Battles involving two fighters who are willing to stand in front of each other and throw leather until someone falters are always in demand. In fact, it doesn’t really matter what their technical capacity is in the stand-up game, fans flat out love a good ol’ fashioned slugfest, and UFC 122 happens to house a battle of resurgent middleweights that you won’t want to miss.
Italian boxer Alessio Sakara (15-7-0-1, 6-4 UFC) will aim to extend his current winning streak to four as he battles the 38-year-old Jorge Rivera (18-7, 7-5 UFC). Interestingly enough, Rivera will also be battling for his fourth straight win as he defeated Nissen Osterneck via split decision in April of last year, and knocked out both Rob Kimmons and Nate Quarry in two follow-up appearances.
Rivera, a fighter who has been mediocre for most of his career, has enjoyed a small spark of youthfulness over the course of the last year. He’s shown that he has the power to knock opponents out, and his most recent bout with Nate Quarry at UFN 21 proved that he has the technical acumen on the feet to be dangerous.
Sakara has also enjoyed a resurgence in the last three years. He knocked out Joe Vedepo via head kick at UFC 15 in September of 2008, narrowly defeated Thales Leites at UFC 101 in a highly controversial decision, and punched a zombified James Irvin out in 3:01 at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones in March. While Sakara has been well-known for leaving himself open to counters and being relatively weak on the ground, he seems to have found the key to success in the UFC’s middleweight division, and he’ll continue to get fights from the UFC brass if he’s willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
While many fans have criticized the UFC for this weak main card battle as it doesn’t really have any relevance in the upper ranks of the division, I say blasphemy! I’m actually intrigued by how this match-up may pan out, mainly due to the fact that both men possess the stand-up skills to expose their opponent. It’s also a match-up that will prove which of these fighters deserves a bump up into the middle of the division.
To be perfectly honest, I’m a bit of a Sakara fan, mainly because I think the guy could have a better acting career than Heath Herring. I mean, look at that mean mug. Zack Snyder did a disservice to all movie fans when he didn’t cast “Legionarius” in 300.
On a more serious note, Sakara’s striking has always been a bit above average when he actually fights strikers who are willing to stand with him. That isn’t to say that his defense is impeccable however, but I think the move to middleweight certainly helps him gain the speed to move in and out before being peppered by counters.
The James Irvin fight was a perfect example of what Sakara can accomplish when his speed and technical prowess is on point. Irvin looked as if he was a bit surprised in the opening moments of the fight, specifically by how quickly Sakara was landing his one-two combination from the start. Nice, straight punch combinations that landed on the button, and in the eye of Irvin. Irvin had no response.
Rivera had an equally impressive performance against Nate Quarry, but I’d liken it to Sakara’s battle with James Irvin in that Quarry plodded around the cage like a zombie — offering no counter to Rivera’s offense as the fight dragged on. This will be a much different fight as both men have the capacity to unleash some serious flurries of power.
It’s a very tough call, and Rivera’s ground training could come into play in this fight. Unfortunately, I think Sakara is improving a bit in his takedown defense and ability to regain his feet from more dominant positions. If he can ward off any attempts by Rivera to take him down, I think Sakara’s technical boxing can win here. But beware, Rivera has just as good of a chance of winning here as Sakara. Toss up, but I have to go with Sakara.