posted November 17, 2006 at 20:20 EST in UFC / MMA Articles

UFC Heavyweight Championship

Tim Sylvia (-300) vs. Jeff Monson (+250)

Tim Sylvia, at 6’ 8”, 265 pounds has to be fairly confident going into this bout against 5’ 9”, 240 pound Jeff Monson. Although size and weight are fairly even when you bring them to the ground, Its going to be a very difficult task for the diminutive Monson as the take down defense of Tim Sylvia is legendary. He may have an advantage if the fight goes to the ground, but that’s could be a very big if.

Tim Sylvia is looking to solidify himself as a historically dominant heavyweight in a division that has been passing around the belt quite often. He’s avenged his defeat to Andrei Arlovski and is looking now to stay on top and defend his belt against all oncomers. At 24 - 2 – 0 in his MMA career, his record speaks for itself. He has the chance to remain on the top of the UFC heavyweight division for a long, long time.

 

If Jeff Monson somehow manages to win this fight, it will turn the heavyweight division upside down and make for a whole new list of potentially great matchups. If he doesn’t however, there is a big dropoff in talent. Monson would most likely head down to fight at 205 lbs in the light heavyweight division where he is better matched up in height.

The most compelling piece to this fight is the massive size differential. It makes for a very interesting mix of MMA techniques; a lights out striker, vs. a hard core wrestler.

We can only hope that this fight defies the obvious and Jeff Monson has a few curveballs to throw at the Sylvia camp, otherwise this could be a short night.

BetUS.com is celebrating UFC 65 with an offer of a $50 free play with a $100 deposit. So sign-up and put a few bucks on either Hughes or St. Pierre. It’s going to be a great fight.

Catch all the action of UFC 65, Bad Intentions, on November 18th on Pay Per View and place your bets on all of the action right here on BetUS.

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Darren Cora is a freelance columnist and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker room.