The historic launch of Fox Sports 1 this Saturday features a UFC main event worth salivating for. “The American Gangster” Chael Sonnen will face Brazilian legend Shogun Rua in an equally important fight for both respective careers.
Sonnen is coming off of a one-sided loss in April to light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones while Rua looks to position himself back into title contention after a loss and lack luster performance against title contender Alexander Gustafsson.
Let’s take a closer look at Saturday night’s explosive main event.
Chael Sonnen (27-13-1)
Although he’s 2-3 in his last five fights, Sonnen remains a huge attraction to the UFC — and he’s been in there with the best.
Perhaps the most decorated wrestler in MMA, Sonnen’s double leg takedown is second to none. He is known for his relentless pressure that always leads to a takedown attempt. Once he secures the takedown, Sonnen’s objective is quite clear — break the other man’s will.
For Sonnen to be successful against a striker like Rua the game plan is simple — secure the takedown and tire the battle-worn Rua until his conditioning gives. Rua is known to tire as the fight drags on and Sonnen will need to capitalize on that. Sonnen must keep the pressure on while avoiding any big exchanges with the much more decorated striker Rua. The cage can also play a huge factor in Sonnen’s attempt to tire his opponent if he can pin him along the fence often.
Shogun Rua (21-7)
A fan favorite from his days in Pride, Shogun’s resume reads like a who’s who of MMA.
Armed with a killer instinct only comparable to former teammate Wanderlei Silva, the always aggressive Shogun goes into a fight with only one mission — to knock his opponent out. However, Rua will have to show another side of his MMA skill set on Saturday when facing a wrestler with the pedigree of Sonnen. Rua’s wrestling has always been underrated and if he can use it in reverse to stuff Sonnen’s takedown attempts he’ll have a great shot at being victorious.
Shogun’s best chance to win is to end this fight early and, since every fight begins on the feet, a well timed flurry in the first round would benefit him greatly. If he does end up on his back, look for Shogun to use sweeps and leg locks to either get up or sink in a submission. Shogun cannot afford to let this fight go into later rounds if he continues to display poor conditioning as the fight goes on.
The Bottom Line
According to Bodog, Sonnen is a slight favorite (-135) against Shogun (+105) and we could see why. Shogun’s cardio is the biggest question mark going into the bout and if Sonnen has his way with him Shogun will be gasping for air with his opponent on top of him by the time the final horn sounds.
However, if Shogun can control distance while stuffing the takedown we wouldn’t be surprised if he knocks Sonnen’s block off early in the fight.
Who are you picking?
Zachary Hutton is the lead boxing writer and an MMA contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can see what he’s up to at his band’s website myunclethewolf.com or also subscribe on Facebook.
