UFC 156 Preview & Podcast

WC-022 In terms of pre-fight greatness and potential, the upcoming main event on UFC 156 could perhaps be the greatest fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's history. Reigning Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo defends his title against Frankie Edgar. It's the #4 P4P fighter against #7. Mitchell Stucky joins me on the Getting Lucky MMA Podcast (#022) to preview the upcoming event. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvA3_Cb-XOk Main Card Overview Joseph Benavidez (16-3) vs. Ian McCall (11-3-1): The first fight on the main event is a Flyweight match-up, the bridesmaids of the championship tourney that ended with Demetrious Johnson as the titleholder. Both fighters have good power with 4 KOs each and superior wrestling, but we expect Benavidez to grind out a decision victory with his superior work ethnic and dedication to the sport. "Uncle Creepy" has been far too inconsistent in his last few fights. Jon Fitch (24-4-1, 1) vs. Demian Maia (17-4): While ground fighting is not to the liking of everyone, this fight is a grappler's delight. Fitch is the master of the grinding, brutal cardio attack that has consistently earned him a Top 5 division ranking since entering the UFC. Maia on the other hand is the consensus best BJJ practitioner in all of mixed martial arts and is currently undefeated since his drop to Welterweight. If Fitch can get Maia against the cage and grind, we expect Maia's cardio to fail in late in the fight allowing Fitch to avoid a submission and eke out the win. Alistair Overeem (36-11, 1) vs. Antonio Silva (17-4): "Bigfoot" Silva is quite honestly lucky to have earned his knockout victory over Travis Browne in his last fight when Browne tore his hamstring during their match. Overeem, on the other hand, is arguably the most dangerous Heavyweight on the planet with unparalleled kickboxing. This fight will be short and quick as Overeem sets up a titanic clash with Cain Velasquez for the Heavyweight strap. Rashad Evans (17-2-1) vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira (20-5): Little Nog has lived off of the success of his brother since his entry into the UFC. He earned a flash knockout over Luiz Cane, stole a decision over journeyman Jason Brilz, lost back to back against Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, and the took his last victory over a near crippled and totally washed-up Tito Ortiz. On the other side of the cage, "Suga" Rashad is clearly the second best LHW in the UFC. This will be little more than a tune-up for Evans. Jose Aldo (21-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (15-3-1): Even though Edgar is dropping down a weight class, expect him to still be the smaller fighter against Aldo. Even so, we expect that his jitterbug style and elite take downs to frustrate and stymie the Brazilian champion. As with all of Edgar's great fights, we predict a razor thin decision followed by an immediate rematch. For fight #1 though, we're tipping Edgar in the Fight of the Night.
 
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Robert Curtis is a columnist, podcaster, screenwriter, and WhatCulture.com MMA editor. He's an American abroad in Australia, living vicariously through his PlayStation 3. He's too old to be cool, but too young to be wise.