I'm an optimist. I go into ninety-five percent of situations expecting the best possible outcome. I walked into Wolverine and Transformers 2 expecting them to be The Godfather, I think the New York Jets are going to win the Super Bowl every year and I believe with all my heart that Clint Dempsey will lead the US National Team to a World Cup final next summer. That being said I thought UFC 100 was way over-hyped and could never live up to the grandeur. I had been hearing for a year and a half what a great card UFC President Dana White was gonna put together for the centennial and after let downs in UFC 97 and 99 even I had started to have my doubts. I don't drink the Georges St. Pierre-flavored Gatorade and didn't devote my life to the USA vs. UK Ultimate Fighter so I didn't have the vested interest in Dan Henderson vs. Micheal Bisping that some hardcores did. I knew Lesnar vs. Mir would be a show, but couldn't help but feel I was gonna devote three hours of my life to watch six good minutes of fights. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised. Despite GSP doing everything to ruin it, UFC 100 lived up to the hype.
On the heels of the biggest Mixed Martial Arts event of all time comes UFC 101: Declaration. 101 has some big shoes to fill, but The Optimist has returned and I have faith in this card.
Amir Sadollah is taking on baby eater Johny Hendricks in his first fight since winning The Ultimate Fighter 7. Sadollah hasn't fought since the UF7 finale in June of last year. He's had his last two fights canceled due to injuries so it'll be interesting to see how he does with such a long lay off. Sadollah is a character and will be extremely marketable for the UFC if he can string together a few victories. He was the underdog in just about everyone of his fights on The Ultimate Fighter and in every fight some how came out on top. Amir is one of those guys who seems to always be bleeding and getting rocked yet pulls out a submission to end the fight. And he's Nick Cannon funny in interviews. Hendricks was Undefeated in the WEC so this should be a good fight.
In the main event BJ Penn is defending his Lightweight belt against Kenny Florian. Florian has been on a tear to become the number one contender. He hasn't lost a fight since 2006 and is a big fan of the rear naked choke, which is something I can get behind. That being said, BJ is a freak of nature, and hasn't lost at 155 lbs. since 2002. His last fight was a 170 lbs. match against St. Pierre in which Penn appeared to not have a chance. It was also the famous GSP Vaseline fight. I think Penn should take care of business at 155 against KenFlo, but it has the chance to be an epic fight.
Ok now, this next one is the one I think we should all be looking forward to. Boring ass Anderson "The Spider" Silva goes from 185 to 205 to fight UFC poster boy Forrest Griffin. Silva is 1-0 at 205 and favored against the former Lightweight Champion. Griffin lost the title in his last fight to Rashaad Evans when Evans speed and power was too much for Griffin. Silva's last fight against Thales Leites was arguably the worst fight in the history of the UFC. The outmatched Leites literally laid on the ground for the final two rounds as fans booed and a bored Silva danced around refusing to finish Leites off. A pissed off Dana White decided that Silva had to be put to the test, and while the Silva vs. GSP fight didn't come to be Griffin should be able to hold his own against Silva. Griffin never really shocks me... loses when he should win, wins when he should lose, but he usually shows up. Silva hasn't really lost a fight since 2004 (he was DQ'd in 2006), and is currently on a record nine match winning streak in the the UFC. Who among you doesn't like to see the mighty fall? The Optimist is drinking the Forrest-flavored Gatorade, and you should too. Lets just hope The Spider remembers how to tap...
I'll leave you with a video of the last time Anderson Silva did tap. December 31, 2004 against Ryo Chonan. Chonan is getting his ass kicked and then ends the fight with the greatest move I've ever seen. Enjoy.
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That is the craziest video I have ever seen. As evidenced in that clip, Silva often times relies on his incredible length (Heh heh heh) to defeat much smaller middleweight opponents. Won't be able to against Forrest. Smart money is still on Silva, but I'm rooting for Dumbo all the way.
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