FIGHT PREVIEW: UFC 163

UFC 163 is going down in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil this Saturday August 3rd at the HSBC arena. Home native Jose Aldo defends his feather weight strap in the main event. MMA seems to be making it be down in Brazil and the UFC is churning out the events to satisfy demand. This card is loaded with talent so lets break down the main card.

Jose Aldo vs Chan Sung Jung

The 145 pound kingpin Jose Aldo looks to defend his belt for the 7th time and take out one of the UFCs top featherweights the Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung. Jose Aldo has only one loss in 23 fights and that lone loss was 8 years ago. Can he take the torch of the top Brazilian fighter on the planet after Anderson Silva was knocked out at UFC 162? Quite possibly. Aldo has been extremely dominant in his WEC/UFC career, only showing that he is human in the last round against Mark Hominick as well as in the Frankie Edgar fight. Can the Korean Zombie exploit something in the champions game? Probably not, Aldo has the much better overall stand up game, with some of the most viscous low kicks around and his take down defines is top notch. THe longer the fight goes the more damage the Zombie is going to take. I see a finish from the champ. Aldo by TKO: Round 3

Lyoto Machida vs Phil Davis

A pivotal match up at light heavy weight, could see the winner getting a title shot at 205. Lyoto Machida puts his karate to the test against stand out wrestler Phil Davis. Can Davis figure out a way to time Machidas movements and get the fight to the ground, where Phil is likely to dominant? He has the wrestling and the athleticism to do it, but there is no other fighter who flights like Machidas in the UFC, and must be almost impossible to replicate in training. I can see Davis getting Machida down at some point but I don't see him finishing the former champion. I see Machida picking away at Davis with punches and kicks, and getting another crack at Jon Jones, or a first crack at Alexander Gustafsson. Machida by Unanimous Decision.

Cezar Ferreria vs Tom Watson

One of the original Ultimate Fighter Brazil winners Cezar Ferreria will get his second chance to fight for the UFC, as he has been plagued by injuries since winning the reality show. Standing in Ferreras way is fellow Brazilian and octagon newcomer Thiago Santos. Santos comes in as a replacement for the injured Clint Hester. Not much is known about Santos, expect that he has a solid record and is Brazilian. He is fighting above his weight class, so look for the much bigger Ferreria to muscle his opponent to the cage and take him down. Cezar show cased a solid submission game on the reality show, and would love to show off his skills again, in his native Brazil. Ferreria by Submission 2nd Round.

Thales Leites vs Tom Watson

Former middle weight title challenger Thales Leites makes his retun to the UFC after compiling a 6-1 record outside of the promotion. The talented grappler has to deal with the hard hitting Tom Watson from the UK. On paper this seems like a typical striker vs wrestler match up. Thales will no doubt want to get the fight to the ground, and employ his jiu jitsu on Watson but Thales isn't the strongest wrestler and will have to win at least one striking exchange to get in deep on Watson. Can Watson keep the Brazilian off of him and score with punching combinations and kicks? I see him being somewhat successful at this, but Thales will most likely find a way to drag Tom to the ground each round and win the fight. Leites by Unanimous Decision.
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