Cheick Kongo vs. Mustapha al-Turk
In the opening bout of the televised card, Heavyweight cotender Cheick Kongo is set to face off with UFC newcomer and Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion Mustapha al-Turk. Kongo, despite a string of good performances, has yet to truly break though to the top tier of title contenders, and a victory against al-Turk could go a long way toward positioning him for a future title shot.
al-Turk, though largely unknown stateside, has made a name for himself in Britain’s Cage Rage promotion, putting together a 6-1 record in the company and garnering the Heavyweight Title. A well-rounded fighter with decent boxing and a solid submission game, al-Turk doesn’t shine in any one particular area, but is also not drastically overmatched in any aspect of the fight game. Despite his champioship title in Cage Rage, Kongo will be easily the toughest opponent al-Turk has ever faced, so he will need a career performance to secure a third consecutive victory.
Kongo, who first burst onto the UFC scene by dominating the legendary Mirko Cro Cop, dominated Dan Evensen in the first round in his last fight, securing a TKO victory. A powerful striker with very good wrestling, Kongo should have no trouble keeping this fight standing against al-Turk and overwhelming him with accurate power punches.
Kongo by KO, round 1.
