UFC 89 Preview: Sokoudjou vs Luis Cane, When Hype Trains Collide
by Kid Nate on Oct 14, 2008 4:40 PM EDT
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Of all the fights on the card this Saturday at UFC 89, none promises more brutal action than the match-up of former PRIDE wunderkind Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Brazilian star-in-the-making Luis Arthur Cane.
UFC.com is hyping up the bout:
The now 24-year-old Sokoudjou has redeemed himself a little bit with a first round win against fellow judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 84 in Las Vegas, his first in the UFC. In that fight Sokoudjou appeared very focused and—maybe more telling of an evolved psychological approach—far looser.
...Sokoudjou leaped at the chance to square off with the hard-socking Cane, who destroyed Jason Lambert in a couple of minutes at UFC 85 in London with strikes. Like Machida, Cane isn’t a one-trick pony and won’t rattle easily.
"I think he’s going to try and come in and beat the crap out me," Sokoudjou says in his very relaxed manner. "He’s a good striker, and he’s good on the ground. I’m going to respect his power. I know he can knock people out, so I’ll go in there knowing he has the potential to hurt me. But I’ve got a game plan, and I need to stick to it."
Cane hasn't really made an impression on the casual fans yet, but he's had the hardcores buzzing for a while.
And having just re-watched Sokoudjou's WEC loss to Glover Teixeira, I have to say I like Cane's chances. Sokoudjou rocketed to prominence with flash KOs of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. But neither of those guys (for all Little Nog's boxing skill) is much of a kick-boxer. Cane is.
Cane expects a tough fight, via Fighters Only:
“I’m not expecting an easy fight. I’m going for a war but I’m pretty confident,” he added. “I know I can get there and knock him out, or submit him if the fight goes to the ground too.”
I expect Cane to use his reach to pick Sokoudjou apart at a distance before moving in for the kill. But I also wouldn't be shocked to see Sokoudjou's judo come into play when Cane tries to clinch and putting the Brazilian on his ass.
We'll see on Saturday, either way, it seems logical to expect fireworks and the winner could very well emerge as a rising contender in the UFC's stacked Light Heavyweight divsion.
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CANE
it seems that louis cane is in the same position that soku was in right before he joined the ufc, knocking guys out left and right and being touted as the next big thing (at least according to web-fans). i cant wait to see what unfolds.
I hope Soko gets knocked out.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
I just don’t like him. I wish I had a good reason – maybe it’s b/c he is moving up so quickly without having really proved anything – kinda like Houson Alexander except with fewer fights.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
He seems like an incredibly likable guy, from his story to his fights (Machida excluded), and I would certainly put his knockouts leagues above Houston’s. And this is beside the inclusion of him actually having a pedigree.
I don’t see him and Houston being very similar at all and think the comparison is almost insulting but conversely I do think all of the factors I listed as his positive traits may also be his downfall in that people expect and want him to be superior when he simply may not be ready.
See, I’m kind of the opposite. I find myself liking him and wanting to see him do well, but I don’t really know why. :)
by Kierkegaard on Oct 15, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
His fight against Teixeira was over 2 years ago, and Sokoudjou is still young. I think he’s improved quite a bit since then.
MMA Sportsbetting Record: 16-15-2, -5.15u
Biggest Win: Marquardt vs. Kampmann, bet 5u on Marquardt @ -125. Won 4u.
Biggest Loss: Liddell vs. Evans, bet 9u on Liddell @ -260. Lost 9u.
I'm sure that's true
But its still the best evidence we have to go on as far as how Sokodjou handles a standup fight at a distance.
Looking forward to this fight, there should definitely be some fireworks. I watched the Glover fight for the first time and it seems like it was a few nice combos that put him down rather than a flash KO as I’ve heard implied in the past. He clearly gets hit in the back of the ear, which causes him to start back peddling, then it’s a nice left hook that puts him down.
Given that this fight was a while ago, I’m not sure how much of an effect it’s going to have for Cane’s game plan.
I like Cane's chances. I'd go with him too.
As others have posted, I too don’t really have much love for Sokoudjou. No particular reason other than the fact that he doesn’t register very well with me.
I like Cane because he truly carries himself like a heel, which is fine by me, MMA needs more “bad guys”. I’d be happy for either fighter to win though, both are exciting and offer some interesting skills. I’d really like to see some judo from Sok, seems like it’s a great skill he still hasn’t had a chance to leverage for whatever reason.
this is true
and a point I should have made.
Cane has really been a bad guy at every opportunity so far in the UFC.
Much at stake, you gotta love it! If Soko wins he becomes very marketable. As if a judo master from Cameroon who wears a predator mask already isn’t. Who said he was going to be the best 205’er? Someone at TQ, but who? Rogan commented that persons word as ‘gospel’ anyway. Don’t know how much that means though.
They're both very young and exciting fighters
Kind of makes me want to see Carwin v Velasquez – what’s the point in feeding young undefeated fighters cupcakes? Cane and Soko both have a future in this game no matter who wins, just like Koscheck v Sanchez.
by Derek Suboticki on Oct 14, 2008 4:14 PM EDT reply actions
It makes more sense in the heavyweight division where Carwin and Velasquez are being groomed to be contenders since the division is so thin. At 205, there are already too many contenders.
by Richard Wade on Oct 14, 2008 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Speaking of Glover Teixeira, didn’t the UFC sign him recently? I can’t remember for sure if I saw that or not but if it’s true that they did sign him you would think they would of lined him up a fight by now I mean with the quickness in which the IFL and the European talent are getting matchups so soon after signing, I want to see Glover in the octagon ASAP.
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