Inside Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Lyoto Machida

Even with the drop of Matt Serra on the UFC's upcoming UFC 79 card, there are still some promising matchups. Of all of these matches, it seems like the one with the least history might be the most entertaining.

On a card that includes the third installment of Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes and the promising war between striking legends Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell, the most promising looks to be the fight between "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-1-0) and Lyoto Machida (11-0-0).

Machida is an undefeated, promising fighter who has already worked himself into title contention by beating Sam Hoger, David Heath and Kazuhiro Nakamura by decision. His shotokan karate backround is something unconventional in the sport, and presents alot of problems for the very technical strikers in the division.

Sokoudjou, though, is not a conventional striker. He exploded on to the scene in a way that no one expected him to, being signed by Pride Fighting Championships as a stepping stone opponent for the return of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. In that fight, Sokoudjou did the unthinkable, and became the first man ever to stop either of the Nogueira brothers, knocking Rogerio out in 23 seconds.

In his second fight, he fought another Pride veteran in Ricardo Arona, who was another ground fighter expected to give Sokoudjou's judo backround a test, but the fight never got that far. Sokoudjou put Arona to sleep at the two minute mark in their fight.

Of all of the matchups on this card (including the dynamic matchup of Hughes v St. Pierre and the much anticipated matchup of Silva v Liddell) Sokoudjou and Machida is going to be the most interesting.

For starters, it is Sokoudjou's first fight in the UFC, and the "Octagon shock" fact has been pretty tough on some of his fellow Pride veterans who have come to the organization. There's the question of whether Machida will be able to capitalize on his surroundings and control Sokoudjou.

Then there is the issue of Machida being the first real standup opponent Sokoudjou has faced on a major event card. After all, Arona and Nogueira were both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

It should be an interesting matchup, I'm personally taking Sokoudjou on his ability to finish fights (something that we haven't see from Machida in his last 3 matches), but it will definitely be a war and Machida's karate always makes for an exciting fight.

Matt Serra Pulls Out Of Fight With Hughes

Current UFC Welterweight champion Matt "The Terra" Serra pulled out of fight with former two time champion Matt Hughes due to a herniated disk in his back. The injury will postpone a fight that got alot of hype from the Ultimate Fighter Reality series, that Hughes and Serra both coached.

Serra is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt under Renzo Gracie and took the UFC title as a serious underdog going into his fight with Georges St. Pierre.

To get the title shot, Serra won the Ultimate Fighter 4, and his ability to capitalize on it has made him a cult icon, a figure of speech and a reference point for any fighter going in as a serious underdog.

Matt Hughes will still fight on the card, though who he will fight is unclear. Jon Fitch has announced that he will not be fighting Hughes, as he will be in Vietnam. The possibility of Hughes fighting Thiago Alves has been brought up, but Alves fought only a few weeks ago at UFC 78, which will make it very difficult for him to get cleared by the gaming commission to fight. Still, it is possible.

The other possibility that has been brought up is that of a third match between St. Pierre and Hughes. It would be a final match, and many were hoping that, like the first two, the final match would in some way involve an undisputed title, not just the possibility of an interim crown.

The UFC 79 card thus far seems to be pretty good, with lightheavyweight main card bouts including the long anticipated fight between Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva along with the anticipated debut of phenomenon Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, when he will fight undefeated Lyoto Machida.

As far as the card right now, a title bout would make it a very interesting card. The possibility of a heavyweight title fight is unlikely this late in the game, but it is a possibility, given how long it has been since champion Randy Couture and contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have fought. Still, that bout looks like it's pending for the spring.

Even without Serra, the card will maintain some dignity with the 205 pound matchups and the possibility of Hughes fighting anyway.

Hopefully Serra will recover quickly so that we can see the fight in the spring.