Tuesday, 2 August 2011

ROUNDTABLE: Which UFC fight this fall are you most excited for? Pelkey, Hyden, Hobaugh, Perez, Williams and Penick

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With a number of packed events and big fights scheduled for this fall, which fight in particular are you most excited for?

MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

There's a slew of fantastic fights this fall. Jon Jones' first title defense against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135�will be must-see viewing. UFC 136 has two title fights at the top (Edgar-Maynard III...finally...hopefully/Aldo-Florian) and is buoyed by a bona fide #1 contender fight (Stann-Sonnen). The co-main event of UFC 137 is a hardcore fan's dream (Penn-Condit). UFC 138 features the first ever UFC five round, non-title main event (ok, so Munoz-Leben doesn't belong in this conversation, but the five round aspect does make it historic) and UFC 139 will be the biggest and best heavyweight fight in UFC history (Velasquez defending the strap for the first time against JDS). But there's really only one answer for me. It can only be Nick Diaz challenging Georges St. Pierre for welterweight supremacy at UFC 137. Diaz has been my favorite fighter since his shocking KO of heavily favored and heavily hyped Robbie Lawler at UFC 47 in a fight that remains one of my five favorites of all time. I realized I'm setting myself up for disappointment in a fight that will likely be the usual 25 minutes of St. Pierre wrestling domination. But I have three more months to enjoy playing it out in my head, figuring out how my favorite fighter can pull off the impossible.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think I'll have to go with Jose Aldo defending his UFC Featherweight Title against Kenny Florian at UFC 136. I've been a big fan of Florian's for years, and I'm hoping that he comes up large in this fight. I think KenFlo can, and I hope he does. It should be a great fight.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

The UFC 135 fight between Rampage Jackson and Jon Jones is the fight I am most looking forward to this fall. I think Jones wins this fight, but Jackson will test the young champion like he has not been tested before. Jackson is a special type of fighter with great wrestling and very high level striking that will give Jones real trouble. Of all the amazing match ups that are coming our way this fall I feel like this one should be among the best.

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Hands down the most exciting fight for me is going to be the title fight between Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre.� That's a fight that I have been looking forward to since the buyout of Strikeforce by Zuffa, and trust me, with the pedigree of both fighters, it will be the best fight either on the ground or on the feet.� Both Diaz and St. Pierre will certainly bring it.

ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz.� Diaz is a blast to watch and while I think GSP can likely wrestle him to victory, Diaz will keep him fighting for all 25 minutes.

JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

There are so many incredible fights on the docket this fall that it is definitely hard to pick just one. Each of the major pay-per-view events from UFC 134 to UFC 139 features at least one title fight, and all of them are extremely exciting matchups, but I'm most looking forward to Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz at UFC 137. I love watching both Diaz and Georges St. Pierre in the cage, and though St. Pierre has had a few fights in a row that have left something to be desired, this is a fight where that is likely to change. One reason St. Pierre has been able to simply impose his will for five rounds against so many fighters is that each has brought an area that they are weakest in, and he's been able to exploit that. With Diaz, he's got an opponent that is fearless on the feet, and more than willing to threaten from his back. This is a fight that is going to bring out the best in the UFC Champ, as Diaz is going to make him work in each area of the fight. Ultimately, that should make for a really exciting title fight.

[Georges St. Pierre art by Travis Beaven (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_10048.shtml

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