUF championship for Team Bisping, the Brazilian bomber has gone 2-1 with the promotion only dropping a decision loss to Darren Elkins at UFC 146. Because the man standing across the cage from Brandao will be more than willing to engage in a high-paced contest of “who will break first?”, fans will learn quickly why all of Pineda’s triumphs have come via KO or submission. The former Legacy Fighting Championships 145-pound title holder will give as good as he gets but in the end, Diego Brandao lands the cleaner, harder strikes for a 2nd round TKO in a thrilling contest.
Manvel Gamburyan (14-8) vs. Cole Miller (19-7) 3-round Featherweight Bout
Two fiery featherweight competitors couldn’t look more dissimilar if they wanted to; Gamburyan (-130) with his stocky bulldog-type frame and Miller (+110) with his lanky and slithery physique. Nonetheless, these to 145-pound warriors bring it every single time they step into the cage making this contest a true battle of wills. The winner should be the man more patient or smarter in his approach and on this occasion it appears Miller has that advantage. Not that The Ultimate Fighter season 5 alumni Gamburyan isn’t game, but he hasn’t fought in exactly one year since his unanimous decision win over Michihiro Omigawa and that ring rust can definitely be a factor. Also, that win came on the heels of 3 consecutive losses for Manny, hinting at the Californian’s gradual demise as a top contender. Miller on the other hand showed his ring generalship as he put away the rugged Bart Palaszewski, inside of 1 round at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale just a few months ago. Off of that performance it appears that Miller has further sharpened his tools as well as learned to hone in on his height and reach advantage which will be evident in most any of the UFC outings for the 6-foot tall Georgian. Miler sticks to his footwork and glides along the cage behind a solid jab all while stuffing his foes take downs in order to walk out of Boston with a well earned unanimous decision triumph.
Cody Donovan (8-2) vs. Ovince St. Preux (13-5) 3-round Light Heavyweight Bout
The last time fans saw Cody Donovan (+260) inside the Octagon it was during his debut on UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson when he picked up a “Fight of The Night” bonus along with a 1st round TKO over Nick Penner. Quite impressive seeing as how Donovan took the bout with only 9 days notice. Now, with a full training camp under his belt the former Bellator fighter undertakes his biggest challenge to date, the heavy handed Ovince St. Preux (-310). Ovince’s UFC debut a few months ago at UFC 159 Jones vs. Sonnen wasn’t the most ideal scenario as he took home a technical majority decision thanks to some questionable referee reasoning but nonetheless a win is a win. This time around, let’s just hope that there are no inadvertent strikes and the two talented 205ers can go to war in what should be a very competitive striking battle. Both men tend to use powerful leg kicks in order to set up hooks and over hand rights but unfortunately, if Donovan manages to get the better of the standup exchanges it’s a guarantee that St. Preux will drive for a takedown in an attempt to control his man from top position for as many rounds as he needs to in order to lock in a victory. Ovince St. Preux likely takes this one by decision on points or a possible submission if Donovan leaves an arm or leg exposed while defending his foe’s superior ground game.
Ramsey Nijem (8-3) vs. James Vick (4-0)
Two former The Ultimate Fighter cast members collide to kick off the night from Boston, Massachusetts in this 155-pound battle. Ex-TUF: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos finalist, Ramsey Nijem (-170) welcomes James Vick (+150) to the Octagon for his official UFC debut. As Vick’s undefeated record goes on the line under the bright lights the former TUF: Live cast member will have to bring his experience from competing for Team Cruz into the cage in order to make a splash into an already crowded division. Vick made it all the way to the semi-finals of his season but unfortunately was KO’d by would be TUF: Live season winner, Michael Chiesa. Vick is a well-rounded fighter but lacks the skill set and fire power that Nijem will bring to the bout. While the losses in the TUF House didn’t affect James’ record what will hinder him is his year and change inactivity while Ramsey last fought in April of this year and has claimed 3 wins out of his last 5 with the UFC. On experience alone Ramsey Nijem has the upper hand whether the fight goes to the ground or remains upright probably taking this one by unanimous decision if not a late round finish and snatches a victory to add to his win column for 2013.
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