Welcome to the first edition of FIGHT HYPE. A blog where I will rave about my favorite sport’s upcoming events, why I am excited for it, and why you should be too! …And there is no better event to start with than the UFC’s biggest card of the year, going down this Saturday at the holy tabernacle of combat sports, Madison Square Garden. Another reason this is a great card to start with, is I am very familiar with nearly all the fighters on this epic card. Today I will be focusing in on the main card, 5 fights (THREE title fights!), all poised to be explosive, exciting, and fun!

I will be going through these fights in the order of my hype, so let’s get started!

Johny ‘Bigg Rigg’ Hendricks vs. Paulo ‘The Eraser’ Costa

Never has a fight terrified me as much as this one. Hendricks is on one of the most dreadful skids I have seen in a long time. The former champ has lost all but one of his last five fights, and he has not looked good doing so. Due to repeated weight cut issues, he moved up from 170 to 185 during this streak. Even with the additional weight allowance he STILL missed weight in his last fight, and was TKO’d for good measure by a much larger man, an obstacle he will not avoid in this weight class, and one he certainly will not avoid in his opponent Paulo Costa.

Paulo is on the rise. He is an absolute gorilla of man with an undefeated record of 10-0. All of his wins are finished (9 KO’s 1 Submission) all in the first round, except his most recent fight, in which he TKO’d his opponent in the first minute of the 2nd. His record is not misleading. This nightmare has been an absolute wrecking ball in all of his fights, and looks to continue that trend against Johny, come Saturday.

As a Texas Native, Johny’s fall has not been pleasant to watch. I was sure after his last fight, that would be the end of his story, but unfortunately, it appears he is being used as a launch pad to launch ‘The Eraser’ into the mainstream with this seemingly one-sided matchup. Crazy things happen in MMA, but I believe Paulo will live up to his nickname and erase ‘Bigg Rigg’ for good.

Hype Level: Average

Expectation: Murder

Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping vs Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre (Middleweight Championship)

After a 4 year absence from the sport, “the greatest Welterweight of All Time” is making his return against the unexpected opponent, Michael Bisping. Despite the complaints against questionable matchmaking, this fight is shaping up to be an exciting unknown. How will Georges perform after such a long layoff, and how will he matchup against Bisping in a new larger weight class? These are questions that I am eager to get the answers to.

Michael’s strongest attribute has always been his heart. The man does not quit. He has to be completely removed from consciousness to get him out of a fight, and sometimes that does not even do it! (see his fight against Anderson Silva). Under the tutelage of Jason Parillo, Bisping has made improvements in his boxing, which led to a late career surge, and him seizing the title. But if St-Pierre shows up in prime form on Saturday, The Count is going to have hard time getting past the laser jab and world-class grappling that Georges has at his disposal. I foresee him having trouble getting his offense going, and doing damage to the challenger.

This fight is nearly impossible to predict, there are too many X factors, especially with potential ring rust for GSP and Bisping’s uncanny ability to pull off the improbable. However, this curiosity is what makes this bout so exciting.

Hype Level: Above Average

Expectation: …?

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal

It is hard not to be excited for a Wonderboy fight. His high-level karate-style striking has led to an impressive highlight reel. However, in his last few bouts he was dreadfully gun shy. This was most likely due to the explosiveness and grappling prowess of his opponents, but it certainly left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths. Now with his current opponent, grappling will not be nearly as much of a concern. Masvidal has developed a new streak of violence in his recent string of fights. He is marching forward, throwing bombs with an almost arrogant confidence that has led to some amazing fights. This brawling style against Thompson’s technical, flashy skill set has the potential to lead to high-paced thriller. If both of these guys start pulling the trigger, somebody is going to sleep, and it will be intense to say the least.

Hype Level: High

Expectation: Either a Brutal or Precision KO (depending on the victor)

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas (Strawweight Championship)

JJ is second only to Demetrious Johnson when it comes to being completely dominant in their title reign. Almost all her Title fights have been won in an absolute clinic. Her world-class striking is the best women’s MMA has ever seen, and has lead to some absolute face-changing beatdowns. The only reason women want to fight her is because she has the belt. When you are across from her in the octagon, you are walking into a nightmare filled with fists, elbows, knees, and kicks that are seemingly inevitable to land. If you have any chance of winning, you cannot be afraid to absorb punishment and bleed, because there is an undeniable chance that you will.

The woman facing this challenge is Rose Namajunas. A young, talented, and more importantly, well-rounded fighter who has had a streak of impressive bouts that led her to this opportunity. She has everything: striking, grappling, jui-jitsu, you name it. The only way I see Joanna getting beaten is getting caught with something, and the only way that is going to happen is if you have multiple weapons at your disposal to try and get her thinking and avoid the surgical groove she has entered so many times before. If she gets in this groove, the fight is over, and it will not be pretty. Now Rose certainly does have weapons. She is going to have to absorb shots, and attack JJ in a multitude of ways. She cannot expect Joanna to get tired, in fact she only gets stronger as the fight progresses. She will have to force opportunities to present themselves and capitalize on them when they do.

This is a monumental task Namajunas is facing, especially since JJ is shooting to tie Ronda Rousey’s record for most consecutive women’s title defenses, but nothing is impossible in combat sports. Mike Tyson fought Buster Douglas, Ronda Rousey fought Holly Holm, Anderson Silva fought Chris Weidman. Could this fight be added to this list?

Hype Level: High

Expectation: A surprisingly competitive fight

Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt vs. T.J. Dillashaw (Bantamweight Championship)

This is the type of fight that combat sport fans dream about. It has everything: Bad blood, history, high-stakes, and most importantly, high-level fighters. Former teammates and friends, these two competitors now find themselves sworn enemies, and opponents in my most anticipated fight of 2017. After the tumultuous and drama-filled departure of TJ Dillashaw from Team Alpha Male, a showdown like this was inevitable, and it has built up to what is to be a blood-pumping crescendo.

Cody Garbrandt has exploded onto the MMA scene in a path that is only rivaled by Conor McGregor. He knocked out his opponents all the way to a title shot against who is considered one of if not the best bantamweights ever, Dominick Cruz, a man who in his previous fight took the belt from none other than TJ Dillashaw. Cody shocked the MMA world. Not only did he beat Dominick, he outclassed him. It was one of the most stellar championship performances of recent memory. He took the belt, and now TJ, after undeniable victories, has established himself as the rightful contender for it.

Beyond all the trash-talk and accusations of betrayal, lies, and even steroid use, is an extremely high-level fight. Both of these guys have the power to put someone to sleep, and the footwork and technique to do it in spell-binding ways. These men will switch stances, feint, and counter. They will launch lightning fast combinations designed to decimate. This level of speed, precision, and power coupled with the emotions of anger towards their opponent has the potential to create a classic. Strikes will be thrown, emotions will rise, and one of these competitors will get the last word. I cannot wait to see it.

Hype Level: Off the damn charts

Expectation: A classic fight for the history books

There you have it. These are the reasons I am beyond pumped for what is to be an amazing night of fights. If you like intrigue, sport, and spectacle this is an event that you cannot afford to miss. Grab some friends, crack open a beer, enjoy the fights, and most importantly… GET HYPED