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PREVIEWING THE UFC 86: JACKSON VS. GRIFFIN TELEVISION CARD

By David Tees on 7/3/2008 2:04 PM

UFC Lightweight Division Fight

Tyson Griffin (11-1-0) vs. Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio (16-5-0)

Tyson Griffin is at least one victory away from becoming a top contender to the UFC Lightweight Title and is the only fighter who has defeated WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber. Tyson Griffin has had all but one of his UFC fights go to decision, that one fight was a victory over David Lee at UFC 63. Tyson Griffin is a fighter who trains with Xtreme Couture and despite his impressive wrestling skills, has achieved more victories by knockout than submission. Besides Urijah Faber, Tyson Griffin has also fought MMA elite like Duane Ludwig, Frankie Edgar, Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares. Marcus Aurelio is a rising fighter in the UFC Lightweight Division, winning two out of three of his UFC encounters. Before coming to the UFC, Marcus Aurelio fought in PRIDE, Shooto, Hook N’ Shoot and King Of The Cage. Also, before coming to the UFC, Marcus Aurelio defeated four other fighters, including UFC veteran Rich Clementi to win the ZST Grand Prix 2004. Marcus Aurelio does have the wrestling skills to match Tyson Griffin, with ten of sixteen career victories coming by submission.

My Prediction: Tyson Griffin

UFC Welterweight Division Fight

Josh “Kos” Koscheck (10-2-0) vs. Chris “Lights Out” Lytle (25-15-5)

Josh Koscheck rose to MMA fame as a cast member of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 1 and was nearly a top contender to the UFC Welterweight Title, before losing to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 74. Prior to coming to the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter, Josh Koscheck only fought two previous MMA fights, defeating Cruz Chacon at King Of The Rockies and Luke Cummo at Ring Of Combat. After entering the UFC in 2005, Josh Koscheck has fought MMA elite like Pete Spratt, Drew Fickett, Dave Menne, Jonathan Goulet, Diego Sanchez, Georges St. Pierre and Dustin Hazelett. Josh Koscheck trains with American Kickboxing Academy and will want to use his wrestling ability to put this fight on the ground. Chris Lytle is a fighter who is always ready to breakthrough the UFC Welterweight Division, but is seemingly defeated every time the opportunity arises. In his forty plus fight MMA career, Chris Lytle has fought a lot of the top MMA fighters like Dave Menne, Shonie Carter, Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Pete Spratt, Tiki Ghosn, Karo Parisyan, Joe Riggs, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes and Thiago Alves. Despite the nickname “lights out”, Chris Lytle is known more for his submission skills, having won seventeen fights by submission.

My Prediction: Josh Koscheck

UFC Lightweight Division Fight

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson (28-8-0) vs. Gleison Tibau (15-5-0)

Joe Stevenson was on the verge of becoming the UFC Lightweight Champion at UFC 80, but after a bloody battle with BJ Penn, was submitted in the second round. Prior to coming to the UFC as a cast member of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 2, Joe Stevenson was already becoming a top tier MMA fighter and was featured on the very first King Of The Cage event. Besides competing in King Of The Cage and UFC, Joe Stevenson has also seen action in Gladiator Challenge, Bas Rutten Invitational, Rage In The Cage, Ultimate Pankration and Ring Of Fire. Joe Stevenson is a competitor known for his impressive wrestling abilities, having achieved twelve career victories by way of submission. Gleison Tibau seems to be following the path of Chris Lytle in the UFC by nearly becoming a breakout star in the UFC Lightweight Division, but continuously falling short. Gleison Tibau needs to pull of a victory to put himself in position as a top lightweight fighter in the UFC. Gleison Tibau will have the ground skills to counter the wrestling ability of Joe Stevenson, with seven victories coming by way of submission. Prior to entering the UFC at UFC 65, Gleison Tibau had never once competed in MMA on American soil.

My Prediction: Joe Stevenson

UFC Middleweight Division Fight

Patrick “The Predator” Cote (12-4-0) vs. Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida (9-2-0)

According to all the commercials leading up to this event, the winner of this fight will be next in line for a UFC Middleweight Title fight. After failing in his first stint in the UFC, Patrick Cote has been on a comeback in the UFC with a four fight win streak that includes victories over Kendall Grove and Drew McFedries. Prior to coming to the UFC, Patrick Cote was primarily competing in the TKO and King Of The Cage promotions. Patrick Cote made his UFC debut in a nail biting fashion, as a late replacement for Guy Metzger against Tito Ortiz at UFC 50. Patrick Cote is a fighter known for his punching power, with six career victories coming by way of knockout. Talk about only competing in elite organizations, which Ricardo Almeida has done in his career, competing in the UFC, PRIDE and Pancrase in his eleven fight MMA career. After a four year absence away from MMA, Ricardo Almeida returned to the UFC at UFC 81 to defeat Rob Yundt by submission. Despite the long layoff, Ricardo Almeida is a top tier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and has achieved four of nine career victories by submission, the rest were won by decision.

My Prediction: Patrick Cote

UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson *Champion* (28-6-0) vs. Forrest Griffin (15-4-0)

The conclusion to the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7 comes to ahead in this fights as head coaches Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title. Quinton Jackson is easily one of the most feared light heavyweight fighters in MMA today, fighting MMA elite like Chuck Liddell, Mauricio Rua, Mike Pyle, Marvin Eastman, Kazushi Sakuraba, Dan Henderson, Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Wanderlei Silva, Ricardo Arona, Murilo Rua and Matt Lindland. Quinton Jackson is a fighter known for his awesome striking ability, but it may be his awe inspiring slams that rile up the crowds he competes in front of the most. Forrest Griffin is easily the most recognized fighter ever to come out of The Ultimate Fighter. In an interesting bit of trivia, in his professional debut, Forrest Griffin lost to UFC Hall Of Fame fighter Dan Severn. In his interesting career, Forrest Griffin has fought top notch MMA fighters like Dan Severn, Jeff Monson, Jeremy Horn, Chael Sonnen, Elvis Sinosic, Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine, Stephan Bonnar and Maurico Rua. Forrest Griffin has always been known for his excellent striking skills, but his ever improving ground game could play a factor in this fight.

My Prediction: Quinton Jackson

You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com