UFC Live on
Thursday Night features eleven fights on the card.
The
Bluegrass state will be home to Thursday’s UFC Live telecast on Versus 3 not
only in traditional Technicolor (is that what they call it in this digital
age?) but will also be breaking ground with a 3D telecast featuring a separate
team of 
announcers. If you’re a high
tech MMA junkie and your set is 3D ready, you won’t hear Joe Rogan and Mike
Goldberg but rather veteran play-by-play guy Todd Harris teamed with the
affable Kenny Florian. It will be
interesting to hear Florian’s unique perspective as a UFC fighter commenting on
his colleagues inside the cage. The
action starts at 9 PM ET and it will allow some of the lesser known fighters to
gain some exposure to a wider audience.
Sanchez vs. Kampmann
Headlining
the card will be Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez (24-4) as he battles Martin “The
Hitman” Kampmann (17-4) in the welterweight category. Sanchez hit a few bumps with consecutive
losses to BJ Penn (Who just posted a draw against Fitch in UFC 127) and John Hathaway but posted a solid win against Paulo Thiago
on the UFC 121 event back in October which copped Fight of the Night honors in
the process. Martin Kampmann lost to
Jake Shields on the same card and has gone 2-2 over his last four fights in the
Octagon. This should get the crowd off
their feet as both fighters are as likely to scrap on the mat as they are to go
toe to toe. Sanchez has been installed as the underdog heading into Thursdays fight, but many UFC handicappers in the forum feel he could be the smart play.
Other Fights on the Card
There will
be 11 fights including middleweights CB Dollaway (12-3) squaring off against
Mark Munoz (9-2). Dollaway last stepped
into the cage with a win against Joe Doerksen back on the UFC 119 card and was
awarded the “submission of the night” for his efforts. Munoz gained a unanimous decision over Aaron
Simpson in November and will be looking for his 10th victory.
Another set
of middleweights will do battle and this time Dana White has paired Alessio
Sakara (19-7 1 No Contest) against Chris Weidman (4-0). Weidman will make his debut in the UFC but
this All American wrestler out of Hofstra has 
some punching power in addition
to a potent ground game. Sakara is
primarily a striker who hasn’t fought in almost a year. Nevertheless, his last appearance was a memorable
when he TKO’ed James Irvin in the opening round. It will be interesting to see how these
divergent skill sets clash when the bell rings.
Bantamweight gets tested
Also one of
the main bouts of the evening will feature the newly created bantamweight
division and a pair of 135 pounders in former WEC champion Brian Bowles (8-1)
as he throws down against Damacio Page (12-5).
This will be the second go round as Bowles submitted Page in August of
2008 with a guillotine choke in the first round. Page’s last trip into the cage in November of
last year was eerily reminiscent of his loss to Bowles when Demetrious Johnson
found an identical opening and dispatched Page again, with a guillotine
choke.
Anyone
looking forward to featherweights Cub Swanson and Erik Koch exchanging
unpleasantries will have to wait as Swanson was injured during training and a
suitable replacement could not be found to battle Koch. Aside from that, it will be a refreshing
change to see the UFC on free TV. Free
of course if you pay to get Versus as part of your cable or satellite
package. Catch all the action this Thursday
and don’t forget to go to Bodog.com for all your UFC odds.