Pride and honor is on the line when Brazil's Antonio Rogerio Nogueira battles undefeated American powerhouse Phil Davis at UFC Fight Night 24 this Saturday in Seattle.
The Spike TV-televised event will also feature a highly anticipated welterweight showdown pitting Dan Hardy against Anthony Johnson, a battle between two alums of "The Ultimate Fighter," and a rematch of a 2010 "Fight of the Year" candidate.
Here's a breakdown of the four fights on tap for the main card on Saturday night:
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-4) vs. Phil Davis (8-0)
One week has passed since Jon Jones crushed Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to claim the UFC light heavyweight title and it's déjà vu as another standout American wrestler is looking to prevail against a Brazilian Pride legend.
Nogueira, the twin brother of former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is 2-1 since joining the UFC. The 34-year-old BJJ ace had a memorable outing in his debut, knocking out Luiz Cane in under two minutes.
However, Nogueira has since shown an obvious weakness in followup performances against Jason Brilz and Ryan Bader. Nogueira was fortunate enough to win a razor-thin decision over the unheralded wrestler Brilz before dropping a contentious decision to Bader, a former two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. Nogueira arguably did enough to emerge victorious in both fights, but his lack of takedown defense and killer instinct cost him dearly.
"Little Nog" climbed up the light heavyweight ladder during his stint in Pride, defeating Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem on two separate occasions, losing a close decision to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a classic battle and submitting current Strikeforce 205-pound kingpin Dan Henderson.
Nogueira's chin has always been questioned since a shocking 23-second knockout loss to then-unknown judoka Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in his last bout for the now-defunct Japanese organization.
Often regarded as the better striker of the two Nogueira brothers, the former Brazilian boxing champion possesses dangerous hands and proficient technique. Nogueira's crafty ground game is always a threat and his training partners include many top UFC stars such as Anderson Silva, Mark Munoz and Junior dos Santos.
A mirror image of his twin brother, both in terms of appearance and fighting style, Nogueira is a highly entertaining competitor with excellent survival instincts and the ability to finish a fight anywhere.
But we may have already entered into a new era in mixed martial arts, evidenced by Jones' one-sided victory last Saturday, and Nogueira's adversary could have the size, athleticism and wrestling pedigree to reign supreme over the well-travelled veteran.
One of the most decorated wrestlers to ever transition into MMA, Davis is a four-time NCAA Division I All-American with a rapidly evolving all-around MMA game. A student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Lloyd Irvin, the unbeaten 26-year-old blue belt has submitted three of his eight career victims, including Tim Boetsch this past November.
Nogueira marks a significant step up in competition as the Alliance MMA product Davis has only one year of experience in the UFC. Davis had little trouble dealing with the much smaller Brian Stann and previously unbeaten Swedish standout Alexander Gustafsson, but Nogueira has already went to war with some prominent luminaries in the sport.
Davis is still learning the stand-up game. He has the explosiveness and natural strength to use his strikes effectively, though he will likely elect to use his punches to set up takedowns. Nogueira, meanwhile, will use his technical boxing to stalk and pick apart Davis standing. Davis has a four-inch reach advantage, but remains susceptible to dangerous counter punches.
In all likelihood, Davis will instinctively take Nogueira down at some point in the contest, which is where the fight could become particularly intriguing. Nogueira will immediately pursue sweeps and submissions off his back, while Davis will utilize his ground-and-pound to score points.
Davis is a product of the new breed of MMA fighters, while Nogueira represents the fading Pride legends. With the recent losses of Rua, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Fedor Emelianenko and "Big Nog," Nogueira will look to turn the tide by stopping a younger star on the rise.
Wrestling has become the difference maker under the Unified Rules and the 10-point must system. Therefore, Davis should be fairly successful with his control and takedowns to eke out a decision. The relative MMA novice will likely need to survive a few precarious situations, both standing and on the mat, in order to successfully employ his game for three rounds.
If Davis continues to exceed expectations and decisively stops or completely dominates Nogueira, he will immediately enter the title picture and the seemingly indomitable champion Jones could have a compelling challenge on the horizon in the not-so-distant future.
Verdict: Davis via unanimous decision
Dan Hardy (23-8) vs. Anthony Johnson (8-3)
Exciting welterweight standouts will lock horns in the co-main event as the British banger Hardy battles the American knockout artist Johnson.
Hardy, 28, is looking to rebound from a vicious first-round knockout loss to Carlos Condit this past October. Hardy had amassed a seven-fight winning streak prior to challenging UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a bout he lost by decision last March.
The Team Rough House member has proven to possess heavy hands and he continues to improve his BJJ working with 10th Planet master Eddie Bravo. However, Hardy's primary weakness is his wrestling, and that weakness could very well be the difference maker on Saturday night.
Johnson, 27, has not seen action since a submission loss to Josh Koscheck in November 2009. The American Kickboxing Academy representative had previously recorded three straight knockout wins over Kevin Burns, Luigi Fioravanti and Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
Johnson has been a highly touted prospect for years, though he has yet to record a marquee win that would subsequently propel him to the next level.
A former NJCAA national wrestling champion, Johnson should effectively take Hardy down if he sees an opening. Hardy does not have the slick submissions to legitimately threaten Johnson on the mat, and the American can also win this fight if it remains in the upright position.
If the outspoken combatants engage in a fire-fight, Johnson could have his number. With a substantial size advantage and a frame better suited for the middleweight division, Johnson could punish Hardy with a violent flurry.
Hardy may have the conditioning edge and his strategy could rely on taking Johnson into deep water. However, Johnson has the explosiveness and well-rounded base to overwhelm the former title challenger. While ring rust could be a factor after over a year of inactivity, Johnson could re-emerge as a viable contender if he trounces a big name like Hardy.
Verdict: Johnson via KO, Round 1
Amir Sadollah (4-2) vs. Damarques Johnson (17-8)
In another welterweight meeting, "The Ultimate Fighter 7" winner Sadollah meets Johnson, the "TUF 9" runner-up.
Sadollah, the least experienced fighter to win the reality show and six-figure contract, had a rough welcoming to the UFC when he suffered a 29-second knockout loss to Johny Hendricks in August 2009.
The 30-year-old Sambo black belt has since gone 3-1, posting victories over Phil Baroni, Brad Blackburn and Peter Sobotta, while dropping a decision to South Korean standout Dong Hyun Kim.
Anchored at the Throwdown Training Center and Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, the BJJ purple belt can hardly afford to look past this late replacement as his opponent was changed from Duane Ludwig to James Wilks before Johnson was finally tapped as the opponent.
Johnson, 28, was extremely impressive this past January as he completely dominated Mike Guymon, sending the King of the Cage mainstay into retirement.
Prior to that fight, Johnson went 2-2 in the UFC, defeating Blackburn and Edgar Garcia while dropping fights to Wilks and Matt Riddle.
The Elite Performance product is improving with every time he enters the octagon, though he could be outmatched by Sadollah in virtually every aspect of the fight.
Sadollah, who has spent time improving his Muay Thai skills in Thailand, should have the superior technique standing, while also possessing better BJJ skills. Surrounded by world-class wrestlers in Las Vegas, Sadollah should also be successful if he opts to take Johnson down. However, Sadollah does not pack significant power behind his punches. Technically, he is the superior striker, but Johnson is the heavier hitter.
Nonetheless, Sadollah should bring the fight to Johnson over three rounds, tactically outpointing his adversary en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Verdict: Sadollah via unanimous decision
Leonard Garcia (15-6-1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (10-3)
In a rematch of one of the most exciting fights of 2010, featherweight fan favorites Garcia and Jung will put on another slugfest for the fans in Seattle.
Garcia, 31, has earned a reputation for winning highly contentious decisions. He defeated Nam Phan by split decision in a fight most observers thought he lost this past December, one judge had him winning his fight against Mark Hominick in a bout that he clearly lost and he earned the nod against Jung in their first meeting while many onlookers had scored the contest in favor of "The Korean Zombie."
Dating back even further, Garcia was lucky to earn a split draw in his fight against George Roop last March, let alone earning the split verdict against Jameel Massouh in their August 2009 encounter.
Questionable judging has kept Garcia in the featherweight mix, but the wild BJJ brown belt is still a dangerous customer. In 2008, the Greg Jackson student recorded successive knockout wins over Hiroyuki Takaya and Jens Pulver, which earned the free-swinging Texan a shot at then-WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown.
While he was unsuccessful in his first title opportunity, losing by first-round submission, Garcia's sloppy striking and aggressive approach continues to throw his opponents off their game.
Jung, 24, is 0-2 in the WEC and he needs a strong outing on Saturday night to keep his UFC career afloat.
The Korean Top Team product was completely overwhelmed by Roop when they met last September as he suffered a second-round highlight reel head kick loss. During his stint in Japan, the South Korean sensation defeated top contender Michihiro Omigawa, while dropping a controversial decision against former Sengoku titleholder Masanori Kanehara.
If this rematch resembles their first bout, Garcia and Jung will throw technique out the window in favor of wildly trading blows for 15 minutes.
With his job in jeopardy this time around, expect Jung to come out more aggressive and to find his openings against the often careless Garcia. If it goes the distance, judges have been kind to Garcia in the past, but I suspect they will make the right call this time around.
Verdict: Jung via unanimous decision
