UFC 108 Preview: The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Matchmakers
Published by Jim Genia on December 31st, 2009 in Current Events

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It was supposed to be a grand affair, as these UFC New Year’s extravaganzas often are, and it was at various times to feature heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar defending his belt against the dangerous Shane Carwin, Anderson Silva defending his belt against Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira taking on Cain Velasquez for number one contender status, plus there was to be an undercard stacked with the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga, Tyson Griffin, Carlos Condit, Rory Markham and Sean Sherk. Yes, it was marvelous. But it’s all gone now, those match-ups most intriguing torn asunder by a heretofore unseen amount of injury and illness, those match-ups still intact for UFC 108 more akin to leftover turkey than must-see TV. To paraphrase John Steinbeck, such are the best laid plans of mice and matchmakers.

In lieu of any epic title bout, UFC 108 will instead give us a light-heavyweight pairing between ex-champ Evans against Brazilian striker Thiago Silva – two men who fell to current champ Lyoto Machida in such convincing fashion, one can only wonder about their futures as long as Machida competes. Yet their respective crushing knockout losses notwithstanding, they’re still tough, hearty badasses who cut a swath through the division, and more than capable of putting on a show. A show worthy of the main event for the UFC’s New Year’s purported extravaganza? Sure, why not. Silva can, of course, throw punches with deadly precision, and Evans has made the ever-evolving-wrestler motif into an art form. Based on the strength of his past opponents alone, Evans should emerge victorious with a brutal ground-and-pound stoppage. But the question lingers: so what?

Brit face-puncher extraordinaire Paul Daley would’ve likely given Condit fits in the cage, yet thanks to a cut hand that later became infected, the well-rounded former WEC champ was replaced with the one-dimensional grappler (but exceedingly good at that one dimension!) Dustin Hazelett. And where Condit would have foolishly stood and maybe traded with Daley, Hazelett will instead do what he does best and what Daley does worst, which is take the fight to the canvas and wage war there. Unless the Brit can stay on his feet, he’s getting tied into some very creative, very painful knots.

With Gonzaga sidelined with a staph infection, the powers that be dug deep into their Rolodex to find an opponent for up-and-comer Junior dos Santos. The result is ultimate blast-from-the-past Gilbert Yvel, an ace Dutch striker whose prime was about ten years ago and who was notorious for breaking rules. But of all the leftovers that have been cobbled together for this UFC 108 plate, this pairing is the most intriguing. For while Yvel is lost on the ground, as long as he’s standing he’s dangerous – very dangerous – and if dos Santos makes a mistake, the storied Pride veteran won’t waste any time feeding him a shin. Expect dos Santos to take the decision… unless he gets knocked out.

Grappling stud Jim Miller would’ve had a thrilling battle with Griffin if that bout had held together. He would’ve also had a thriller with Sherk if that bout had held together. Now on his third proposed opponent, an aging striker in Duane Ludwig, Miller will instead have a walk in the park. Yes, Ludwig is more than able to land KO strikes on nearly anyone. But Miller’s career is headed in one direction and Ludwig’s is headed in another for a reason; watch for Miller to get his opponent down with ease and tap him out.

Joe Lauzon and Sam Stout were set to fight each other from the start, and remarkably, their lightweight pairing – which pits a submission specialist who can throw the occasional strike against the striker who can avoid the occasional submission – has held. As both are veterans, and very skilled and talented at what they do, this one is a toss up that could likely go the distance.