UFC 65 Preview and Matchups
by Ric Rice
THE WELTERWEIGHT MATCHUP
Matt Hughes’ last 13 fights, all in the UFC and before other associations. It’ll go something like win, win, win, win, win, etc. with BJ Penn throwing pepper in the eye for one loss in 13 fights, including a 1st round smoking of UFC legend Royce Gracie – this win alone could elevate Hughes to Legendary status.
Enter Georges St Pierre about 5 fights ago and Hughes even takes him down and locks him in an armbar, St Pierre taps out a second before the round is up. Why couldn’t he wait just one more damn second? Answer: If he did, then Hughes would have ripped his arm off and clubbed him to death.
George St. Pierre isn’t exactly a chump, he has 12 wins and only one loss, and he’s one of the next superstars of the UFC: fact! We’ve already discussed the one smear on GSP’s perfect record and I think this time we’re going to see a different fight and a certain reversal of the plot from last time. Georges wants to win this, he’s been waiting for Hughes for a long time, true enough he has youth on his side (at 25 years old) but he doesn’t want to wait for Matt (aged 33) to hang up his gloves.
Hughes is the favorite at -145, but my money's on GSP at +125. Bet on this in the “Other Sports”, “MMA events”.
Georges “Rush” St Pierre
Height: 5.10
Weight: 170 lbs
Fight Record (W-L-D): 12-1-0
Fighting Style: Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Karate
From: Quebec, Canada
Moneyline: +125
Matt Hughes
Height: 5.9
Weight: 169 lbs
Fight Record (W-L-D) 41-4-0
Fighting Style: Wrestler (Pat Miletich’s MMA), Brazillian Jiu Jitsu
From: Hillsboro, IL
Moneyline: -145
THE HEAVYWEIGHT MATCHUP
UFC 65 also shows a spectacular fight against “The Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia and “The Snowman” Jeff Monson. Straight away Tim Sylvia has a height advantage at 6”8, towering over a tiny Monson way down there at 5”9. He also carries an extra 25 lbs that are distributed well around his extra 11 inch height advantage which rolls over into a significant reach advantage.
Monson’s took Liddell to a decision and lost in 2000 at UFC 29. Since then he lost two other fights but has a career of 16 wins mostly via submission. Sylvia’s had 2 career losses and both times he submitted (once thanks Frank Mir’s gruesome armbar that snapped Sylvia’s arm). It won’t be a great surprise if we see Monson try to take Sylvia down; however, I’ll be very surprised to see him succeed. Sylvia has a great takedown defense, mostly due to the leverage he can exert from his long legs and also due to his natural balance and skill honed from years of training under Pat Miletich’s fighting system. Range is the key and Tim has it, Monson has to get inside and take Sylvia to the mat, something I can’t see happening too easily and something that won’t happen without Monson taking a lot of sting from the rangy pounding hands from Sylvia. Monson’s appearance is short, huge, stocky and tattooed. He has a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Psychology, Tim has lanky arms and legs and the ability to floor Monson.
Tim Sylvia to win is a great bet and we have him as favorite at -300 on the moneyline. Get your money on "the Maine-iac" here at BetUS Sportsbook in the “Other Sports”, “MMA events”.
Tim “the Maine-iac” Sylvia
Height: 6”8
Weight: 265 lbs
Fight Record (W-L-D): 24-2-0
Fighting Style: Miletech Martial Arts
From: Eastbrook, Maine
Fighting out of: Bettendorf, Iowa
Moneyline: -300
Jeff “the Snowman” Monson.
Height: 5”9
Weight: 240 lbs
Fight Record (W-L-D) 24-5-0
Fighting Style: Wrestler (American Top Ten)
From: Hillsboro, IL
Moneyline: +250
UFC 65: Bad Intention full Card
Also on the card are the matchups between:
Matt Hughes Vs. Georges St Pierre
Tim Sylvia Vs. Jeff Monson
Frank Mir Vs. Brandon Vera
Alessio Sakara Vs. Drew McFedries
Joe Stevenson Vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Nick Diaz Vs. Gleison Tibau
Antoni Hardonk Vs. Sherman Pendergarst
Jake O'Brien Vs. Josh Schockman
James Irvin Vs. Hector Ramirez
Outside of the top two fights it’s relatively unimpressive. I’ll be looking forward to UFC 66 – Liddell vs Ortiz, December 30th 2006!
