UFC 104

Pretty stoked about getting a free ticket to UFC 104. I'm going to
check-out part of the weigh-ins today, when I pick-up my ticket. I saw
my first weigh-in during a UFC in Vegas last December. It was a pretty
big event in itself. I don't expect a big turnout today, but it's cool
to see all the fans fired-up before the event. And that's really the
allure of a live UFC event. It's all about being in the crowd. I can't
afford to sit where I can actually see the fight that well. So, you
are basically paying to see the fight projected on a big screen. To be
honest, you see much better with the PPV. But it's the crazy fans that
make the event. The sounds of hearing a guy get hit, when you are 200'
away. And seeing all the undercard fights. This card features 11
fights! That's a lot of MMA for one evening. I'm ready.

UFC 103

Saw UFC 103 at the local sports bar. It was a combination date night
and birthday celebration, as the wife and I went with another couple.
Yeah, it's cool to have an understanding wife that would put up with
going to a fight as a "date". Much less a couples night. We had fun.

Belfort is back. He didn't waste many punches and tore-up Franklin
once he did engage. I wasn't sure what to expect for Vitor, but he
impressed. Same for Paul Daley. I've heard of the guy, but never seen
him fight. He's got some heavy hands. Dos Santos becomes a major
heavyweight player; with a striking beatdown of Cro Cop. But
ultimately, I'm still not sure he has the power or size to contend
with Lesnar.

It's rumored that Vitor is jumping both Hendo and Marquardt as the
next Anderson Silva victim. I'm interested in that fight. I gotta say
that seeing either wrestler take on Anderson is not the most appealing
fight. But they both did the best against him. Maybe it will keep
Silva from thinking about the supposed Mir fight.

I'm a fan of Tyson Griffin and he looked pretty good. He was mixing it
up well and changing levels, looked very quick and powerful. He
will/should get a title shot one day.

What went wrong? UFC 102

Went 2 of 5 this weekend, not very good. Time to see what really happened.

 

Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs.  Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Well, I got the Nogueria almost subbing out Randy part right. But Minotauro was more than up to the task in the striking department. He rocked Randy several times. Big Nog looked really good. Still, it was a very solid fight and these two guys let the leather fly early and often. I had Randy losing all 3 rounds. The bigger story is Randy signing a 23-month, 6-fight deal? WTF? I hope that's not true.

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva

What can I say, the Jardine roller coaster continues. Thiago was clearly motivated to prove himself after losing to Machida. Not a bad guy to have your only loss against. I'll give Silva credit, he gave the Mean One a beatdown.

 

Middleweight bout:  Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt

I got this one right. But it was noteworthy because Yves Lavine missed the tap of Leben, and the huge home crowd got to see him go unconscious and convulse. Nice job Yves.

 

Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

Marquardt made a fool of Maia's standup game (or lack thereof). A spectacular KO, given that Maia had changed directions in mid-air.

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Brandon Vera vs.  Krzysztof Soszynski

Vera fought a very smart fight and picked apart Krzysztof. The Truth was just too fast, stepped away from any punches and didn't let Soszynski take him down. Kinda boring, but a well executed gameplan. Vera kept the fight going his way for 3 rounds.

UFC 102 Picks

Who do you like for this weekend? Here's my take....

Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs.  Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

I'm probably blinded by the fan in me, but I think this one is Randy's. Both guys are coming off of losses. But Minotauro looked especially bad. I think Couture is actually still improving his game. His striking against Lesnar was going pretty well, right up until he was grazed by a Thanksgiving turkey-sized fist. I see Couture having a distinct striking and stamina advantage. Big Nog will probably get pounded, fall to the ground and then look to sub Captain American. Other than that happening, I'm calling it a TKO or at least a decision for Xtreme Couture.

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva

I don't like to call this one, namely because Jardine is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. But it's hard to be consistent when you constantly face top tier guys in a stacked 205-division. I think Thiago's record, while impressive, doesn't have the names on it that Jardine's does. I'm going with the Jardine that took Rampage deep, not the Jardine that got dominated by Wandy.

 

Middleweight bout:  Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt

I think Leben's best days are behind him. He's still facing a slugger, but I'm hoping Jake can use a variety of tools to frustrate, tired and beat Leben. That's all I got on this match-up.

 

Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

Maia has brought sexy back. I'm as amazed by his jits as when I first saw Gracie and couldn't believe he was choking out guys 100 pounds heavier than him with magical moves. That said, it's Marquardt's fight to lose. He's very well rounded and powerful; and can dictate where this fight goes, or doesn't go. If his ego gets in the way, he could get subbed. If he plays it smart, he will win. The problem is convincing him that grinding out a win is OK. Unfortunately, the guy wants to put on a show. Don't fall for it Nate. You may still KO the guy, just don't risk too much.

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Brandon Vera vs.  Krzysztof Soszynski

Another tough call. Vera is a trainwreck, just getting it back together against weaker 205 opponents after falling apart in the heavyweight division. Soszynski is pushing himself by taking this fight and way be in over his head. The Polish Experiment is evolving quickly, showing power in his last fight. but has he made enough improvement to defeat a Vera caliber guy? I'm a bit tired of hearing about talented Hawaiian guys saying they finally see the light and are now committed to training and fighting. Vera is no Penn. I'll take a flyer on an improving Krzysztof.

 

UFC 102

When I first heard of the headliners for UFC 102 (Couture vs. Nogueira) I was less than excited. I am a big Couture fan, but I figured this is a fight that should have happened years ago. Now, both guys are coming off losses and it's a bit underwhelming. Yet, it is a soild card and that's what makes for a good event, not just one headline fight.

 

Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs.  Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Light Heavyweight bout:  Keith Jardine vs.  Thiago Silva

Middleweight bout:  Chris Leben vs.  Jake Rosholt

Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs.  Demian Maia

Light Heavyweight bout:  Brandon Vera vs.  Krzysztof Soszynski

 

Preliminary card

Middleweight bout:  Ed Herman vs.  Aaron Simpson

Heavyweight bout:  Gabriel Gonzaga vs.  Chris Tuchscherer

Heavyweight bout:  Justin McCully vs.  Mike Russow

Heavyweight bout:  Tim Hague vs.  Todd Duffee

Middleweight bout:  Nick Catone vs.  Mark Muñoz

Lightweight bout:  Marcus Aurelio vs.  Evan Dunham

 

I always love to see Jardine fight. Leben is usually good for an entertaining fight as well. Marquardt vs Maia probably determines the next Anderson Silva victim. Looks to be a classic wrestling/jitz battle. Nate is one powerful dude, but should probably take his chances standing. I know Marquardt has some definite submission skills, but Maia is on a crazy level. Demian has won all his UFC fights via submission, and usually Sub of the Night honors. Vera vs Krzysztof is also interesting. Soszynski took this one on short notice, and it's definitely his chance to jump up the 205 ladder. Will be a good indicator of where his overall game is at. I'm pulling for him since he was entertaining on TUF and trains with Hendo.

 

Who is Tuchscherer? I guess the guy got to skip TUF 10 and straight to a legit heavyweight in his first UFC fight. They're obviously fast tracking this guy. I'm interested to see how he does. Russow, Duffee and Hague are also pretty much brand new Lesnar bait. I like keeping on top of the heavies, since the UFC is obviously looking to stock up that division. And TUF 10 is just around the corner...

 

 

Strikeforce actually a force in MMA?

Well, the San Jose based fight promotion best known for the upcoming Carano vs Cyborg fight has signed a free agent.  Fedor. Pretty big news in the MMA world. So, the UFC will not get it's Brock vs Fedor fight any time soon and too bad. I don't see too many interesting fights on the horizon for the UFC beyond this year. The big question is how long Strikeforce will last. They have a few heavyweights, but Fedor will mow through them in 3 events. What then? It's basically Affliction all over again?

 

It would be cool to see them groom a ladies division that the UFC would probably not counter. Likewise, Strikeforce should probably leave the lighter weight classes as a niche to the WEC. But competition can be a good thing. Maybe a legit heavyweight fighter will give allow Strikeforce to succeed where Elite XC and Kimbo failed? In the end, I see this as purely a way for Dana White to have more fighters groomed in a rival league, which he will poach when they go out of business.

Here comes Fedor!

Well, Affliction Trilogy is an official bust. It was announced last week, that Affliction was cancelling the event. The bigger news is that the "T-shirt Guy" as Dana White called him, had agreed to work with the UFC, not promote their own fights, and have Affliction advertising back on the Octagon. Wild. So much is back to the future as far as the UFC is concerned. Randy Couture, Affliction and even Tito Ortiz has apparently made up with the biggest game in MMA. You can try to resist, but like the Borg in Star Trek, you will get assimilated eventually.

 

This means Fedor is a free agent?!! Well, kinda. I've read that M-1 Global, his managing partner, has put excessive demands on the UFC. Co-promoting the fight and building an arena in Russia are the common rumors. Sounds like extortion to me. The problem now is Dana White's ego. He doesn't appear ready to bow to anyone. This attitude made the UFC what it is today. But will it ultimately cost the heavyweight division?

 

 

 

Doh!

Well, it turns out that the rumors were true. Barnett tested positive for steroids and was not certified to fight next weekend. There is a fair amount of buzz about who his replacement opponent will be. I've heard anyone from Bobby Lashley and Tito Ortiz to Jeff Monson.

 

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but that's probably not true in this case. I think that Affliction has to be hanging on by a thread, in this economy, as a fight league/promoter. UFC fighters can't wear Affliction, so that takes away their signature line of merchandise as a clothing company. This is the last fight that Fedor has under his current contract with Affliction. Barnett has thrown a big wet blanket over the whole event; it has also shown that there aren't a whole lot of legit heavyweight fighters left for Fedor.

 

Vitor Belfort remains a strong possibility. I've already said he's undersized. So is Tito. Lashley is too green. Brett Rogers might be a good fight, but he probably has a exclusive contract with Strikeforce.

 

Ultimately, it's pretty bad for Affliction. Fedor is really the only draw for the promotion. Dana White is probably enjoying this (a little too much), he's already had an issue with Barnett and steroids. If this gets Fedor in the UFC, cool. I'd love to see him dismantle Lesnar.

UFC 100

After a few extra days to think about it, I've decided that Hendo saved UFC 100. Lesnar ground-and-pounded Mir pretty good, but the bigger news was his post-fight rant. It was very WWE inspired. Dana had to be upset that it became bigger than the event itself. GSP dominated Alves. I was impressed. For not having a wrestling backgound, GSP is a 'wrasslin stud. But the highlight of these events are the knockouts; it's what the people remember most. Hendo delivered. It also took Bisping quite some time to regain his senses. Hendo gets brutality points for flying-in with an extra punch to the sleeping Bisping. Kinda cheap, but you never know if a fights over. On the flip side, Bisping was out pretty cold.

 

I'm looking forward to Penn/Florian and Silva/Griffin next month. Those are some interesting fights!

 

 

UFC 100

Tons of coverage for this event. It's pretty cool to see stories in the mainstream media about the UFC and MMA. Unfortunately, it usually centers around Lesnar, who is the cross-over WWE star. In hindsight it was a good move by Dana to bring in Lesnar. The heavyweight division was sorely lacking in talent and like it or not Lesnar has a broad appeal that brings in casual fans.

 

Who do I like this weekend? Mir, Hendo and Alves. I'm going to be pretty partial in all my picks, since I'm basically going with the fighters I like, versus guys I dislike (GSP excluded)

 

I have a hard time accepting Lesnar for all his hype, yet he's a guy that nearly made the Minnesota Vikings on a tryout before he decided on MMA. So the guy is a monster, but an athletic one at that. The most entertaining thing is that he's build like a real world Hulk. His neck looks like the Ram-Man character from He-Man, or Juggernaut from X-men. That said, I like Mir. I don't doubt Brock's smashing power, but Mir should be able to dodge/out-strike Brock on the feet. If it gets beyond the first round, it's all Mir. Frankie should have a gameplan to take Brock into the later rounds and pick him apart, then sub him out when a tired Lesnar goes for a takedown.

 

Hendo seems to be better than Bisping in all but age. I wouldn't argue that Hendo's last few fights were on the boring side. But after losses to Rampage and Silva, I don't blame him for grinding out wins. You lose too many in a row and you're done in the UFC. I guess it's a question of whether Hendo is too old for the sport or not. But the icing on the cake was how much of a "douchebag" Bisping really is. I myself am more of a Hendo-type. So, seeing the overly animated and antagonistic Bisping for 8 weeks was annoying. Smash that wanker's face in Hendo!

 

GSP vs Alves is the true match-up on this card. GSP is one of the best pound-for-pound guys in the world right now. He's demolished a lot of guys (except for Matt "Rocky/Lucky" Serra), and seems to be getting better with every fight. Along with that, GSP has gotten bigger with each fight and pretty much over powered his opponent, albeit with a ton of skill and technique as well. Alves is a true test. The guy will destroy you in the clinch and has heavy hands. I don't think Georgie will throw Alves around like his former opponents. I hope to see GSP put to a real test, and hopefully Alves lands a big shot within the 5 rounds.

 

That said, it's MMA and one punch can end a guy's night. I'm notorious for bad picks. But I recognize that I tend to pick from my heart not my brain. It's more fun for me that way.

 

 

TUF 10

I'm pretty stoked about UFC 100. Two title fights and TUF 9 coaches going at it. But lost in the shuffle was the TUF 10 roster. It's very interesting. A bunch of monsters. Almost all of the guys have college/NFL experience. There's Nelson and Kimbo and a couple of other 1-2 fight UFC guys. I think that shows the lack of talent in heavyweight. But hopefully, this will re-stock the monster division. Going purely by the bios, the muay thai kickboxer dude that trains with Greg Jackson has to be my favorite. I've always thought that you can be athletic and teach wrestling to a point; but born and bred martial artists will hold the respective weight class belts the longest.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=Amag236BTpSIVTeJXmIKK8g9Eo14?slug=mmajunkie-TUF10_fighters_officially_unveiled&prov=mmajunkie&type=lgns

TUF Finale

Wow. I had heard plenty of reaction about the Ultimate Fighter Finale, but didn't actually watch it until last night. I gotta say that it was one of the better fight cards I've seen lately. I think I'm getting spoiled, since the last WEC card was extremely good as well. This puts quite a bit of pressure on UFC 100.

 

I have respected Clay Guida for his stamina and wrestling. You can't argue that he brings energy to the ring. But, I've always felt that he got the benefit of the doubt with inactivity on the ground and ultimately some lay & pray action. This fight showed me something else. That Guida is one tough dude. Sanchez had him bloodied and battered, with an arguable two-point first round. Guida kept coming. A great fight.

 

I had heard that there were three Fight of the Night awards. Shouldn't there be only one Fight of the Night? But it's great that 6 fighters got paid for putting on a show. Maybe this is a good idea after all. It will gives positive reinforcement for putting it all out there and that's what people want to see. The UFC has had a few too many duds on PPV. Nothing motivates better than money?

Endless Summer (of MMA)

Here's what I'm looking forward to this summer!

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-blockbusters061509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns