UFC 149 – Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan preview
‘UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao’ is just days away and MMABay continues to preview the main card action set for Saturday, July 21st by taking a look at a heavyweight clash between French veteran, Cheick Kongo, and rising star, Shawn Jordan. Will Kongo play gatekeeper and stall the run of another prospect, or will ‘The Savage’ continue his fine run of form with the biggest win of his career? Find out after the jump…
Cheick Kongo (17-7-2, 10-5-1 UFC)
Long-time UFC heavyweight contender, Cheick Kongo, has done better in recent times than this writer first thought, upon having a second glance at the Frenchman’s record. Since losing a decision to Cain Velasquez and being choked out by Frank Mir in 2009, Kongo has amassed a 3-1-1 record.
The 6ft 4in Wolfslair Academy veteran was left kicking himself after a point deduction cost him the fight against Travis Browne at UFC 120, with the fight ending in a draw, but returned to land a sensational come-from-behind knockout of Pat Barry last June. Kongo toned it down at UFC 137, choosing to fight more conservatively as he out-worked previously unbeaten rookie, Matt Mitrione, to a unanimous decision.
With back-to-back wins under his belt, Kongo faced Mark Hunt at UFC 144 in February and seemed terrified of ‘Hunto’s power from the off, crumbling under a barrage of punches against the cage in round one. The veteran was scheduled to face Brazilian legend, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in Calgary but now prepares to act as gatekeeper as he takes on a rising star in Jackson’s MMA man, Shawn Jordan.
Shawn Jordan (13-3, 1-0 UFC)
A former university football player in Louisiana, Shawn ‘The Savage’ Jordan cut his mixed martial arts chops in various little-league promotions and the 6ft, 245lb prospect soon amassed a 9-1 record with his only loss coming to current M-1 champion, Kenny Garner.
The well-rounded Jordan went 1-1 in Bellator and was quickly snapped up by Strikeforce where he made his debut against grizzled veteran, Devin Cole, last summer. Jordan was out-wrestled by the more experienced heavyweight and lost the decision but in September, ‘The Savage’ manhandled Lavar Johnson. The Greg Jackson influence could be seen clearly as Jordan systematically broke down the knockout artist, submitting Johnson with a keylock in round two.
Jordan made his UFC debut on FX in March, as he and fellow newcomer, Oli Thompson, served as the first prelim of the night and put on a slugfest for the early stragglers in Sydney. ‘The Savage’ dropped and finished the Brit in the second round, setting him up nicely for the biggest test of his career this weekend.
The Verdict: Picking against Kongo is fashionable these days, but the fact remains that the Frenchman has the experience and tools to derail any hype train, Jordan’s included. Kongo’s kickboxing trumps the more unpredictable style of Jordan and his wrestling and BJJ is far better than that of Lavar Johnson, for example. Jordan won’t be throwing Kongo around for fun, and if it becomes a striking battle, Kongo is capable of shutting down the prospect by forcing him against the cage as he did to Matt Mitrione. Don’t rule out a ground and pound stoppage for Kongo, but an ugly decision victory is more likely. Kongo, decision.
By Steve Davies.
Why not tell us what you think about this story and get your thoughts featured in this week’s edition of MMABay Radio? Email Mailbag@mmabay.co.uk, start the subject with the word ‘RADIO MAILBAG’ and we’ll talk about our favourites on the next show.
