Get'n Busy MMA Style

I'm pretty stoked about the upcoming MMA schedule. How does this sound for you?

 

March 27: UFC 111 - GSP/Hardy, Mir/Carwin, Fitch/Saunders

March 31: UFC Fight Night - Kenflo/Gomi, Big Country/Struve, Quarry/Rivera

March 31: TUF 11 Liddell/Ortiz - 1st Episode

April 8: Bellator 13 - Huerta/Hinton, Warren/Marriott

April 10: UFC 112 - Anderson Silva/Maia, Penn/Edgar, Hughes/Gracie

April 17: Strikeforce Nashville: Hendo/Shields, Mousasi/Lawal, Aoki/Melendez

April 22: Bellator 15 - Imada/Kheder

April 24: Dream 8 - ?

May 6: Bellator 17 - Alvarez/Neer

May 8: UFC 113 - Machida/Shogun 2, Kos/Daley, (Kimbo/Mitrione)

 

Looks like a steady diet of events through early May. It's the little things that get me through the day!

UFC 111

Good card coming-up this Saturday. I've been looking forward to this one. There are 1-and-a-half Championship fights. GSP takes on Dan Hardy for the welterweight belt and Mir goes against Carwin for the interim Heavyweight title. There was supposed to be a Fitch and Thiago Alves re-match, but Alves didn't pass a CAT scan due to brain irregularity. Kinda scary for the Pitbull, and a bit of a letdown. As an Alves fan, I was interested in these three fights. Also, Ellenberger was to face Ben Saunders. Saunders has been really impressive lately and absolutely destroying people with the Thai clinch and knees.

So, the kicker is that Fitch will now face Saunders! Wow. That is quite an intriguing fight. It will be a good indicator of where Saunders sits in the welterweight ladder. A big win over Fitch would boost him up into practically immediate title contention.

The winner of Carwin vs. Mir will get Lensar in early Summer, if healthy. Should both of these guys batter each other into long medical suspensions, it would be Cain Velasquez taking on Lesnar. So, the Heavyweight picture gets much clearer after UFC 111. I like the Mir and Carwin matchup. It's like a practice round for Mir. In that sense, I don't like his odds. Carwin has proven to have knockout power, finishing his fights early and often. Cawin has never seen the second round. In my mind, Carwin is actually a better version of Lesnar.

Rounding out the main card are two lightweight fights. The search for future BJ Penn opponents. I see Jim Miller getting a shot sooner or later. A convincing win would help.

That's the card as of right now. But I guess you never know....

Happy Monday

Someone has "a case of the Mondays" no longer. I just read that I'm getting VERSUS back on my DirecTV. About damn time. Funny coincidence that I was crying about it recently. I didn't get the details on what compromises were made or who "won". All that matters to me is that I am getting my UFC, WEC and NHL viewing back and just in time, too. Playoffs are just around the corner and missing one of those games would have sent me over the edge. The UFC also has two or three VERSUS televised events planned, and the first UFC Live is this Sunday. Talk about cutting it close. Angry about TV? Yes. I don't have a problem admitting my TV issues, considering I pay good money for it. DirecTV was the only game in town for NHL coverage when I first got it. I've been more than loyal, and they are actually pretty lucky that I didn't jump ship and get Comcast cable or Verizon Fios. I was strongly considering it.

But everything is cool now. DirecTV can continue to gouge me for my guilty TV viewing habits.

What's a Bellator?

Roger Huerta signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. Of course I know that organization. Honestly, the only reason I know about it is because Eddie Alvarez won the Bellator lightweight tournament last year. Alvarez is one of my favorite fighters from watching Dream. Huerta seemed at odds with the UFC. For a while, he was it's poster boy and seemed to be fighting on every other card. He had a streak of 6 straight wins. Then he lost to Kenflo and took a year off to pursue "acting and modeling". A year later he finished-up his UFC contract in a decision loss to Gray Maynard. But kept saying he wanted back in the fight game.

Well, he apparently does want to fight. Bellator's tournament style format suits a guy like Huerta, assuming that he can go deep in the tournament. El Matador will fight 4 times within the year, if he keeps winning. Apparently, the winner of the tournament gets to face lightweight champ Alvarez. I'd love to see Huerta vs. Alvarez. Both guys have granite chins and love to throw. It's a great match-up for guys that like good 'ole fashioned brawls.So, I'm pulling for Huerta to will the tourney.

The best part is that Bellator is working out a TV deal. I think last year's tournament was only on ESPN Deportes. (Which I don't get on Directv). Ironically, the Submission of the Year was by Toby Imada in that tournament, but I only got to see it via YouTube and Inside MMA replay.

I'm all for multiple organization, formats, and champions. It helps grow the sport and keeps things interesting. Between the UFC, WEC, Dream, Sengoku, and Bellator the lightweight category has a deep talent pool. The little guys are growing MMA.

WEC blues

I am still a little bitter about losing Versus on my Directv. Versus has NHL coverage and WEC fights. So, I talked myself into thinking that I wasn't that much of a WEC fan, but it was a lie. I love the lighter weight classes. They tend to have way better conditioning and faster pace fights. Maybe I just relate better to guys my size, as opposed to middleweight and above.

So, the last WEC show had the return of Miguel Torres and the new champ Brian Bowles on the card. Torres fought Urijah Faber protege, Joseph Benavidez. Faber's style is apparent in Benavidez's game. I've seen a bunch of Torres' fights and figured he would use his length, jab, clench work or submission game on the ground; not take one of the nastiest elbows to the forehead I've ever seen. Post-fight pics are pretty gruesome. I am pissed that I missed this fight.

Similarly, new bantamweight champ Bowles took on Dominic Cruz. Most people were calling for an easy win for power punching Bowles, since he took out Torres after all. But I was pulling for Cruz. I've seen this guy pick people apart. There's something about very skilled boxers that make the striking look very easy. I think Cruz has that. He proved me right, but I only read about it.

Now, I'm waiting for my MMA co-hort to invite me over and watch the TIVO'd fight. Any day now.....

Winning cures everything

With a 3-game winless streak, the Sens were not looking good in March. Meeting the last place team in the league would help turn things around. It wasn't easy, though. Delauriers (dee-lori-aye) was making crazy saves through a strong first period by Ottawa. 0-0. Then, the Oil scored in the second period 1-0. Uh-oh. But the 3rd was all Ottawa and once a puck found its way past the Edmonton goalie, three more followed. So, a nailbiter through half the game turned into a 4-1 beatdown. Sens fans are all smiles. 17 games left and still holding 5th in the East.

The Kings had dropped two-in-a-row. Columbus came to town. The Kings finally showed-up. They put a through beat-down on the Blue Jackets. A 4-0 first period chased Mason from the net. Former King goaltender Garon was the backup. I thought he was still in Edmonton. Anyway, he fared a little better but gave up 2-goals. 6-0 final score. I REALLY think the Kings can do some damage in the playoffs if they are at their best. They still have some work to do, but if the team starts playing well (like the start of the season) ya better watch out!

Bad Break?

The Olympic time off has not proven to be of any use for the Senators. Foligno hasn't returned from injury, and the Ottawa Olympians are playing tired. The Sens are 0-2 in March. Elliott had a nice groove going, but that's come to a screeching halt. They went to Pascal Leclaire in game #2 and he didn't make it out of the first period; two goals by their fourth line, in just over one-minute will do that.

 

I'm not pulling the panic cord just yet. The Sens started December with 5 losses in-a-row, then promptly won 11 in-a-row. But there's not a whole lot of season left and the margin for error is shrinking. I guess Clouston had the guys play dodgeball on the ice, instead of practice, before the 11-game win streak. Don't wait around, break out the dodgeball NOW.

 

Trade Deadline

I think the deadline is tomorrow at noon. But, the Senators made a move today, getting Andy Sutton off the Island for a second round pick. I'm pretty sure he's a UFA at the end of this season. And what little I know about Sutton is that he's a big dude, that's been around awhile. But 6'6", 245 is good enough for me. Matt Carkner is hardly the most skilled defenseman around, (albeit pretty skilled with his fists) but the Sens quickly realized what they were missing with his size on the backend. So, getting another big body is a solid move before the playoffs.

 

I read that Chelios was signed by the Thrashers! Apparently, he was signed, then waived. So, if he isn't snapped-up by Wednesday, he will remain in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, but will be available to the Thrashers. I think this is an insurance move, in case of injury or extreme trading outflow of defensemen??

 

The biggest trade already happened, with Kovalchuk going to New Jersey before the Olympic break. I don't expect a blockbuster trade.

 

 

 

Silver winner, is the Gold medal loser.

Tough losses for Teams USA. First it was the women who dropped their game to Canada. A tough loss, but anything less than silver for the women would have been considered a disaster. A little controversy over the Canadian women celebrating with cigar, beer & champagne on the ice, hours after the game was over. So what? To me, it's the Stanley Cup for women's hockey, the ultimate prize. They wanted personal pictures on center ice. All I know is that if it were the men's team, would anyone have batted an eyelash?

 

The USA men's loss was tough to swallow. A 0-2 comeback, capped by a game trying goal with 24 seconds left? Wow. But Crosby put a dagger in Team USA's heart during the OT period. I hear it was the most watched hockey game in the US for over 30 years. That's great for the sport. But what is probably lost, is that the US Team wasn't expected to do much. Don't get me wrong, I love Brown, Drury, & Backes, as they are hardworking players, but hardly the marquee players of the NHL. I was shocked at how the players came together and played an aggressive game. They simply outworked most of the teams. Brian Burke picked a collection of grinders to compliment the available skill-players. To me, those US wins were an example of how hockey is still a team game, and that a collection of all-stars (Canada) won't guarantee you anything. But the all-star team won out, that's not how it was supposed to end.

 

Ryan Miller got his due, and tournament MVP. To me, it's no secret how good that guy is. But for him to shine on the world stage was clutch and the accompanying attention well deserved. I had always considered him a top tier goalie, now it's undeniable.