5 fights I’m really looking forward to.

No comics today folks, but I do have plans to return to posting some artwork daily. Today I want to talk about some of the upcoming MMA fights that I’m really looking forward to in the next month or so.

GSP Vs. Carlos Condit (Postponed, due to GSP’s injury) – Condit has finished his last 3 opponents in knockout fashion and has garnered post-fight bonuses for each bout. He is a beast who is always looking to finish strong. The same cannot be said for the champ GSP. He fights smart and safe, but not always with the finishing instinct. GSP’s plan is probably to out-wrestle Condit, looking for a decision win or submission. Condit’s plan is to knock out the long time champ. I read that Carlos has already said he would not win a decision against GSP, so he’s going out there to finish him. I cannot wait for this to happen down the road, obviously Carlos is one of my favorite fighters.

BJ Penn Vs. Nick Diaz @ UFC137 – BJ is another of my favorite fighters. I think he takes out Diaz, I believe he can outbox and out-grapple Diaz and I expect him to take a decision. Diaz likes to prove how tough he is and he can surely take a hit, but he hasn’t fought anyone the caliber of BJ Penn while he was in Strikeforce and lost to most of the elite fighters he has fought in the past. Sean Sherk, Diego Sanschez, etc. BJ beat those two to a bloody pulp when he fought them. If the BJ who defeated Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, Matt Hughes, & Diego Sanchez shows up, Nick is in trouble.

Cain Velasquez Vs. Junior Dos Santos (UFC Heavyweight Title Fight) @UFC on FOX – Cain out-wrestled and beat the living crap out of Brock Lesnar to take the belt, despite the height and weight advantage of Brock. Cain is undefeated and looks remarkably better every time he fights. He has been on the shelf rehabbing a shoulder injury so I am a bit worried about ring rust. JDS is no joke and is one of the best pure boxers in the division. His jab is fast and his knockout power is something to be feared. I’m hesitant to pick a winner here, but I think Cain can put JDS on his back and finish him from the top. Either way, this is a great fight for FOX.

Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida @ UFC on FOX undercard (shown via Facebook stream I think) – Ben Henderson was supposed to lose to Jim Miller in his last fight and instead he out-grappled, out-struck and plain out-fought Miller. Henderson always puts on a show and is a joy to watch. Clay Guida is a tasmanian devil who never quits and this may go down as the most energetic LW battle of the year. Rumor is whoever wins this one gets the next shot at Frankie Edgar’s belt. I think Bendo takes it in a tightly contested decision. Ben is the better striker and has the better jiu-jitsu, if he can stop Clay’s takedowns then he should win this. If he can’t stop Clay ‘s wrestling then he has little chance against Edgar.

Ben Saunders vs. The Bellator Welterweight division (fights shown on MTV2) – Another of my favorite fighters, Ben loves to fight, has fun, and always looks to finish. He also lists his fighting style as Jeet Kun Do, as in Bruce Lee badassness. I don’t understand why he is not in the UFC still, he fought really good fighters there and lost a decision to Jon Fitch after taking the bout on short notice. I’m sure if he beats Douglas Lima on Nov. 12 and gets a crack at Ben Askren’s Bellator title, he will be welcomed back, win or lose that title fight.