UFC 129 Fight Card & Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Thursday, 21 April 2011 17:30

It’s time to preview the UFC 129 fight card coming up on April 30th.

UFC 129 is one of the most packed fight cards you’ll see all year long and the matchups are chalk full of exciting fighters.  Two titles will be on line as Georges St. Pierre defends his welterweight belt against Jake Shields, while Jose Aldo puts his featherweight strap on the line against top contender Mark Hominick.  UFC 129 will be held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and both St. Pierre and Hominick will be looking for wins in their home country.  Other fighters on the UFC 129 card include Randy Couture, Lyoto Machida, Benson Henderson, Mark Bocek, Nate Diaz, Rory McDonald, Jason Brilz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Jake Ellenberger, and Sean Pierson.

UFC 129 Fight Card Preview:

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields

St. Pierre dominates opponents wherever the fight goes but ultimately he’s a controlling wrestler that knows how to stay out of trouble.  That could be a problem against Shields, a wrestler himself with some of the best submissions in the fight game today.  Shields is also particularly adept at putting himself into spots where he can avoid damage and this one could come down to the standup if each fighter is able to thwart takedown attempts.

Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick

Aldo is a Muay Thai wrecking machine but Hominick can definitely post some problems because of his own striking background.  The Canadian is nearly impossible to stop with strikes and is a hard hitter himself that could cause Aldo to give up his quest for a knockout in order to establish dominance on the ground.  The Brazilian is not a top-end grappler but Hominick’s submission defense is his weakness and Aldo might look at trying out his Jiu Jitsu as the best route to take to retain his belt.  If it stays standing, I think either fighter has a chance.

Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida

Couture is a wrestler who utilizes dirty boxing while pressing his opponents up against the cage to as much success as anyone.  Machida is known for his movement and ability to keep the fight standing while maintaining enough distance to keep his opponent at bay, so this matchup is a tough one to figure out.  Couture isn’t getting any younger but if he can successfully close the distance and fight his fight, Machida might be looking at a big problem at UFC 129.

Other UFC 129 Fights:

Rory McDonald vs. Nate Diaz

Kyle Watson vs. John Makdessi

Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger

Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin

Ivan Menjivar vs. Charlie Valencia

Claude Patrick vs. Daniel Roberts

Jason McDonald vs. Ryan Jensen