Fights Set For UFC 105
by Robert Sargent
In addition to a UFC Lightweight Championship main event between "The Prodigy" BJ Penn and Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, England's UFC 105 will also feature a middleweight bout between Denis "Super Korean" Kang and Michael "The Count" Bisping.
Also on the event's main card, rising British star Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy will battle undefeated Judo ace Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim in a welterweight tilt.
The fight between Kang (32-11-1, 2 NC) and Bisping (17-2-0) is a very interesting one, as both are in need of a solid win, but for vastly different reasons. Kang won his most recent fight against Xavier "Professor X" Foupa-Pokam at UFC 97, but his long-awaited UFC debut turned into a disaster when he seemingly threw away a sure win in his battle with Alan "The Talent" Belcher at UFC 93.
Kang has been ranked among the top five middleweights in the world in the past, but mental lapses have been his biggest obstacle throughout his career. In the fight with Belcher, as well as in his brief bout with Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi at Dream.2, Kang essentially put himself in a submission hold and was forced to submit on both occasions.
However, Bisping is known more for his striking and it will take more than a mental lapse from Kang for the hometown English star to emerge victorious. No doubt extremely shell-shocked after his brutal knockout loss to Dan "Hendo" Henderson, the biggest question right now is whether Bisping will enter the fight with Kang as his ever-aggressive self or as a new, timid version.
Provided that Kang can keep himself in check and avoid throwing the fight away, he is a huge favourite on paper to shatter Bisping's latest homecoming. However, Bisping knows that he needs a big win in order to even entertain thoughts of future title contention and he will be looking to use Kang as a stepping stone back to the top.
The welterweight showdown between Hardy (22-6-0, 1 NC) and Kim (12-0-1, 1 ND) is poised to be one of the best on the card, as both fighters are undefeated since joining the UFC. Hardy is coming off of a Split Decision win over "The Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis, while Kim's last fight was a dominant Unanimous Decision victory over Canadian standout TJ Grant at UFC 100.
Hardy will need to do absolutely everything in his power to keep the fight with Kim on the feet, but that is much easier said than done when matched up against the Korean Judo star. Kim has arguably dethroned Parisyan as the top Judo practitioner in mixed martial arts today and his throws and ground control are excellent. The fight could very well establish a future challenger for the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Elsewhere on the card, TUF Season 9 Winner James "Lightning" Wilks (6-2-0) will take on fellow TUF alum Matt "The Immortal" Brown (12-7-0). The fight is a puzzling one, as Wilks should receive a healthy push into contender status after his victory on TUF. However, he is instead matched against Brown, who appears to be the UFC's posterboy for the future.
Brown is 3-1-0 in the UFC, but his level of opposition - save for in his loss to Dong Hyun Kim - has been poor, at best. A victory over Wilks would finally bring some credibility to Brown's career, but it would instantly kill the hype machine behind one of TUF's latest champions.
While the booking makes no sense, the fight between Wilks and Brown should be an exciting and entertaining one. Brown will no doubt seek to keep the fight on the feet, while Wilks would be well-served to look for submissions.
UFC 105 is currently set to be headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between "The Prodigy" BJ Penn and Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez. The event takes place on November 14th in Manchester, England.
