Mark Hunt KOs Frank Mir

Yikes. Mir does not look great.

UFC 164 Recap

Some big fights took place last night in Milwaukee at UFC 164. Chad Mendes and Ben Rothwell got wins but lets focus on the two big ones. 

Josh Barnett returned to the UFC after being away from the company since 2002. He scored a 1st round TKO victory over former Heavyweight champ Frank Mir.  This is huge for the division.  Throw Barnett's name in the top mix with Velasquez and Dos Santos.  Hell even Travis Browne who crushed Alistair Overeem allows for some great potential match ups with the big boys. 

The main event saw the rematch between Lightweight champ Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, where it was the champ looking to overcome a loss in the WEC, a notable loss for how it happened.  (Pettis' crazy run up the cage kick to the face.)

Henderson started out all well and good but ultimately on the ground Pettis grabbed an arm and would have snapped in half.  Worst of all for Benson, he verbal tapped.  Is there anything worse?  Don't get me wrong Henderson is one of the best in the world and would kick my ass blah blah but verbal tap?  Yikes.  Wonder if he just said "uncle."

Great night of fights and don't blink but there are more coming this Wednesday on Fox Sports 1, headlined by Ryan Bader vs. Glover Teixeira. 

Mir Snaps Nog's Arm; UFC 140 Results

MAIN CARD:
Jon Jones def. Lyoto Machida via technical submission (standing guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:26 (to retain light-heavyweight title)
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira* via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:38
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Tito Ortiz via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:15
Brian Ebersole def. Claude Patrick via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Chan Sung Jung def. Mark Hominick via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 0:07

UNDER CARD:
Igor Pokrajac def. Krzysztof Soszynski via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:35
Constantinos Philippou def. Jared Hamman via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 3:11
Dennis Hallman def. John Makdessi via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:58
Yves Jabouin def. Walel Watson via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Mark Bocek def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jake Hecht def. Rich Attonito via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:10
John Cholish def. Mitch Clarke via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:36

^Tito Ortiz and Big Nog went to the hospital following their losses. Each fighter could very well be done.

*Big Nog refused to tap to a kimura. The results (below) aren't pretty.



-Keefe

What's Next For the UFC Heavyweight Division?

Cain Velasquez sits atop the Heavyweight Division in the UFC following his impressive victory over former champion Brock Lesnar. Cain will defend his newly won title vs. the #1 contender Junior Dos Santos. That is what we know. But what about the rest of the top-tier heavyweights including former champions and interim champs. It's as head scratching as a recent M. Knight Shyamalan movie.

Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Roy Nelson are all Top 10 Heavyweights in the world of mixed martial arts, and after the recent news that Carwin is injured and had to pull out of his fight with Nelson at UFC 125, all five of these fighters are looking for opponents. Here's a fighter-by-fighter analysis of what could be next. At the end, I will tell you how I would map out the heavyweights.

Brock Lesnar:
Lost UFC title, after 2 defenses, at UFC 121 last weekend to Cain Velasquez. Lesnar suffered a serious cut to the face, just a nasty cut, and could be out at least 6 months to recover. What do you do with Lesnar? Is he 1 fight away from getting another title shot? Some of the options for Lesnar include a trilogy bout with Frank Mir or depending on how serious his injuries are, wait for the loser of Velasquez/Dos Santos. It's difficult to project as Lesnar could be out until at least April.

Shane Carwin:
Carwin was set to be in the co-main event at UFC 125 vs. Roy Nelson. He was forced out of the fight due to injury. Carwin said that an MRI revealed a serious injury, if surgery is NOT needed he is out 8-12 weeks, but if it is required he would be out even longer. Bad news for a guy who just fought for the title and actually won the 1st round against Lesnar. A win over Nelson would have vaulted him back up into contention, but now he must wait.

Frank Mir:
Mir was scheduled to face Big Nog at UFC 119, but an injury to Nogueira allowed Mirko Cro Cop to fill in and get his name in lights. (UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop). It wasn't the most entertaining fight, at all, but Mir came out on top. Mir seems to have a number of options here. The aforementioned trilogy fight with Lesnar, a re-match with Carwin, the originally scheduled re-match with Big Nog, and even Brendan Scaub (coming off a win over Gabe Gonzaga) has called out Mir.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira:
As stated above Big Nog was scratched from the UFC 119 bout with Mir due to injury. Nogueira has not seen a lot of action over the past couple of years, he is also 1-2 in his last 3 with losses to the current champ Velasquez and Mir. You have to wonder how much Nogueira has left in the tank. With his style he can be dangerous for any opponent, but he has taken so much damage in his career.

Roy Nelson:
Nelson, the only guy on this list who seems to be ready to go in the next couple of months. After losing to Dos Santos in a #1 contender bout, he immediately got another chance to prove himself when Joe Silva scheduled him to face Shane Carwin. But now Nelson must wait for a replacement.

If I were in charge of the booking for the UFC, this is how I would schedule the top heavyweights. (Dates of fights all TBD based on length of injuries)

Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Challenger Junior Dos Santos. That was easy.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, do the trilogy now. With injuries you never know when you'll get a chance to do it, and it wouldn't be exciting if it was 5 years from now a la Liddell vs. Ortiz.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub. Schaub wanted Mir, but he should get the guy scheduled to face the former champ at UFC 119. Schaub passed his test with a win over Gonzaga, this would be even more impressive and put him squarely in the division's Top 10.

Roy Nelson vs. Ben Rothwell. It might look like something you would see at the Double Duce, but these guys are legit. Rothwell last fought at UFC 115 and picked up a win over Gilbert Yvel, so he could be ready to step right in for Carwin at UFC 125.

Shane Carwin vs. Velasquez/Dos Santos Loser. Especially if Carwin is going to be sidelined for a long time, he can await the loser of the title fight. If Shane comes back much sooner give him someone like Kongo, Cro Cop, or Gonzaga.

What matches in the heavyweight division do you want to see? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.


-Keefe

Besse's UFC 111 Preview and Predictions

It's been a while since I posted a thorough preview and in-depth predictions for a UFC event. I don't know if any of you will even read it or take stock in what I say, but I don't care. It's my blog (half of it, anyway).

Tonight is a pretty major PPV event for Zuffa and UFC. First and foremost is the return of GSP since his five round molestation of Thiago Alves. You'll remember that GSP injured a muscle in the groin area in the third round, yet continued to abuse and dominate the ATT standout in every phase of the game, particularly taking him down repeatedly and walking out of the Octagon that night with the Welterweight title and Alves' soul and dignity in hand.

His challenger is Dan Hardy, an outspoken, entertaining brawler from the UK who brings heavy hands and excellent boxing technique, but a paltry resume that has many fighters and fans alike questioning the validity of his title shot. He's a huge underdog, but UFC had the right idea utilizing its "UFC Primetime" series, a blueprint of HBO's highly acclaimed "24/7" program to hype the fight. It's worked, as Hardy has displayed he is taking this seriously and has seized the opportunity to not only hype the fight appropriately and skillfully, but add his own twist that intrigued many a fan: training with the last man to beat GSP in Matt Serra, a disciple of Renzo Gracie, who by the way assisted GSP in his training.

In addition, we have a heavyweight attraction with two of the premiere big men in the world going at it. Due to Brock Lesnar's battle with diverticulitis, UFC made the Frank Mir-Shane Carwin co-main event a five round bout for the interim Heavyweight title. Since Mir's loss to Lesnar at UFC 100, he has put on well over 20 pounds of muscle and bulked up so that he has to cut weight to make the limit. He's done this in working with former World's Strongest Man competitor Mark Philippi at the Philippi Sports Institute. The Olympic style lifting has done wonders for me, he appeared bigger, stronger and faster in his quick dismantling of Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 back in December 2009. He beat Kongo to the punch, landing a crippling left hand that left Kongo dazed on the mat. Mir quickly pursued his down opponent, ripping off several strikes before locking in a brutal guillotine that eventually left Kongo limp and unconscious on the Octagon floor for several minutes. It was beautiful display of technique across many phases of mixed martial arts, a true sign that Mir is on the right track.

For Carwin, he returns after a one year layoff since Gabriel Gonzaga ran into his meat truck of a hand and got flatlined in the process. Carwin brings an interesting skillset with his massive size, decorated wrestling background and heavy, heavy hands. Mir has dubbed Carwin a better version of Lesnar, and while it may be too early to make that claim, tonight will be a great test and excellent barometer for the engineer from Colorado. He's 11-0 with 11 stoppages, all in the first round, all within the first three minutes of the fight. His wrestling, striking and crippling ground and pound speak for itself. And in his fight against Gonzaga, he showed his ability to absorb some heavy strikes, weather a storm, get up off his back against a high level grappler and finish a fight in an instant...all in the same fight. The test will be how he fares defensively both on his feet and on the ground against a guy like Mir, a two-time UFC champion with a more complete skillset striking and grappling.

The third attraction was supposed to be a rematch of Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves until a CAT scan revealed an irregularity in Alves' brain. Let's hope he's okay and it's not career ending. Ben Saunders has stepped up to replace Alves, and this will be an incredible opportunity for the young fighter who brings devastating knees and muay thai into the bout with the former Purdue wrestling standout.

A solid card top to bottom with two amazing fights at the top of the list. Now onto the predictions:

Georges St. Pierre v. Dan Hardy
UFC Welterweight Title Bout

Let's face it: St. Pierre may be the best fighter, pound for pound on the planet. His game has evolved to the point that he is fully competent and highly skilled in all phases. He brings a diverse striking skillset of punches and kicks that display his unbelievable athleticism. And if he gets uncomfortable on his feet against a dangerous striker? He can go to his wrestling, which may be as good as anyone's in mma. No one can stop his takedowns, and once he gets you down, even the best grapplers in the world are unable to neutralize his superb positioning, strength and conditioning to get back to their feet. He can submit from the top or finish you with strikes. And his penchant for dominating opponents over five full rounds means his cardio is top notch. The guy is a stud.

In Hardy, we have a man who is as dangerous a striker as you'll see in mma. His hands are fast, powerful and accurate, his boxing an aesthetically pleasing mix of technique and pure violence. If he puts his hands on you, it could mark the beginning of the end, if he hasn't already knocked you out cold (ask Rory Markham). But while he's displayed a competent ground game and takedown defense against the likes of Marcus Davis and Mike Swick, it doesn't simulate the high level wrestling that GSP is bringing to tonight's fight. And therein lies the rub. Hardy worked with the aforementioned Serra on his guard, positioning and overall grappling to prepare for GSP's ground attack. While Serra is the last man to beat GSP, he did it on his feet. And the last time Serra went to the ground with GSP, he was seen tapping out to the knees to the body. So I don't think that will have much of a difference in tonight's fight.

Prediction: Hardy may create some harrowing moments early in the fight. But this will resemble GSP's last several fights. Some diverse, technical boxing early on, working the jab and welcoming his opponent to get comfortable on his feet before dropping levels and securing a takedown, which is where it will stay until the end of the round. You can't tell me Hardy is any bigger or stronger than Alves, so I don't see him doing much better in terms of getting back to his feet. The only wildcard is Hardy has nothing to lose here, a potential upset hero looking to shock the world; it's the kind of fight you almost wish Gus Johnson was commentating for. But it won't happen. GSP is focused on establishing his legacy as the greatest welterweight ever, and he will continue that process with an absolute clinic tonight.

St. Pierre wins via (T)KO stoppage due to strikes in the 2nd round

Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin
Interim UFC Heavyweight Title Bout

This will be a tremendous test for both men, and the winner will be handsomely rewarded with the opportunity to unify the titles with Lesnar this summer. There will be a couple interesting dynamics to follow in this fight. First will be the striking aspect: how does Mir's fluid movement and diverse combinations work against Carwin's questionable defense and can Carwin land that big shot on the button and put Mir out cold? And on the ground: if Carwin lands in Mir's guard, can his power and ground and pound overshadow any improvements, if any, that Mir has made in defending from his back, or can Mir land a submission to end the fight?

Prediction: Both men will have their moments in this fight, and I don't think we'll question that either is still at the top of the heap when all is said and done. Mir has a more diverse artillery on his feet, and the strength and weight gain, without the expense of his speed and athleticism, have done wonders. Carwin brings serious power and wrestling to this fight, but I think Mir's technique and experience, as well as his motivation to fight Lesnar for a third time, will prevail. But I won't be upset if Carwin wins, he's a likeable guy that I'd enjoy watching fight Lesnar.

Mir wins via submission (d'Arce choke) in the 2nd round

Jon Fitch vs. Ben Saunders

A dangerous fight for both men. For Fitch, taking on an opponent like Saunders on short notice is brutal. He's hungry, has nothing to lose and will throw everything but the kitchen sink at him in an effort to win the fight. For Saunders, he takes on a guy who many feel is the #2 or #3 welterweight in the UFC right now. A man whose only loss in the organization was to the guy fighting in the main event tonight.

Prediction: Everyone knows where this fight is going...to the ground. Fitch will take Saunders down early and often to avoid any danger on his feet. He was training for Alves, another accomplished striker, but someone who inflicts damage with his hands and feet, not in the clinch with his knees. With that type of attack in question and unknown to Fitch, it's best to eliminate the grey area and get where he is comfortable and in control, in the guard effectively working his ground and pound. Saunders should be applauded for stepping in and taking this fight, but he won't be good enough to thwart Fitch's superior wrestling.

Fitch wins via unanimous decision

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes
Pellegrino via unanimous decision

Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek
Miller via (T)KO stoppage in the 3rd round

Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
Diaz via submission (guillotine choke) in the 2nd round

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown
Almeida via submission (kimura) in the 1st round

Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
Hamman via (T)KO due to strikes in the 2nd round

Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
Drwal via KO (punch) in the 1st round

Matthew Riddle vs. Greg Soto
Soto via submission (rear naked choke) in the 2nd round

There you have it. I'll check back in tomorrow with the results and see how I did. Enjoy the fights.

-Bess

MMA March Madness

The month of March is synonymous with college basketball, and that is fine, they earned it. (Let’s ignore the fact that the Final 4 is actually played in April.) But this year the world of Mixed Martial Arts is making a push for center stage. The WEC put on a card last weekend, and we still have three UFC events, yes three, as well as one from DREAM.

With only one of the next four MMA events being a pay-per-view, this is as good a time as any for non-fight fans to get involved. Here is a Cliff’s Notes version of what to watch this month.

On Sunday, March 21st, the UFC makes its Versus debut with the aptly named UFC on Versus 1. Unless you have DirecTV you will be able to watch these fights in the comfort of your own home. Four main-card bouts are scheduled for the televised portion of the card, and they are all worth watching.

Dorchester’s own John “Doomsday” Howard battles Daniel Roberts, who is filling in for the injured Anthony Johnson. Howard is a perfect 3-0 in his UFC career and looking to climb up the welterweight ladder.

Two solid heavyweight match-ups will lead into the main event. Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello and Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabe Gonzaga. All four of these guys are Top 15 heavyweights in the world, a loss for any one of them would significantly hurt their title chances.

UFC on Versus 1 concludes with a light heavyweight showdown between Jon Jones and Brandon Vera. Jones is coming off his first “loss” of his career. He was DQ’d for illegal downward strikes in a bout with Matt Hamill. Jones was absolutely dominating the fight, something even Hamill admitted to afterwards. So it is safe to say Jones is going to come out with a lot to prove, and he faces the toughest opponent of his career in Vera. “The Truth” is a former heavyweight who has been in the cage with some of the best the sport has to offer including Frank Mir, Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum, Keith Jardine, and most recently UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.

Just one night following UFC on Versus 1 it’s DREAM 13 from Japan on March 22nd. (This is where DirecTV subscribers get one back, as the main card airs on HDNet.) One of the best pound for pound fighters in the world headlines the card. Joachim Hansen, a top lightweight, drops down to featherweight to square off with Bibiano Fernandez for the organization’s featherweight championship.

The UFC holds their lone PPV event on March 27th in Newark, New Jersey at UFC 111. If you like welterweights this is the card for you. The title is on the line between the nearly indestructible Georges St. Pierre and surprising contender Dan Hardy. Since being upset by Matt Serra, GSP has ripped of 6 impressive wins against the very best the UFC has to offer.

Two of those six wins cames against Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves who will have their re-match on the main-card. Fitch won the previous bout via TKO in the 2nd round all the way back in June of 2006. The winner of this fight puts themselves in great shape for another title shot vs. the either St. Pierre or Hardy.

The interim heavyweight title is also up for grabs at UFC 111. With the injury/illness to Brock Lesnar, the heavyweight title picture was put on hold. Lesnar was scheduled to fight Shane Carwin, before he was forced out of action. Frank Mir got a win over Kongo back in December, and it just made since to put these two in the cage. So the co-headliner will feature an incredible heavyweight match up for the interim title between Carwin and Mir.

The month comes to a close with UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31st. The main-card will be live on Spike TV. There is some good local flavor at Fight Night 21. Jorge Rivera, born in Milford, MA, takes on tough middleweight Nate Quarry, both fighters were featured on different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.

In the main event Kenny Florian, born in Westwood, MA, and former Boston College soccer player, faces Takanori Gomi, in Gomi’s UFC debut. Ken-Flo has fought twice for the lightweight title, falling short both times, once to Sean Sherk and once to B.J. Penn. Those are his only 2 losses in his past 12 UFC fights. Gomi had been regarded as the top lightweight in the world while fighting in PRIDE. Gomi then lost back-to-back fights, he is now looking to get back to the top, of what has become a very strong lightweight division in the UFC.

Yes that is four fight cards in a 10-day span.

-Keefe

(This article can also be found at http://www.985thesportshub.com/ where there will soon be lots of MMA coverage, including podcasts, blogs from a team of writers, rankings, schedules, and more.)

Besse's UFC 107 picks

Several months ago, tonight was a night we couldn't wait for. We were finally going to see Quinton "Rampage" Jackson square off against Rashad Evans after some of the most intense sh*t talking this sport has seen. And TUF10 was going to get us even more jacked up for the fight. Unfortunately, "Rampage" got cast as the old Mr. T in the new "A-team" flick - with Liam Neeson, who's a badass, and Bradley Cooper, who was the man in "The Hangover". According to Dana White and "Rampage" himself, he'll return soon to settle the score.

But instead of that being tonight's main event, we get a lightweight title fight between BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez. Penn is uber talented at lightweight, and Sanchez is maniacal. I can't help but think part of the antics Sanchez displays are merely an act, but good lord this dude is awkward. I just don't see anyone beating Penn at lightweight. I thought Florian had a chance, but his brother is retarded and developed the worst gameplan in the history of MMA. And instead of holding Keith culpable, Ken-Flo dumps one of the best trainers in the game, Mark Dellagrotte, so he can go hang on GSP's nuts a little more with Firas up at Tri-Star. Here are my picks for the three main fights tonight...

BJ Penn defeats Diego Sanchez via submission (rear-naked choke) in the 3rd round
Frank Mir defeats Chieck Kongo via submission (kimura) in the 1st round
Kenny Florian defeats Clay Guida via decision

-Bess

Frank Mir - UFC 100 weigh-in pic

The best we've ever seen Frank Mir. Anyone have some laundry to do?

Besse's UFC 100 picks

Well, folks, UFC 100 is finally upon us. Just over 12 hours from now Mike Goldberg will open the show and then we'll here his patented line, "and I'm joined as always by my partner Joe Rogan." We're being treated to an absolutely stacked card, and we can only hope that some of these fights on the main card will end early so we can get a look at some of the preliminary fights. I'm not going to give a thorough, fully detailed breakdown of each fight, but I'll pick my winners below and offer a brief synopsis of my thought process on why I'm making that pick. Without further ado, let's get to it:

Brock Lesnar v. Frank Mir - UFC Heavyweight Championship

My pick: Frank Mir by 3rd round submission
If you watched the weigh-in yesterday, Mir looks to be in fantastic shape, the best of this point in his career. Since his most recent comeback, he's a more cerebral, calculated and dedicated fighter than he's ever been, and tonight will be his moment in the spotlight. Utilizing his improved footwork, I look for Mir to pick his spots on his feet and wear down and frustrate Lesnar. By the third round, Lesnar's gas tank will begin to depleet and Mir will take full advantage, pulling guard and submitting Brock to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Georges St. Pierre v. Thiago Alves - UFC Welterweight Championship

My pick: St. Pierre by 4th round (T)KO

Alves will give St. Pierre all he can handle early on, but it just simply won't be enough. St. Pierre is the champion for a reason, and he'll do all he can to avoid getting chopped down by the vicious leg kicks of Alves. It will be close after two rounds, but St. Pierre's impressive cardio will come into play, and he'll start to mount a charge in the third round. There, I look for him to press Alves against the cage, wear down his opponent, and set up a fantastic finish in the fourth. He'll score a takedown and work his way to a convincing ground and pound victory, leaving us all wondering if his next move is to middleweight to take on Anderson Silva in a superfight.

Dan Henderson v. Michael Bisping

My pick: Henderson by decision

Bisping is a talented middleweight and will one day challenge for the title. Heck, he may even win it. But it won't happen going through Henderson, not at this point in his career. Hendo knows what he has to do to get another shot at Silva, and he knows what he'll have to do to beat Silva, as well. Throw a few bombs and set up a take down, and stick to his bread and butter ground and pound. That's what he'll do tonight. Bisping may be the quicker, more technical striker, but he reminds me a lot of Joe Calzaghe. Not to compare the two by any means, but within the context of MMA and UFC, that's what I see: a guy with fast hands whose damage comes merely by accumulation of punches, not power. He won't hurt Henderson, but Henderson will hurt him. A few bombs will put Bisping on shaky legs, and Henderson will start landing some takedowns. He'll grind his way to a decision win.

Jon Fitch v. Paulo Thiago

My pick: Fitch by 2nd round (T)KO

Thiago scored a flash knockout over Josh Koscheck and had been getting dominated prior to it. Perhaps it was Koschecks fault for trying to replicate his hellacious KO victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida last December. Nonetheless, let's not crown Thiago just yet. Fitch is at the top of the sport in his division and he won't make the same mistake as his training partner at AKA. He'll wear down Thiago in the first and pound his way to victory in the second. Overall, a dominant showing by the former title challenger and a fall back to Earth for the promising prospect, who may be in over his head on this one...in fact, I thought he was against Koscheck, but that's what happens with 4oz. gloves. Anything can happen.

Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Alan Belcher

My pick: Akiyama by 1st round submission

Sure, Belcher spoiled the debut of middleweight superstar Denis Kang. But it was a guillotine chock off a takedown attempt. That happens and doesn't necessarily speak to a phenomenal jiu-jitsu game or a dominant performance. I look at it as a guy taking advantage of another man's mistake. Akiyama won't do the same thing. This guy is the real deal, and he should steamroll right through Belcher with a first round submission. Look for Akiyama to be clamoring for a title shot in early to mid 2010.

Preliminary Bouts:

Mark Coleman (15-9) vs. Stephan Bonnar (13-5)
Bonnar by 3rd round (T)KO
You have to respect everything Coleman has done for the sport and the fact that he's still competing at his age. But the guy has never adjusted to the fact that his gas tank is the size of a walnut. Plus there are rumors circulating that the former heavyweight had a lot of trouble with this cut. This fight should get Bonnar back on track, as he'll avoid an early flurry from Coleman and take it to deeper waters. Watch Coleman's tank run on "E" in the latter half of the fight as Bonnar begins to pick him apart and finish him on their feet.

Mac Danzig (21-6-1) vs. Jim Miller (13-2)
Danzig by 2nd round (T)KO
Everyone is picking Danzig to lose to Miller; everyone is also extremely high on Miller. So am I. But I'm going with a minor upset here. Danzig is a talented fighter, but he needs a win here to stay in the UFC. Miller has a promising, long career ahead of him within this organization. Danzig is motivated, and has the skillset to compete with a lot of talented lightweights. He'll utilize his wrestling and avoid a slew of submission attempts from Miller before working to side control and eventually the mount. GnP win for Mac.

Jon Jones (8-0) vs. Jake O'Brien (11-2)
Jones by spectacular death
Watch Jones masterfully pick apart O'Brien before turning the lights off with an early KO in the second round. It will be a contender for KO of the Night.

Dong-Hyun Kim (11-0-1) vs. T.J. Grant (14-2)
Grant by 2nd round submission
That blemish on Kim's record is a NC against Karo Parysian, a fight which he lost but had overturned after Parysian tested positive for god knows what. Certainly wasn't steroids, look at the guy. Grant is a submission guy, and a talented one at that. He'll work the fight to the ground and eventually lock one in.

C.B. Dollaway (11-2) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-2)
Dollaway by 1st round steamroll submission
Jesus, I'd stand a better chance against Dollaway. Good for Lawlor dropping weight, and he's a great personality and entertaining guy. But this is a showcase fight for Dollaway before they have him take the leap to the next tier of talented fighters in the middleweight division. Lawlor won't stop anything in this fight, most certainly not a takedown and submission quickly in the first.

Matt Grice (9-2) vs. Shannon Gugerty (11-3)
Gugerty by 3rd round submission
This could be your Fight of the Night. Grice can bang, and he got caught in his last fight against Veach and had trouble recovering. But up until that point, he'd been outclassing Veach on his feet. The decision was a disputable one, and you know he'll bring it tonight. But Gugerty has excellent submissions, and I trust has learned a lot from his submission loss to perennial contender Spencer Fisher at UFC 90. These guys will go to war for 2.5 rounds before Gugerty lands on the mat with Matt (like that?) and locks in a fight ending submission.

So there you have it. An excellent card throughout, hopefully we'll get to see some of these preliminaries.

Also, you'll notice on the sidebar that we've posted a link to my Twitter page. My Twitter name is @tbesse29. Keefe may be joining soon, as well, but for now, I'd love to have anyone and everyone following me on Twitter. Tonight I'll be tweeting during the fights, posting results, thoughts on the action and possibly even scoring rounds as they happen. Feel free to check it out, follow me and enjoy the action from your phone, especially if you can't watch the fights anywhere tonight but want updates. And I welcome any and all comments and thoughts on the action as we follow it tonight. Enjoy.

-Bess

UFC 100 This Saturday!

UFC 100 is just a couple of days away. It's a great card, as it really should be, highlighted by two title fights. The main card features the UFC debut of Yoshirio Akiyama in a middleweight bout against Alan Belcher. Belcher spoiled Denis Kang's much anticipated octagon debut, but I don't think he'll do it again. Akiyama is a showman as well as a Top 10 middleweight.

The conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter 9 was last month, but now the season's coaches square off on Saturday as Dan Henderson finally meets Michael Bisping. A title shot with Anderson Silva is on the line here, and I predict we're a few months away from Silva vs. Hendo II.

Jon Fitch returns to main card action after being in a title fight with GSP not to long ago. Fitch battles the unbeaten Paulo Thiago who upset Fitch's teammate Josh Koscheck with a surprise KO. Fitch wins this fight, and may likely get another crack at St. Pierre.

Georges St. Pierre puts his 170 pound crown on the line against the big (too big in fact in his fight against Matt Hughes where he was overweight) Thiago Alves. It's being billed as the toughest challenge in either fighters career. I don't buy it. Alves is good, but check out GSP's resume. I like St. Pierre to win and remain in the conversation of who is the best pound for pound fighter. Both guys have knockout power, but I see GSP winning a 5 round decision.

Mir vs. Lesnar II caps off an exciting night of fights. Lesnar was dominating the first fight before hitting Mir in the back of the head and thus being pulled off the former champ. Mir caught Brock in a knee lock and it was all over. If you saw their faces following the fight you would say there is no way Mir won, but that's the beauty of MMA. I'm torn on this one, and since I'm cheering for Mir I'm going to pick him. If Lesnar wins it sets up a trilogy which we've seen with Liddell/ Couture, and Tito/ Shamrock... could be something.

UFC Hall of Famer, ground and pound founder, and owner of ridiculous "old man strength" Mark Coleman battles Stephen Bonnar on the undercard, and the man to beat Bonnar in his last fight, Jon Jones is also in action.

I'm looking forward to Saturday... be sure to check it following the fights as I will post the full results from UFC 100.

-Keefe

And the best MMA heavyweight in the world is...

According to this video, Fedor still reigns supreme. This is absolute gold, whoever put this together. Check out the gut on Mir. As funny as it is though, you still have to wonder how someone has this much time on their hands...but bravo. And great ending.


Brock Lesnar VS Frank Mir at UFC 81 - Watch more Free Videos

-Bess

UFC 81 Results

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via submission - Round 3, 1:28, for Heavyweight Interim Championship Bout
Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via submission - Round 1, 1:30
Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via submission - Round 2, 1:37
Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via submission - Round 1, 1:08
Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision
Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via TKO - Round 1, 0:33
Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO - Round 1, 4:52
Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via unanimous decision
Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via split decision