2008 UFC Preview

2007 was a groundbreaking year for the UFC. It was the year of the upset, full of fresh faces, and the invasion of Pride. It was also a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. Rampage Jackson, Anderson Silva, and Roger Huerta made their presence felt with exhilarating performances, while we also witnessed the decline of Chuck Liddell, and the very ugly fallout of Randy Couture. The last few UFC Pay Per View events have been very weak, but UFC 79 on December 29th should make up for that. 2007 will go out with a bang with two of the most anticipated matches ever. The UFC will hope to carry that momentum into 2008, which is shaping up quite nicely. Let's take a look at some of the matches that we will see, and some that we might see.

Fights that we will see

B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson: The two lightweights will get it on at UFC 80 for the vacant lightweight title. Penn is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, while Stevenson has been quickly climbing the ladder since he won The Ultimate Fighter 2. Don't be surprised to see this fight stay on the ground, but that doesn't mean it won't be entertaining. Penn has stated that he would like to be the first UFC fighter to hold both the lightweight and welterweight titles. He'll accomplish one of those feats, and live up to his nickname, 'The Prodigy', with a win over Joe Daddy.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir: This is probably the biggest UFC debut ever. The former WWE Champ will take on the former UFC Heavyweight Champ at UFC 81 on Super Bowl weekend. Personally, I think Lesnar will be a boring fighter. He's primarily a wrestler, and wrestlers tend to be boring MMA fighters. I'd imagine he's working hard on all aspects of his game though, so hopefully he proves me wrong. The winner of this one will be a win or two away from a title shot in the wide open Heavyweight division.

Tim Silva vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: It's not signed yet, but it appears these two will fight for the vacated Heavyweight Championship at UFC 81. Silva is no stranger to UFC fans, while Nogerira only has one UFC fight under his belt. Nogerira is regarded as one of the world's top heavyweights after a very successful run in Pride. This fight has great potential if Silva can get back to being the headhunting fighter that he used to be.

Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson: Finally! The UFC got this one right, by convincing Dan Henderson to drop down to 185 lbs to take on Silva. When Pride folded, Henderson held both the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Championships, so he'll be a real threat to beat The Spider. Since entering the UFC, Silva hasn't had much competition, and has walked through everyone he's faced. Henderson is a great all around fighter, with Olympic quality wrestling skills. This will be a great MMA fight.

Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin: It was recently announced that these two will be the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter season 7, which begins airing in April, then they will fight for the Light Heavyweight title. There's no reason why this fight won't be great. Although Rampage is the better all around fighter, Forrest loves to swing for the fences, and he rarely disappoints his fans. No one thought he could beat Shogun, and he proved all his doubters wrong. Rampage actually got the living crap kicked out of him by Shogun, so this fight could easily go either way. Having these two as the coaches of TUF 7 should help bring some renewed life to one of televisions best reality shows.

Fights that should happen

- The winner of George St. Pierre/Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra (This fight will most likely take place in Montreal in April if GSP beats Hughes)
-The winner of B.J. Penn/Joe Stevenson vs. Sean Sherk

-Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Keith Jardine
-Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian
-John Fitch vs. Karo Parisyan
-Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
-Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans

So, as you can see the early 2008 line-up is looking pretty good. As we've learned from 2007, nothing is ever for sure. If this time last year I told you that two of the UFC's titles would be vacated, and Matt Serra, Anderson Silva, and Rampage Jackson were the champions of their weight classes you'd probably tell me I'm nuts. Well, the UFC is nuts and that's what makes it so great. What happens next weekend at UFC 79 will go a long way to determining some of the groundwork for 2008. Make sure to check back this time next week for my preview and predictions for that event. Feel free to leave comments on who you think will win some of these future fights, plus what you hope to see in 2008.
-Joe Osborne