UFC 100 Fights Announced
by Robert Sargent
Confirming additions to its historic UFC 100 card, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced an exciting middleweight matchup between the recently acquired Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan "The Talent" Belcher, along with four other fights.
The landmark card, which takes place on July 11th in Las Vegas, will also feature a light heavyweight contest between rising star Jon "Bones" Jones and "Irish" Jake O'Brien.
Akiyama (12-1-0, 2 NC), a controversial but extremely talented fighter, is the newest and brightest import from Asia, and will look to make an immediate impact. Having never gone to a decision in 15 career fights, Akiyama will battle dangerous striker Alan "The Talent" Belcher (14-5-0). Both men have scored recent victories over Canadian star Denis "Super Korean" Kang.
The pivotal middleweight bout, which could very well have future title implications, would leave Akiyama as one of the few legitimate threats to the reign of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva. However, he will have to get past Belcher first, who has won four of his last five fights.
In light heavyweight action, Jon "Bones" Jones (8-0-0) will look to continue his growing reign of terror over the division when he takes on wrestling standout "Irish" Jake O'Brien (11-2-0).
Jones possesses a huge advantage in striking, both in power and in varied tactics, but the wrestling game could prove to be very even. Jones will look to keep the fight standing, where his arsenal of kicks and unorthodoxed strikes will keep O'Brien guessing. A loss for O'Brien could result in a one-way ticket out of the promotion.
Also announced for the event was a welterweight bout between undefeated Judo star Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim (11-0-1, 1 ND) and Jonathan "The Road Warrior" Goulet (22-10-0, 1 NC), whose suspect chin will be tested in this one.
Kim is coming off of a highly controversial Split Decision loss to Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, which was later overturned when Parisyan failed a post-fight drug test. His Judo is arguably the best of anyone in the division, and Goulet will likely find himself on the receiving end of a painful throw. Goulet's chin has failed him on numerous occasions, and this could be the final straw that ends his rollercoaster UFC tenure.
Elsewhere on the card, CB "The Doberman" Dollaway will battle fellow TUF alum Tom "The Filthy Mauler" Lawlor, while Matt "The Real One" Grice will take on Shannon Gugerty.
UFC 100 is headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, and also features a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between Georges "Rush" St. Pierre and Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. In a middleweight contest, TUF Season 9 coaches Dan "Hendo" Henderson and Michael "The Count" Bisping will square off to see which fighter will move on to a future title shot.
