UFC 145 has arrived

I'm pretty pumped for tonight's UFC 145 event from Atlanta, GA. And my company, Swirl, was awesome enough to let a few of us MMA junkies at the office use the big screen in the creative lounge to watch the fights together tonight. Should be a great time. We're all bringing our favorite fast food meals to enjoy while we watch some of the best athletes on the planet go toe-to-toe. Oh, the irony.

Tonight's main event is going to have a tremendous ripple effect in the MMA community, regardless of the outcome. I was talking about this with a co-worker yesterday, and the point I made is that the UFC will be in a great place no matter which fighter wins the title bout. If Jones defends successfully, the UFC's decision to sponsor him and essentially put their eggs in the proverbial one basket will be paid off tremendously. Jones will have defeated his rival and biggest test to date, one that was looming in the background the past year since he won the title from Shogun back in March 2011. Evans has always been the guy people wanted to see Jones fight, and it'll finally happen. If he wins, there's Dan Henderson and perhaps Alexander Gustafson down the road, but I think discussions will start to turn to Jones moving up to the heavyweight. He's now walking around at 230 and filling out his frame as he matures. And with Lesnar gone from the heavyweight picture, Jones could fill the void as "the big draw" in that division. And do what Brandon Vera never even came close to doing, despite many, including himself, predicting he would: be the first man to hold both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles at the same time.

On the flip side, if Evans wins, the light heavyweight division will get flipped upside down. Jones invincibility will be gone, the major deals potentially off the table for the time being, and a major rematch will loom. One that will be bigger than the Silva-Sonnen bout later this year. That would be HUGE money, and the UFC would not be in a bad place if that's the case.

The easy money is to bet on Jones tonight. He's a physical freak: the reach, the athleticism, the added strength, and the ability to soak up so much MMA knowledge in only a matter of 4-5 years. He's the best out there. But the smart money is on Evans. He's a 5 to 1 dog in Vegas, and quite frankly, I think that's a bit aggressive. Evans has shown the ability to finish fights on his feet and on the ground, something he was crucified for early in his career. Ever since the brutal Sean Salmon head kick KO, Evans has gone on to finish multiple opponents in exciting fashion: Liddell via one-punch KO, Griffin for the title via vicious ground-and-pound, and Tito Ortiz via knee to the body. And in other fights where he won via decision, he added excitement and overcame adversity in some cases. Against both Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson, he survived late scares, overcoming knockdowns to recover quickly and save the win. And against the latter, he put Jackson on his butt early in the fight, turning the tables on the once feared KO artist. His fight against Phil Davis was a tutorial, a glorified practice - or so it seemed. Davis, a highly touted prospect, had nothing for Evans. Literally. Evans is a stud, and he's got enough tools in his box to dethrone the champ.

The difference in the fight will be the jab and front kick of Jones. He'll need to use those at will to keep Evans at bay and avoid the challenger from closing the gap and dictating the pace and location of the fight. If he doesn't consistently jab and kick, Evans will work his way inside and either land a takedown or put fists to face. And either will be a problem for Jones. But for Evans, that's the rub. If he can't get in tight, he doesn't have a chance. No one in the UFC can win a fight from the outside against Jones simply b/c of his reach. Machida did it for a round, but Jones made the adjustment and was able to clip Machida several times in the 2nd round from the outside, the final one putting Machida on the mat, eventually leading to a nasty gash from a Jones elbow and ultimately ending with a standing guillotine.

I'm picking Jones to win, but if I decide to put money on the fight tonight, I'm taking Evans. The odds are too good not to. As for the action, I see Jones and Evans going toe-to-toe for a battle. It will be the defining fight for both fighters; Jones passes a grueling test against his biggest challenge yet, while Rashad shows the world that he really is one of the best EVER at light heavyweight. This won't be a 5-0 shutout. It'll be a 48-47 type of card, one that will earn a tremendous amount of respect for both fighters, and hopefully put an end to this ridiculous, bitter war of words between the two of them.

Main Event
Jon Jones defeats Rashad Evans via UD

Other Main Card fights
Rory MacDonald defeats Che Mills via 2nd round (T)KO
Ben Rothwell defeats Brendan Schaub via UD
Miguel Torres defeats Mike McDonald via 2nd round submission (rear-naked choke)
Mark Hominick defeats Eddie Yagan via 1st round KO (punch)

Hendo, Wanderlei Win; UFC 139 Results

MAIN CARD:
Dan Henderson* def. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Wanderlei Silva def. Cung Le via knockout (strikes) - Round 2, 4:49
Urijah Faber** def. Brian Bowles via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 1:27
Martin Kampmann def. Rick Story via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Stephan Bonnar def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-27)

UNDER CARD:
Ryan Bader def. Jason Brilz via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 1:17
Michael McDonald def. Alex Soto via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:56
Chris Weidman def. Tom Lawlor via technical submission (D'arce choke) - Round 1, 2:07
Gleison Tibau def. Rafael dos Anjos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Miguel Torres def. Nick Pace via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 0:42
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:52

*Hendo will likely face Jon Jones-Lyoto Machida winner for a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Title

**Faber will face Dominick Cruz (for the third time) for the UFC Bantamweight Title.

Be sure to check out The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings.

-Keefe

Night of Legends: UFC 139 Preview

Tomorrow night the UFC continues their ridiculous streak of events with UFC 139 out in San Jose. This card is stacked with former champions. The great champs from PRIDE will be well represented as Shogun Rua faces Dan Henderson, and Wanderlei Silva takes on former Strikeforce champ and action movie star Cung Le in his UFC debut. Also two of the best from the WEC square off with Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles.

Here is a closer look at the 6 MMA legends who will enter the cage on Saturday night.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
MMA Record: 20-5
UFC Record: 4-3
Last Five: 3-2

Key Wins: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem (2), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin
Key Losses: Babalu Sobral, Coleman, Griffin, Jon Jones

Achievements: PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion (2005), UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Dan Henderson
MMA Record: 28-8
UFC Record: 5-2
Last Five: 4-1

Key Wins: Carlos Newton, Gilbert Yvel, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Babalu Sobral (2), Renzo Gracie, Murilo Rua, Murilo Bustamante (2), Akihiro Gono, Kazuo Misaki, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Rafael Cavalcante, Fedor Emelianenko
Key Losses: Wanderlei Silva, Big Nog, Lil Nog, Ricardo Arona, Misaki, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Anderson Silva, Jake Shields

Achievements: UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Winner, PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix Champion (2005), PRIDE Welterweight Champion, PRIDE Middleweight Champion, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Wanderlei Silva
MMA Record: 34-11-1
UFC Record: 3-6
Last Five: 2-3

Key Wins: Guy Mezger, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba (3), Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (2), Ricardo Arona, Keith Jardine, Michael Bisping
Key Losses: Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Mark Hunt, Arona, Cro Cop, Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Rampage, Rich Franklin, Chris Leben

Achievements: PRIDE Middleweight Champion (2001-2007), PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion (2003). Most wins (22) and KOs (15) in PRIDE FC history

Cung Le
MMA Record: 7-1
UFC Record: ---
Last Five: 4-1

Key Wins: Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith
Key Loss: Smith

Achievements: Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, all 7 wins by KO

Urijah Faber
MMA Record: 25-5
UFC Record: 1-1
Last Five: 3-2

Key Wins: Cole Escovedo, Charlie Valencia, Dominick Cruz, Jeff Curran, Jens Pulver (2)
Key Losses: Tyson Griffin, Mike Brown (2), Jose Aldo, Cruz

Achievements: WEC Featherweight Champion

Brian Bowles
MMA Record: 10-1
UFC Record: 2-0
Last Five: 4-1

Key Wins: Charlie Valencia, Damacio Page (2), Will Ribeiro, Miguel Torres, Takeya Mizugaki
Key Loss: Dominick Cruz

Achievements: WEC Bantamweight Champion

With these 6 guys on the card, it should be great. Wanderlei is past his prime, but is still a must-see guy. I'm torn on my picks. I'll go Shogun, Le, Bowles.

Enjoy the fights.

-Keefe

Who is Shinya Aoki?

Following B.J. Penn’s unanimous decision loss to Frankie Edgar for the UFC Lightweight title, who is the best 155 pound fighter in the world? I nominate this man, Shinya Aoki. He makes his United States debut this Saturday night in Nashville, Tennessee fighting for the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship against Gilbert Melendez. But what do we really know about this Japanese submission specialist.

Aoki’s MMA Record (23-4) (4-0 Pride, 7-2 DREAM)

Notable wins: Mizuto Hirota, Joachim Hansen (2), Vitor Ribeiro, Eddie Alverez, Caol Uno, JZ Cavalcante, George Sotiropoulos

Notable losses: Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (2), Joachim Hansen

Titles: DREAM Lightweight Champion, Shooto Middleweight Champion, WAMMA* Lightweight Champion

*WAMMA = World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts, they currently have only 2 champions as Dana White and the UFC are not on board with WAMMA’s goal of having just 1 champion per weight class regardless of organization. Therefore Fedor (Heavyweight) and Aoki (Lightweight) are the only WAMMA champs at this time.

Aoki may be best known as the guy wearing pants who pulls off crazy submissions like gogoplatas and such. He is not imposing and at 5’11-155 often looks much weaker than his opponent. However strength is not a big part of Aoki’s game. Positioning, a crazy rubber guard, and of course submissions (14 of his 23 wins are by submission) are what make him great.

This past December, Aoki showed fight fans a different side of himself. He was scheduled to fight Kawajiri, but a short notice switch had him battle Mizuto Hirota. Aoki caught Hirota in a submission (jump to the 2:55 mark), pulling his arm behind his back until it broke, then immediately after, the normally calm, reserved fighter gave his fallen opponent the finger a la Brock Lesnar. The guy has fire.

On Saturday many American MMA fans will be introduced to Aoki, who will not be allowed to wear his signature pants. Die hard fans are well aware of Aoki’s significance in the sports, pointing to wins over JZ Cavalcante, Bellator Lightweight Champ Eddie Alverez, Sengoku Lightweight Champ Mizuto Hirota, and DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Champ Joachim Hansen.

Perhaps if those wins were over Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez, or even Joe Stevenson, Aoki would be a bigger name for the casual fan. Not participating in the UFC can be seen as not fighting the best fighters in the world, but not in the Lightweight division.

The 155 pound class, to me, is the only division (of the 5 UFC divisions) that if you did a competition pitting the UFC vs. The Field (Strikeforce, DREAM, WEC, Bellator, Sengoku, etc.) The Field would win. In many divisions, Light Heavyweight and Welterweight it wouldn’t even be close in favor of the UFC.

In a hypothetical 16 man Lightweight Tournament (something Dana White would never sign off on) the 8 best UFC Lightweights take on the 8 Best Non-UFC Lightweights. I will pick the teams right now off the top of my head.

UFC: B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Gray Maynard, George Sotiropoulos, Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, Clay Guida. (For argument sake Diego stays at 155)

The Field: Shinya Aoki, Eddie Alverez, Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Josh Thomson, JZ Cavalcante, Gilbert Melendez, Benson Henderson

How great would that be? Who do you think wins? I still say Penn wins the tournament, but I like The Field to send more guys to the 2^nd and the 3^rd rounds.

I guess my point is, the Lightweight division is a little bit different. Fighters like Aoki, who have not been in UFC, still get to face some of the toughest challenges that their division has to offer. That is why I am really looking forward to the Aoki vs. Melendez fight on CBS this Saturday.

And who knows, Aoki turns just 27 next month, he could fight in the UFC after all, but I don’t think he has to.

Strikeforce is putting on a potential “Card of the Year” with Saturday night’s event that boasts a ridiculous 3 title fights…

Light Heavyweight Championship: Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal

Middleweight Championship: Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson

Lightweight Championship: Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki

And did I mention that these fights are completely free? No pay-per-view here, just CBS this Saturday night. Enjoy the fights!

(Article courtesy of BostonThrowdown.com)

Don't call it a comeback

"Uh oh, light heavyweights. Tito Ortiz is baaaaaaaaaack."

Yesterday, Dana White held a press conference to make a litany of announcements regarding UFC. First and foremost, he addressed the Fedor situation, expressing disappointment in negotiations and clarifying that he had made every effort to sign the top heavyweight in the world, but felt negotiations were at an impasse.

In addition, White also announced the new main event for UFC 103 on Sept. 19 in Dallas, TX. Rich Franklin is still one half of that main event, but instead of a rematch with Dan Henderson, he'll be taking on newly signed Vitor Belfort, who will take part in his first UFC fight since a split decision loss to Tito Ortiz at UFC 51.

Speaking of Tito Ortiz, White confirmed after weeks of speculation that the former UFC light heavyweight champion is in fact returning to the UFC fold. After setting aside their differences, the two polarizing figures were able to reach an agreement that, according to White, will allow the fighter to "retire in the UFC."

Ortiz, who last fought at UFC 84 in a decision loss to current light heavyweight kingpin Lyota Machida, returns after back surgery which actually fused his spinal cord. It's similar to the surgery Nate Quarry had a couple years ago. Ortiz, battling back injuries dating back several years, has stated that this surgery will allow him to compete at 100% for the first time in a long time. While it remains to be seen how much of a difference this procedure will make at this stage of his career, the prospect of a "healthy" Ortiz is certainly enticing. Couple that with his incredible drawing power as a PPV machine, and you can see why White made a concerted effort to bridge the gap and make amends with the former champion. Certainly a victory for everyone involved, and personally, I'm hoping "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has one more run left in him.

That being said, Ortiz posted a video on YouTube yesterday documenting his first full day back in training. While it shows nothing ground breaking, the brutal honesty of the video should be received well. After showing several minutes of footage of Ortiz jump roping, working on strikes on a heavy bag and then practicing his infamous ground and pound, the video actually shows Ortiz rise up from the bag and scurry over to a garbage can, where he spends several moments vomiting into a garbage can in the corner. Props to Ortiz for including this in the video. I assume most fighters would be too embarassed to admit it even happened, never mind let you see first hand. He's embracing the fact that he's a long way away from being ready, which is a reason he declined a co-headliner at UFC 103 and is looking towards a November or December return. According to White, that could be against former UFC heavyweight champion and current Hall-0f-Famer Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. That could be an excellent matchup given that Coleman always comes to fight and would pit two extremely talented wrestlers against each other. For Ortiz, Coleman would present a solid threat, but also be the type of fight where Ortiz could likely survive the ring rust he'll expectedly have and still be able to earn a victory.

Here's the video of Ortiz's first day back training. It's a good watch, and a great intro into the LL Cool J track...



-Bess

Hendo KO of Bisping - Video

For those of you losers that haven't actually seen it, or for those of you sickos who want to see it again, check it out below. God I love this man.



-Bess

Hendo KO of Bisping - pic

Got this picture from Dan Henderson's twitter page. Unbelievable. He puts it perfectly...whoever did this photoshop job should get a medal...

You've gotta love the wig flying off. Great stuff.

-Bess

UFC 100 Results

Undercard:

Shannon Gugerty defeated Matt Grice via Submission(Guillotine Choke) at 2:26 in the 1stRound
Tom Lawlor defeated CB Dollaway via Submission(Guillotine Choke) at :55 in the 1stRound
Dong Hyun Kim defeated TJ Grant via Unanimous Decision (30-26, All Three judges)
Jon Jones defeated Jake O’Brien via Submission(Guillotine Choke) at 2:43 in the 2ndRound
Jim Miller defeated Mac Danzig via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mark Coleman defeated Stephan Bonnar via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Main Card:

Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Alan Belcher via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) in UFC debut
Dan Henderson defeated Michael Bisping via Knockout at 3:20 in the 2ndRound, one of the best knockouts I have ever seen.
Georges St-Pierre defeated Thiago Alves via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45) to remain UFC Welterweight Champion
Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir via TKO(Strikes) at 1:58 in the 2ndRound to remain UFC Heavyweight Champion
Jon Fitch defeated Paulo Thiago via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in a live bout that followed the main event.

-Keefe

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

UFC 93 Results

Sorry for the delay, but in case you missed the latest UFC ppv, here you go:

Undercard:
Dennis Siver beat Nate Mohr by third-round TKO (strikes)
Tomasz Drwal beat Ivan Serati by first-round TKO (strikes)
Eric Schafer beat Antonio Mendes by first-round TKO (strikes)
Martin Kampmann beat Alexandre Barros by second-round TKO (strikes)
John Hathaway beat Thomas Egan by first-round TKO (strikes)

Main card:
Marcus Davis beat Chris Lytle by split decision
Alan Belcher beats Denis Kang by second-round submission (guillotine)
Rousimar Palhares beat Jeremy Horn by unanimous decision.
Shogun Rua beats Mark Coleman by third-round TKO
Dan Henderon beats Rich Franklin by split decision.

UFC 88 Results

Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell via violent KO - 1:51 of round 2
(You'll see this next on Ultimate Knockouts 6. Watching this on TV you had no idea how long it took the Iceman to get back to his feet. This was vicious. He was out. Not until after Rashad's interview by Joe Rogan did you see Hackelman and the rest of Liddell's corner holding him up ala Weekend at Bernie's or dare I say Weekend at Bernie's II. Just unbelievable. Who fights Forrest now for the Light Heavyweight title? We shall see.)

Rich Franklin def. Matt Hamill via TKO - 0:39 of round 3

Dan Henderson def. Rousimar Palhares via unanimous decision

Nate Marquardt def. Martin Kampmann via TKO - 1:21 of round 1

Dong Hyun Kim def. Matt Brown via split decision

UNDERCARD:

Kurt Pellegrino def. Thiago Tavares via unanimous decision.

Tim Boetsch def. Mike Patt via TKO - 2:03 of round 1.

Jason MacDonald def. Jason Lambert via submission - 1:20 of round 2.

Ryo Chonan def. Roan Carneiro via split decision.

How we did...

Keefe UFC 88 Picks: 8-1, (14-5 overall)

Besse UFC 88 Picks: 5-4, (13-6 overall)

UFC 88 predictions

With tomorrow night marking the first time the UFC invades Atlanta, GA, that means it’s time for The Sports Brief to predict the outcomes of each fight. Keefe is busy preparing for his show today, so he was only able to bless us with outcomes. But I’ve included a brief analysis on how I think each fight will play out.

At UFC 87, I went 8-2 with my picks while Rich came in at 6-4. With a lot of close, interesting match-ups on tap for UFC 88, however, those early standings could change quickly. I can’t wait to find out…

Main Event

Chuck Liddell v. Rashad Evans

This is a striker v. wrestler matchup, and Liddell has always had tremendous success in fights like these. Evans is a very accomplished wrestler with an undefeated record, and while he showed some good skills in the 3rd round of his fight against Tito Ortiz, it was a 1-point deduction to Ortiz that kept his unblemished record in tact.

Bottom line is that Liddell’s sprawl is one of the best in the business. Even when Ortiz got him down in their entertaining rematch, he popped right back up onto his feet. Expect to see plenty of that tomorrow night. And when Liddell isn’t sprawling, he’ll be popping Evans in the face numerous times before forcing a referee stoppage towards the end of the second round.

Chuck Liddell wins via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Keefe says: Chuck Liddell def. Rashad Evans via (T)KO in 2nd

Televised Bouts

Rich Franklin v. Matt Hamill

An interesting clash here at 205, mainly because Franklin returns to a division he once left due to being too small and at a disadvantage in terms of strength. At middleweight, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone more physically gifted than Franklin. But at light heavy, and against Hamill, he’ll face a significant size and strength advantage. Which plays right into Hamill’s game. He likes to come forward and maul his opponents, and he’s a highly skilled wrestler with crafty takedowns. Hamill is ever improving, but the one downside is his striking. It’s powerful, but sloppy.

I actually see this playing out much like his fight against a current middleweight fighter who recently left the 205-lb. division in Michael Bisping. This will be a grinding three round fight that sees flashes of brilliance and moments for both fighters. But in the end, I think Franklin’s experience, his polished striking and his savvy ground defense will earn him the checkmark on all three scorecards. Look for Hamill to once again impress, though, and earn himself another big fight down the road. Something tells me he’ll be headlining a UFC Fight Night against Stephan Bonnar once “The American Psycho” recovers from his knee injury. You’ll remember these two were originally scheduled to be the co-main event to Florian and Lauzon back in April.

Rich Franklin wins via unanimous decision
Keefe says: Rich Franklin def. Matt Hamill via decision

Dan Henderson v. Rousimar Palhares

Henderson swears he can beat Anderson Silva if given another crack at him. And you know what? I believe him. But he’s got a serious submission artist staring him in the face on Saturday night. Did you see Palhares’ submission win over Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84? Ridiculous transition into an armbar, and it earned him submission of the night. What’s interesting is that Henderson’s revered wrestling background may get him into trouble here. If this goes to the ground for a long period of time, I have no doubt that Palhares could seize a limb and break it. And three of Henderson’s seven losses have come by submission (one to each Nogueira brother). But I think Henderson keeps this on the feet and slugs away, scores a takedown or two, grounds and pounds briefly and then retreats to his feet. Palhares may put a scare into him at some point, but I think this will be a great step back for “Dangerous.” Or is it “Hollywood”? Whatever.

Dan Henderson wins via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Keefe says: Dan Henderson def. Rousimar Palhares via (T)KO in the 1st

Karo Parisyan v. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

I’m calling it now. This will be the most exciting fight of the night. Parisyan claims to be motivated and says he actually trained for this fight. Can you imagine if there’s any truth to him saying he never really trained for fights up until now? Wow. That could have serious implications moving forward for the Armenian. But Yoshida is on a nine fight win streak, including that amazing submission over “War Machine” at UFC 84 that was just painful to watch. I honestly felt bad for Koppenhaver. Although not as bad as I did for Ed Herman when he got choked out and pounded out by Demian Maia at the same time.

Anyway, Parisyan has never been submitted and has been (T)KO’d only twice in his career. Once in his last fight against Alves – which had a questionable stoppage – and earlier in his career against Sean Sherk. His fight against Diego Sanchez showed how tough and durable his chin is, and I think it will prevail here.

Karo Parisyan wins via unanimous decision
Keefe says: Karo Parisyan def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida via decision

Martin Kampmann v. Nate Marquardt

This card is loaded with toss ups, and here is another one. Kampmann, coming off a knee injury, looked solid in his submission win over Jorge Rivera. It was a good test for his health and an opportunity to knock off ring rust. But now he takes on Marquardt, who is as tough as they come in the UFC’s middleweight division. A pair of point deductions against Thales Leites cost him a win in his last fight, but it’s obvious as to who dominated that fight.

In this one, I think Kampmann’s ability to utilize his kickboxing will be the factor. I think he’ll try and break down Marquardt early with leg kicks and brief combinations on his feet. Eventually Marquardt will go for a takedown, and I think that’s where people underestimate Kampmann’s submission game.

Martin Kampmann wins via submission (rear-naked choke) in the 3rd round
Keefe says: Nate Marquardt def. Martin Kampann via submission in the 1st

Preliminary bouts

Besse: Thiago Tavares wins via submission (triangle choke) in the 3rd round
Keefe: Kurt Pellegrino def. Thiago Tavares via submission in the 2nd

Besse: Tim Boetsch wins via unanimous decision
Keefe: Tim Boetsch def. Mike Patt via (T)KO in the 1st

Besse: Dong Hyun Kim wins via KTFO in the 1st round
Keefe: Dong Hyun Kim def. Matt Brown via (T)KO in the 3rd

Besse: Jason McDonald wins via any submission he pleases in the 1st round
Keefe: Jason McDonald def. Jason Lambert via submission in the 2nd

Besse: Roan Carneiro wins via unanimous decision
Keefe: Ryo Chonan def. Roan Carneiro via decision

Let us know your thoughts on tomorrow’s action. If you like what you see, check out more from The Sports Brief at http://sportsbrief.blogspot.com/

You can e-mail us at sportsbrief@gmail.com

-Bess

Top 10 Upcoming Fights in September

This was originally going to be a part of the updated MMA rankings (see below), but with so many great fights in the next month it warranted its own segment. Here are the 10 best match ups, with a couple of honorable mentions, that are on tap for the month of September. Highlighted of course, by UFC 88, many of the world's best fighters get in the cage and or ring. In the stoic words of Big John McCarthy, "Let's get it on."


1. Ronaldo Souza vs. Zelg Galesic; Melvin Manhoef vs. Gegard Mousasi; winner vs. winner at Dream 6 on 9-23-08
3 for the price of 1, you get the Dream middleweight Grand Prix, semi-finals and finals. Four relatively unknown fighters square off in Dream 6. I like the winner of Manhoef and Mousasi to take the whole thing, but should be 3 great fights.

2. Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans at UFC 88 on 9-6-08
Wanted to see the Iceman vs. Shogun, but we’ll take it vs. Sugar Rashad. Big fight for both guys, with title aspirations. Remember Evans still has a grand total of 0 losses in his MMA career.

3. Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill at UFC 88 on 9-6-08
Hamill’s only loss was a result of one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. (In fact only Ricco Rodriguez losing to Big Nog at Pride Total Elimination 2003 was worse in my eyes.) He’s a great wrestler is Hamill, but 3 of his 4 wins have come via (T)KO. Franklin moves back up to an already stacked light heavyweight division. This fight should go a long way for the future of both men.

4. Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen at WEC 36 on 9-10-08
The rematch after Sonnen “tapped out.” Filho has been in rehab, we’ll see if this fight even happens. We here at the Sports Brief are not as high on Filho as many other MMA sites, so let’s find out who’s right on the 10th.

5. Dan Henderon vs. Rousimar Palhares at UFC 88 on 9-6-08
Palhares makes his 2nd UFC fight following a win over the recently retired Ivan Salaverry, but this will be his toughest competition. Henderson on the other hand is coming off of back-to-back losses. Of course those fights were against Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackson, look for Hollywood to come back strong.

6. Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown at WEC 36 on 9-10-08
One of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. And on free TV! A must watch for all MMA fans every time Faber is inside the cage.

7. Nick Diaz vs. Hayato Sakurai at Dream 6 on 9-23-08
Nick Diaz has been rumored to be in a number of fights including this one against the legend Hayato “Mach” Sakurai for the Dream Welterweight Belt. I hope this one happens, we’ll have to wait and see.

8. Nate Marquardt vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC 88 on 9-6-08
Marquartdt recently suffered a bad loss to Thales Leites, he needs this win to get back on track. He was the heavy favorite over Leites and will be again over Kampmann.

9. Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88 on 9-6-08
The 5th fight from the upcoming UFC 88, Karo vs. Yoshida is a solid welterweight match up. Parisyan is a tough guy to figure out, and could find himself outside the Top 10 for the first time in awhile with a shaky performance.

10. Kazuo Misaki vs. Joe Riggs at Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion on 9-19-08
Misaki is another great middleweight outside of the UFC. He holds career victories over Dan Henderon and Denis Kang. The problem is at 185 and now in Dream or the UFC, who’s he going to fight? He’s coming off a pair of wins in Sengoku, so its hard to truly rank him with the very best. Joe “Diesel” Riggs wants to move back to the UFC and a win over Misaki would certainly make him appealing.

Honorable Mention:
Alistair Overeem vs. Mirko Cro Cop was originally scheduled for that stacked Dream 6 card, but Cro Cop was pulled. They can’t make many great heavyweight match ups outside of Affliction and the UFC, this is one of them. Let’s hope it happens.

Jens Pulver vs. Leonard Garcia at WEC 36 on 9-10-08
Should be an exciting match up on the same card as Filho vs. Sonnen II. Pulver looks great at 145 and gave Faber a hell of a fight. Big measuring stick fight for Garica. Does he belong with the best in the WEC? We’ll see. I hope Pulver runs through Garcia and another guy before getting a shot at Faber once again.

UFC Rankings (5-29-08)

-Keefe

I am so excited and nervous about the Celtics being up 3-2 in the series with the Pistons that I don't even know what to say. I don't want to jinx anything. Instead I will just watch Game 6 tomorrow night and try to enjoy it. To help take my mind off of the magnitude of that game, I've decided to update my UFC Rankings. Here is how I rank the best fighters in each weight class. Also I have added a fight I would like to see, that has not been scheduled, in each division.

Heavyweight:

1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Gabriel Gonzaga
7. Heath Herring
8. Cheick Kongo
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin

Yes, I still have Randy Couture in the top spot. He is still the Champ right? But what a terrible division. The 9th best guy hasn't won a fight in the UFC and it was hard to find a 10th heavyweight at all. The loss of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski quickly made this weight class one of the best to probably the worst. Don't worry, 40 year old Mark Coleman is coming back, not in August as planned though, he got hurt.

Fight I'd like to see: Randy Couture vs. Nogueira (chances I know unlikely)

Light Heavyweight:

1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Lyoto Machida
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Keith Jardine
9. Thiago Silva
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

This division is stacked. 10 quaility guys here with Rashad Evans and others knocking at the door. Tito Ortiz would still be on my list, but he confirmed that 100% he would move on. I'm going to miss Tito and feel that he has some great fights left in him. When was the last time Rampage fought? Damn reality shows kill some of these match ups. You can make lots of intriguing fights though from the light heavyweights.

Fight I'd like to see: Wanderlei Silva vs. Lyoto Machida

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Chris Leben
7. Patrick Cote
8. Jason MacDonald
9. Nathan Quarry
10. Michael Bisping

Not a lot has changed in the past month or so in the middleweight division. It's really Anderon Silva at the top then a serious drop off. Not sure what weight class Dan Henderson is going to stick to, if he'll stick to one at all. Leben vs. Bisping would have been awesome, you know, if Leben didn't have to go to jail. I'd still like to see it, but not as much as...

Fight I'd like to see: Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin

Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Matt Serra
4. Matt Hughes
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Marcus Davis
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Thiago Alves
10. Mike Swick

Perhaps the deepest division in the UFC there are a ton of great welterweights. GSP has proven he is the cream of the crop, and maybe there is a potential GSP vs. Penn II in the works. Well first St. Pierre will face Jon Fitch. The rest of the guys in the top 10 all want shots at the title, but it may take some time. Less than two weeks away from Hughes vs. Alves and Davis vs. Swick. It'll be a great day for welterweights on June 7th.

Fight I'd like to see: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra

Lightweight:

1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Spencer Fisher
9. Nate Diaz
10. Frankie Edgar

No question about it now, B.J. Penn is the best lightweight in the UFC. An impressive win over Sean Sherk proved that last weekend. The idea now is for Penn to face the winner of Florian and Huerta when those two fight in August. Will he fight GSP or the winner or both? Time will tell. I'm also not convinced anyone else can beat Sherk in this division. Looks top heavy to me.

Fight I'd like to see: Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz

UFC 82 Predictions

Keefe & Besse

Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson

RK: Here it is. A dream match up of sorts as the UFC Middleweight Champ (Silva) takes on the 185 pound Champ from Pride (Henderson). You’re probably thinking, didn’t Henderson just fight in another unification bout back in September. The answer is yes. He held 2 Pride titles, and lost a hard fought 5 round decision to UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The UFC middleweight division is garbage so Henderson gets the call to take on Silva without even fighting at 185 in the cage since coming from Pride.

One reason the middleweight division looks so bad is the effortless victories that the Spider has wracked up over the “big” names. Silva is 5-0; with wins over Chris Leben, Rich Franklin (2), Travis Lutter, and Nathan Marquardt. 4 of those wins came by KO with 3 of them in the very 1st round, while the other was a submission victory over a ju-jitsu expert in Lutter. Despite facing the top fighters in his weight class Silva has yet to be really tested. This, I feel is going to change Saturday night.

Dan Henderson has never been knocked out. Read that again. And who’s to say if Silva will be the first. He’s been in the ring/cage with the likes of Rampage, Wanderlei Silva, Ricardo Arona, and Vitor Belfort to name a few. Hendo is fighting at his more comfortable weight class. How can he get knocked out now? But how can you bet against Anderson Silva at this point? I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a long, long time. Final verdict: Henderson gets rocked a few times, Silva gets pushed to the limits and wins in a close decision for the first time in his UFC career.

RK: Anderson Silva by decision.

TB: I agree and disagree with you here, Keefe. Silva has yet to be challenged in the UFC, part of the reason everyone discredits any depth the middleweight division may have. But Henderson is a top-2 fighter in two weight classes in the world, and his game is tailored to be more successful against a fighter of Silva’s caliber and expertise.

Against Rampage, he showed how well rounded he is against a naturally bigger, stronger opponent. It was a close decision that could have gone either way, a classic battle of attrition. Silva has technical striking, but Hendo may hit harder (he knocked Wanderlei out cold). Silva’s Muay-Thai is lethal (just ask “Ace”), but Henderson’s is in close, thus neutralizing it. Silva is a jiu-jitsu black belt, but Henderson is an Olympian Greco-Roman wrestler and is one of the best at submission defenses.

Silva, however, hasn’t been past the 2nd round since joining the UFC. I expect he’ll rock Hendo early, possibly have him in trouble. But “Dangerous” Dan will survive and take this into the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds, imposing his will while “Spider” gasses down the stretch.

TB: Henderson by decision.

Chieck Kongo vs. Heath Herring

RK: Intriguing heavyweight battle here with Kongo coming off his greatest victory ever over Mirko Cro Cop, and Herring fresh off what could have been his greatest, losing a decision to now Heavyweight Interim Champ Big Nog. Herring has been a disappointing 1-2 since entering the octagon, while Kongo just elevated his career with that decision win over Cro Cop. But how valuable is that win now? Cro Cop has bolted out of the UFC after a couple losses. Both guys have a lot to prove. All three of Herring’s UFC fights have gone to decision, and I don’t think this one will be any different.

RK: Herring by decision.

TB: So yesterday I was fairly convinced Kongo would win an absolute snoozer by split decision. But last night I tuned into the replay of UFC 82 Countdown on SpikeTV. The second half of the countdown profiled Herring and his re-dedication to the sport. He hired a new team and moved out to Vegas. He's working with a nutritionist full-time and his conditioning has improved immensely. Meanwhile, it's well known thanks to his loss to Carmelo Marrero that any one of us could beat Cheick Kongo on the ground. You can point to Herring's inability to put away Nogueira as an example why the fight won't go there. But I beg to differ. Just ask Tim Sylvia. If you see Big Nog laying on his back, it's advised you don't come within a zip code of him. He'll submit you that easily. So in hindsight I don't blame Herring for getting up. I thought Kongo looked lackluster in his decision win over Cro Cop, and his last three fights have gone to decision. That won't happen here. Herring's experience gives him the edge in what become some violent exchanges. He'll catch Kongo, then finish him on the mat, re-establishing himself as a top contender in the UFC and a legitimate beef with the current champ for a re-match.

TB: Herring by KO in the 2nd round.

Chris Leben v. Alessio Sakara

TB: This is Sakara’s first fight since dropping down from light heavyweight and Leben’s first since signing a new deal with the UFC. Both are dangerous strikers who love to throw. Leben’s last fight against Terry Martin symbolized why he is such a big draw and exactly why he is on the televised portion of the card over the likes of Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez and former Heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. He was wearing bombs from Martin and trailing on all cards before charging forward and throwing a beautiful left hook on the button that sent Martin to sleep. While Sakara can strike, he can’t do it with accuracy like Anderson Silva, who blew Leben out of the ring. For that reason, Sakara will likely control the striking but not be able to put Leben away. Leben keeps coming until scoring a TKO midway through the second.

TB: Leben by (T)KO in second round.

RK: Leben is one of my favorite fighters, since moving to and training in Hawaii he has vastly improved his cardio and overall game. In a middleweight division that has Silva and now Henderson at the clear cut top, Leben could make his way back into title contention. If Silva wins does he fight Franklin for a 3rd time? Does Franklin want to get back in there with him? Not saying Leben gets a title shot, but with a win here over a big 185er he’s on his way. I still picture Sakara getting worked over by a dangerous Houston Alexander, a fighter Besse can’t watch with the lights off. In the end Leben continues his way back up the middleweight ladder, and starts his new contract with a KO.

RK: Leben by KO in 1st round.

Evan Tanner v. Yushin Okami

TB: The former middleweight champion returns after a long layoff with drugs, alcohol and various other sins of which we can only imagine. Yushin Okami continues his quest to prove he deserves a title shot. If this were Tanner in his prime, I’d say he grounds and pounds his way to a (T)KO. But he’s going to have “cage rust” and Okami is the middleweight version of Lyota Machida: nothing spectacular, but continues piling up wins. Tanner will have his moments, but Okami will position himself better throughout the fight, much like he did against Mike Swick.

TB: Okami by decision.

RK: Ok Tanner hasn’t fought in nearly 2 years I know that, but I think he’s got something left in the tank. He’s well rested. Right? Okami, like Bess said, is not the most exciting fighter to watch, but piles up wins. Tanner will probably have ring rust. He’s a crafty veteran though, so I think he will overcome it in a huge upset, and a shakeup that the middleweight division (which is on grand display on this card) really needs. Okami will be put to sleep, just before he was about to do the same to the audience. In a shocker…

RK: Tanner by submission 3rd round.

Jon Fitch v. Chris Wilson

TB: Here’s the first example of what I don’t like about this card. A few notable, marketable studs fighting guys we’ve never heard of. Nothing against Chris Wilson, he may shock everyone on Saturday night for all we know. But Fitch should be fighting Parysian for a mandatory title shot, bottom line. He’ll take care of business here, landing on his feet to set up a takedown and ground and pound before locking in a rear naked choke.

TB: Fitch by submission in the 2nd round.

RK: I agree completely with you Bess. Karo is on the Fight Night card? And you have Fitch, Koscheck, and Diego all on this card, but not fighting each other? The UFC is in a lose-lose scenario here. If all this guys win, good they’re supposed to. If any of them lose, there goes one of the big name welterweights. It’s an opportunity for Chris Wilson to make a name for himself… don’t count on it. Fitch is riding a 14 fight win streak with the last 7 in the UFC, he’ll make it 15 and 8.

RK: Fitch by submission in the 1st round.

Preliminary Fights

Diego Sanchez v. David Bielkheden
TB: Sanchez by submission in 1st round.
RK: Sanchez by TKO in 2nd round.

Jake O’Brien v. Andrei Arlovski
TB: Arlovski by KO in 2nd round.
RK: Arlovski by TKO in 1st round.

Josh Koscheck v. Dustin Hazelett
TB: Koscheck by Decision.
RK: Koscheck by submission 1st round.

Luigi Fioravanti v. Luke Cummo
TB: Cummo by submission in 3rd round.
RK: Cummo by decision.

Jorge Gurgel v. John Halverson
TB: Gurgel by hometown decision.
RK: Gurgel by submission in 3rd round.