By Michael David Smith
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The Super Bowl isn't this weekend's only huge sporting event.
UFC 94, which features welterweight champion
Georges St. Pierre vs. lightweight champion
B.J. Penn, will be another monster night for mixed martial arts, and the main event is shaping up as a fight for the ages. Below is everything you need to know to get ready.
What:
UFC 94: St.-Pierre vs. Penn 2
Who: In addition to the main event, the televised portion of the card features Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva, Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones, Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida.
When: Saturday, 10 PM ET
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
How: Pay-per-view, $44.95 ($54.95 in HD)
Predictions:
B.J. Penn vs. Georges St. PierrePenn is a more skilled mixed martial artist than St.-Pierre: He has better pure boxing skills, and he has better pure Brazilian jiu jitsu. St.-Pierre is, as we've heard a million times in the run-up to this fight, a better athlete who takes his conditioning more seriously. I think this will ultimately come down to the size advantage that St.-Pierre has: He'll use his superior reach to land kicks effectively, and he'll out-muscle Penn if it goes to the ground. I like St. Pierre to finish Penn in the fourth or fifth round.
Predicted winner: St. PierreLyoto Machida vs. Thiago SilvaI'm a big fan of Machida's, and I disagree with those who think he's boring. I think seeing an elusive fighter like Machida take on a brawler like Silva, who almost always beats his opponents by KO or TKO, makes for a fascinating clash of styles. I expect Silva to make some mistakes and Machida to capitalize on them, and I'd like to see him get a light heavyweight title fight if he beats Silva.
Predicted winner: MachidaStephan Bonnar vs. Jon JonesOnly three people have ever beaten Bonnar, and you could make a case that they're the three best light heavyweights in MMA today -- Machida, Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans. Jones isn't in that class, and I think Bonnar will start 2009 with a win after sitting out all of 2008.
Predicted winner: BonnarKaro Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun KimParisyan dropped out of his scheduled fight on the day before UFC 88, citing a back injury. He says he's now ready to return, and I think he's going to overwhelm Kim, who won a controversial split decision at UFC 88.
Predicted winner: ParisyanNate Diaz vs. Clay Guida. I love this fight. The 23-year-old Diaz is a guy who could be a star in this sport for many years to come, and the 27-year-old Guida is going to give him a very tough test. Both guys have excellent submission skills, but I think Diaz will win with his superior striking.
Predicted winner: Diaz.
Read More: b.j.penn, georgesst.pierre, ufc 94, ufc94, front page, B.J. Penn (MMA), Georges St. Pierre (MMA)
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