tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20808291782752074252024-03-08T01:22:50.904-05:00MMAdnessBringing you the best and latest in the world of MMAMMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-82983833766125944202010-07-30T13:09:00.001-04:002010-07-30T13:09:50.147-04:00UFC Live Jones vs Matyushenko PreviewThe UFC returns to Versus this Sunday featuring their biggest rising star Jon "Bones" Jones vs Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko. This is the UFC's first return to Versus since March and their first card in almost a month.<br /><br />This card also features Mark Munoz vs Yushin Okami in a pivotal middleweight tilt. And Takanori Gomi looks to notch his first UFC win against the always tough Tyson Griffin. This should be a solid card filled with good young talent, so let's break it down:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Jon Jones vs Vladimir Matyushenko<br /><br />Jones is 10-1 with eight wins by stoppage. He has a strong wrestling background and a very versatile striking game. He has slowly moved up the 205 lb ladder and his only defeat came by disqualification in a fight he was dominating.<br /><br />Matyushenko is 24-4 with 14 wins by stoppage. He also has a strong wrestling background with some striking skills. He has fought a lot of tough competition and all of his losses have come against reputable opponents.<br /><br />All signs point to Jones winning this fight. Jones has the better technical striking. He is younger, bigger, faster, more athletic, probably stronger, and has an enormous reach advantage.<br /><br />The only thing Matyushenko has going for him is he has much more experience and his pure wrestling ability is probably greater than Jones'. If Matyshenko can stay smart, get inside, and put Jones on his back and keep him there for 15 minutes he might be able to steal this fight.<br /><br />If Matyushenko can't do that he's going to be in a heap of trouble. I'm picking Jones to pick apart Matyushenko on the outside until he's able to stop the fight in the second round for the TKO victory.<br /><br />Jones is a rising star in the UFC light heavyweight division. Hopefully they don't rush him along too quickly and we get to see Jones against a couple more high quality opponents before he's given a title shot.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Mark Munoz vs Yushin Okami<br /><br />Munoz is 8-1 with five wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with a developing BJJ and striking game. He has fought some tough fighters with success in the middleweight division.<br /><br />Okami is 24-5 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is also a wrestler with a strong Judo and striking pedigree. He has fought a lot of tough fighters with a lot of success.<br /><br />These guys are essentially mirror images of each other but Okami has more experience and a more developed all around grappling and striking game. Unless Munoz has become much more proficient in his striking and submission game I can't see him out wrestling Okami for 15 minutes.<br /><br />I'm picking Okami to grind out another tough decision victory against a game opponent.<br /><br />John Howard vs Jake Ellenberger<br /><br />Howard is 14-4 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with some striking skill. He has faced some tough fighters with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Ellenberger is 22-5 with 19 wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with a strong striking game. He has faced some tough opponents with mixed results.<br /><br />I don't think Howard has the striking to stay with Ellenberger on the feet though anything can happen in an MMA fight. Howard will probably look to use his BJJ where he has an advantage but I don't think he'll catch Ellenberger even if he can get the fight to the mat. I'm picking Ellenberger to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Tyson Griffin vs Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi<br /><br />Griffin is 14-3 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler who likes to strike. He has fought a lot of tough fighters with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Gomi is 31-6 with 17 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with a solid wrestling background. He has fought the best in the business and was the Pride lightweight champion, but he has flamed out as of late (pun intended).<br /><br />Neither of these guys is going to want to take the fight down even with their wrestling backgrounds so it should be a fun fight. Griffin is going to bring his entire striking arsenal at Gomi and I don't think Gomi is going to have the answer.<br /><br />Gomi may only be 31 but this sport has passed him by and he hasn't done much about it over the last two years. I'm picking Griffin to win a fun and lopsided decision victory. This loss will probably spell the end of Gomi's UFC career and will help revive Griffin's.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Paul Kelly vs Jacob Volkmann<br /><br />Volkmann hasn't looked good since joining the UFC. However, I think moving down to lightweight was a good move for him and he should be more accustomed to the weight for this fight.<br /><br />Kelly has seen more success in the UFC than Volkmann but I think both fighters are going to want to impose their will on the other and I think Volkmann's size and wrestling will be the difference. I'm picking Volkmann to win by submission in the second round.<br /><br />DaMarques Johnson vs Matthew Riddle<br /><br />Johnson has the better striking and more experience but I think Riddle has the better grappling and is the more talented fighter. I'm picking Riddle to grind out a decision victory.<br /><br />James Irvin vs Igor Pokrajac<br /><br />Irivin hasn't looked good in the last couple years but Pokrajac has never beaten anyone of note. It will be a classic striker vs grappler match up which I usually give to the grappler but I think Irvin will use whatever wrestling ability he has to stay up right and land the KO blow in the second round.<br /><br />Brian Stann vs Mike Massenzio<br /><br />Massenzio wasn't a bad fighter but he has been out of the game for two years and that's too long a layoff to jump back into the UFC against someone like Stann. Massenzio will rely on his grappling but I don't think it will be enough against Stann's boxing. I'm picking Stann to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira<br /><br />Elkins has the advantage in wrestling and in experience against better competition. However, I think Oliveira has the answer wherever the fight goes. Normally I don't pick UFC rookies but I'm making an exception here. I'm picking Oliveira to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Rob Kimmons vs Steve Steinbeiss<br /><br />Both of these guys are coming off losses and long lay offs so this is an important fight for both guys. Kimmons has faced more and better competition even if hasn't done so well against it. He also has the grappling advantage.<br /><br />Stenbeiss could knock him out but I'm picking Kimmons to win by submission in the first round. This loss will put Steinbeiss on the chopping block most likely and resuscitate Kimmons' UFC career.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-86935596179335949692010-06-30T16:05:00.002-04:002010-06-30T17:39:00.860-04:00UFC 116 PreviewThis Saturday the UFC will put on their annual July 4th weekend spectacular in Las Vegas. This weekend also marks the long awaited return of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar after a year off due to an almost life threatening health issue. Lesnar will battle the interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin in what must be literally the largest battle ever to take place inside the Octagon.<br /><br />The rest of the card is made up of interesting match ups but very little star power. Let's break it down:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) vs Shane Carwin<br /><br />Lesnar is 4-1 with three wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with brutal ground and pound. He is the current UFC champion, has beaten some of the best in the game to get there, and has avenged his only loss.<br /><br />Carwin is 12-0 with all 12 wins by stoppage. He is also a wrestler with very heavy hands. Carwin has beaten a couple tough opponents on his road to the title shot.<br /><br />The UFC is going to have to reinforce the cage to hold these two animals. Both men cut to 265 and there could easily be close to 600 lbs of beef in the cage by the time this fight goes down.<br /><br />These two are almost mirror images of each other. They both have very good wrestling backgrounds and both are still developing their overall MMA game. They are also both freakish athletes for their size.<br /><br />With that said this fight could very easily go either way. If Lesnar imposes his will on Carwin I can't see him lasting five rounds on his back. But Lesnar hasn't faced anyone with punching power anywhere close to Carwin's.<br /><br />I'm picking Carwin's wrestling to be just good enough to keep it standing where he will touch Lesnar enough times to end this fight. I'm picking Carwin to win by TKO in the first round and become the new UFC heavyweight champion.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Chris Leben<br /><br />Akiyama is 13-1 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first with a solid striking game as well. Akiyama has faced some tough fighters with good results. In fact his only loss came in a K-1 open weight bout against a heavyweight.<br /><br />Leben is 20-6 with 15 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with a decent grappling pedigree. He has fought a lot of tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Even though Akiyama has also been out for a year I don't see that being an issue in this fight. As long as Akiyama doesn't get stupid and tries to stand toe to toe with Leben he shouldn't have any issues in this fight. Akiyama will want to use angles and speed to set up a take down where he can put the fight in his world.<br /><br />On the ground Leben can only survive for so long before he succumbs to Akiyama's superior jiu jitsu. I'm picking Akiyama to win by submission in the third round.<br /><br />Chris Lytle vs Matt Brown<br /><br />Lytle is 28-17-5 with 22 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with some boxing skills. He has fought a ton of tough fighters but with less than stellar results.<br /><br />Brown is 11-8 with all 11 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with some grappling skills. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />This should be an interesting match up as both guys are looking to improve their record. Lytle obviously wants this fight on the mat while Brown will want to keep it standing against a grappler the calibre of Lytle.<br /><br />I think Lytle's experience against some of the best in the game will help him get the job done here as long as he doesn't get caught by a lucky punch. I'm picking Lytle to win by submission in the second round.<br /><br />Krzysztof Soszynski vs Stephan Bonnar<br /><br />Soszynski is 19-9-1 with 18 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with solid boxing. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Bonnar is 11-7 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a grappler who loves to strike. He has faced some tough fighters with mostly negative results.<br /><br />This is Bonnar's last chance much the same way Keith Jardine got one last shot a couple weeks ago. Bonnar is riding a three fight losing streak courtesy of embarrassing losses to Jon Jones, Mark Coleman, and a controversial loss on cuts due to a headbutt to Soszynski back in Feb.<br /><br />This fight pairs the two up again to hopefully clear the air after such a controversial decision and to give Bonnar one last (fair) chance to save his UFC career. I still feel that Bonnar would do himself a favor by trying to go to the ground but I don't see him wanting to do that or being successful there.<br /><br />So they will stand and Soszynski should get the better of the stand up. That's why I'm picking him to win by decision.<br /><br />George Sotiropoulos vs Kurt Pellegrino<br /><br />Sotiropoulos is 12-2 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter with a little boxing. He has faced some tough fighters with mostly positive results. In fact he avenged one of his two losses and his only other loss came to lightweight stand out Shinya Aoki.<br /><br />Pellegrino is 15-4 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is also a grappler with some striking. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />I get the feeling these two grapplers will cancel each other out on the ground leaving them to try and duke it out. This could go either way since neither is a noted striker but my gut feeling is that Pellegrino will have the edge. I'm picking Pellegrino to win by decision.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer<br /><br />Schaub is still a young fighter and could make a stupid mistake against a veteran like Tuchscherer. However, I also think Schaub is more talented than Tuchscherer. He certainly is in the striking department.<br /><br />So between Schaub's talent and his athleticism I'm picking him to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Seth Petruzelli vs Ricardo Romero<br /><br />The Kimbo killer is back! Petruzelli returns to the UFC for the first time since 2007. <br /><br />Romero has a nice well rounded game but he's going up against his toughest opponent to date while also making his UFC debut. I don't like those odds even if the kid is virtually undefeated.<br /><br />I'm picking Petruzelli to overwhelm Romero with strikes and grab the TKO win in the first round.<br /><br />Kendall Grove vs Goran Reljic<br /><br />Neither of these guys look too good right now. However, while Grove hasn't been able to put anything consistent together in a while Reljic is still coming back from a major injury. So I think he looks much more promising to bounce back right now.<br /><br />I'm picking Reljic to win by KO in the first round.<br /><br />Gerald Harris vs Dave Branch<br /><br />Both of these guys have a lot of upside but neither has proven much at this point in their careers. Harris has faced tougher competition and has fought in the UFC before.<br /><br />Both have well rounded games but I'm betting Harris' striking and wrestling is better while Branch has the better jiu jitsu. But I'm going to throw logic out the window on this one because Branch represents Brooklyn! I'm picking Branch to stay undefeated with a decision victory.<br /><br />Daniel Roberts vs Forrest Petz<br /><br />This is an extremely tough fight to call. Petz is your typical journeyman and hasn't fought in the UFC since 2007. Roberts was a good looking prospect until being promptly KO'd in the first round in his first UFC fight.<br /><br />I'm going to stick with the promise of Roberts' wrestling and BJJ to get him through this fight. I'm going to pick Roberts to win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Jon Madsen vs Karlos Vemola<br /><br />Both of these guys are wrestlers who have the ability to finish fights. Madsen has been riding a nice little wave since being on TUF 10.<br /><br />I see that continuing here. I think Madsen probably has the better wrestling and also has some UFC experience. I'm picking Madsen to stay undefeated with a decision victory.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-90669199055217207772010-06-20T13:23:00.000-04:002010-06-20T13:24:08.578-04:00Strikeforce Fedor vs Werdum Preview"The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko returns this Saturday to defend his status as the best heavyweight fighter in the world. Fedor takes on Fabricio Werdum in a non title fight, though should he win it will likely cement a title bout against Alistair Overeem later this year.<br /><br />Also on the card is arguably the greatest female fighter on the planet Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos defending her Featherweight title. Rounding out the card is a rematch between Cung Le and Scott Smith as well as former lightweight champ Josh Thomson. Let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Fedor Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum<br /><br />Fedor is 32-1 with 25 wins by stoppage. He has a strong background in Sambo, Judo, and Boxing. He has fought some of the best fighters in the world and is widely regarded as the best heavyweight fighter on the planet.<br /><br />Werdum is 13-4-1 with 11 wins by stoppage. He has a strong background in BJJ, Judo, and Muay Thai. He has also faced top competition with slightly more mixed results but actually owns a win over Fedor's brother Aleksander and current Strikeforce heavyweight champ Overeem.<br /><br />These fighters are actually more similar than people realize. Both have finishing power in their hands but both are actually more accomplished grapplers. However, if anyone has watched either of these two men fight even a newcomer can tell who is better.<br /><br />This fight could be sloppy on the feet but that's just the way Fedor will want it. He'd rather take his chances there than go to the ground where it could turn into a stalemate. Werdum could land some magic on Fedor but no one's done it yet so I'm not going to start picking against him now.<br /><br />I've got Fedor by KO in the first round.<br /><br />Cyborg Santos vs Jan Finney<br /><br />Santos is 9-1 with seven wins by KO. She is a vicious Muay Thai striker with a developing BJJ game. She has faced some tough fighters on her road to the championship with overwhelmingly positive results.<br /><br />Finney is 8-7 with four wins by KO. She is a striker. As her record indicates she has faced a lot of tough fighters and often times comes out on the losing end (in one case three times to the same fighter).<br /><br />This has brutal finish written all over it. Finney is a tough fighter but she is moving up a weight class and Santos is the strongest female fighter I have ever seen. Not to mention Finney won't want to take Cyborg down leaving the fight exactly where Cyborg wants it.<br /><br />I'm picking Cyborg to win by TKO in the second round to retain her title. Is Strikeforce running out of competition for Cyborg? It certainly looks like it.<br /><br />Cung Le vs Scott Smith<br /><br />Le is 6-1 with all six wins by KO. He is a striker with a developing grappling game. He has faced a couple tough fighters with mostly positive results and was the former Strikeforce middleweight champ.<br /><br />Smith is 17-6 with all 17 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with some wrestling ability. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />This is a rematch of what some consider the fight of the year and what was certainly the comeback of the year in 2009. Both of these guys are good strikers. Le is better technically but Smith has more power and has a better chin.<br /><br />This fight will most likely come down to whose conditioning is better and who has more heart just like the last fight. To be honest Le is seven years older and Smith definitely has the better chin. So with that in mind I'm picking Smith to win by KO in the third round.<br /><br />Josh Thomson vs Pat Healy<br /><br />Thomson is 16-3 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with some kick boxing ability. He has faced some tough fighters with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Healy is 23-15 with 19 wins by stoppage. He is also a grappler with some striking ability. He has faced quite a few tough fighters but unfortunately with mostly negative results.<br /><br />As Healy's record indicates this is a "get right" fight for the former champ Thomson. Thomson has much better quality wherever the fight takes place. Not to mention Healy is normally a welterweight and will probably be extra drained for this fight trying to make 155 lbs.<br /><br />I'm picking Thompson to get back on track with a submission victory in the first round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-39735726237965750682010-06-14T16:54:00.000-04:002010-06-14T16:55:39.240-04:00WEC 49 PreviewThe WEC returns to free TV this weekend after a two month layoff. The main event features Jamie Varner looking to bounce back after losing his belt to Ben Henderson. Kamal "The Prince of Persia" Shalorus is looking to make a run at a title shot with a win over the former champ.<br /><br />This card also marks the WEC's first jaunt in to Canada. Let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Jamie Varner vs Kamal Shalorus<br /><br />Varner is 16-3 with 14 wins by stoppage. He has a very solid grappling background with strong boxing skills as well. He has fought some tough fighters with mostly positive results and was the WEC champion for almost two years.<br /><br />Shalorus is 6-0-1 with five wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with strong ground and pound. This is definitely his toughest test to date.<br /><br />This fight will come down to who can impose their will. Shalorus will want to take this fight to the ground. While Varner has a solid jiu jitsu game he'd much rather stand and strike.<br /><br />I think with Varner's wrestling Shalorus won't be able to run rough shod over him. I'm picking Varner to effectively use his sprawl and brawl to earn a decision victory.<br /><br />Mark Hominick vs Yves Jabouin<br /><br />Hominick is 17-8 with 14 wins by stoppage. He is striker with a solid ground game. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Jabouin is 14-5 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a striker. He has fought a couple tough guys and lost both fights.<br /><br />Neither of these guys are exactly stand out fighters. However, it should be an entertaining bout. Jabouin will want to stand and if Hominick is smart he'll take it to the ground.<br /><br />While Jabouin could catch Hominick I usually like the grapplers in these match ups so I'm picking Hominick to win by decision.<br /><br />Josh Grispi vs LC Davis<br /><br />Grispi is 13-1 with 11 wins by stoppage. He has solid striking and grappling skills. He has fought a few tough guys since moving over to the WEC with positive results.<br /><br />Davis is 16-2 with 11 wins by stoppage. He has a wrestling background but a well rounded skill set. He has fought some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Both fighters are up and comers which makes this a tough fight to call especially since both are so well rounded. However, I think Davis' wrestling will be the difference. I'm picking Davis to grind out a tough decision victory.<br /><br />Chris Horodecki vs Ed Ratcliff<br /><br />Horodecki is 13-2 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a kick boxer. He has fought some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Ratcliff is 7-2 with six wins by stoppage. He is a striker. He has fought some tough fighters with less than stellar results.<br /><br />This should be a fun stand up battle. This is another tough battle to call because I don't think either fighter is significantly better at striking. So I'm going to take a shot in the dark and pick Ratcliff to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Eddie Wineland vs Will Campuzano<br /><br />Wineland is 16-6-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He has solid grappling and striking. He has fought some tough guys with mixed results.<br /><br />Campuzano is 7-1 with six wins by stoppage. He is a striker with some submission ability. He has one fight against notable competition which he lost.<br /><br />I think Wineland's experience and grappling should be the difference in this fight. I'm picking him to get the win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Karen Darabedyan vs Will Kerr<br /><br />Karen's experience against better competition and his wrestling should be the difference in this fight. I'm picking Karen to grind out a decision victory.<br /><br />Wagnney Fabiano vs Frank Gomez<br /><br />Fabiano was one of the top featherweights in the world before losing unceremoniously to Semerizer two fights ago. Since then he has dropped down to bantamweight only making him more dangerous.<br /><br />I don't think Gomez will have an answer for Fabiano's jiu jitsu. I'm picking Fabiano to win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Erik Koch vs Bendy Cassimir<br /><br />Both guys are talented grapplers. They may wind up cancelling each other out on the ground and this could turn into a stand up fight. However, I think Koch is the more talented fighter so I'm going to go with him to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Raphael Assuncao vs Diego Nunes<br /><br />Assuncao is an extremely talented submission artist. Nunes is more well rounded but is also extremely talented. This should be a good fight no matter where it winds up but I'm picking Assuncao's experience and BJJ to carry him through. I'm picking Assuncao to win by decision.<br /><br />Rafael Rebello vs Chris Cariaso<br /><br />Both of these fighters and still looking to breakthrough for an organization. Rebello should have the advantage on the ground while Cariaso should have the advantage on the feet.<br /><br />Both fighters are well rounded but Cariaso appears to be the better fighter at this point in their careers. I'll pick Cariaso to win by decision.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-50320085848984820842010-06-14T15:41:00.001-04:002010-06-14T15:53:59.513-04:00The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale PreviewNow that the coaches have done battle it's time for The Ultimate Fighter 11 finale. The main event (surprisingly not the TUF championship fight) features Matt Hamill vs Keith Jardine.<br /><br />This is a fight between fighters moving in two directions. Hamill has won his last three fights while Jardine has lost his last three. This is a critical fight for Jardine to remain in the UFC.<br /><br />The co main event is the TUF 11 championship fight between Court McGee and Kris McCray. Both fighters impressed on the show having both lost an early fight and coming back to make it to the finale due to injury and winning the wild card fight respectively.<br /><br />The rest of the card is littered with other TUF participants past and present as well as UFC journeymen. Let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Matt Hamill vs Keith Jardine<br /><br />Hamill is 8-2 with five wins by KO. He is a wrestler with improving striking. He has fought some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Jardine is 15-7-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a kick boxer first with an under rated ground game. He has fought the best in the business unfortunately with average results at best.<br /><br />If Jardine isn't at his hungriest for this fight he's going to be in for a long night. Hamill's stand up has looked better with each fight and while it might not compare with Jardine's he can do enough on the feet to set up the take down which is what he'll really want.<br /><br />Jardine always comes in well prepared but he unfortunately just doesn't have the most talent. In fact his greatest asset is his unorthodox striking style. That won't be enough even with his under rated ground game.<br /><br />Hamill should be able to get this fight to the ground and control Jardine for three rounds and do some damage. I'm picking Hamill to get the TKO victory in the third round.<br /><br />Court McGee vs Kris McCray<br /><br />McGee is 8-1 (3-1 on the show) with four wins by stoppage. He has a very solid ground game but is fairly well rounded. He has faced a couple tough fighters off the show with mixed results.<br /><br />McCray is 5-0 (4-1 on the show) with all five wins by stoppage. He also has a solid ground game but he likes to slug it out. He hasn't faced anyone of note.<br /><br />McCray is probably the more overwhelming physical force but I think he throws caution to the wind a little too much and his conditioning isn't as solid as McGee's. I also think McGee will be more prepared mentally for this fight.<br /><br />I'm picking McGee to win a tough decision to become the next Ultimate Fighter champion.<br /><br />Chris Leben vs Aaron Simpson<br /><br />Leben is 19-6 with 14 wins by stoppage. He loves to box but has developed his grappling skills as well. He has fought a lot of tough fighters but usually is not the winner in those battles.<br /><br />Simpson is 7-0 with six wins by KO. He is a wrestler with strong ground and pound. This might be his toughest test to date.<br /><br />Simpson hasn't been tested much in his very young career but I'm not sure this will be his first real test. Leben could catch Simpson with a big punch but if that doesn't happen I think Simpson will take him down and grind out the victory.<br /><br />I'm picking Simpson to keep his undefeated streak alive with a decision victory.<br /><br />Spencer Fisher vs Dennis Siver<br /><br />Fisher is 23-5 with 19 wins by stoppage. He is a well rounded fighter with striking and jiu jitsu skills. He has fought a lot of tough fighters with average results.<br /><br />Siver is 15-7 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with solid kick boxing. He has fought some tough fighters but often does not come out on top of those fights.<br /><br />Both fighter's have well rounded games even though each specializes on one end of the spectrum. Literally anything could happen in this fight but I think Fisher has more experience against better fighters and is simply the better overall fighter.<br /><br />I'm picking Fisher to win a close decision.<br /><br />Jamie Yager vs Rich Attonito<br /><br />Yager is 2-1 (2-1 on the show) with both wins by KO. He is a striker. He hasn't fought anyone of note.<br /><br />Attonito is 7-3 (2-0 on the show) with five wins by stoppage. He has solid striking and grappling.<br /><br />Personally I just want to see Attonito smash Yager but I know it's not that easy with Yager's striking. Yager could easily catch Attonito but I'm hoping Attonito takes him down pounds the will out of him.<br /><br />I'm picking Attonito to win by TKO in the third round.<br /><br />Preliminary Card<br /><br />John Gunderson vs Mark Holst<br /><br />Gunderson has way more experience and Holst is making his UFC debut. Gunderson should have the advantage on the ground. Holst could pull this fight out but I never like rookies so I'm picking Gunderson to win a decision.<br /><br />Brad Tavares vs Seth Baczynski<br /><br />Seth has a stronger ground game but I think Tavares is the better overall fighter. If he can keep the fight standing he should have a pretty good chance. I'm picking Tavares to win by decision.<br /><br />Kyle Noke vs Josh Bryant<br /><br />Both guys are super tough and have solid wrestling backgrounds. I think Noke's jiu jitsu and stand up is a little better and Bryant's wrestling is a little better.<br /><br />Noke also has much more experience against tougher opponents. I think when you put all that together Noke will pull out the decision win.<br /><br />James Hammortree vs Chris Camozzi<br /><br />Hammortree did not have a great showing and Camozzi was sent home with an injury so neither guy shined. Hamortree should have the better wrestling and ground and pound while Camozzi has the better jiu jitsu. The stand up is probably a toss up.<br /><br />I think Hammortree's ground and pound will nullify Camozzi's BJJ. I'm picking Hammortree to win by decision.<br /><br />James McSweeny vs Travis Browne<br /><br />This should be a good stand up battle. Either fighter could pull this out and even though McSweeny got all the hype from being on TUF 10 I think Browne is the better fighter. I'm picking Browne to win by TKO in the second round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-1976298539329614912010-06-11T14:22:00.002-04:002010-06-20T13:26:15.885-04:00Strikeforce LA PreviewStrikeforce returns after a month off this coming Wednesday with a somewhat disappointing offering. Originally the main event was supposed to be Robbie Lawler and Jason Miller for the number one middleweight number contender's spot. But due to Miller's involvement in the brawl two Strikeforce cards ago the promoters didn't want to take any chances. Lawler now faces Renato "Babalu" Sobral at 195 lbs.<br /><br />On top of the Miller issue is the injury to Bobby Lashley who was also supposed to compete on this card and would've made this card a little more palatable. Last but not least is the surprisingly not so publicized return of former EliteXC lightweight champion (and the last man to beat Nick Diaz) KJ Noons. Noons was supposed to fight Charles Bennet to avenge his only loss but Bennet also pulled out due to injury so Noons faces a dangerous but much less popular fighter.<br /><br />This card is taking place in LA and coincides with the E3 gaming expo where no doubt the new EA MMA game that Strikeforce is partnering on is a big reason why there is even a card happening at all Weds.<br /><br />Let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Robbie Lawler vs Babalu Sobral<br /><br />Lawler is 19-5 with 17 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with very heavy hands. He has had a very nice career in the top organizations in the world with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Sobral is 35-8 with 23 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first with a sick jiu jitsu game and his striking is always getting better. He has also fought a lot of tough competition with mostly positive results.<br /><br />This is a great match up between two serviceable veterans who can finish a fight. Sobral needs to be very careful on the feet because even at 195 lbs Lawler's power will translate. And Lawler cannot go to the ground with Sobral and expect to not be turned into a pretzel.<br /><br />So expect a classic striker vs grappler match up. I think Sobral can get this fight to the ground where he should dominate. I'm picking Sobral to pick up a submission victory in the third round.<br /><br />Marius Zaromskis vs Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos<br /><br />Zaromskis is 13-4 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a kickboxer with some wrestling. He has fought a few tough fighters and Santos won't be anything new in the way of superior talent.<br /><br />Santos is 17-13 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a muay thai fighter first with a black belt in BJJ. He has fought some tough fighters with less than stellar results.<br /><br />Santos comes out of the hyper aggressive Chute Boxe Academy and his aggressive fighting style will fall right into the gameplan of Zaromskis. Zaromskis is the better striker and a brutal finisher who will pick up a TKO victory in the first round.<br /><br />Tim Kennedy vs Trevor Prangley<br /><br />Kennedy is 11-2 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with a solid jiu jitsu game. He has faced a couple tough opponents with mixed results.<br /><br />Prangley is 22-5-1 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first with a jiu jitsu and wrestling background but he also has a developing boxing game. He has faced some tough fighters with some less than great results.<br /><br />Prangley has a vast experience advantage but that's where the distinct advantages end. Prangley could catch Kennedy on the ground but I would expect Kennedy to try and stand with Prangley where Kennedy has a bigger edge. I'm picking Kennedy to win a tough fought decision.<br /><br />Conor Huen vs KJ Noons<br /><br />Huen is 8-3 with six wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with a background in wrestling and jiu jitsu. Huen has fought a couple tough guys but this is easily his toughest test to date.<br /><br />Noons is 8-1 with seven wins by KO. He is a striker with a background in professional boxing. He has fought a few tough fighters with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Noons just fought in March but before then had been on almost a two year layoff so he's probably still fighting some ring rust. As good as Noons is this will not be an easy fight. Noons will want to stand and Huen will want nothing to do with that.<br /><br />Obviously if Noons gets taken down he's in trouble and if Huen can't get him down Huen is in trouble. I want to pick Huen to pull the upset but I just can't. So I'm going chalk and picking Noons to win a tough decision.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-26347463897874396062010-06-07T16:05:00.001-04:002010-06-07T16:07:52.606-04:00UFC 115 PreviewThe UFC returns this weekend after only a two week lay off. UFC 115 will be the fourth show in Canada for the organization and the first one held in Vancouver which just sanctioned the sport in December of last year.<br /><br />The main event was originally going to be Liddell vs Tito Ortiz 3 as the two had been the original coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 11. However, Ortiz pulled out with a neck injury and Rich Franklin has stepped in to fill his place. While this match up doesn't feature the pure hate it should actually be a more interesting fight as Franklin isn't as washed up as Ortiz is.<br /><br />The rest of the card is filled with up and comers and plenty of fighters looking to bounce back or break through. Let's break it down:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin<br /><br />Liddell is 21-7 with 14 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with solid wrestling. Chuck has fought the best of the best and held the UFC light heavyweight title for over two years.<br /><br />Franklin is 26-5 with 23 wins by stoppage. He is also a striker but with a more advanced jiu jitsu game. He has also fought the best of the best but most of those fights were at middleweight where he held the UFC belt for over a year.<br /><br />Both of these guys are living legends. One is already in the hall of fame and one is on his way. However, both have fallen on hard times recently. Franklin has been fluctuating between 205 and 195 for his last four fights just to get fights outside of 185 lbs. He also was recently destroyed by Vitor Belfort in the first round almost nine months ago.<br /><br />Liddell hasn't fought in over a year after contemplating retirement and is riding his own two fight losing streak both by (T)KO. Both of these fighters claim they're not done but Chuck needs this much worse than Franklin. Chuck is five years older, hasn't fought in a longer time, and is riding a longer losing streak. <br /><br />Whether or not this turns into greater motivation one can only hope. Either of these guys could easily knock out the other and I'm sure that's what they both plan on doing. I think Chuck is the bigger fighter and harder puncher. But I think Rich will be in better shape and has the better technical striking.<br /><br />This could totally go Chuck's way but I'm leaning toward Rich ending Liddell's career for good. I'm picking him to win by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Mirko Cro Cop vs Pat Barry<br /><br />Cro Cop is 26-7-2 with 23 wins by stoppage. He is a pure kickboxer. He has fought some of the best fighters in the world and was the Pride open weight grand prix champion in 2006.<br /><br />Barry is 5-1 with all five wins by KO. He is also a pure kickboxer. Barry has not fought any tough competition yet.<br /><br />Much like the main event this may not be the best fight you'll ever see but it should be fun to watch! Cro Cop's career is in even worse shape than Liddell or Franklin having not won a meaningful fight since 2006 and going 3-3 in the UFC against less than stellar competition.<br /><br />Barry is on the rise in the UFC going 2-1 and coming off a KO of the night victory over another noted striker Antoni Hardonk.<br /><br />I personally feel that Cro Cop shouldn't even be licensed to fight anymore. He could pull off the spectacular but my bet is on Barry to end his night with a KO in the first round.<br /><br />Paulo Thiago vs Martin Kampmann<br /><br />Thiago is 13-1 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a noted grappler but has really come a long way with his striking. He has fought some tough fighters and his only loss is to Jon Fitch who everyone loses to but GSP.<br /><br />Kampmann is 16-3 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a very good striker with an underappreciated ground game. He has fought some tough fighters but can't seem to get over the hill to a title shot.<br /><br />This is a very interesting match up. Kampmann will want to stand but he should not underestimate Thiago's striking. Thiago probably wants to take the fight to the mat but he shouldn't underestimate Kampmann's grappling.<br /><br />This should make for a very interesting chess match where the slightest mistake at any level could end one of their nights. I like Kampmann but Thiago has really impressed me since coming to the UFC. I'm picking Thiago to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Ben Rothwell vs Gilbert Yvel<br /><br />Rothwell is 30-7 with 28 wins by stoppage. He is a striker first with a better than you would expect ground game. Rothwell has fought some tough fighters but usually with less than stellar results.<br /><br />Yvel is 36-14-1 with all 36 wins by stoppage. He is a noted kickboxer. Yvel has fought some tough guys as well but also hasn't usually come out on the winning end.<br /><br />On paper this looks like an interesting fight but I'm not sure Rothwell is going to trade with Yvel. If he does it could be a quick night for either one of them. If Rothwell is smart enough to take it to the ground he'll grind out a decision victory.<br /><br />I could be very wrong but I'm picking Rothwell to win by decision. I hope this ends this farce of a signing. Yvel doesn't belong in the same cage with the rest of the UFC heavyweight roster.<br /><br />Carlos Condit vs Rory MacDonald<br /><br />Condit is 24-5 with 23 wins by stoppage. He has a nice blend of striking and BJJ. He has fought a few tough guys with mixed results.<br /><br />MacDonald is 10-0 with all 10 wins by stoppage. He also has a strong mix of striking and BJJ. This is far and away MacDonald's toughest fight to date.<br /><br />MacDonald might be undefeated but I don't see that record staying unblemished for long. Both fighters have a very well rounded game but Condit is the better fighter at this point of his career in my opinion.<br /><br />I'm picking Condit to win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Preliminary Card on Spike:<br /><br />Tyson Griffin vs Evan Dunham<br /><br />Dunham will want to take this fight to the ground but Griffin's wrestling is too good for that to happen. Expect Griffin to hurt Dunham on the feet and then ride out the decision victory in top control to end Dunham's unbeaten streak.<br /><br />Mac Danzig vs Matt Wiman<br /><br />This is a very tough fight to pick and really could go either way. I think Wiman's wrestling will be the difference. Danzig is good on the ground but I don't see him taking Wiman down. I expect Wiman to take down Danzig and grind out a decision victory most likely ending Danzig's UFC career.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />David Loiseau vs Mario Miranda<br /><br />Loiseau has been brought back from the UFC dead more than Jason and Freddy Kruger combined (okay not really but it's been at least three times now). This is another tough fight to call. Loiseau is a very good striker and has experience against tough fighters. However, he hasn't won a fight in the UFC since 2005.<br /><br />Miranda had an awful UFC debut and has never fought anyone of note. He is a grappler first and I tend to rely on the grapplers in these tough calls (esepcially ones with a strong wrestling background). I'm picking Miranda to grind out a tough decision victory.<br /><br />James Wilks vs Peter Sobotta<br /><br />Wilks, the TUF 9 champion, is looking to rebound from a tough KO loss. Sobotta is looking to notch his first win in the UFC after a less than stellar debut. Wilks has the better ground game while Sobotta is probably the better striker.<br /><br />In this case I'm actually going to go with the striker since they might cancel each other out on the ground. I'm picking Sobotta to win by TKO in the third round.<br /><br />Ricardo Funch vs Claude Patrick<br /><br />This is another tough fight to call. Funch has a strong grappling background but enjoys to strike. Patrick is more of a pure grappler. Neither has fought great competition but Funch at least has gotten his first UFC fight jitters out of the way.<br /><br />I'm picking Funch to win by decision.<br /><br />Mike Pyle vs Jesse Lennox<br /><br />This fight should be interesting. Lennox loves to wrestle and ground and pound while Pyle is a jiu jitsu fighter. As experienced as Pyle is compared to Lennox (and he has a lot more experience against better competition) I don't think he'll hold up on his back. I'm picking Pyle to win by TKO in the second round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-18305295781195231332010-05-10T16:41:00.002-04:002010-05-10T16:54:03.160-04:00Strikeforce Heavy Artillary PreviewThis Saturday Strikeforce returns intent on restoring their reputation after the post fight melee in Nashville. They will be featuring their heavyweights in St. Louis including their champion's first title defense and first fight in the organization in almost three years.<br /><br />Alistair Overeem won the first Strikeforce heavyweight title back in November of 2007. Since then he has fought exclusively outside of the US. Many speculate this is due to the strengthening of drug testing in the US compared to Japan (and Holland).<br /><br />This is a perplexing fight for the challenger Brett Rogers. He is coming off a loss to arguably the best heavyweight in the world (Fedor Emelianenko) yet he is the one fighting for the title. If he wins, what happens then?<br /><br />All in all this is an interesting situation but it should be an incredibly exciting fight based on both fighters striking pedigree and power. Also highlighting this card is former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski vs top contender Antonio Silva. Let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Heavyweight Championship: Alistair Overeem (c) vs Brett Rogers<br /><br />Overeem is 32-11 with 31 wins by stoppage. He is a vaunted kick boxer but has a well rounded grappling game as well. He fought some of the best fighters in the world in Pride with less than stellar results.<br /><br />Rogers is 10-1 with all 10 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with some wrestling. Outside of Fedor he hasn't faced much top competition.<br /><br />Even though Overeem hasn't fared very well against top competition in his career Rogers isn't exactly top competition. Both fighters are good strikers with a lot of power so anything could happen in this fight.<br /><br />However, based on skill level I think Overeem is the better technical striker and is better on the ground if it went there for some strange reason. That is why I'm picking him to win by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Andrei Arlovski vs Antonio Silva<br /><br />Arlovski is 15-7 with 14 wins by stoppage. He is a striker first with some grappling ability. He is a former UFC champion and has fought some of the best fighters in the world with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Silva is 13-2 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a striker first with some jiu jitsu background. He has fought almost no top competition.<br /><br />This is an incredibly tough fight to call. Arlovski has looked awful in his last two fights and hasn't fought in almost a year. However, on paper I would say he's the more talented fighter.<br /><br />Silva hasn't really fought anyone good and lost to a less than stellar Fabricio Werdum his last time out. He will be the bigger stronger fighter but shouldn't be better technically than Arlovski.<br /><br />If Arlovski proves he can last more than one round I think he can take this fight with his superior technique and speed. But Silva could easily come out blasting and blow Arlovski's doors off. This is a really tough fight to call but I'm taking a shot in the dark and picking Arlovski too pull out a decision win. <br /><br />Ronaldo Souza vs Joey Villasenor<br /><br />Souza is 11-2 with 10 wins by submission. He is a jiu jitsu fighter. He has fought some tough fighters over the past couple years with mixed results.<br /><br />Villasenor is 27-6 with 21 wins by stoppage. He is a well rounded fighter with boxing and jiu jitsu skills. He has fought some tough fighters with mixed results but hasn't fought in close to a year.<br /><br />If Villasenor can keep this fight standing he has a distinct advantage. However, if it goes to the ground you have to give Souza the edge. But due to the disparity on the feet I'm going with Villasenor to win by KO in the first round.<br /><br />Roger Gracie vs Kevin Randleman<br /><br />Gracie is 2-0 with both wins by submission. He is a jiu jitsu fighter. He is still in the infancy of his MMA career but is a highly decorated jiu jitsu fighter (as you would expect from a Gracie).<br /><br />Randleman is 17-14 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with solid ground and pound. He has fought a lot of good fighters but with average results at best.<br /><br />This will wind up being a very boring fight for uneducated fight fans if it goes to a decision. It's going to hit the mat early and stay there. <br /><br />Randleman will want to impose his will and deliver a beating while Gracie will look to grab a submission. Randleman is past his prime with limited jiu jitsu skills so even though Gracie is still green and hasn't fought in two years I think he can pull out the win. I'm picking Gracie by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Rafael Cavalcante vs Antwain Britt<br /><br />Cavalcante is 8-2 with all eight wins by stoppage. He is a muay thai striker. He hasn't faced any top competition to date.<br /><br />Britt is 11-3 with nine wins by KO. He is a striker. He hasn't faced any top competition either.<br /><br />This should be a solid stand up scrap. Neither guy has an overwhelming resume but I think Cavalcante is the more talented fighter from what I've seen.<br /><br />Both fighters could land the knockout blow but I'm going with Cavalcante to pull off the decision win.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Vitor Ribeiro vs Lyle Beerbohm<br /><br />Beerbohm is in deep trouble in this fight even though he is the undefeated fighter in this bout. Even though Ribeiro has been out for almost a year he is a master jiu jitsu fighter who has only lost to Aoki, "JZ" Cavalcante, and Kawajiri. Beerbohm will try to stand but his strength is wrestling and ground and pound so the fight will get to the mat at some point.<br /><br />Once the fight hits the ground it will be all Ribeiro which is why I'm picking him to hand Beerbohm his first loss by submission in the second round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-39424681413883441852010-05-07T11:47:00.001-04:002010-05-07T11:51:12.192-04:00UFC 113 PreviewThis Saturday in Montreal is the rematch of one of the most disputed decisions of 2009. Lyoto Machida puts his title on the line against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua seven months after winning a very controversial decision. Does this fight have any chance of living up to the last one?<br /><br />Most rematches in MMA look nothing like the first fight. Will Machida be more aggressive this time? Will Shogun take the title that he thinks is rightly his?<br /><br />Only time will tell. Also on the card is a fight for the number one contenders spot in the welterweight division between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley. This should be an interesting night of fights so let's break the card down:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Light Heavyweight Championship: Lyoto Machida (c) vs Shogun Rua<br /><br />Machida is 16-0 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a karate practitioner with a black belt in BJJ. He has fought some of the best in the world and has come out almost completely unscathed.<br /><br />Rua is 18-4 with 16 wins by stoppage. He is a muay thai fighter who also has a black belt in BJJ. He has fought many great fighters and won the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix 2005.<br /><br />Don't expect this fight to hit the ground a lot much like the last fight. Both fighters love to strike and both have shown finishing power. Hopefully this fight will have a much more decisive finish.<br /><br />Rua's attack is much more powerful but it is also slower and his defense is not as stout. Machida's striking is quicker and his defense is better but his finishing power is not as great. So even though both guys want to strike their styles couldn't be more different.<br /><br />After how close the last fight was it's hard to see one guy running away with this fight no matter how much their game plans might change. Ultimately I think unless Rua lands the knock out blow I can't see Machida losing this fight. I'm picking Machida to win a much more definitive decision to retain his belt.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Josh Koscheck vs Paul Daley<br /><br />Koscheck is 14-4 with nine wins by stoppage. He is an excellent grappler with improving kickboxing. He has fought a lot of tough fighters but can never seem to get over the hump for a title shot.<br /><br />Daley is 23-8-2 with 19 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with a little BJJ and wrestling. Daley has fought some tough fighters intermittently throughout his career and is the hot new Brit in the UFC (aka Dan Hardy 2.0 or Michael Bisping 3.0 i.e. good striker with no ground game).<br /><br />If Koscheck doesn't decide to be a mindless striking zombie and actually thinks a little during this fight he should take this pretty easily. His wrestling and jiu jitsu are far superior and if he's smart he'll prove it instead of trying to prove he's a better striker than Daley (which he's not).<br /><br />Daley could always land a KO shot before Koscheck takes him down but those chances are slim if Koscheck implements what his game plan should be. So I'm picking Koscheck to win by submission in the second round.<br /><br />Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione<br /><br />Slice is 4-1 with three wins by stoppage. He is a boxer. He is still in the infancy stage of his career.<br /><br />Mitrione is 1-0 with that one win by KO. He is also a boxer. There isn't much to say about a guy with one professional fight.<br /><br />Both these guys want to stand and bang. I love Slice and I despise "meat head" Mitrione but unfortunately I'm not feeling good about Slice's chances in this fight. I think Mitrione is more athletic and more powerful and he'll prove it on Saturday.<br /><br />I'm picking Mitrione to win by KO in the second round.<br /><br />Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stephens<br /><br />Stout is 15-5-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a striker. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Stephens is 17-5 with 15 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with some jiu jitsu. He hasn't had great success against better fighters.<br /><br />Both guys are going to want to stand and trade which will make an exciting fight for fans just like Slice and Mitrione. However, this fight will exhibit much higher level technical striking which is good for real fans.<br /><br />I think Stout is the better striker even if he's not the more complete fighter. Because of that I'm picking him to win a tough decision.<br /><br />Patrick Cote vs Alan Belcher<br /><br />Cote is 13-5 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a striker first with a grappling background. He has fought a lot of tough competition with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Belcher is 15-6 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with a strong BJJ game. He has also fought some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />Cote is finally coming back off that gruesome injury suffered against Anderson Silva almost 20 months ago. There is going to be a lot of ring rust here no matter how good a camp he trains with.<br /><br />Both fighters have very similar strengths and sort of mirror each other in terms of performance. I think Cote's striking is slightly better along with his wrestling while Belcher probably has the better jiu jitsu. So I'm giving Cote the slight edge even with the rust to pull of a decision victory.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Joe Doerksen vs Tom Lawlor<br /><br />Doerksen wants this fight to go to the mat but I don't think it's going to help him much. I think Lawlor will take him down and pound him out in the second round for the TKO victory.<br /><br />Marcus Davis vs Jonathan Goulet<br /><br />This fight appears to be a make or break fight for Davis but also one that is tailor made for him. His striking should be superior to Goulet's and the ground game difference is probably negligible. If Davis loses this fight he would probably be cut and he would deserve it.<br /><br />However, I think Davis has the upper hand here so I'm picking him to win by TKO in the first round allowing him to hang on to his UFC career a little longer.<br /><br />TJ Grant vs Johny Hendricks<br /><br />This fight is a tough one to call. Grant has the advantage in BJJ while Hendricks is the better wrestler. The striking is a tough one to call. However, I think Hendricks will sprawl and brawl his way to victory earning the decision.<br /><br />Tim Hague vs Joey Beltran<br /><br />Hague is desperately hanging on to his UFC career while showed lots of guts in his UFC debut. Hague is the more well rounded fighter but I'm not sure he can last against Beltran's striking. I'm picking Beltran to win by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs Mike Guymon<br /><br />Both fighters offer a well rounded MMA game. However, I think Yoshida's skill set is greater and he's also faced much better competition. I'm picking Yoshida to get the win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Jason MacDonald vs John Salter<br /><br />Salter is an up and comer and MacDonald is the definition of a grinder. Both guys are strong in their grappling but I think MacDonald is probably better and I'm guessing his stand up game is more advanced as well.<br /><br />MacDonald gets the nod here for the reasons above along with his vast wealth of experience against an inexperienced fighter. I'm picking MacDonald to win by submission in the first round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-15130633955354574972010-04-21T14:16:00.002-04:002010-04-21T14:27:34.648-04:00WEC 48 PreviewThe WEC hits the big time this week end as they put on their first PPV event this Saturday. They put together as strong a card as possible to get people to pony up the $45 this will cost as opposed to getting it free on Versus.<br /><br />Two championships are on the line as one of the most dynamic fighters in the game, Jose Aldo, defends his featherweight title against the WEC poster boy and former champion Urijah Faber in his back yard of Sacramento, CA. Also, Ben Henderson defends his newly acquired lightweight title in a rematch of last October's interim championship fight with Donald Cerrone.<br /><br />The WEC is even breaking out the UFC treatment with a "Countdown" show, Goldberg and Rogan on the mic, and Bruce Buffer making the introductions. It will be interesting to see how this goes over with the public as well as the WEC talent who should get their chance to shine in the spotlight of PPV which isn't only reserved for Goldie and co. All that aside this is a good card so let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Featherweight Championship - Jose Aldo (c) vs Urijah Faber<br /><br />Aldo is 16-1 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a muay thai fighter with a black belt in jiu jitsu. He has faced some good fighters and this will be another solid test for him.<br /><br />Faber is 23-3-1 with 19 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first with solid kickboxing. Faber has fought the best in the division with mostly positive results.<br /><br />Aldo has left a wake of destruction in the WEC the likes of which has never been seen. He has finished every fight by TKO and hasn't been out of the second round. Expectations and pressure don't seem to bother him.<br /><br />Faber is also used to the spotlight and is probably the greatest champion the WEC has had to date. These two are on a collision course for an excellent fight.<br /><br />Faber has the edge in wrestling but Aldo has the edge in jiu jitsu and striking. If Faber can rough up and smother Aldo without getting caught he can win this fight. However, I think Aldo has the striking ability and submission skills to catch Faber wherever the fight goes.<br /><br />Faber is a very tough guy so I don't think this will be an easy victory for Aldo. I'm picking Aldo to finally make it out of the second round with a TKO victory in the third to retain his title.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br /><br />Lightweight Championship - Ben Henderson (c) vs Donald Cerrone<br /><br />Henderson is 11-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with some striking. He has fought and beaten tough competition since his debut in the WEC.<br /><br />Cerrone is 11-2 with 10 wins by submission. He is a jiu jitsu fighter who loves to strike. He has fought solid competition with mixed results.<br /><br />These guys faced off only seven months ago. Each have had one fight in between and neither seemed drastically different from their previous fight. So I'm not sure that this fight will go down much differently.<br /><br />Both have a strong grappling game and like to strike. This fight should be very competitive no matter where it takes place but Henderson seems to rise to the occasion where Cerrone seems to wilt a little bit. Also, I think Henderson has the edge in wrestling.<br /><br />I'm picking Henderson to win by decision again to retain his title.<br /><br />Mike Brown vs Manny Gamburyan<br /><br />Brown is 23-4 with 17 win by stoppage. He is a wrestler with a strong jiu jitsu game and solid boxing. He is a former champion and has fought a lot of tough guys in his career.<br /><br />Gamburyan is 10-4 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a judoka who likes to strike. He has faced some tough competition in his short career.<br /><br />If this fight takes place on the feet Brown should be the victor. If they fight more of a grappling match it should be a very tight contest. I think Brown should use his grappling ability to keep the fight standing.<br /><br />I'm picking Brown to pick Gamburyan apart on the feet and win a decision.<br /><br />Anthony Njokuani vs Shane Roller<br /><br />Njokuani is 12-2 with seven wins by KO. He is a muay thai fighter. He has faced some tough competition with mixed results.<br /><br />Roller is 7-2 with six wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with some striking. He has also faced some tough competition with mixed results.<br /><br />This is a classic striker vs grappler match up. Njokuani has the advantage standing and could take out Roller. However, Roller has the grappling advantage and if he fights smart and sticks to his gameplan he can pull out the win.<br /><br />I'm picking Roller to win by submission in the second round.<br /><br />Antonio Banuelos vs Scott Jorgensen<br /><br />Banuelos is 17-5 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with a wrestling background. He has fought some tough competition with mixed results.<br /><br />Jorgensen is 9-3 with five wins by stoppage. He is a grappler. He has also faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />These two met almost a year ago where Banuelos took a split decision victory. Since then both are undefeated but Jorgensen has been much more impressive.<br /><br />Banuelos has the edge standing and his sprawl and brawl will be tough to overcome. However, Jogensen has been impressive and if he can get the fight to the mat he can pull it out.<br /><br />Based on how close the last fight was and how good Jorgensen has looked I'm picking a reversal of fortune as Jorgensen pulls out the decision victory.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung<br /><br />Garcia is 17-5-1 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler who loves to strike. He has fought some tough fighters with mixed results since coming over to the Zuffa family.<br /><br />Jung is 10-1 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with a strong kickboxing background. He is making his American debut after fighting exclusively in Japan and Korea.<br /><br />I know very little about Jung but this sounds like a tough match up for Garcia. Jung seems like he has an answer no matter where the fight goes.<br /><br />I could be way off on this pick but I'm picking Sung to win by decision. If Garcia loses that could be bad news for his WEC career.<br /><br />Alex Karalexis vs Anthony Pettis<br /><br />Karalexis is 10-4 with six wins by stoppage. He is a kick boxer with a developing jiu jitsu game. He has fought some tough fighters with limited results.<br /><br />Pettis is 8-1 with seven wins by stoppage. He has solid striking and grappling. Pettis hasn't faced much top competition.<br /><br />Pettis should want to take this fight to the mat. If he can get it there he should have a good shot to win. Pettis is still green but I think he can step up to this challenge.<br /><br />I'm picking Pettis to win by submission in the third round.<br /><br />Brad Pickett vs Demetrious Johnson<br /><br />Pickett is 18-4 with 15 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter with decent boxing. Pickett hasn't faced much top competition.<br /><br />Johnson is 6-0 with all six wins by stoppage. He is a submission fighter with some striking. He is making his WEC debut.<br /><br />This should be an interesting fight. I think it might wind up being two grapplers that wind up negating the other's ground game and they wind up striking.<br /><br />If that's the case I like Pickett's experience and boxing background to win out. I'm picking Pickett to give Johnson his first loss by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Chad Mendes vs Anthony Morrison<br /><br />Mendes is 6-0 with three wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with some striking. He hasn't faced any top competition yet.<br /><br />Morrison is 15-8 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a striker. He has faced some tough fighters but without much success.<br /><br />Morrison is not a pushover but I get the feeling the WEC is teeing this one up for Mendes. Morrison could obviously catch Mendes but I think Mendes will get the take down and grind this one out. I'm picking Mendes by decision.<br /><br />Takeya Mizugaki vs Rani Yahya<br /><br />Mizugaki is 12-4-2 with five wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with a developing grappling game. Mizugaki has faced some tough fighters with limited success.<br /><br />Yahya is 15-5 with 14 wins by submission. He is a jiu jitsu ace. He has faced some tough fighters with mixed results.<br /><br />This should be a good striker vs grappler match up and I'm disappointed it isn't being featured on the aired prelims on Spike. That aside I think Yahya's grappling will be too much for Mizugaki.<br /><br />Unless Mizugaki lands a lucky punch I'm picking Yahya to win by decision.<br /><br />Brandon Visher vs Tyler Toner<br /><br />Visher is 13-0 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with a developing grappling game. He hasn't faced any top competition yet.<br /><br />Toner is 9-1 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a striker with some grappling. He hasn't fought many tough fighters.<br /><br />This should be a solid stand up scrap. It's tough to pick who is going to come out on top so I'm going to take a shot in the dark.<br /><br />I'm picking Visher to stay undefeated with a decision victory.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-802905572036423722010-04-11T15:23:00.000-04:002010-04-11T15:24:16.731-04:00Strikeforce: Nashville PreviewThis Saturday marks the return of Strikeforce as they grace CBS again for Strikeforce: Nashville. Three titles are on the line. The middleweight, light heavyweight, and lightweight titles are all up for grabs in what is an exciting but probably the most top heavy card of all time.<br /><br />The headliner is Jake Shields defending his newly acquired middleweight strap against the only man to hold two titles at two different weight classes at once, Dan Henderson. Henderson is Strikeforce's latest notable signing after Henderson couldn't come to terms with the UFC.<br /><br />Gegard Mousasi will also defend his light heavyweight title for the first time against rising superstar "King Mo" Lawal. And rounding out the televised portion of the card is lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez welcoming Japanese jiu jitsu dynamo Shinya Aoki to the US for the first time.<br /><br />I'll only be predicting the televised fights since the majority of the under card is comprised of fighters I have never heard of let alone seen. With that, let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Middleweight Championship:<br /><br />Jake Shields (c) vs Dan Henderson<br /><br />Shields is 24-4-1 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is an excellent grappler with a strong wrestling background and a black belt in jiu jitsu. Most of his notable victories have been at welterweight but he has won his last two fights against solid opponents at middleweight.<br /><br />Henderson is 25-7 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is an excellent wrestler with very heavy hands. Henderson has fought the best of the best in three weight classes and has beaten most of them earning two title belts in Pride.<br /><br />This is a bad match up for Shields. Let's start with the size disadvantage. Shields has spent most of his fighting career at welterweight and has had only one true fight at middleweight.<br /><br />Henderson on the other hand can easily transition from middleweight up to light heavyweight and has even fought at heavyweight. Henderson will have a significant size advantage. This will only amplify his advantage in the clinch and his striking power.<br /><br />Henderson is also a superior wrestler to Shields. Shields will want to get this fight to the mat so he can use his one strength over Henderson, his jiu jitsu. Unfortunately between Dan's skill and size I don't see how Shields does this.<br /><br />Last but not least is striking. Henderson may not be any better technically than Shields but he can certainly finish the fight standing and I'm not sure the same can be said for Shields.<br /><br />My take is that this fight will take place standing up as Henderson uses his wrestling in reverse to sprawl and brawl until he lands one big punch for the victory. I'm picking Henderson by KO in the second round.<br /><br />Light Heavyweight Championship:<br /><br />Gegard Mousasi (c) vs Muhammad Lawal<br /><br />Mousasi is 28-2-1 with all 28 wins by stoppage. He is a kick boxer first with a grappling background as well. While Mousasi has a lot of fights under his belt he hasn't faced the stiffest competition but has beaten some tough opponents.<br /><br />Lawal is 6-0 with with five wins by KO. He is a wrestler with heavy hands. This will be far and away his stiffest test to date.<br /><br />In my opinion this is too much too soon for Lawal. Unfortunately Strikeforce doesn't have much depth in the division and needed a good fight for Mousasi.<br /><br />Mousasi has the advantage in the stand up in my opinion. Lawal could land a lucky punch but he would do himself a big favor by trying to take down Mousasi. Mousasi's take down defence isn't bad but it will be interesting to see if it can withstand Lawal's wrestling pedigree.<br /><br />Overall, even though Lawal certainly has the tools to pull off the upset, I believe Mousasi is the better fighter at this point in their careers. I think Mousasi can do enough on the feet and defend the take down well enough to earn a well deserved but tough decision victory to retain his belt.<br /><br />Lightweight Championship:<br /><br />Gilbert Melendez (c) vs Shinya Aoki<br /><br />Melendez is 17-2 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with heavy hands and a developing jiu jitsu game. He has fought some tough opponents and even avenged both of his losses.<br /><br />Aoki is 23-4 with 15 wins by stoppage. He is about as pure a grappler as there is in MMA. Aoki has fought many of the best lightweights in world with much success as he holds the DREAM and WAMMA lightweight titles.<br /><br />As good as Melendez's wrestling is, I believe this will turn into a striker vs grappler match up. Everyone knows where Aoki wants to take the fight. The question is whether he can get it to the mat or not.<br /><br />I believe that will be a tough task against Melendez who is a very good wrestler and his jiu jitsu is better than advertised. Melendez should be able to sprawl and brawl successfully.<br /><br />If that is the case his striking technique and power are better than Aoki's and he will have a distinct advantage. That is why I'm picking Melendez to retain his title by TKO in the first round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-25513747943426289402010-04-05T16:29:00.002-04:002010-04-05T16:42:28.920-04:00UFC 112 PreviewThe UFC continues its march to global supremacy as the octagon touches down in the Middle East for the first time. UFC 112 beams live from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This event also marks the first time the UFC will occur in an open air arena.<br /><br />This event features two championship bouts continuing their momentum from UFC 111. This bout features two pound for pound greats as Anderson Silva defends his middleweight title against Demian Maia. BJ Penn will also put his lightweight belt on the line (for possibly the last time) against Frankie Edgar. <br /><br />This card also features two MMA legends as Matt Hughes welcomes Renzo Gracie to the UFC for the first time. Let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Anderson Silva vs Demian Maia<br /><br />Silva is 25-4 with 19 wins by stoppage. He is a striker first and foremost but with a dangerous jiu jitsu game. He is arguably the best fighter on the planet and has the resume to prove it.<br /><br />Maia is 12-1 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter with a developing boxing game. He has fought and beat some tough guys but the only reason he got this shot is because Vitor Belfort was injured and Maia beat the contender many people are clamoring for, Chael Sonnen.<br /><br />Maia has been working non stop on his stand up but no one can get ready for Anderson Silva in a matter of months. Not to mention he took this fight on relatively short notice.<br /><br />Only two things worry me in this fight about Silva. First is his lay off. He hasn't fought since August of last year and it was at 205 lbs meaning he hasn't had to make 185 lbs in a year.<br /><br />Second is motivation. Obviously he is a supremely talented fighter both technically and athletically. However, at what point does running roughshod over the competition get boring?<br /><br />Ultimately I don't think this is the fight Silva gets caught in. To me the fighter that beats Silva is a wrestler with heavy hands. Someone who can knock him out or hold him down and rough him up.<br /><br />Leites has neither of these qualities. Silva's striking is too good and Maia's lack of wrestling prevents any opportunities on the ground to open up. Whether or not this fight ends quickly is entirely up to Maia.<br /><br />If Maia comes in aggressive this fight will be over quickly. If he tries to stay in the fight and remain cautious this could turn into another snoozer. I think it'll end up somewhere in the middle so I'm picking Silva by TKO in the third round.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br /><br />BJ Penn vs Frankie Edgar<br /><br />Penn is 15-5-1 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter first but with very good boxing skills. He could also be in the conversation for best fighter on the planet and has fought the best in the world to prove it.<br /><br />Edgar is 11-1 with five wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first but has solid boxing. He has scratched and clawed his way to the top but my personal opinion is that Gray Maynard deserves the shot ahead of Edgar.<br /><br />Ever since Penn dedicated himself to conditioning with the Marinovich brothers we have seen a new BJ Penn. He has absolutely destroyed his last two opponents and even though both went to the championship rounds he looked like the fresher fighter which wasn't the norm in past fights.<br /><br />I don't see how Edgar wins this fight outside of a lucky punch. Penn's jiu jitsu is far superior. His sprawl is excellent. And his boxing is technically superior to Edgar's. To top it off Edgar isn't exactly known as a finisher while BJ is.<br /><br />Edgar is a scrappy kid but not someone Penn should fear. So assuming Penn doesn't get too cocky I see this fight ending in the later stages after Penn has beaten his opponent down. I'm picking Penn to win by TKO in the fourth round.<br /><br />Assuming Penn wins this fight it will be interesting to see whether Penn moves up to welterweight full time. I would love to see Maynard get a shot before he goes up but he has pretty much cleaned out the division and wants revenge on Georges St. Pierre.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Matt Hughes vs Renzo Gracie<br /><br />Hughes is 43-7 with 33 wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with active ground and pound and jiu jitsu. He was the best welterweight in the world for a period of about five years and has fought and beaten the best in the division.<br /><br />Gracie is 13-6-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter with better striking than expected. He has fought the best in the world but hasn't beaten anyone of note on the right side of their career in over 10 years.<br /><br />Gracie makes his first appearance in the UFC after a long career that hasn't seen him fight in over three years. My own personal "conspiracy theory" is that he wants to leave a better taste in people's mouths of the Gracie name than the last two Gracies (Royce got destroyed by Hughes five years ago and Rolles was thoroughly embarrassed at UFC 109 before being cut).<br /><br />Both of these fighters are well past their prime so I'm not expecting fireworks here. Both of them are legendary grapplers though in separate areas so it will be interesting to see who wins that battle.<br /><br />Hughes has seven years on Renzo and the wrestling ability to lay on him for 15 minutes without getting caught. As much as it pains me to say it (because I hate Hughes and have a lot of respect for Gracie) I'm picking Hughes to win a boring decision as he begins his retirement lap on the geezer circuit.<br /><br />Terry Etim vs Rafael Dos Anjos<br /><br />Etim is 14-2 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first with some muay thai. After a tough start in the UFC he has put together a nice string of victories.<br /><br />Dos Anjos is 13-4 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter primarily. Dos Anjos also had a rough start but has put together two wins in a row.<br /><br />This is an interesting fight between two up and coming lightweights. I'm betting Dos Anjos is better on the ground but probably not enough to end the fight. I'm guessing this is a fight where neither of them wants to be on the ground and you get two grapplers swinging for the fences.<br /><br />If that's the case I think Etim has the advantage on the feet. I'm picking Etim by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Kendall Grove vs Mark Munoz<br /><br />Grove is 11-6 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter who loves to strike. He has had his ups and downs in the UFC but has fought a lot of tough guys along the way.<br /><br />Munoz is 7-1 with four wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with improving striking. He hasn't fought anyone of note except his devastating loss to Matt Hamill.<br /><br />Munoz would be wise to take this fight to the ground even with Grove's jiu jitsu and suspect chin. Too much can happen on the feet especially with Grove's reach. <br /><br />Grove has a puncher's chance especially if Munoz is dumb enough to want to trade with him. However, I think Munoz has enough wrestling and jiu jitsu skills to stay safe on the ground while scoring some points. I'm picking Munoz to win by decision.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Alexander Gustafsson vs Phil Davis<br /><br />Gustafsson is an impressive striker but Phil Davis is going to give him a wrestling clinic. Gustafsson has a puncher's chance but I don't see Davis being dumb enough to stand and trade. I'm picking Davis to use his superior athleticism and wrestling to grind out a decision victory.<br /><br />Paul Taylor vs John Gunderson<br /><br />This is a good striker vs grappler match up respectively. While Taylor hasn't had a stellar career in the UFC I think he has enough weapons to put Gunderson away. I'm picking Taylor by decision.<br /><br />Nick Osipczak vs Rick Story<br /><br />This is a tough fight to call. Both guys are tough and offer a good mix of skills. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and pick Osipczak by decision.<br /><br />DaMarques Johnson vs Brad Blackburn<br /><br />Neither of these guys are world beaters but it should be an entertaining fight. Both guys like to strike. However, I think Johnson has a more diversified skill set so I'm picking him to win a decision.<br /><br />Paul Kelly vs Matt Veach<br /><br />Veach should be able to use his wrestling to take down Kelly and control him. I don't think Kelly will have an answer for this. I'm picking Veach by decision.<br /><br />Jon Madsen vs Mostapha Al-turk<br /><br />Madsen is a wrestler and normally I would go with the wrestler. And even though Al-turk has looked like a complete tomato can against Kongo and Cro Cop I think he can handle a TUF reject. I'm picking Al-turk to hand Madsen his first professional loss by TKO in the first round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-53014937276859854922010-03-28T13:54:00.001-04:002010-03-28T13:54:33.838-04:00UFC Fight Night PreviewThe UFC continues their barnstorming tour this Wednesday as they hold their third card in 10 days. UFC Fight Night returns as a lead in to the new The Ultimate Fighter season also beginning this Weds. In the main event lightweight contender Kenny Florian will take on Pride legend Takanori Gomi in his UFC debut.<br /><br />Florian is looking to start a run at 155 lbs to get another shot at the title. Gomi makes his first appearance in the octagon after a long run in Japanese promotions and hasn't fought on American soil since losing to Nick Diaz at Pride 33 over three years ago. Let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Kenny Florian vs Takanori Gomi<br /><br />Florian is 12-4 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu artist first but with very strong muay thai skills. Florian has fought for the UFC belt twice and has fought against the best in the world in that division.<br /><br />Gomi is 31-5 with 17 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with good wrestling to implement his sprawl and brawl. He is the former Pride lightweight champion and has faced off against the best the division has had to offer.<br /><br />Gomi has won his last two fights against no name opponent but lost the two fights before that. He hasn't shown his best form within the last year plus and I'm not sure his striking is what it once was. I think there are other factors that are also going to hamper Gomi.<br /><br />The first being the weight cut. Gomi isn't used to fighting at 155 lbs. In Japan the lightweight division tops out at 160 lbs or over (Pride was 163 lbs) so I'm not sure how that will affect him. Also, this will be his first time in a cage. Hopefully he has trained dilligently how to work the angles in a cage and how to work against the cage in the clinch or on the mat.<br /><br />You might think I would say that this fight is going to come down to whether or not Florian can get Gomi down but I'm not. This fight comes down to who has the better striking. The reason being is that I think Florian is going to have to beat Gomi to the punch not take him down.<br /><br />With all that said Florian has a lot in his favor to go along with his superior jiu jitsu game. I think Florian is primed to wear down Gomi with strikes until Gomi crumples and Florian goes in the for the kill with a submission in the third round.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Roy Nelson vs Stefan Struve<br /><br />Nelson is 14-4 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with a surprising jiu jitsu game. He has fought some tough guys at heavyweight but his resume isn't overwhelming.<br /><br />Struve is 19-3 with 17 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu artist with a developing kickboxing game. This will be his toughest fight since fighting Junior Dos Santos in his UFC debut over a year ago.<br /><br />Nelson definitely has the advantage standing assuming he can get inside Struve's insanely long reach. If the fight goes to the ground I would expect Nelson to be on top and his jiu jitsu to be good enough to stifle Struve's submission attempts. All in all I think Nelson has the edge in this fight so I'm picking him by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Nate Quarry vs Jorge Rivera<br /><br />Quarry is 12-3 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a muay thai striker with a wrestling background. He once fought for the UFC middleweight title and has faced some tough guys in the division.<br /><br />Rivera is 17-7 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer with some grappling ability. He has faced the best in the division but with limited results.<br /><br />Both guys have two wins in a row and are desperately seeking another one to establish themselves as a contender. That combined with their striking pedigrees makes this a fight of the night candidate.<br /><br />Rivera has a penchant for getting caught up in exchanges that he isn't tough enough to survive. Quarry, outside of his devastating KO by Rich Franklin, is actually very tough to put away and Rivera doesn't have the ground game to submit him. That's why I'm picking Quarry by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Ross Pearson vs Dennis Siver<br /><br />Pearson is 10-3 with seven wins by stoppage. He has a good ground game with some striking power. He hasn't faced many top fighters yet.<br /><br />Siver is 15-6 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is a kickboxer with a solid ground game. He has faced some tough guys at lightweight but not many of the upper echelon fighters.<br /><br />This should be a very evenly matched fight. I really don't know who has the overall advantage but I'm guessing Siver is better on the feet and Pearson is the better grappler. So unless Siver lands something to end the fight I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say Pearson will win by decision.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Andre Winner vs Rafaello Oliveira<br /><br />This is another tough fight to call but I'm picking Winner by decision. I think Winner will find a way to grind it out no matter where the fight goes.<br /><br />Jacob Volkmann vs Ronnys Torres<br /><br />Both guys are fighting for their UFC lives here. Torres is probably the better fighter but I'm not sure he'll have an answer for Volkmann's wrestling. I'm picking Volkmann to ride top control to a decision victory.<br /><br />Rob Emerson vs Nik Lentz<br /><br />Neither of these fighters are particularly impressive but Lentz should be able to control the fight with his wrestling. I'm picking Lentz to grind out a decision victory.<br /><br />Caol Uno vs Gleison Tibau<br /><br />The problem with both of these fighters is that they both beat guys they should and lose to guys they should. So when you match them up which category do they fall into?<br /><br />They're both going to want to grapple and I think Tibau is the more active fighter at this point in their careers. So I'm picking Tibau to win by decision. This might be the end of Uno's return to the UFC.<br /><br />Yushin Okami vs Lucio Linhares<br /><br />Linhares is a great jiu jitsu fighter but I don't think he can compete with Okami's wrestling and ground and pound. I'm picking Okami by decision.<br /><br />Gerald Harris vs Mario Miranda<br /><br />I think Miranda will have a tough time in his UFC debut taking down Harris with his wrestling background. Harris should have the better striking so I'm picking him to win by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Charlie Brenneman vs Jason High<br /><br />Both of these guys are tough wrestlers so I think it'll be tough for either to take the other guy down. I think this puts the pressure on High who likes the ground game more than Brenneman who likes to strike.<br /><br />Both fighters are making their UFC debut which is always tough but High has more big promotion experience. So assuming Brenneman can handle the pressure I'm picking him to win by KO in the first round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-62164011756998585592010-03-24T20:51:00.001-04:002010-03-25T16:05:14.837-04:00UFC 111 PreviewAs I prepare to attend my second UFC event I can't help but to wonder "what if." What if Georges St. Pierre gets shocked for the second time in his career by a guy with heavy hands that no one is giving a snow ball's chance in hell? What if Frank Mir's revenge on Brock Lesnar gets derailed by a 4XL fist, giving him a visceral reminder that he can't hang with the big boys?<br /><br />UFC 111 takes place right across the river from me at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. This is far and away their biggest card to date of 2010. This will be GSP's first fight since UFC 100 and the co-main event features another title fight for the interim heavyweight championship between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.<br /><br />I can't wait for Saturday to arrive so let's open up the festivities and break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Georges St. Pierre vs Dan Hardy<br /><br />GSP is 19-2 with 13 wins by stoppage. He is incredibly well rounded but his biggest strength is his transition game. He transitions between disciplines possibly better than any other fighter.<br /><br />He has strong muay thai, wrestling, and ground and pound. He is also well versed in jiu jitsu but does not get to show it often. GSP is one of my top three pound for pound fighters around, has fought everyone there is to fight at 170, and has beaten all of them (as long you count avenging his two losses).<br /><br />Dan Hardy is 23-6 with 15 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with heavy hands but has a jiu jitsu game that he's never really had to use. He has fought and beaten some very tough guys on his four fight win streak in the UFC.<br /><br />If you have been watching Primetime you know that all GSP talks about is "taking the fight to Dan Hardy." I guess we'll find out what that means come Saturday but I don't think it means foolishly trading fists with Hardy and seeing who drops first.<br /><br />GSP definitely has the better wrestling and it is his distinct advantage in this fight along with his freakish athleticism. He should use this and take the fight to the mat where Hardy can't knock him out and St. Pierre can do the most damage. At least that's what I would tell him if I was Greg Jackson or Firas Zahabi.<br /><br />If St. Pierre wants to take the fight to Hardy we could see a new champion because Hardy has the skill and power on his feet to knock out anyone at 170lbs. As bad as GSP wants to make a statement on his feet I think his instincts will take over. He'll ground and pound Hardy until he makes a mistake and St. Pierre will capitalize for a second round submission victory to retain his title.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br /><br />Frank Mir vs Shane Carwin<br /><br />Mir is 13-4 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu specialist first but has been working diligently on his striking lately. He is a former champion and has fought some tough opponents over his career.<br /><br />Carwin is 11-0 with all 11 wins by stoppage (in the first round!). He is a wrestler who uses his skills in reverse to stay standing and lay guys out with his enormous and powerful fists.<br /><br />Mir is hell bent on avenging his loss to Brock Lesnar and has really beefed up since UFC 100. He has added a ton of muscle to his frame to compete with monsters like Lesnar and now Carwin. This will be his first test to see if that training has paid off.<br /><br />Obviously if Frank Mir gets this fight to the mat it could be a quick night but I can't see him doing that against Carwin who not only is a beast of a man but has the wrestling skills to back it up. This fight will take place on the feet and that's a scary proposition for Mir.<br /><br />Mir is supremely confident in his striking since knocking out Rodrigo Nogueira and handling Cheick Kongo quickly. He also has striking guru Mark Dellagrotte in his corner now. However, all that training and skill can't overcome what happens when Shane Carwin's fist meets your jaw.<br /><br />I'm really unsure whether to believe in Mir's skill or Carwin's power (though he certainly has skill learning under Greg Jackson's camp). Honestly anything could happen in this fight, but since I have to make a pick, I'm picking Carwin to catch Mir and end the fight in the second round by KO.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Jon Fitch vs Thiago Alves (Authors note: this fight has been canceled due to Alves failing a CAT scan)<br /><br />Fitch is 21-3 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with some striking and jiu jitsu. He has fought a who's who list at 170lbs, has beaten everyone but GSP, and was the last guy to give GSP a fight since Matt Serra knocked him out three years ago.<br /><br />Alves is 16-6 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with a developing jiu jitsu game. Alves has also fought a lot of top flight guys at welterweight and is looking to take out his frustrations of his embarrassing loss to GSP at UFC 100 on Fitch.<br /><br />These two have actually already fought almost four years ago. Fitch got the win but this was back when Alves really struggled to make weight and would gas out quickly. Alves hasn't had any issues in his last two fights which should make for a more interesting fight this time around.<br /><br />Obviously Fitch will want to take Alves down so if I was Alves, after the wrestling lesson he was given by GSP, I would've taken the last seven months and focused on take down defense. If he's done this he will have a great chance against Fitch on the feet. If he hasn't, this will be UFC 100 all over again for Alves.<br /><br />I want to see an exciting fight but I don't think Alves has improved enough to stop Fitch's take downs. I'm picking Fitch to win another grind it out decision. I really hope I'm wrong though and Alves scores a spectacular KO.<br /><br />Ben Saunders vs Jake Ellenberger<br /><br />Saunders is 8-1-2 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a striker with a dangerous jiu jitsu game. He was on a tear until he met Mike Swick but has since rebounded and is looking to continue his run at 170lbs.<br /><br />Ellenberger is 22-5 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with good striking and an improving jiu jitsu game. He has fought a couple tough fighters but his resume isn't stacked.<br /><br />This should be a fun fight because both guys are talented no matter where the fight takes place. My guess is Saunders wants to stand and Ellenberger wants the take down to avoid Saunders' impressive stand up.<br /><br />I think Ellenberger is going to have a tough time dealing with Saunders' length in terms of trying to get him down. I'm picking Saunders to stay outside and pick Ellenberger apart for the decision victory.<br /><br />Jim Miller vs Mark Bocek<br /><br />Miller is 16-2 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with a strong jiu jitsu game. Miller has beaten some tough fighters and his only losses came to stand outs Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar.<br /><br />Bocek is 10-2 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jistu fighter. He has fought a couple tough fighters without success.<br /><br />In my opinion Miller is simply the tougher guy. I think his wrestling is better. Also, his jiu jistu is good enough to stay in advantageous positions and score points while staying out of Bocek's traps.<br /><br />I'm picking Miller to grind out a decision victory. Plus I can't pick against Miller because the crowd will riot if the featured Jersey boy loses to a Canadian.<br /><br />Under Card:<br /><br />Nate Diaz vs Rory Markham<br /><br />This is a tough fight to call. Diaz should be the better fighter in terms of striking skill and definitely on the mat. Also, Markham hasn't fought in over year.<br /><br />The one thing that worries me is that Diaz is moving up in weight. However, his frame can handle it and he's tough as nails. So with that said I'm picking Diaz to use his length to pick apart Markham for the decision win.<br /><br />Ricardo Almeida vs Matt Brown<br /><br />Almeida is a tough out for anyone at 170lbs and this will be Brown's toughest test to date in my opinion. Brown has a solid ground game but nothing like Almeida's. I expect this fight to hit the ground early and I expect a submission victory for Almeida in the second round.<br /><br />Kurt Pellegrino vs Fabricio Camoes<br /><br />Pellegrino is no joke and will be all amped up in front of his home state fans. Camoes' introduction to UFC fans ended in a draw which was an inauspicious start for the Brazilian. I'm picking Pellegrino to grind out a decision victory "Dirty Jersey" style.<br /><br />Rodney Wallace vs Jared Hamman<br /><br />I honestly have no clue who to pick here. I've only seen both of these guys fight once and neither was great. I'm going to pick the guy who sucked the least in his UFC debut and pick Wallace to win by decision.<br /><br />Rousimar Palhares vs Tomasz Drwal<br /><br />This is a good striker vs grappler match up and both fighters have only lost twice. I usually like the grappler in these fights so I'm sticking with Palhares. I'm picking him to win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Matt Riddle vs Greg Soto<br /><br />This is a very tough fight to call. Neither guy has a ton of experience though Riddle has only fought in the UFC so he knows what this stage feels like while Soto is making his debut. However, Soto will be all pumped up in front of his home state fans.<br /><br />Both guys are grapplers so I think the fight will depend on who can get top control and keep it. I like Soto's skill over Riddle's UFC experience so I'm picking the rookie (something I rarely do) to win a decision victory.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-91758684822676116352010-03-15T19:36:00.002-04:002010-03-15T20:27:44.229-04:00UFC on Versus PreviewThis Sunday marks a new chapter for the UFC as they make their debut on the Versus network. Outside of the the fact that Versus is home to the WEC this move makes little sense as it seems to be a step down even from Spike. However, there are a few interesting fights so let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br />Brandon Vera vs Jon Jones<br />Vera is 11-4 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a muay thai fighter with a background in wrestling and jiu jitsu. Vera doesn't have a lot of fights but he has fought some very tough guys at heavyweight and light heavyweight.<br /><br />Jones is 9-1 with seven wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with a multi faceted striking attack. Jones hasn't fought nearly the same level of competition as Vera and this will undoubtedly be his toughest test to date.<br /><br />This is a very interesting fight due to the distinct contrasts in style. Vera is the grizzled veteran with great striking who uses his grappling to stay standing. Jones is the athletic up and comer who wrestles first and strikes second.<br /><br />Personally I think this fight comes down to two factors, can Vera outsmart the ultra athletic but inexperienced Jones and can Vera stay standing? My bet is that as good a game plan as Vera might have it won't compensate for not being able to stay upright. I'm picking Jones to win a much talked about decision that will only feed the hype machine.<br /><br />Junior Dos Santos vs Gabriel Gonzaga<br />Dos Santos is 10-1 with all 10 wins by stoppage. He is a striker who is learning the jiu jitsu game. Dos Santos has been on a tear in the UFC but Gonzaga may be his toughest test to date (depending on how you feel about Fabricio Werdum).<br /><br />Gonzaga is 11-4 with all 11 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu artist with very powerful striking. He is the definition of a gate keeper, crushing the riff raff and losing to the top notch guys.<br /><br />No matter what, this fight should be exciting as neither of these guys has gone to a decision. I don't think Dos Santos is riff raff so I expect him to soundly beat Gonzaga by TKO in the second round. This will be a major feather in the cap of Dos Santos who would become a legitimate title contender if he wins.<br /><br />Cheick Kongo vs Paul Buentello<br />Kongo is 14-6-1 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is a kickboxer. He has had some wins in the UFC but has never beaten anyone of note (except an out of shape Mirko Cro Cop).<br /><br />Buentello is 27-11 with 26 wins by stoppage. He is a kickboxer too. He has also never beaten anyone of note in his stints with the UFC, Strikeforce, and Affliction.<br /><br />This has to be a candidate for fight of the night. Both of these guys love to trade shots and neither one will be looking for the take down. <br /><br />Buentello is the older more out of shape fighter. Kongo also has more tools in his striking belt than just heavy hands. I would be really surprised if Kongo doesn't win decisively. I'm picking him to win by KO in the first round.<br /><br />Alessio Sakara vs James Irvin<br />Sakara is 14-7 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a boxer. He has had a mostly down career but did recently take a very surprising decision from Thales Leites.<br /><br />Irvin is 14-5 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a striker. He has fought some tough guys but with little success and is coming off almost a two year lay off.<br /><br />This should be a good stand up fight as well but this one is much tougher to call. I would think Sakara is the better pure boxer and has the heavier hands. So I'm going to take a shot in the dark and go with Sakara by KO in the first round.<br /><br />Undercard:<br />Clay Guida vs Shannon Gugerty<br />Gugerty should be right in Guida's wheel house stylistically. Guida's non stop pace and superior wrestling should allow him to control this fight from wire to wire. I'm picking Guida by decision.<br /><br />Eliot Marshall vs Vladimir Matyushenko<br />Matyushenko is the superior wrestler and he will use it to stay standing and away from Marshall's strength on the ground. Matyushenko also has a serious experience advantage. I'm not sure Marshall is ready for this level of competition so I'm picking Matyushenko by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />John Howard vs Daniel Roberts<br />Both guys are solid on the ground but this is Roberts' UFC debut and Howard has been in this rodeo plenty. I think Howard's striking and experience make the difference. I'm picking Howard by KO in the third round.<br /><br />Brendan Schaub vs Chase Gormley<br />Schaub makes his comeback after getting KO'd in the TUF finale. Schaub should be the better striker and Gormley is more well rounded. This is a tough fight to call but I'm going with Gormley to use his wrestling to earn a decision victory.<br /><br />Mike Pierce vs Julio Paulino<br />Pierce is no joke and this will be Paulino's UFC debut which makes for a bad combination. This battle between two wrestlers probably means a good stand up scrap. I'm going with my gut on this one and picking Pierce to win by decision.<br /><br />Eric Schafer vs Jason Brilz<br />The question in this fight is can Schafer's jiu jitsu overcome Brilz's wrestling. I'm betting yes. I'm picking Schafer to win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Duane Ludwig vs Darren Elkins<br />Ludwig has beaten some top fighters in his day but that day has come and gone. However, this will be Elkins' toughest fight to date and I'm not sure his stand up game is ready for Ludwig. I'm picking Ludwig to get a swan song in the UFC with a TKO victory in the first round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-81324970776348708312010-03-07T12:47:00.005-05:002010-03-07T14:27:41.198-05:00WEC 47 ReviewIf there is one word that could define the WEC it would be unpredictable. The WEC has more upsets than any other promotion I have seen. WEC 47 was no exception.<br /><br />Whether or not this helps or hurts the promotion can be argued until the end of time but it certainly makes their cards more exciting! Let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Brian Bowles vs Dominick Cruz<br /><br />Cruz came out determined and prepared. He was light on his feet (even for a bantamweight) and threw punches with authority. Bowles is one tough customer but he simply had no answer for the combination of speed and power Cruz brought to the table.<br /><br />Bowles simply relied too much on the belief that one punch would end the fight. Unfortunately for him it did, but instead of KO'ing Cruz he TKO'd himself. Bowles landed a right early in the second round that broke his hand.<br /><br />Bowles finished the round but was obviously not himself. He barely threw his right and even went for a take down which was obviously not in his game plan. At the end of the round the doctor confirmed the break and the fight was stopped.<br /><br />Even though Cruz won on a technicality he was the better fighter even before Bowles suffered the injury. It wasn't the fight anyone had hoped for but the result was deserved. Congratulations to Cruz for winning the title and hopefully Bowles gets healed up soon.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Miguel Torres vs Joseph Benavidez<br /><br />There isn't much you can say except for "wow." This was supposed to be Torres' comeback fight, the one that put him right back in line for a title shot. Unfortunately there are no easy fights in the WEC.<br /><br />Torres sat back way too much letting Benavidez bring the fight to him. I can understand his trepidation after the Bowles loss but this was too extreme in the other direction. Benavidez looked stronger, faster, more aggressive, and was in control of the entire fight.<br /><br />Torres survived the first round but certainly lost it. In the second Benavidez took it to Torres again taking him down and landing some brutal elbows that cut Torres wide open and obviously had him shaken. This confusion lead to Torres making a terrible mistake and leaving his head out for Benavidez to lock on a guillotine choke and end the fight in the second round.<br /><br />This is a huge win for Benavidez over a former champion and a former top 10 pound for pound fighter. However, where this leaves him in the title picture is a good question considering he has lost to Cruz less than a year ago.<br /><br />This must be bitterly disappointing for Torres who has now lost two fights in a row and sets him way back in the title hunt. Fortunately he is too important to the promotion for them to cut him. However, I think it would be in his best interest to get back in the cage as soon as possible against a lesser opponent to get his confidence back.<br /><br />Jens Pulver vs Javier Vazquez<br /><br />I honestly gave Pulver's wrestling too much credit. Vazquez took him down with ease and submitted him much easier than I expected in the first round via arm bar. Vazquez got the win he needed and it's time for Pulver to hang the gloves up because no one wants to see him beat up tomato cans on the local circuit for chump change.<br /><br />Deividas Taurosevičius vs LC Davis<br /><br />This fight went exactly as I thought it would. Davis won the clinch game as both fighters spent the majority of the fight engaged against the cage wall. Neither fighter saw a distinct advantage on the feet. And each fighter had one take down.<br /><br />Choruses of boos rained down from the crowd and for once I agreed. At least on the ground there are opportunities for TKOs and submissions. But if neither fighter is striking or looking for a take down, the clinch game is like World War I in that is purely a battle of attrition.<br /><br />Davis won a majority decision that could not have inspired the WEC brass. He might be on a three fight win streak but with none of his performances being exciting I'm not sure he helped his cause too much. This is a small setback for Taurosevičius who should see more action soon.<br /><br />Bart Palaszewski vs Karen Darabedyan<br /><br />This fight, though not an upset, was very surprising. Darabedyan had a distinct advantage getting the fight to the ground quickly and landing some good ground and pound. Unfortunately his black belt in Judo didn't help him at all as he made a huge mistake leaving an arm out for Palaszewski.<br /><br />Palaszewski capitalized quickly getting the win via arm bar in the first round. Palaszewski has now won two fights in a row and is slowly climbing back up the ladder at 155 lbs. This was a setback for Darabedyan but a small one in his very young career.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br /><br />Scott Jorgensen vs Chad George<br /><br />You have to love a fighter like Jorgensen who comes out with his hair on fire. George made a huge mistake going in for an ill advised shot without setting it up. Jorgensen capitalized with a standing guillotine that not only ended the fight in the first round but knocked George out cold. <br /><br />Jorgensen has won three fights in a row in impressive fashion and is making a charge up the bantamweight division. George is still very young in his career and should bounce back soon.<br /><br />Danny Castillo vs Anthony Pettis<br /><br />Pettis came out and took care of business efficiently and quickly with a brutal head kick to win by KO in the first round. Castillo has now lost convincingly twice in a row and I'm not sure how much longer he'll be around. This was a good bounce back fight for Pettis who lost his last match by a tough split decision.<br /><br />Chad Mendes vs Erik Koch<br /><br />Mendes won by a lopsided unanimous decision. Mendes made an impressive WEC debut. Koch will bounce back quickly at this early stage in his career.<br /><br />Leonard Garcia vs George Roop<br /><br />Even though this fight wasn't aired this had to be the strangest fight of the night. Roop was penalized for repeated groin shots. But the results still came out 29-27 Garcia, 29-27 Roop, and 28-28 ending this fight in a split draw.<br /><br />I can't remember ever hearing of a split draw. Obviously this turned into a much tougher fight for Garcia than most people expected (myself included). However, I don't think a rematch is in order after the foul on Roop. I think both fighters just need to move on and look for a comeback win against somebody else.<br /><br />Fredson Paixao vs Courtney Buck<br /><br />Paixao won quickly and decisively by rear naked choke in the first round. This was a good first win in the WEC for Paixao. Buck has now lost two in a row and could be looking for work elsewhere.<br /><br />Ricardo Lamas vs Bendy Casimir<br /><br />Lamas came out banging, ending the fight quickly by KO in the first round. This was a nice second win in a row for Lamas who will see a step up in competition. However, it was a very bad first fight for Casimir. It will be interesting to see if he gets another shot.<br /><br />Fight of the night went to Garcia vs Roop. KO of the night went to Pettis. And Submission of the night went to Benavidez.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-9934451466783373692010-03-02T13:24:00.003-05:002010-03-02T14:37:09.168-05:00WEC 47 PreviewThis year the WEC replaces the UFC at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. The main event features Brian Bowles defending his bantamweight title for the first time against Dominick Cruz. This card also features WEC poster boys Miguel Torres and Jens Pulver. There are a lot of other interesting fights on the card so let's break it down:<br /><br />Main Event:<br />Brian Bowles vs Dominick Cruz:<br />Bowles is 8-0 with all eight wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with heavy hands and solid boxing. He has beaten some of the best in his division over his time in the WEC even before his utterly shocking destruction of then champion (and pound for pound great) Miguel Torres.<br /><br />Cruz is 14-1 with six wins by decision. He is also a wrestler with good boxing though his overall grappling isn't quite as advanced as Bowles. He was thrown into the fire in the WEC fighting for the featherweight title in his first fight losing badly to Urijah Faber. However, since then he has been on a tear and has looked solid if unspectacular.<br /><br />Truthfully this is a very tough fight to call given how similar these fighters are. I'm tempted to say that Bowles has the advantage on the ground and more power which will set him apart in this fight. I'm picking Bowles to win via submission in the third round.<br /><br />Main Card:<br />Miguel Torres vs Joseph Benavidez:<br />Torres is 37-2 with 31 wins by stoppage. He is a jiu jitsu fighter who loves to strike with a strong muay thai game. He has fought some of the best in the world since migrating to the WEC and has recently started training with the renowned Team Sityodtong.<br /><br />Benavidez is 11-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a grappler with some striking. He has fought some tough opponents since moving to the WEC but does not have the background Torres does. He trains with WEC poster boy Urijah Faber.<br /><br />It's funny how you'll often see two fighter fight each other on the same card as the two guys who last beat them face off as well. This is the case here as Torres looks to bounce back from an embarrassing KO to Bowles and Benavidez looks to start a winning streak after bouncing back from his tough decision loss to Cruz.<br /><br />Torres is far and away the more well rounded fighter. His striking is light years ahead of Benavidez and will only be helped from the tutelage from Mark Dellagrotte. However, he should be worried about Benavidez's wrestling even though Torres' jiu jitsu is better.<br /><br />Torres, simply put, is the better fighter but I'm not sure he has the stuff to put Benavidez away. I'm picking Torres by decision.<br /><br />Jens Pulver vs Javier Vazquez:<br />Pulver is 22-12-1 with 16 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with wrestling. He has fought the best in the world at two weight classes.<br /><br />Vazquez is 13-4 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a grappler. He has fought some name opponents but no one outstanding.<br /><br />This is your classic grappler vs striker match up. The question in this fight is whether Vazquez can get the fight to the mat but Pulver is no pushover. Both fighters need this win badly since Pulver has lost four in a row and Vazquez has lost two so motivation shouldn't be a factor.<br /><br />Honestly Pulver has looked washed up in his last few fights and I'm not sure he has what it takes anymore. I'm not really sold on this pick but I'm cautiously taking Vazquez by submission in the second round.<br /><br />Deividas Taurosevičius vs LC Davis:<br />Taurosevičius is 12-3 with eight wins by submission. He is jiu jitsu fighter with wins over some notable talent.<br /><br />Davis is 15-2 with 11 wins by stoppage. He is a wrestler with some striking. He has also fought some tough fighters.<br /><br />Both fighters are looking to take that next step in the WEC and win here would be big. I think Davis has the advantage with his wrestling background and should have the ability to keep the fight off the mat. I think this will be a grind it out win for Davis by decision.<br /><br />Bart Palaszewski vs Karen Darabedyan:<br />Palaszewski is 31-13 with 23 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with some grappling. He has a ton of experience and has fought some very tough guys but has had a very up and down ride in the WEC.<br /><br />Darabedyan is 9-1 with four wins by stoppage. He is mostly a striker but does have a grappling background as well. He does not have the same experience as Palaszewski but is coming off a huge win in his WEC debut vs former champ Rob McCullough.<br /><br />This fight may not win fight of the night but it certainly wins for toughest combination of names to spell. This should turn into a very interesting stand up fight. This is a very tough fight to pick but I'm going to go out on a limb and pick the upstart to win. I'm picking Darabedyan by decision.<br /><br />Preliminary Card:<br />Scott Jorgensen vs Chad George:<br />Jorgensen definitely has the experience edge here. Both fighter are strong grapplers but I think Jorgensen is better. I'm picking Jorgensen to win by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Chad Mendes vs Erik Koch:<br />This is a very tough fight to call. Both fighters are undefeated though this will be Mendes' first test in the WEC. But he does come out of Urijah Faber's camp so he trains with tough guys every day. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and pick Koch by decision.<br /><br />Danny Castillo vs Anthony Pettis:<br />Another tough fight to call but I like Castillo's experience and pedigree here. I'm picking him to win by decision.<br /><br />Leonard Garcia vs George Roop:<br />Both guys are UFC cast offs (but for different reasons). Roop has never beaten anyone of note and Garcia can be quite a handful. I'm picking Garcia by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Fredson Paixao vs Courtney Buck:<br />Paixao has had a rough start to his WEC career but I think that ends here. This will be a nice grappler vs striker match up with Paixao playing the grappler. I think he will grind out a tough decision victory.<br /><br />Ricardo Lamas vs Bendy Casimir:<br />Casimir has a lot more experience though not against almost anyone has ever heard of. He looks to be the better jiu jitsu artist while Lamas has the wrestling pedigree. Your guess is as good as mine as to who's the better striker. I think Lamas will ride top control and ground and pound to a decision victory.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-6742128105897782462010-02-21T15:06:00.002-05:002010-02-21T15:57:24.567-05:00UFC 110 ReviewThe UFC put on a great show for their first trip to Australia. Based on the fans' response it looks as if it might become a yearly trip much the way England and Montreal have. There were some interesting developments coming out of this card so let's break down the results:<br /><br />Main Event:<br />Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira:<br />This fight was short and sweet (unless you're "Big Nog"). Velasquez came out and showed up Nogueira in the striking game where he is no slouch. Velasquez simply beat Nogueira to the punch every time landing a quick KO in the first round.<br /><br />I have to admit that as good as Velasquez looked I'm still not convinced he deserves a shot at the title right away. I would really like to see him fight the loser of the Shane Carwin vs Frank Mir fight for the next shot at the title. However, I will say that every time we see Velasquez he just gets better and better and I haven't seen a more complete athlete in the heavyweight division possibly ever.<br /><br />So congratulations to Velasquez and for Big Nog it's back to the drawing board once again. Whoever Joe Silva matches Big Nog up against for his next bout it should be very interesting to see where the UFC feels Nogueira is at this point in his career.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br />Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping:<br />This fight had fight of the night written all over it but even though it didn't live up to the hype it was still very entertaining. Silva kept saying how he was going back to "the old Wanderlei", essentially throwing wild hay makers all over the place. While he used that aggression in strategically controlled spurts he actually looked a lot calmer than he usually does.<br /><br />Whether or not that is because he is getting smarter or just getting older I don't know. But no matter the reason it is a much smarter approach that worked to his advantage in this fight.<br /><br />Right off the bat you could tell neither fighter wanted to get into crazy exchanges and they both looked like they were "sticking to the game plan." Unfortunately for Bisping he was never able to capitalize on the feet or after his take downs. Silva had an answer for everything.<br /><br />Anytime Bisping took Silva down he got right back up and Silva was more aggressive and inflicted the most damage on the feet. All this gave Silva the nod for a unanimous decision victory that I agreed with 100%. And being a Silva fan I was very happy to see him on the winning side once again.<br /><br />This has to be a very frustrating loss for Bisping after such a great showing against Denis Kang. For Silva this has to feel very vindicating after some tough losses in the UFC especially when the fights went to decision. It will be very interesting to see who these guys get paired up with next.<br /><br />Main Card:<br />Joe Stevenson vs George Sotiropoulos:<br />This was simply all George all the time. Stevenson foolishly went to the ground in the first round and got his butt whipped (outside of a nice up kick). The second and third rounds were more even.<br /><br />Even so, George out scrambled Stevenson, neutralized him on the ground, and was simply too long and rangy for him on the feet. Even though I thought the third round could have gone Stevenson's way, George earned the well deserved unanimous decision in front of his countrymen.<br /><br />This immediately puts George into serious consideration as a contender at 155. For Stevenson this has to be a very bitter pill and really knocks him down a peg.<br /><br />Keith Jardine vs Ryan Bader:<br />In another case of young talent besting the old guard Bader came out and really took it to Jardine. Everyone, including myself, expected Bader to use his wrestling much more than he did. He simply stuck to the game plan and it paid off big time.<br /><br />Bader kept his chin tucked, his hands high, and never got rattled by Jardine's herky jerky style. He just kept throwing bombs knowing that if one of them connected the fight was over. He finally connected in round three and finished him off with an impressive KO.<br /><br />Jardine has officially become the gatekeeper at 205 and Bader introduced himself to the top echelon of the division. If he can get his striking technique to catch up to his power and continue to impose his will on people with his wrestling he could become very dangerous in the shark tank that is the light heavyweight division.<br /><br />Mirko "Cro Cop" vs Anthony Perosh:<br />I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Cro Cop still looks old to me. Granted he put this guy away at the end of the second round but only due to a TKO on a cut. Cro Cop is still too slow to make any impact against the top echelon heavyweights no matter how good his striking is technically.<br /><br />This fight will keep Cro Cop around for a little while but I honestly wouldn't know what to do with him if I was Joe Silva. Do you keep feeding him tomato cans or do you actually try to move him up the ladder? As for Perosh at least he got a chance to fight in front of his home town fans even if it wasn't a success.<br /><br />Under Card:<br />Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski:<br />Soszynski came out and just took the fight right to Bonnar. He clipped him a few times and was clearly the more powerful striker. Eventually the beating just caught up to Bonnar and he was cut so badly the doctor called the fight in the third round on a TKO.<br /><br />Bonnar really needed this win and I'm not sure he's sticking around the UFC much longer. For Soszynski this is a huge rebound win after a very disappointing result against Brandon Vera.<br /><br />Chris Lytle vs Brian Foster:<br />Like I said, Lytle just doesn't lose to guys like this. Foster looked good on the feet and looked way more athletic and powerful than Lytle. But unfortunately he made a mistake on the mat and Lytle capitalized putting Foster away with a knee bar in the first round that apparently caused serious damage to Foster.<br /><br />This was a great win for Lytle but it was a double whammy for Foster. Foster looked really good in his last fight so to not only lose but now to be seriously injured is just a serious blow to his UFC career.<br /><br />CB Dolloway vs Goran Reljic:<br />Dolloway took care of business earning a unanimous decision victory. This was a tough first fight back for Reljic having been out almost two years but hopefully he shook some rust off and will only get better in his next performance.<br /><br />Jame Te-Huna vs Igor Pokrajac:<br />Te-Huna gets a big TKO victory in the third round. I'm not sure Pokrajac has much of a future in the UFC.<br /><br />Fight of the night went to Stevenson vs Sotiropoulos which I think was very deserving based on what I saw. Submission of the night went to Chris Lytle by default even though it was a good one. And KO of the night went to Velasquez even with a little competition from Bader.<br /><br />My big take away from this night was that some of the young talent in the UFC is finally starting to bubble up and take over the old guard. Fighters like Velasquez and Bader specifically are finally starting to fill the shoes that some of the legends of the sport have occupied for so long. Even though it's tough to see fighters like Big Nog get blasted it's good to know the future of the sport is in good hands with fighters like these.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-59742939164845222802010-02-17T10:27:00.008-05:002010-02-18T22:32:25.576-05:00UFC 110 PreviewThe UFC reaches another milestone as they add another continent to their expanding empire as they touch down in Sydney, Australia this Saturday. This card features an elite heavyweight scrap between former UFC and Pride champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and the young gun Cain Velasquez.<br /><br />The co-main event brings together two top middleweight strikers as MMA legend Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva bangs with Michael "The Count" Bisping.<br /><br />The rest of the main card and under card is littered with notables like Joe Stevenson, Keith Jardine, Mirko "Cro Cop", Stephan Bonner, Chris Lytle, and CB Dolloway. While this card isn't stacked there are plenty of interesting fights to dissect. Let's break them down:<br /><br />Main Event:<br />Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Cain Velasquez:<br />Noquiera is 32-5-1 with 22 wins by stoppage. He is a legendary jiu jitsu artist with an equally legendary chin and heart but he is also a high caliber boxer. He has fought the best in the world in the two biggest promotions for the last nine years. He was the original Pride heavyweight champions and held the interim title in the UFC and Pride.<br /><br />Velasquez is 7-0 with six wins by KO. He is a monster of a wrestler with improving striking and heavy hands. Since coming to the UFC he has faced varying levels of competition with pretty good success.<br /><br />This is the old dog vs the young gun; the legend against the upstart; insert cliched match up analogy here...<br /><br />In all seriousness though this should be one exciting fight with plenty of implications on the heavyweight title picture. Most likely whoever wins this fight is one win away from a title shot.<br /><br />The fight will be an interesting test for both fighters. Cain's biggest strength is his ground and pound but does he want to go to the ground with Nogueira? Nogueira probably thinks he can beat Velasquez on the feet but can he stay upright?<br /><br />This fight has a lot of questions that can only be answered in the cage which makes it an incredibly difficult fight to pick. So I'm going with my gut and I'm picking Nogueira to pull out a submission victory in the second round.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br />Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping:<br />Silva is 32-10-1 with 26 wins by stoppage. He is a legendary muay thai striker. He has fought exclusively in Pride and the UFC for the last 10 years against the best fighters in the world. He held the Pride Middleweight title for 6 years and won one middleweight Grand Prix.<br /><br />Bisping is 18-2 with 15 wins by stoppage. He is a solid kick boxer with pretty good power. He has had a nice career in the UFC since winning TUF 3. He has also beat better competition since moving down to middleweight.<br /><br />This has all the makings of fight of the night (which both fighters are prone to do). These two have no qualms about going toe to toe for all three rounds (though no one expects it to last that long). Silva needs this worse than Bisping and Bisping is no Liddell, "Rampage," or Franklin (Silva's three UFC losses).<br /><br />Obviously Bisping can hold his own on the feet and could wind up picking Silva apart. However, Silva proved he can still bang with his destruction of Keith Jardine. So I'm picking Silva to win via KO in the second round.<br /><br />Main Card:<br />Joe Stevenson vs George Sotiropoulos:<br />Joe is 31-10 with 20 wins by stoppage. He is a very strong grappler and loves to scrap. He has beaten good competition in the UFC but can't seem to beat the upper echelon fighters.<br /><br />George is 11-2 with eight wins by stoppage. He is almost exclusively a jiu jitsu fighter. Next to fighting Shinya Aoki this is far and away George's toughest fight to date.<br /><br />The only reason George is on this card and fighting someone this high up on the food chain is because George is Australia's top MMA export in the UFC. No one expects George to win and neither do I.<br /><br />Stevenson's top control and striking will overcome anything George tries to pull off on the ground. I'm picking Stevenson to win a lopsided though not enthralling decision.<br /><br />Keith Jardine vs Ryan Bader:<br />Jardine is 15-6-1 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a kick boxer with an awkward style that often confuses opponents. He has had an up and down career in the UFC but has fought a lot of top fighters in the process gaining invaluable experience.<br /><br />Bader is 10-0 with seven wins by stoppage. He is still a pretty raw wrestler with some good ground and pound. This fight is far and away his toughest test to date.<br /><br />Jardine needs this win badly having lost his last two fights. Unfortunately no matter how good Greg Jackson's game plan going in to the fight will be to stop Bader's take downs I can't see Jardine executing. Also, Jardine's awkward striking will have no effect on Bader while lying on his back for three rounds.<br /><br />I'm picking Bader to win a pedestrian decision. However, I'm really hoping to see a new wrinkle in the Bader's game because now that he's moving up the ladder he's going to run into guys who can neutralize his wrestling. Jardine is too good a fighter to be let go after his third consecutive loss but I'm not sure he would survive a fourth.<br /><br />Mirko "Cro Cop" vs Anthony Perosh:<br />Crop Cop is 25-7-2 with 22 wins by stoppage. He was one of the most feared kick boxers in MMA history. He has fought the best in the world between Pride and the UFC and even won the 2006 Pride open weight Grand Prix.<br /><br />Perosh is 10-5 with all 10 wins by stoppage. He is mostly a jiu jitsu fighter. He has fought almost exclusively in Australia where he lives and trains with Elvis Sinosic with a brief but winless stint in the UFC back in '06. He has lost against every notable fighter he has faced.<br /><br />Perosh steps in for a sick Ben Rothwell literally at the last minute. As far gone as Cro Cop is at this point in his career he can still take care of someone like this as we witnessed when Cro Cop dismantled Mostapha Al Turk. I'm picking Cro Cop by KO in the first round.<br /><br />Undercard:<br />Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski:<br />Onto fights that matter... Bonnar needs to win in the worst way but I don't think he gets it. I know this is no way to pick a fight but honestly if you lose to a 45 year old Mark Coleman it's time to hang up the gloves. I'm picking Soszynski by decision.<br /><br />Chris Lytle vs Brian Foster:<br />Foster got a great win against a tough Brock Larson and really surprised some people (myself included). However, Lytle doesn't lose to guys like this. I'm picking Lytle by submission in the second round.<br /><br />CB Dolloway vs Goran Reljic:<br />Reljic was a very promising prospect back in 2008 after surprising everyone to beat Wilson Gouveia in his UFC debut. Unfortunately an injury derailed him for the last couple years. The question in this fight is if he can shake off the rust against Dolloway.<br /><br />Based on talent Reljic should win but two years makes for a lot of ring rust. I'm not confident at all in this pick but I'm going with Dolloway by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />James Te-Huna vs Igor Pokrajac:<br />I've never seen either fighter before though Igor fought in the UFC back in Sept. Te-Huna is a striker and Igor seems more well rounded and Te-Huna has only lost by submission. So I'm picking Igor by submission in the first round.<br /><br />Author's Note: I have redone the Cro Cop prediction with the late addition of Perosh for the sick Ben Rothwell. Also, I have removed the Sinosic vs Haseman prediction since this fight has been scrapped due to Sinosic pulling out with an injury.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-69684243750000783022010-02-07T12:19:00.002-05:002010-02-07T13:15:55.132-05:00UFC 109 ReviewUFC 109 delivered last night bringing some good finishes, surprising performances, and the introduction of a promising young fighter. Randy Couture proved that he is the legend among legends besting his Hall of Fame counterpart while Chael Sonnen threw his name into the ring for the middleweight title. Let's break down the action:<br /><br />Main Event:<br />Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman:<br />Couture came out with crisp boxing and his always impressive dirty boxing. Coleman had no answer for either as Randy picked him apart from outside and beat him up inside. Coleman survived the first round but he got hurt early in the second. <br /><br />Couture smelled blood and went in for the kill. Couture took down the wrestling legend (a little too easily) and immediately proceeded to tap him out with a rear naked choke. There was great foreshadowing from Couture's entrance song "Stranglehold" and Joe Rogan who repeatedly claimed he felt Randy was looking for a submission.<br /><br />This was a great performance for Randy even if it was against a washed up fighter. He seems to be slowly building toward another shot at the light heavyweight title. There are a lot of interesting potential match ups out there for Randy.<br /><br />I don't think Coleman has a future with the UFC after this fight. Granted Couture is a legend but Coleman just looks used, though his smack talk was as good as ever based on his verbal confrontation with Tito Ortiz after the fight. Normally I would say Dana White should hold out and put that fight together (because real bad blood fights are few and far between these days) but would anyone even care about who won a fight between Tito Ortiz and Mark Coleman?<br /><br />Ultimately these fight was exactly what most people expected. It was a one sided beating that will only expand Couture's legend while Coleman's career comes to a bitter, dark end.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br />Nate Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen:<br />This was the most surprising fight of the night. Most people expected Marquardt to come out with a solid gameplan of stick and move striking that kept the fight off the mat. Unfortunately Sonnen's aggression sucked Marquardt into wild exchanges that allowed Sonnen to get the fight to the mat too easily.<br /><br />Once there, Sonnen showed great top control, which everyone expected, but Marquardt had no answer with his jiu jitsu, which was surprising. Granted he slapped on a couple guillotine chokes and even opened Sonnen up with an elbow but ultimately he had no answer for Sonnen's ground and pound. Honestly Marquardt didn't win a single minute of that fight until the very last minute of the third round.<br /><br />Sonnen, looking worse for wear than Marquardt, put together a dominating unanimous decision victory. After thoroughly dominating a fighter as talented as Marquardt he should be taken very seriously as the next number one contender. This has to be very disappointing for Marquardt and is sadly becoming a disturbing habit of getting so close but not being able to get over the hump.<br /><br />Main Card:<br />Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago:<br />Both fighters came out ready to strike but they both looked timid in the first round. Swick ultimately got a last second take down to win the round but neither fighter looked great. That all changed in the second round.<br /><br />Both fighters loosened up and the striking picked up. Thiago landed a great counter left that dropped Swick. While Swick tried to just hold off Thiago while he recovered, he left his head open for a D'arce choke that Thiago used to turn Swick's lights out.<br /><br />Swick has now lost two fights and will slide significantly in the division. But this is a huge win for Thiago that should catapult him up the rankings. This fight also proved that his fight with Josh Koscheck (lucky punch or not) was no fluke and he needs to be respected.<br /><br />Demian Maia vs Dan Miller:<br />Maia came out ready to strike which was probably a surprise to Miller. While Maia's striking wasn't devastating it was effective enough along with his grappling in the third round to win him a unanimous decision. This was a good win over a tough opponent to get Maia back on the right track. If he keeps improving his striking he'll be that much scarier for his next opponent.<br /><br />Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg:<br />Serra came out and did exactly what was expected of him. He went right at Trigg and tested his chin with the bombs in his fists and he took Trigg out quickly with a brutal TKO in the first round. This was a great win after two losses for Serra and for Trigg this might spell the end of his UFC career for good.<br /><br />Undercard:<br />Mac Danzig vs Justin Buchholz:<br />Danzig went in and just did what he needed to do. He stood up with Buchholz until he could take him down where he had the best of it. Danzig won a very tough unanimous decision giving him at least one more fight in the UFC while Buchholz is most likely gone for a while.<br /><br />Melvin Guillard vs Ronnys Torres:<br />This fight was very peculiar. Guillard was the better striker and got the best of it on the feet but most of this fight took place on the ground. But while it was there, even though Torres was in control most of the time, he didn't do much with his advantageous position.<br /><br />The judges ultimately gave a unanimous decision win to Guillard but it was very strange given Torres had better cage control for most of the fight. Usually judges look favorably on that but I guess they just thought Guillard was more aggressive and was doing the most damage.<br /><br />Brian Stann vs Phil Davis:<br />Hello Mr. Wonderful! Phil Davis is a superstar in the making. He is a superior athlete with a fantastic wrestling pedigree.<br /><br />Stann tried to out strike Davis but Davis was having none of it, taking Stann down early and often. Davis' ground and pound was technically solid but wasn't doing a ton of damage. But he did enough to come away with a dominating unanimous decision.<br /><br />Davis, much like Jon Jones, is going to be a part of the new wave of stars at 205 lbs. Light heavyweight is already stacked but a lot of the stars in the division are older guys. It's good to see that there is some fresh blood being infused into the division.<br /><br />Rolles Gracie vs Joey Beltran:<br />Rolles Gracie far and away had the most disappointing performance of the night. He came out and was gassed mid way through the first round. I don't know if his cardio was just that poor or he was suffering from something else.<br /><br />In either case Gracie was done when he looked like he had the fight won after getting into mount and then taking Beltran's back. But Beltran escaped and then put the hurt on Gracie pounding him out for a TKO victory in the second round. <br /><br />Gracie, who trains with Renzo Gracie and Greg Jackson, has to figure out what went wrong and quickly. He brought serious shame to the Gracie name and it will be interesting to see if the UFC has any interest in retaining his services after a performance like that.<br /><br />Philippe Nover vs Rob Emerson:<br />Emerson wins by unanimous decision most likely ending Nover's UFC career.<br /><br />Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchscherer:<br />Chris wins by majority decision putting Hague's UFC career on thin ice.<br /><br />Marquardt and Sonnen won fight of the night which was pretty surprising given how one sided it was. Matt Serra wins KO of the night almost by default. And Paulo Thiago deservingly wins submission of the night.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-30575596981814958622010-02-03T22:48:00.002-05:002010-02-04T00:03:24.653-05:00UFC 109 PreviewThe UFC returns this weekend for their customary Super Saturday card. This year the card is headlined by the first match between UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and Mark Coleman. The co-headliner features a pivotal match in the middleweight division between potential title challenger Nate Marquardt and the always tough Chael Sonnen.<br /><br />The main card is also bolstered by a lot of big names such as Mike Swick stepping in on short notice for his injured team mate, Demain Maia looking to get back on the winning path, and two past their prime welterweights, Matt Serra and Frank Trigg, battling it out to stay relevant. The undercard also boasts a lot of fighters looking for new life or looking to make a splash on one of the UFC's biggest nights of the year.<br /><br />Let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Main Event:<br />Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman:<br />Couture is 17-10 with nine wins by stoppage. He is a former six time champion in two weight classes and has fought the best the game has to offer. He is a dominant wrestler, with solid striking (especially his dirty boxing), and great cardio for a man his age.<br /><br />Coleman is 16-9 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a former four time champion across two promotions at heavyweight and has also fought some of the best. He is arguably a better pure wrestler than Couture but his stand up game is suspect and his cardio even more so.<br /><br />Outside of Coleman landing a hail mary punch I can't foresee any situation that ends with him winning this fight. Randy Couture should be able to keep this fight standing using his wrestling to negate Coleman's and then his striking and endurance will win him this fight. I'm picking Couture to win by TKO in the third round.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br />Nate Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen:<br />Marquardt is 29-8-2 with 22 wins by stoppage. He has a great well rounded game. His base is in grappling but he has improved his striking dramatically winning his last three fights via strikes. He has fought all over the world against some of the best competition out there.<br /><br />Sonnen is 24-10-1 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is mostly a wrestler who has great top control. He has also fought a lot of top competition and has put together two very good wins over his last two fights.<br /><br />On paper Sonnen should be the better wrestler but in practice I don't see him grinding out a victory like he did against Dan Miller and Yushin Okami. I think Marquardt's striking is too good, he is too strong, and his wrestling is good enough to not let Miller hold him down for three rounds. I expect a grind it out win for Marquardt who will score plenty of points on the feet but won't put away the incredibly tough Sonnen. I'm picking Marquardt by decision.<br /><br />Main Card:<br />Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago:<br />Swick is 14-3 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is a striker with improving grappling. He has fought solid, but not stellar competition. <br /><br />Thiago is 12-1 with eight wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first who likes to strike. He has not faced a lot of top competition until he came to the UFC very recently.<br /><br />Swick seemed to have found a home at welterweight and appeared to be on course for a title shot until running into Dan Hardy in his last fight. Now he steps in for his injured team mate Josh Koscheck as a late replacement for the rematch that was supposed to occur between Kos and Thiago. Now Swick takes up the banner for AKA and is looking to get his title shot back on track.<br /><br />Thiago certainly has the advantage on the mat but his tendency is to strike first which is a losing battle against Swick. Swick will be careful knowing the threat of Thiago's ground game looms but once Thiago lets his hands go so will Swick. I expect Thiago to get his first loss by stoppage. I'm picking Swick by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Demain Maia v. Dan Miller:<br />Maia is 11-1 with 10 wins by stoppage. He is as pure a jiu jitsu fighter as you will see in MMA these days. He has faced some quality competition since coming to the UFC.<br /><br />Miller is 11-2 with seven wins by stoppage. He is also a grappler but with a better mix of wrestling and jiu jitsu. This will be Miller's biggest step up in competition to date.<br /><br />Both of these guys are coming off tough losses to the guys in the co-main event. Both of these fighters will be hungry and are looking to make a statement in this fight to get back in the title hunt.<br /><br />Putting a noted grappler like Miller against a jiu jitsu ace like Maia is like feeding lambs to lions. Miller thinks he's good enough to keep top control without being submitted because of his confidence in his own ground game. However, Maia isn't like anyone Miller has seen before.<br /><br />Maia will be happy to let Miller take him down because that is the first step to him winning this fight. He'll bide his time until he finds his opening to strike and finish off Miller. I'm picking Maia to win by submission in the third round.<br /><br />Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg:<br />Serra is 9-6 with five wins by stoppage. He is a grappler first but really likes to let his hands do the talking. He has fought a lot of good competition with mixed results.<br /><br />Trigg is 19-7 with 14 wins by stoppage. His base is in wrestling but he loves to strike a little too much. Trigg has also fought a lot of good competition but without good results.<br /><br />Serra and Trigg are both coming off bad losses (Serra is coming off two actually) and even though neither of them have a legitimate shot at the title they both want to remain relevant in the UFC. A win here will help those odds dramatically.<br /><br />Both of these guys' bases are in grappling but both love to strike. I think Trigg's chin will be tested by Serra's heavy hands. I'm picking Serra to win by TKO in the second round.<br /><br />Undercard:<br />Mac Danzig vs Justin Buchholz:<br />Neither of these guys has had much luck in the octagon lately with Danzig losing his last three and Buchholz losing two in a row. Whoever loses will probably be cut just in case either guy needed any more motivation. I like Danzig because I think he has the better stand up (their grappling could neutralize each other) and he showed promise in his first couple UFC fights. I'll take Danzig by TKO in the first round to put a stay on his UFC execution.<br /><br />Melvin Guillard vs Ronnys Torres:<br />Guillard is a complete wild card and is coming off a loss making him a little more unhinged than usual. However, he has recently joined Greg Jackson's camp which means he'll at least come in with a gameplan if not more focused thanks to Jackson's influence. Guillard has a lot of potential he just has to harness it. I don't think he'll need it in this fight though going up against a UFC rookie who has never faced competition even like Guillard. I'm picking Guillard by TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Phillipe Nover vs Rob Emerson:<br />Nover has been completely underwhelming since his time on TUF 8 (which is hard for me to say being a fellow Brooklynite). However, Emerson hasn't been any more impressive since his time on TUF either. It's a close fight to call but I'm going with the homer pick and calling Nover by (tough) decision, possibly sending Emerson out of the UFC.<br /><br />Brian Stann vs Phil Davis:<br />Stann had a tough introduction to the UFC but since then has righted the ship. Davis is brand spanking new to the UFC and only has four professional fights. Stann might be one dimensional but he has been at this a lot longer against much tougher guys than Davis. I'm picking Stann to hand Davis his first loss and give him a tough introduction to the UFC with a TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchscherer:<br />Hague is now infamous for his record setting KO at the hands of Todd Duffee but he is no pushover. Chris (I call him Chris because, really, who wants to keep spelling that last name) is also a solid fighter who has faced some decent competition. Both of these guys want to strike but I think Chris' grappling will be the difference. I'm picking Chris by decision.<br /><br />Rolles Gracie vs Joey Beltran:<br />Rolles will be the first and only Gracie since Royce to fight in the UFC since Royce came back at UFC 60. Beltran is a powerful boxer. Obviously Gracie is the better grappler. Unless Beltran lands a lucky punch I can't imagine this fight ending any other way than Gracie by submission in the first round. Hopefully this tune up will be the first of many fights for Gracie in the UFC. It will be good to have that name back in the Octagon for awhile (even though his coach and relative Renzo will be making an appearance at UFC 112).MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-24837361490316627772010-01-31T15:22:00.000-05:002010-01-31T15:23:14.341-05:00Strikeforce: Miami ReviewEverything went as planned for Strikeforce last night as they rang in the new year with a bang from Miami. Nick Diaz snatched the welterweight title while Cris "Cyborg" Santos proved once again why she might be the Fedor of women's MMA. Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker both had successful debuts and Robbie Lawler has a candidate for comeback of the year and it's not even February!<br /><br />Let's break down the card:<br /><br />Main Event:<br /><br />Nick Diaz v. Marius Zaromskis:<br /><br />I figured Diaz was too arrogant to go to the ground but I also knew he was too good to need to do that. Zaromskis shot out like a cannon which could've taken some fighters out of their game but not the grizzled veteran Diaz. Diaz calmly deflected most of Zaromskis' power shots while accumulating punishment on his opponent.<br /><br />Diaz's reach was a big hurdle for Zaromskis as he ate shots every time he tried to come in on Diaz. Diaz eventually finished off Zaromskis (though much quicker than I anticipated) with a TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Diaz is now the welterweight champion and I truly believe this is his best weight class even though he's been successful recently at (or around) middleweight. His next opponent should be Jay Hieron but Diaz is obviously ducking him so it will be interesting to see who Strikeforce can get Diaz to fight.<br /><br />Co-Main Event:<br /><br />Cris "Cyborg" Santos v. Marloes Coenen:<br /><br />Coenen surprisingly came out and took the fight to Cyborg. However, that strategy didn't last long as soon as she realized how strong and tough Cyborg was. Cyborg weathered the early storm and eventually fell into her game of power strikes and ground and pound.<br /><br />Coenen did her best to get the fight to the mat but just took a beating the whole time she was there. Cyborg showed surprisingly good top control and submission defense after her struggles with Gina Carano (who is no Coenen on the ground). Cyborg had finally shown the ref enough winning via TKO in the third round.<br /><br />While this wasn't the "car wreck" I had anticipated it wasn't a glowing moment for Cyborg. Though she showed improvement in her ground game I thought her striking was too wild and her air of invincibility was shaken a bit when Coenen came out and really took it to Cyborg in the first few minutes.<br /><br />The question now becomes can Strikeforce find a woman as physically gifted as Cyborg? If so, Santos is far from invincible after what I saw last night. She just needs to fight a woman her own size. Strikeforce is pushing Erin Toughill. It's yet to be seen if she can do any better.<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Herschel Walker v. Greg Nagy:<br /><br />First of all, N-a-g-y is not pronounced "Nudge" I don't care what part of the world you come from so that's an automatic downgrade for Nagy. On top of that he let a 47 year old walk all over him for essentially 15 minutes and barely even fought back. I had a feeling Strikeforce would give Walker a tomato can but I didn't think it would be this bad.<br /><br />It was apparent from the opening bell how stiff, old, and green Walker was. However, he also did not look 47, was very aggressive, and showed much better grappling than I expected so props to American Kickboxing Academy for that.<br /><br />Walker came away with a nice third round TKO victory. Whether or not he ever fights again, I don't know. But whether he does or not this was a great accomplishment for an athlete of his age no matter who he fought.<br /><br />Melvin Manhoef v. Robbie Lawler:<br /><br />I thought we had seen it all with Scott Smith's series of fights in Strikeforce. However, I think there's a new "comeback kid" in town. Melvin Manhoef man handled Lawler from the opening bell. He blasted Lawler with leg kicks and body shots to the point where Lawler was visibly limping and grimacing every time Manhoef made him move.<br /><br />But the beauty (unless you're Manhoef) of this sport lies in the unique ability for one punch knockouts to happen at any given moment. Lawler might've been down but with his boxing and heavy hands he's never out. As Manhoef moved in for the kill he dropped his hands and Lawler capitalized with a devastating over hand right that laid Manhoef out before Lawler KO'd him on the mat.<br /><br />My prediction for this fight was on target up until the last five seconds of the fight. Manhoef was clearly the better striker but he made one mistake and paid for it dearly as Lawler got the KO victory in the first round. Manhoef deserves another shot in Strikeforce but I hope to see Lawler get a shot at the winner of Shields v. Henderson.<br /><br />Bobby Lashley v. Wes Sims:<br /><br />Lashley came out and took care of business like he was supposed to. I was a little disappointed because we didn't get to see his stand up, though I don't blame him with Sims' reach advantage. However, Lashley did show us his tremendous wrestling and ground and pound winning via TKO in the first round.<br /><br />Lashley reminds me of exactly what Brock Lesnar looked like at this stage in his career. If Lashley can improve in his stand up and submission defense as quickly as Lesnar has you could have another monster at Heavyweight in Strikeforce. I know Lashley isn't looking for the big fight yet but I'm really hoping that in his next two or three fights we see him against a real challenger like a "Big Foot" Silva or a Brett Rogers before getting his shot at a Fedor or Overeem.<br /><br />On a complete side note, I can't stand Wes Sims because he's more of a professional wrestler than an MMA fighter. However, when he held up his hand for a WWE "feats of strength" showdown I couldn't help but chuckle due to vast amount of irony.<br /><br />Undercard:<br /><br />Jay Hieron v. Joe Riggs:<br /><br />Hieron took care of business as expected earning a unanimous decision victory. I hope Strikeforce gives Hieron a longer look at getting him on their main cards in the future. He should have the next title shot but it's obvious Diaz is ducking him.<br /><br />As for Riggs he does not seem long for the world of Strikeforce. He used to be a Strikeforce mainstay but they've bolstered the roster so thoroughly that even their weakest division looks too strong for him.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-18152210203466478032010-01-27T22:09:00.004-05:002010-01-28T00:08:24.059-05:00Strikeforce: Miami PreviewDon't call it a comeback! That's right ladies and gentlemen after almost 5 months out of the game your humble MMA junkie is back on the scene. I took my hiatus and now I'm coming back better than ever. I thought I'd take it slow and warm up with a preview of the upcoming Strikeforce: Miami event taking place this Saturday.<br /><br />Strikeforce: Miami is highlighted by two title fights and two much publicized Strikeforce debuts. The main event is for the vacant welterweight title. Resident MMA bad boy Nick Diaz and DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis will go at it to see who rules Strikeforce's most lack luster division.<br /><br />The co-main event features Strikeforce women's champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos v. dutch grappler Marloes Coenen. This is a "car accident" type of fight where people will be tuning in to see the wreckage that will be Coenen even if they might be sickened by it.<br /><br />The two other headliners on the card are the Strikeforce debuts of former wrestling star Bobby Lashley and all time football great Herschel Walker. People are drawn to Lashley the same way they were to Brock Lesnar. They want to see if the fake fighter can hang in the cage. As for Walker, people are just hoping he has something left in the tank at 47 and doesn't get humiliated.<br /><br />Let's break down the fights:<br /><br />Main Card:<br /><br />Nick Diaz v. Marius Zaromskis:<br />Diaz is 20-7 with 17 wins by stoppage. He has technical striking and great grappling even though he enjoys striking more as of late. He has fought around the world against some of the toughest competition out there in 3 weight classes.<br /><br />Zaromskis is 13-3 with 12 wins by stoppage. He is a striker who recently went on a tear to win the DREAM welterweight grand prix and became the first DREAM welterweight champion. Zaromskis, even though he's a champion, is taking a huge step up in competition by taking this fight.<br /><br />The good news for Zaromkis is that Diaz (cough, ducking Jay Hieron, cough) has a tendency to self destruct and Zaromskis has been on fire winning his last three fights by first round KO. However, I don't see this fight turning out well for him. Diaz has also looked strong since coming over to Strikeforce and he should have the experience edge as well as the advantage on the ground.<br /><br />If Diaz can take the fight down into his world it could be a short night. However, if it stays on the feet I think Zaromskis has the ability to win. I think Diaz is the more technical striker and could wear Zaromskis down before putting him away like he did with Frank Shamrock. Zaromskis probably has the power advantage and could land a good punch/kick (though Diaz is very tough to finish).<br /><br />Ultimately I think this fight will stay standing. Diaz is the more well rounded fighter and his experience will prove valuable. I'm picking Diaz to take home the title by TKO in the third round.<br /><br />"Cyborg" Santos v. Marloes Coenen:<br />Santos is 8-1 with six wins by KO. She is a brutal Muay Thai striker with tons of power. She is the defending women's 145 lb champion and trains out of the prestigious Chute Boxe camp.<br /><br />Coenen is 17-3 with 15 wins by stoppage. She is a grappler but has the ability to strike and finish. On paper I suppose Coenen could pose problems for Santos on the ground but I don't see the fight working out that way.<br /><br />Even if Coenen was lucky enough to get Santos down (which is about as easy as getting Dana White not to drop the f bomb every other word) where she isn't as strong, Coenen wouldn't be able to keep her down long enough to do anything. Santos, until proven otherwise, is untouchable right now. This fight turns into the train wreck everyone is tuning in for with a brutal KO of Coenen in the first round.<br /><br />Melvin Manhoef v. Robbie Lawler:<br />Manhoef is 24-6-1 with 23 wins by KO. He is a notorious kickboxer who is making only his second US appearance and his first with a US promotion. He has a ton of experience in Japan and has fought some of the best in the world.<br /><br />Lawler is 18-5 with 16 wins by stoppage. He is a heavy handed boxer and is looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Jake Shields. Lawler has also fought top competition in the past which combined with his style should make this a very exciting fight.<br /><br />I can't imagine this fight unfolding in any way other than an all out war on the feet. Neither of these guys has any qualms about standing toe to toe and trading for our amusement. As heavy handed and tough as Lawler is I just don't think he can beat Manhoef in a pure striking battle. I'm going to pick Manhoef to win and go out on a limb by predicting it will come via KO in the second round.<br /><br />Herschel Walker v. Greg Nagy:<br />Walker is making his MMA debut. Nagy is also a relative newcomer who I have no background on. This fight is as close to a complete coin flip as you could get.<br /><br />On the one hand Walker was a tremendous athlete but you have to wonder if at 47 he has what it takes to compete in a sport like MMA. On the other hand Nagy is a complete wild card that almost no one knows anything about. The one thing I'm basing my pick off of is the fact that I can't imagine Strikeforce would build up Walker only to pair him up with someone they didn't think he could beat. Using that logic I'm picking Walker by decision. (I really hope Walker doesn't get embarrassed but it is a distinct possibility)<br /><br />Bobby Lashley v. Wes Sims:<br />Lashley is 4-0 with three wins by stoppage all against suspect competition. Even though this is his first big MMA show he's used to the bright lights after his time in the WWE and I don't think that will phase him. Lashley has a great amateur wrestling background and a great training camp in American Top Team. At this point in Lashley's career he's little more than a ground and pound machine that overwhelms you physically.<br /><br />Sims is 22-12-1 with 20 of those wins by stoppage. Sims has a mix of standing and grappling skills but isn't particularly strong in either area. He's pretty much the definition of a journeyman even though he briefly resurfaced on the 10th season of the Ultimate Fighter recently.<br /><br />Lashley shouldn't have any problem taking Sims down and putting a beating on him a la Mark Kerr in his "Smashing Machine" days of UFC 14/15. I'm picking Lashley to win by TKO in the second round after he breaks Sims' will in the first.<br /><br />Undercard:<br /><br /><br />Jay Hieron v. Joe Riggs:<br />Even though Riggs is younger he has a lot more wear on his body than Hieron and hasn't developed the way many thought he would by this point in his career. Hieron at this point in time is the more complete fighter who can dictate where the fight takes place though he most likely will want to keep it standing. There should be some exciting exchanges but Hieron won't wear out the way Phil Baroni did in Riggs' last Strikeforce appearance. I'm putting my money on Hieron by TKO in the second round.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-42867082684473010222009-08-30T14:38:00.001-04:002009-08-30T14:38:58.364-04:00MMA Fighter Rankings for SeptemberTime for this month's fighter rankings. Please comment and let me know where I got it right or wrong. Enjoy!<br /><br />Heavyweight (265 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. Fedor Emelianenko<br /> 2. Brock Lesnar<br /> 3. Frank Mir<br /> 4. Josh Barnett<br /> 5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira<br /> 6. Alistair Overeem<br /> 7. Randy Couture<br /> 8. Shane Carwin<br /> 9. Brett Rogers<br /> 10. Cain Velasquez<br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Jeff Monson, Mirko Cro Cop, and Fabricio Werdum<br /><br />Note: Nogueira moves up a spot after his win over Couture at UFC 102.<br /><br />Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. Lyoto Machida<br /> 2. Rashad Evans<br /> 3. Gegard Mousasi<br /> 4. Quinton Jackson<br /> 5. Forrest Griffin<br /> 6. Luis Cane<br /> 7. Renato Sobral<br /> 8. Mauricio Rua<br /> 9. Thiago Silva<br /> 10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira <br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Rich Franklin<br /><br />Notes: Mousasi moves into third after his destruction of Sobral as Sobral slides down to seventh. Griffin moves back to fifth after being destroyed by Anderson Silva. Rua moves down to eighth by default. Silva moves up one spot after crushing Keith Jardine who now moves out of consideration. Nogueira moves down one spot by default as does Franklin due to the inclusion of Mousasi on this list.<br /><br />Middleweight (185 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. Anderson Silva<br /> 2. Dan Henderson<br /> 3. Nate Marquardt<br /> 4. Demian Maia<br /> 5. Yushin Okami<br /> 6. Vitor Belfort<br /> 7. Robbie Lawler<br /> 8. Jorge Santiago<br /> 9. Yoshihiro Akiyama<br /> 10. Nick Diaz<br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Chael Sonnen, Kazuo Mizaki, Hector Lombard, and Mike Bisping<br /><br />Note: Even with Marquardt's destruction of Maia I haven't moved either fighter as I don't believe Marquardt to be better than Henderson until he proves it and I don't believe Maia to be worse than Okami until it's proven. Also, Thales Leites falls off the consideration list after his loss to Alessio Sakara at UFC 101.<br /><br />Welterweight (170 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. Georges St. Pierre<br /> 2. Jon Fitch<br /> 3. Thiago Alves<br /> 4. Jake Shields<br /> 5. Mike Swick<br /> 6. Martin Kampmann<br /> 7. Carlos Condit<br /> 8. Dan Hardy<br /> 9. Frank Trigg<br /> 10. Jay Hieron<br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Matt Hughes, Paulo Thiago, Josh Koscheck, Brock Larson, and Marius Zaromskis<br /><br />Note: Hieron moves into the top ten after his win at Strikeforce this past month. Brock Larson moves back into the consideration pack.<br /><br />Lightweight (155 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. BJ Penn<br /> 2. Shinya Aoki<br /> 3. Eddie Alvarez<br /> 4. Tatsuya Kawajiri<br /> 5. Kenny Florian<br /> 6. Gesias Calvancante<br /> 7. Josh Thomson<br /> 8. Gray Maynard<br /> 9. Frankie Edgar<br /> 10. Diego Sanchez<br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Sean Sherk, Satoru Kitaoka, and Spencer Fisher<br /><br />Note: Florian moves down one spot after his loss to Penn at UFC 101. Kitaoka moves out of the top ten with his loss at Sengoku Nine. This makes room for Sanchez to crack the top ten.<br /><br />Featherweight (145 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. Mike Brown<br /> 2. Wagnney Fabiano<br /> 3. Urijah Faber<br /> 4. Jose Aldo<br /> 5. Hatsu Hioki<br /> 6. Leonard Garcia<br /> 7. Takeshi Inoue<br /> 8. Rafael Assuncao<br /> 9. Bibiano Fernandes<br /> 10. Joe Warren<br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Nam Phan, Hideki Kadakowi, Hiroyuki Takaya, Marlon Sandro, Joe Soto, and Josh Grispi<br /><br />Note: Hioki and Garcia flip flop after Hioki had the better performance in August even though both fighters won. Warren moves into the top ten by virtue of Sandro losing and Warren beating former top featherweight "Kid" Yamamoto.<br /><br />Bantamweight (135 pounds)<br /><br /> 1. Brian Bowles<br /> 2. Miguel Torres<br /> 3. Masakatsu Ueda<br /> 4. Dominick Cruz<br /> 5. Damacio Page<br /> 6. Akitoshi Tamura<br /> 7. Takeya Mizugaki<br /> 8. Rani Yahya<br /> 9. Joseph Benavidez<br /> 10. Will Ribeiro<br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Chris Cariaso, Antonio Banuelos, Marcos Galvao, Manny Tapia, Atsushi Yamamoto, and Wilson Reis<br /><br />Note: Bowles and Torres flip flop after Bowles victory at WEC 42. Cruz moves up to fourth after knocking off Joseph Benavidez at WEC 42. Yahya moves up to eighth after winning his last fight at WEC 42. This slides Benavidez, Ribeiro, and Galvao down. Mark Oshiro fall off the list due to inactivity and Jeff Curran fall off the list due to losing his fourth fight in a row, the second in a row at bantamweight.<br /><br />POUND-FOR-POUND<br /><br /> 1. Georges St. Pierre<br /> 2. Anderson Silva<br /> 3. Fedor Emelianenko<br /> 4. Lyoto Machida<br /> 5. BJ Penn<br /> 6. Brian Bowles<br /> 7. Miguel Torres<br /> 8. Rashad Evans<br /> 9. Gegard Mousasi<br /> 10. Mike Brown <br /><br />Also receiving consideration: Jon Fitch, Quinton Jackson, Thiago Alves<br /><br />Notes: Penn moves up after Torres lost to Bowles. Bowles moves into Penn's old slot moving Torres down to seven and Evans down to eight. Mousasi moves into the ninth spot after his destruction of Sobral in his first fight at 205 pushing Brown back to 10 and Fitch to the consideration list. Griffin moves off the list all together after his destruction at the hands of middleweight Anderson Silva.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080829178275207425.post-55040009475205343122009-08-30T12:54:00.001-04:002009-08-30T12:59:51.309-04:00UFC 102 RecapOn paper last night's UFC 102 seemed like a bit of letdown after the stacked cards the UFC put on with 100 and 101. However, what the card lacked in star power it more than made up for in exciting fights. Let's recap the action:<br /><br />Televised Bouts:<br /><br />Randy Couture v. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira<br /><br />This fight took home fight of the night and for good reason. These two grizzled veterans put on a show befitting men 10-20 years their junior (20 in the case of Couture). For a fight between an Olympic calibre wrestler and possibly the best submission heavyweight of all time these two really traded leather.<br /><br />Randy was unable to implement his clinch game against the fence and he payed for it. Nogueira stayed outside and implemented his effective boxing from distance using his technique and reach advantage to land some solid shots. Randy was dropped a couple times and wobbled a few more.<br /><br />Couture landed some solid shots with his dirty boxing but nothing Nogueira hasn't survived before. It was amazing how good Nogueira looked after his last fight against Mir but that's the difference between a healthy Nogueira and one with an injury and a staph infection.<br /><br />This Nogueira, who not only dominated Randy on the feet, but also on the ground almost sinking in an arm triangle and an anaconda choke, looks like a true contender again. Carwin might have the next shot at Lesnar but Nogueira is definitely back on the radar for a title shot.<br /><br />Couture showed the grit and heart of a champion as he was in bad shape on multiple occasions but always found a way to keep his cool and surivive. Unfortunately he was so throroughly dominated that Nogueira took home an impressive unanimous decision. It will be interesting to see who Couture fights from here having lost two fights in a row and being out of the title picture for the moment.<br /><br />Being 46, Couture only wants the biggest fights. Maybe a showdown with Frank Mir is looming?<br /><br />Keith Jardine v. Thiago Silva<br /><br />Silva brutalized Jardine winning by TKO in the first round. Jardine's usually confounding, unorthodox style proved to play no part in this fight as Silva moved straight forward until he landed the winning blow.<br /><br />Silva looked very impressive against a guy who lost a very close split decision against former UFC champion Quinton Jackson. Could Silva be the next Rich Franklin? Could he be better than almost everyone else in his division but still so far behind the champion that Silva is left in limbo only to see lesser fighter's pass him by?<br /><br />As for Jardine this is a crushing blow. He thought he proved something in the loss against Jackson. However, now that he's lost in brutal fashion to two Silvas (Wanderlei and now Thiago) is his KO switch getting shorter and shorter a la Chuck Liddell? Unfortunately Jardine is looking more and more like a gatekeeper than a contender. Someone who can keep the trash from rising to the top and can surprise a contender but not a real threat to the title.<br /><br />Nate Marquardt v. Demian Maia<br /><br />It seemed like everyone was riding the Maia bandwagon. Well, back to the drawing board bandwagon riders. Marquardt dispatched Maia in 21 seconds knocking him out cold. If the fight had lasted long enough for it to get to the ground who knows what could have happened but that question will have to be answered some other time.<br /><br />Marquardt is now pushed to the front of the line for a shot at Anderson Silva's title with the likes of Dan Henderson. Both guys are looking to put on a better showing than their last title shot. Maybe this title eliminator could be the first marquee non title fight the UFC could showcase in a five round fight now that the NSAC has sanctioned such fights?<br /><br />For Maia this is a significant setback. Hopefully this will only push him harder to work on his striking and become a better and more well rounded fighter. I can't wait to see him back in the cage turning lesser fighters into human pretzels.<br /><br />Chris Leben v. Jake Rosholt<br /><br />Everyone also seemed to be riding the Leben bandwagon. The hometown kid, made good, comes home for his moment in the sun. Unfortunately for him Rosholt was having none of that.<br /><br />This turned into a much more exciting fight than I had anticipated. Rosholt's stand up actually looked solid. He stayed outside of Leben as much as possible trying to stick and move knowing getting into a fire fight with Leben could mean a quick night.<br /><br />Rosholt had a little trouble in the beginning getting Leben to the ground which was somewhat surprising given Rosholt's All-American wrestling background but once he did it was game over. Rosholt passed Leben's guard at will raining down blows until finally Leben gave up an arm triangle choke as Rosholt put him to sleep before Leben even had a chance to tap.<br /><br />This was a very disappointing loss for Leben who has now lost two fights in a row, this time in front of his hometown, and he was looking for redemption coming off a steroid ban. All around this was a huge step back for Leben.<br /><br />On the other hand, this fight went exactly as planned for Rosholt as far as the UFC is concerned. They've been trying to push this kid ever since he came in from the WEC but unfortunately he lost his first UFC fight. Now though Rosholt has a submission win over a big name UFC fighter and they can start pushing this kid up the ladder. I hope Rosholt is prepared because it isn't going to get any easier from here.<br /><br />Brandon Vera v. Krzysztof Soszynski<br /><br />This was a very lackluster and unimpressive unanimous decision victory for Vera. He was obviously the faster and more technical striker. However, what frustrated Soszynski most was his inability to get the fight to the ground. Vera was able to stand up almost the entire fight and pick Soszynski apart.<br /><br />This setback is minor for Soszynski given his recent success in the UFC but hopefully he will have a lot to work on and improve after this fight that will make him a better fighter down the road.<br /><br />As for Vera he's now on a two fight winning streak but this fight wasn't nearly as impressive as his last one. It will be interesting to see who the UFC puts him up against next. I think it's time to throw him in to the fire against the next level of competition. Do they put him up against his original opponent Matt Hamill or do they up the ante?<br /><br />Ed Herman v. Aaron Simpson<br /><br />Herman might've lost by TKO due to injury in the second round but this fight was all Simpson from the beginning. Simpson's striking looked more crisp and powerful right from the start. He dropped Herman a couple times but Herman somehow survived.<br /><br />Then on a routine double leg takedown Herman injured his knee. He made it to the end of the first round and tried to keep fighting in the second but as he went for a head kick his knee gave out on him and the fight was stopped. However the injury was irrelevant as Simpson was looking to make mince meat out of Herman anyway.<br /><br />Unfortunately almost none of the hometown products had a successful night as Herman, another Oregon product, has now lost three of his last four fights. Simpson retains his undefeated record with his second win in the UFC.<br /><br />Tim Hague v. Todd Duffee<br /><br />Duffee, the American Top Team product, tied the fastest KO ever, laying Hague down in seven seconds beating the mark of eight set by Don Frye and James Irvin. Duffee laid Hague down with a stiff jab and finished him on the ground with a crushing left hook.<br /><br />Duffee makes his UFC debut an impressive one. No offense to Hague but I'm excited to see Duffee against stiffer competition. Hague will be back. This is only his first loss in the UFC and he's a scrapper. He'll be back filling in undercards in no time.<br /><br />Marcus Aurelio v. Evan Dunham<br /><br />Finally an Oregon product comes through as Dunham wins by split decision. The first round was all Dunham as Aurelio looked really complacent and almost drained. Dunham lit him up with his striking to take the first round easily.<br /><br />The second round got very interesting as both guys were trading shots. This was the swing round that really could've gone either way but two judges gave it to Dunahm.<br /><br />The third round appeared to me to be all Aurelio even though one of the judges scored it for Dunham. He was landing the better shots and got a couple takedowns and looked good on the ground.<br /><br />Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Aurelio took this fight on short notice so it's tough to say how prepared he was for this fight given his slow start. Hopefully next time out he's ready to go from the opening bell because if this had been a five round fight I honestly don't think Dunham would've won.<br /><br />For Dunham he is now 2-0 in the UFC but for Aurelio he is 2-4. It will be interesting to see if the UFC brings him back after a strange fight like this. Do they think they will get the Aurelio from round one or round three?<br /><br />Untelevised Bouts:<br /><br />Gabriel Gonzaga v. Chris Tuchscherer<br /><br />Gonzaga wins by first round TKO. Gonzaga unfortunately is turning into the gatekeeper of the heavyweight division. Granted he had his title shot already but he can't seem to get over the hump against the really tough competition but he just destroys all the lesser fighters.<br /><br />Justin McCully v. Mike Russow<br /><br />Russow wins by unanimous decision on a crazy scorecard. One judge had the fight 29-28 while another had it 30-26. Russow makes his UFC debut a solid one while McCully goes back to the drawing board with a 2-2 UFC record.<br /><br />Mark Munoz v. Nick Catone<br /><br />Munoz wins by split decision. Munoz rebounds nicely from his brutal KO loss to Matt Hamill. Catone is hoping to hang on to his job having lost his last two fights in the UFC.<br /><br />Fight of the night was an obvious choice going to Couture v. Nogueira. There was stiff competition for KO of the night between Marquardt and Duffee but Marquardt took home the prize. And Rosholt took home submission of the night by default.MMAdnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592394636800046330noreply@blogger.com0