I loved The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Spike TV. The UFC came up with an idea for a show to promote the sport, the organization, and some new fighters. With such fighters as Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez, Chris Leben, Stephen Bonnar, Kenny Florian, Mike Swick, Nate Quarry, Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Marcus Davis, Michael Bisping, Mac Danzig, not to mention the comeback cast that included Matt Serra, Chris Lytle, and Travis Lutter, all living in the Ultimate Fighter house, it couldn't miss.
The coaches early on were UFC stars, that were being introduced to the majority of the public. Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, and Matt Hughes put their "teams" through work outs preparing them for elimination fights. But Season 3, Dana White got an idea. Let's promote an upcoming fight, a grudge match. Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock would coach opposite sides, then square off in the octogon. It made for good tv. You had to tune in each week to see the confrontations between Tito and Shamrock, two guys that couldn't wait to fight each other.
The problem may have been that this was successful. Now Dana and the UFC wanted to promote big fights through TUF. Rather than letting a guy fight for or defend the belt in a couple months, they would film a season of the show and then finally have their fight. (See: Rampage vs. Forrest & Mir vs. Big Nog.) As Besse and I have pointed out many times, it essentially puts a hold on a division.
Well mmajunkie.com and other outlets have confirmed that Season 10 of TUF will be coached by Rampage Jackson (again) and former TUF winner Rashad Evans. What? Why recycle coaches? Why put a guy in who's getting a title fight against some one else? Is Rampage still getting the first crack at Lyoto? I don't get it. The season is going to be all heavyweights, 16 of them, and possibly including a few former NFL players. Rashad, the former Light Heavyweight Champ, was the only Heavyweight Champion of TUF, so I understand bringing him back to the show, but Rampage?
The focus has become more on the coaches then the new talent, plus let's face it, the show has run its course. They took out the Real World/ Road Rules Challenge type tasks after the first or second season, but since then its been basically the same stuff. I'll still watch every once in awhile, but it used to be appointment television. Can't say the same thing now.
TUF brought in a ton of fans to MMA, the Griffin vs. Bonnar fight at the TUF 1 Finale may very well be the most important fight in the history of mixed martial arts. Despite all that it's time to hang it up.
Enough of TUF.
-Keefe
Side note: Frank Trigg signed a new deal with the UFC. Should be very interesting to see what he has left, and who he will face next.
Showing posts with label Dana White sucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dana White sucks. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (9/9/08)
Once again this is the rankings for all of MMA, but just for the weight classes recognized by the UFC. Not a lot has happened in the ring or octagon since the last rankings besides last weekend’s UFC 88, however many exciting match ups have been scheduled/ rumored for the rest of 2008. Also with so many fighters moving up or down in weight classes (i.e. Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Brandon Vera, B.J. Penn, etc.), where do you put them? Besse and I have stated that a fighter must be at least booked to fight in the same division for 2 fights in a row to officially move divisions. Let’s see how the top 10’s look entering football season…
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Brock Lesnar
Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Fedor is hurt and will miss the 2nd Affliction show. But how about these fights still to come in the next 2-3 months: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir (December), Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett (October), and of course the return of the UFC Champ Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar (November). And before all of those match ups is one I’m really looking forward to. The on again, off again fight between Alistair Overeem and Mirko Cro Cop is back on, and happening on September 23rd as part of the Dream 6 card. Two former Pride stars going head to head, should be great.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rashad Evans
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
10. Keith Jardine
Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera
The only shake up since July’s rankings is right here in the ultra competitive Light Heavyweight division. Rashad Evans (prev. 10th) KTFO of Liddell (prev. 3rd) vaults him up to 5th in our poll. Sugar won’t leap frog everyone, after all his previous highlights were a draw to Tito Ortiz and a win over Michael Bisping who is now a middleweight. Evans now gets the title shot with Forrest in a TUF winners show down. Rumors are circulating that Liddell wants to fight Anderson Silva. Really? Chuck is 1-3 last 4 fights with devastating KOs by Rampage and Evans, a decision loss to Jardine, and a decision win against Wanderlei. His last knockout was back in 2006 vs. Tito, who Dana White says isn’t a good fighter anymore. I would never say anything bad about Liddell in fear that he may read it, but hey Dana everything you’ve said about Tito in the cage is coming back to you in the form of the Iceman. And as for Tito, looked like he was headed to Affliction, then EliteXC, now who knows?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi
Dream 6 on September 23rd features the middleweight grand prix. Not big names but great fighters like Gegard Mousasi set to compete. Rich Franklin beat Matt Hamill at 205, should be interesting to see if he stays up there or comes back down to 185. I’d love to see him fight Dan Henderson, but after a solid win on the same card, Hendo is thinking he can take down A. Silva if given another chance. Problem is, Silva is fighting Patrick Cote coming up then I wouldn’t be surprised if he fights Liddell or another LHW. Also Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen 2 has been pushed back from September to November 5th.
This seems like the best place also to say RIP Evan Tanner. The former UFC middleweight champ was found dead in California. He was 37.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
The super fight that everyone is waiting for on Super Bowl weekend will affect the welterweight and lightweight divisions. GSP vs. Penn II. Get excited. Thiago Alves will meet Diego Sanchez next month as well with a title shot looming for the winner. Not sure who Fitch will fight in his first fight back from losing to St. Pierre. Karo was a late scratch from UFC 88. And let’s book Hughes vs. Serra so we can break our tie for 7th here. It’s still amazing to me that guys like Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell can look so unbeatable, and then in a short time get absolutely worked. That’s the nature of the beast, as they say.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
Kenny Florian, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
As you can see many of the best lightweights fight outside of the UFC. Two of their best, however, will meet in November as Kenny Florian squares off against Joe Stevenson. Ken Flo probably deserves a title shot after beating Huerta, but since Penn is fighting GSP, he doesn’t want to sit around a wait. You have to appreciate that.
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Brock Lesnar
Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Fedor is hurt and will miss the 2nd Affliction show. But how about these fights still to come in the next 2-3 months: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir (December), Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett (October), and of course the return of the UFC Champ Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar (November). And before all of those match ups is one I’m really looking forward to. The on again, off again fight between Alistair Overeem and Mirko Cro Cop is back on, and happening on September 23rd as part of the Dream 6 card. Two former Pride stars going head to head, should be great.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rashad Evans
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
10. Keith Jardine
Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera
The only shake up since July’s rankings is right here in the ultra competitive Light Heavyweight division. Rashad Evans (prev. 10th) KTFO of Liddell (prev. 3rd) vaults him up to 5th in our poll. Sugar won’t leap frog everyone, after all his previous highlights were a draw to Tito Ortiz and a win over Michael Bisping who is now a middleweight. Evans now gets the title shot with Forrest in a TUF winners show down. Rumors are circulating that Liddell wants to fight Anderson Silva. Really? Chuck is 1-3 last 4 fights with devastating KOs by Rampage and Evans, a decision loss to Jardine, and a decision win against Wanderlei. His last knockout was back in 2006 vs. Tito, who Dana White says isn’t a good fighter anymore. I would never say anything bad about Liddell in fear that he may read it, but hey Dana everything you’ve said about Tito in the cage is coming back to you in the form of the Iceman. And as for Tito, looked like he was headed to Affliction, then EliteXC, now who knows?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi
Dream 6 on September 23rd features the middleweight grand prix. Not big names but great fighters like Gegard Mousasi set to compete. Rich Franklin beat Matt Hamill at 205, should be interesting to see if he stays up there or comes back down to 185. I’d love to see him fight Dan Henderson, but after a solid win on the same card, Hendo is thinking he can take down A. Silva if given another chance. Problem is, Silva is fighting Patrick Cote coming up then I wouldn’t be surprised if he fights Liddell or another LHW. Also Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen 2 has been pushed back from September to November 5th.
This seems like the best place also to say RIP Evan Tanner. The former UFC middleweight champ was found dead in California. He was 37.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
The super fight that everyone is waiting for on Super Bowl weekend will affect the welterweight and lightweight divisions. GSP vs. Penn II. Get excited. Thiago Alves will meet Diego Sanchez next month as well with a title shot looming for the winner. Not sure who Fitch will fight in his first fight back from losing to St. Pierre. Karo was a late scratch from UFC 88. And let’s book Hughes vs. Serra so we can break our tie for 7th here. It’s still amazing to me that guys like Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell can look so unbeatable, and then in a short time get absolutely worked. That’s the nature of the beast, as they say.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
Kenny Florian, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
As you can see many of the best lightweights fight outside of the UFC. Two of their best, however, will meet in November as Kenny Florian squares off against Joe Stevenson. Ken Flo probably deserves a title shot after beating Huerta, but since Penn is fighting GSP, he doesn’t want to sit around a wait. You have to appreciate that.
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Friday, August 22, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (8.21.08)
The Sports Brief is back with it’s most recent MMA rankings. Although we had UFC 87 and WEC 35, there wasn’t much that changed in the rankings. The WEC talent pool just isn’t deep enough to truly break into the MMA rankings except for a notable few, and most everyone on the UFC card took care of business.
Once again, apologies to Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres, but you will not see Featherweight or Bantamweight, because we just don’t know enough about it. Those fighters do show up, however, on the Pound 4 Pound rankings. Also there a list of honorable mentions following each weight class, for the guys who just missed out on the Top 10. Enjoy the list and let the debates begin.
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Brock Lesnar
Honorable Mentions: Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Affliction doesn’t have another card until October, so the heavyweight division shouldn’t fluctuate much until then. That tells you how stacked Affliction’s heavyweight talent pool is. Lesnar makes the jump into the rankings, however, after his dominate effort against Herring. Let’s face it, Lesnar’s striking, wrestling and brute strength/athleticism are downright scary. Until he proves his mettle against a bona fide jiu-jitsu fighter such as Mir, Big Nog or Fedor, or shows he can outstrike world-class fighters like Arlovski, Lesnar will continue to teeter on the outside looking in. But we expect him to continue his ascent.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Honorable Mentions: Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera
None of the light heavyweights that competed over the past month are even close to consideration here, so nothing changes. We did, however, move Vera to light heavyweight since his next opponent is Keith Jardine. That justifies a change in weight class in our rankings. There are lot of intriguing matchups to be made, particularly involving the likes of Forrest, Silva and Rampage. And the Machida v. Thiago Silva fight is very intriguing. But most intriguing is Liddell’s tilt against still undefeated Rashad Evans. This could be Chuck’s final bid for a title comeback if he falters.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi
I hope James Irvin saved some of those painkillers for after the fight. Cote is up next, and it’ll be interested to see if the slugger fairs any better than Chris Leben did. Speaking of which, that should be a heck of a matchup between Leben and Bisping free on SpikeTV at UFC89. Can’t wait.
Meanwhile, Rich Franklin returns to 205 against Matt Hamill. And Nate Marquardt faces Martin Kampmann, who could seriously be a sleeper in the middleweight division. Dan Henderson returns, as well, all on the undercard of Liddell and Evans main event clash. Wow.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Carlos Condit
t-8. Matt Hughes
t-8. Matt Serra
10. Karo Parisyan
Honorable Mentions: Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
So St. Pierre is clearly a class above the UFC’s 170lb division, and most likely the rest of the world at that weight, as well. He took care of Fitch in their title bout, but Fitch proved he’s among the elite and that he was deserving of the title shot, grinding out five rounds of punishment in a decision loss. Condit, meanwhile, proved he is a true champion of the WEC with his impressive win over Hiromitsu Miura. Condit is a world class fighter, and we hope you’ve been watching these WEC telecasts because they’re really enjoyable. On the whole, the talent is a notch below the UFC and some other major organizations, but the fights are exciting nonetheless. Let’s hope they can bring in some other notable opponents for Carlos or perhaps have him cross over into the UFC.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
Honorable Mentions: Kenny Florian, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Tyson Griffin, Roger Huerta
BJ Penn is all but off to the welterweight division for his rematch with St. Pierre. While it’s an exciting fight that everyone wants to see, it leaves the championship belt idle in the meantime. Kenny Florian certainly showed he could be considered as next in line for a shot at the champ. His decision win over Huerta was tactical and exciting in spurts, and Florian is showing ever improving skills every time out. He says he wants to keep fighting regardless of what Penn does, and that could lead to some exciting possible matchups. The winner of Griffin-Sherk, Stevenson or even Frankie Edgar would be intriguing.
Pound 4 Pound:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Once again, apologies to Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres, but you will not see Featherweight or Bantamweight, because we just don’t know enough about it. Those fighters do show up, however, on the Pound 4 Pound rankings. Also there a list of honorable mentions following each weight class, for the guys who just missed out on the Top 10. Enjoy the list and let the debates begin.
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Brock Lesnar
Honorable Mentions: Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Affliction doesn’t have another card until October, so the heavyweight division shouldn’t fluctuate much until then. That tells you how stacked Affliction’s heavyweight talent pool is. Lesnar makes the jump into the rankings, however, after his dominate effort against Herring. Let’s face it, Lesnar’s striking, wrestling and brute strength/athleticism are downright scary. Until he proves his mettle against a bona fide jiu-jitsu fighter such as Mir, Big Nog or Fedor, or shows he can outstrike world-class fighters like Arlovski, Lesnar will continue to teeter on the outside looking in. But we expect him to continue his ascent.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Honorable Mentions: Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera
None of the light heavyweights that competed over the past month are even close to consideration here, so nothing changes. We did, however, move Vera to light heavyweight since his next opponent is Keith Jardine. That justifies a change in weight class in our rankings. There are lot of intriguing matchups to be made, particularly involving the likes of Forrest, Silva and Rampage. And the Machida v. Thiago Silva fight is very intriguing. But most intriguing is Liddell’s tilt against still undefeated Rashad Evans. This could be Chuck’s final bid for a title comeback if he falters.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi
I hope James Irvin saved some of those painkillers for after the fight. Cote is up next, and it’ll be interested to see if the slugger fairs any better than Chris Leben did. Speaking of which, that should be a heck of a matchup between Leben and Bisping free on SpikeTV at UFC89. Can’t wait.
Meanwhile, Rich Franklin returns to 205 against Matt Hamill. And Nate Marquardt faces Martin Kampmann, who could seriously be a sleeper in the middleweight division. Dan Henderson returns, as well, all on the undercard of Liddell and Evans main event clash. Wow.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Carlos Condit
t-8. Matt Hughes
t-8. Matt Serra
10. Karo Parisyan
Honorable Mentions: Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
So St. Pierre is clearly a class above the UFC’s 170lb division, and most likely the rest of the world at that weight, as well. He took care of Fitch in their title bout, but Fitch proved he’s among the elite and that he was deserving of the title shot, grinding out five rounds of punishment in a decision loss. Condit, meanwhile, proved he is a true champion of the WEC with his impressive win over Hiromitsu Miura. Condit is a world class fighter, and we hope you’ve been watching these WEC telecasts because they’re really enjoyable. On the whole, the talent is a notch below the UFC and some other major organizations, but the fights are exciting nonetheless. Let’s hope they can bring in some other notable opponents for Carlos or perhaps have him cross over into the UFC.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
Honorable Mentions: Kenny Florian, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Tyson Griffin, Roger Huerta
BJ Penn is all but off to the welterweight division for his rematch with St. Pierre. While it’s an exciting fight that everyone wants to see, it leaves the championship belt idle in the meantime. Kenny Florian certainly showed he could be considered as next in line for a shot at the champ. His decision win over Huerta was tactical and exciting in spurts, and Florian is showing ever improving skills every time out. He says he wants to keep fighting regardless of what Penn does, and that could lead to some exciting possible matchups. The winner of Griffin-Sherk, Stevenson or even Frankie Edgar would be intriguing.
Pound 4 Pound:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Sunday, August 10, 2008
UFC 87 Results
Here are the results from Saturday night's UFC event, and you can see how the guys from the Brief did with their picks.
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (arm-bar). Round 2, 2:28.
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision.
Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision.
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 4:55.
Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision.
Demian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 3, 2:44.
Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 0:12.
Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).
Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-44), to retain his Welterweight Championship.
The Sports Brief Picks
Besse: 8-2
Keefe: 6-4
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (arm-bar). Round 2, 2:28.
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision.
Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision.
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 4:55.
Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision.
Demian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 3, 2:44.
Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 0:12.
Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).
Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-44), to retain his Welterweight Championship.
The Sports Brief Picks
Besse: 8-2
Keefe: 6-4
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Sports Brief's UFC 87 Picks
The UFC has a slew of great fights coming up over the next several months, and this card is a great way to kick things off. Not only is GSP putting his welterweight crown on the line, but he'll have an opportunity to make his case for being the top pound-4-pound fighter in the world. Meanwhile, Brock Lesnar returns and looks to avoid a disastrous 0-2 start to his UFC career, one that he nor the company can afford. And to top it off, we get two of the top lightweight contenders in the UFC going toe-2-toe for their shot at UFC gold. With further ado, here are the picks, Keefe's first, then mine. We did them separately then put them together, so let us know what you think, who you agree with and who you like coming out on top on Saturday night.
Televised Bouts
Keefe’s Picks
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch (Welterweight Championship Bout)
GSP and Fitch truly are the two best welterweights in the world. The 170 pound division is dominated by UFC fighters and this is the match up every fan wants to see. The only hick-up St. Pierre has faced was the stunning loss to Matt Serra. Since then he has defeated fellow Top 10 guys in Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes (for the second time), and took care of business against Serra. Along with those names, how about B.J. Penn, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Jason Miller, Jay Hieron, Karo Parisyan, and Pete Spratt being on GSP’s resume. Why not add Jon Fitch to that list?
I understand Fitch has rattled off 15 straight victories including a perfect 8-0 in the UFC with wins over Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves, and Josh Burkman, but I’m still not convinced. Half of Fitch’s victories in the UFC have come via decision, and St. Pierre has never lost when it comes down to the judges. He usually doesn’t let it go that long. Fitch is a great wrestler. That’s a fact. But GSP out wrestled Fitch’s training partner and 4 time All-American wrestler Josh Koscheck. Maybe Fitch can submit GSP? He has finished 3 fights in the octagon by submission. Don’t count on it. Besides that armbar by Hughes in 2004, GSP won’t let that happen either. I truly believe the only way to defeat GSP now is a fluke knock out a la Serra. I think this is a solid fight for 2 and a half rounds but than St. Pierre, one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet, ends it.
Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian
These two are not Top 10 lightweights in the world, but they are Top 5 in the UFC. The winner could find him self in line for a title shot down the road, the one problem being that the current champ B.J. Penn has his sights set a little higher, on a rematch with Georges St. Pierre. I think Penn will be watching this night of fights pretty closely. After a busy 2007, Huerta has not fought in 8 months. He can’t afford to have any ring rust against a guy like Ken-Flo. (I’m still upset I didn’t tell Florian he had a good flow when I took a leak next to him in a Somerville bathroom, damn.) Either way I like Florian to catch “El Matador” in one of the 5,000 submission holds he knows.
Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via submission in the 2nd round
Heath Herring vs. Brock Lesnar
Will big Brock Lesnar last more than 90 seconds this time around? For the paying fans I hope so, for Herring’s face, different story. Lesnar proved he’s an absolute monster who just has a lot to learn. Mir got a title shot out of defeating Brock, in his 1st UFC fight no less, you figure that out. Meanwhile Herring is coming off a victory over Kongo. Heath has yet to have a fight in the UFC not go the distance, but I think this will be different. Herring’s only chance here is to find a submission, where most of his Pride victories came from, and slap it on early a la Mir. Upset alert… if this is an upset.
Heath Herring def. Brock Lesnar via submission in the 1st round
Demian Maia vs. Jason McDonald
A pair of fighters here who find themselves on the outside looking in, on the true contenders list at 185. Both guys hold victories over Ed Herman, of course so does Besse and I. McDonald’s best win is over Leben, but anytime he’s gotten a shot a one of the elite, he has lost (Franklin and Okami.) This is a huge fight for Maia. Where does he stack up? He’s 7-0 in his career and 2-0 in the UFC. McDonald, owner of the worst nickname in sports “The Athlete” (aren’t they all athletes?), needs this win. In fact, I feel like it’s a great win for one fighter, but a bad loss at the same time, if that makes since. The loser here is a long way from a title shot, the winner may only need another fight or two, much like Patrick Cote who went on a nice run.
Demian Maia def. Jason McDonald via submission in the 3rd
Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Not sure why this is a televised main event bout, I’ll be honest. I can understand the die hard fans who say enough with the TUF crap being pushed down our throats. Yes there have been many great and entertaining fighters from the past shows like Forrest Griffin, Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez, etc., but there’s been many more who don’t belong on TV. I’m not saying Manny and Emerson are bad fighters. They could both be solid some day. If you watched Dream 5 last month you saw some incredible lightweights. This is an undercard fight. Manny’s had a nice run of quick finishes, and I think it continues.
Manny Gamburyan def. Rob Emerson via submission in the 1st
Undercard Bouts
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via decision
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via (T)KO in 1st
Luke Cummo def. Tamden McCrory via (T)KO in 2nd
Andre Gusmao def. Jon Jones via decision
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via (T)KO in 3rd
Besse’s Picks
Televised Bouts
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch (Welterweight Championship Bout)
Finally, GSP is clear of the whole Matt Hughes/Matt Serra shenanigans and can finally begin truly defending the welterweight crown. His first test since regaining that title is against a guy who is on quite a roll in Jon Fitch. Fitch has won 15 straight, but he looked a bit off target in his fight with Chris Wilson. Don’t get me wrong, Fitch clearly deserves this opportunity as he’s beaten some talented and fairly big name fighters along the way. He’ll be relying on the strength of his wrestling and jiu-jitsu in this fight, but he’s going to have his work cut out for him.
That’s because he’s taking on MMA phenom Georges St. Pierre, who is truly exemplary of the new generation of athletes in the sport. GSP is athletic and well-rounded, and you could argue that he is never at a disadvantage in any facet of the game against any fighter. Formally you would have pointed to his wrestling, but after his decisive win over Josh Koscheck, he put that to rest; he’s also training with the Canadian National team. His striking will be far superior to that of Fitch, and I expect GSP to come out and get comfortable on his feet. While I think he can hang with Fitch on the ground, he’ll want to score points standing and wear down the challenger, who will be going for five rounds for the first time in the UFC. In the end, GSP will simply be too much for the game, but outclassed Fitch.
GSP remains your Welterweight Champ via (T)KO in the 3rd round.
Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian
This is the fight that I’m most excited about on this card. Florian and Huerta are two of the top lightweights in the UFC and I think this could be an opportunity for one of these fighters to establish himself as a top 10 lightweight in the world. Dana White should be taken seriously when he says this has the potential to be a Fight of the Year candidate.
Huerta is returning to action for the first time since his win comeback win over Clay Guida last December. He posted an impressive 6-0 campaign in 2007, and while I argue that his opponents weren’t top caliber fighters, his aggressive, all-action style makes for great fights and his win over Guida showed he is dangerous at any point during a fight. While he should be compared to GSP in terms of talent level, he’s similar in that he’s an athletic, well rounded competitor. He’ll need to apply pressure for all 3 rounds and not allow Florian to gain control on the ground.
For Florian, his biggest challenge will be sticking to his gameplan. I’m confident that due to his experience at a championship level, he’ll be able to do this, but he needs to avoid getting into a fast paced, all-action brawl with Huerta. Florian’s striking is very good, don’t get me wrong, but Huerta is more athletic and rangier, so Florian will need to utilize angles and his Muay Thai clinch. If he control the action and eventually take Huerta down, I think he can work his way to the mount and go for the finish.
Kenny Florian wins via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Heath Herring vs. Brock Lesnar
I hate this fight because I’m actually a fan of both fighters. Herring HAS to be one of everyone’s favorite fighters simply because the guy will fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. That and his infamous YouTube clip in which he knocked the guy out for kissing him during the stare down. That scores points with me any day of the week.
Yet interestingly enough, you have to respect Brock Lesnar because he’s not taking any cupcakes for opponents. This guy has stated he wants to fight tough, credible opponents, and he got that in Frank Mir and he’s getting that again in Herring. I thought Lesnar was mighty impressive against Mir, inflicting serious damage and relentless attack before being caught in a submission. Meanwhile, Herring is coming off an impressive win over Cheick Kongo, a match that many thought would go the other way. But Herring has revamped his training and dedication to the sport, and he looked very tough, durable and much improved in grinding out the decision win.
There’s no question that the biggest hole in Lesnar’s game is his submission defense, and Herring has captured 16 of his 28 victories via just that. However, a lot of those have been submissions that come as a result of being on top of his opponents. I simply don’t see him finding a way to control Lesnar on top and work his way to a mount, taking the back, acquiring a choke, etc. While he may be able to roll Lesnar or work out of Lesnar’s guard, it’s my contention that Brock will simply be too big, too strong and too powerful. Herring will put in yet another gritty, impressive performance, but Saturday’s fight will show why he is the Chris Lytle, Chris Leben and Marcus Aurelio of the heavyweight division.
Brock Lesnar wins via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Demian Maia vs. Jason McDonald
Maia and McDonald could be a ton of fun to watch. Both are sick submission specialist, and I thank them both for their respective embarrassments of Ed “Short Fuse” Herman. Maia has come out of nowhere and is off to a modest 7-0 start to his career. McDonald, meanwhile, has shown flashes of brilliance at times, earning him fights with Yushin Okami and Rich Franklin. He fell flat on his face both times, however, and is slowly developing into a guy who will always fall just a bit short.
A lot of times when two guys with similar backgrounds go at it, the fight is won by utilizing other facets. It’s a matter of who is more comfortable in other areas and can keep it there. I don’t think that will be the case here. Maia seems to have jiu-jitsu skills that are unparalleled, and I think his will simply outclass McDonald’s in scoring a late submission win.
Plus his submission over Ed Herman was much cooler than McDonald’s. That and I also have trouble picking a guy with the nickname, “The Athlete.”
Demian Maia wins via 3rd round submission
Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Joe Silva is pitting a pair of TUF 5 alums against each other here. Interestingly enough, Emerson is an alum of something else, as well: The Lords of South County. Pretty hardcore, eh? Not if you watch the video in which he and his boys ambushed some poor guy at a gas station filling up his car. Pretty weak. I’m not a fan of Gamburyan, either, but I’ll take him over some spoiled, rich kid punk. Not only do I expect Manvil the Anvil to run right through Emerson, I’m hoping he gets hold a limb and goes Babalu on that ass.
Manny Gamburyan wins via 1st round submission
Undercard Bouts
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via decision
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via 1st round submission
Tamden Mcrory def. Luke Cummo via decision
Andre Gusmao def. Jon Jones via 1st round submission
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via decision
-Besse and Keefe
E-mail The Brief at sportsbrief@gmail.com
Televised Bouts
Keefe’s Picks
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch (Welterweight Championship Bout)
GSP and Fitch truly are the two best welterweights in the world. The 170 pound division is dominated by UFC fighters and this is the match up every fan wants to see. The only hick-up St. Pierre has faced was the stunning loss to Matt Serra. Since then he has defeated fellow Top 10 guys in Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes (for the second time), and took care of business against Serra. Along with those names, how about B.J. Penn, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Jason Miller, Jay Hieron, Karo Parisyan, and Pete Spratt being on GSP’s resume. Why not add Jon Fitch to that list?
I understand Fitch has rattled off 15 straight victories including a perfect 8-0 in the UFC with wins over Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves, and Josh Burkman, but I’m still not convinced. Half of Fitch’s victories in the UFC have come via decision, and St. Pierre has never lost when it comes down to the judges. He usually doesn’t let it go that long. Fitch is a great wrestler. That’s a fact. But GSP out wrestled Fitch’s training partner and 4 time All-American wrestler Josh Koscheck. Maybe Fitch can submit GSP? He has finished 3 fights in the octagon by submission. Don’t count on it. Besides that armbar by Hughes in 2004, GSP won’t let that happen either. I truly believe the only way to defeat GSP now is a fluke knock out a la Serra. I think this is a solid fight for 2 and a half rounds but than St. Pierre, one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet, ends it.
Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian
These two are not Top 10 lightweights in the world, but they are Top 5 in the UFC. The winner could find him self in line for a title shot down the road, the one problem being that the current champ B.J. Penn has his sights set a little higher, on a rematch with Georges St. Pierre. I think Penn will be watching this night of fights pretty closely. After a busy 2007, Huerta has not fought in 8 months. He can’t afford to have any ring rust against a guy like Ken-Flo. (I’m still upset I didn’t tell Florian he had a good flow when I took a leak next to him in a Somerville bathroom, damn.) Either way I like Florian to catch “El Matador” in one of the 5,000 submission holds he knows.
Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via submission in the 2nd round
Heath Herring vs. Brock Lesnar
Will big Brock Lesnar last more than 90 seconds this time around? For the paying fans I hope so, for Herring’s face, different story. Lesnar proved he’s an absolute monster who just has a lot to learn. Mir got a title shot out of defeating Brock, in his 1st UFC fight no less, you figure that out. Meanwhile Herring is coming off a victory over Kongo. Heath has yet to have a fight in the UFC not go the distance, but I think this will be different. Herring’s only chance here is to find a submission, where most of his Pride victories came from, and slap it on early a la Mir. Upset alert… if this is an upset.
Heath Herring def. Brock Lesnar via submission in the 1st round
Demian Maia vs. Jason McDonald
A pair of fighters here who find themselves on the outside looking in, on the true contenders list at 185. Both guys hold victories over Ed Herman, of course so does Besse and I. McDonald’s best win is over Leben, but anytime he’s gotten a shot a one of the elite, he has lost (Franklin and Okami.) This is a huge fight for Maia. Where does he stack up? He’s 7-0 in his career and 2-0 in the UFC. McDonald, owner of the worst nickname in sports “The Athlete” (aren’t they all athletes?), needs this win. In fact, I feel like it’s a great win for one fighter, but a bad loss at the same time, if that makes since. The loser here is a long way from a title shot, the winner may only need another fight or two, much like Patrick Cote who went on a nice run.
Demian Maia def. Jason McDonald via submission in the 3rd
Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Not sure why this is a televised main event bout, I’ll be honest. I can understand the die hard fans who say enough with the TUF crap being pushed down our throats. Yes there have been many great and entertaining fighters from the past shows like Forrest Griffin, Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez, etc., but there’s been many more who don’t belong on TV. I’m not saying Manny and Emerson are bad fighters. They could both be solid some day. If you watched Dream 5 last month you saw some incredible lightweights. This is an undercard fight. Manny’s had a nice run of quick finishes, and I think it continues.
Manny Gamburyan def. Rob Emerson via submission in the 1st
Undercard Bouts
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via decision
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via (T)KO in 1st
Luke Cummo def. Tamden McCrory via (T)KO in 2nd
Andre Gusmao def. Jon Jones via decision
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via (T)KO in 3rd
Besse’s Picks
Televised Bouts
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch (Welterweight Championship Bout)
Finally, GSP is clear of the whole Matt Hughes/Matt Serra shenanigans and can finally begin truly defending the welterweight crown. His first test since regaining that title is against a guy who is on quite a roll in Jon Fitch. Fitch has won 15 straight, but he looked a bit off target in his fight with Chris Wilson. Don’t get me wrong, Fitch clearly deserves this opportunity as he’s beaten some talented and fairly big name fighters along the way. He’ll be relying on the strength of his wrestling and jiu-jitsu in this fight, but he’s going to have his work cut out for him.
That’s because he’s taking on MMA phenom Georges St. Pierre, who is truly exemplary of the new generation of athletes in the sport. GSP is athletic and well-rounded, and you could argue that he is never at a disadvantage in any facet of the game against any fighter. Formally you would have pointed to his wrestling, but after his decisive win over Josh Koscheck, he put that to rest; he’s also training with the Canadian National team. His striking will be far superior to that of Fitch, and I expect GSP to come out and get comfortable on his feet. While I think he can hang with Fitch on the ground, he’ll want to score points standing and wear down the challenger, who will be going for five rounds for the first time in the UFC. In the end, GSP will simply be too much for the game, but outclassed Fitch.
GSP remains your Welterweight Champ via (T)KO in the 3rd round.
Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian
This is the fight that I’m most excited about on this card. Florian and Huerta are two of the top lightweights in the UFC and I think this could be an opportunity for one of these fighters to establish himself as a top 10 lightweight in the world. Dana White should be taken seriously when he says this has the potential to be a Fight of the Year candidate.
Huerta is returning to action for the first time since his win comeback win over Clay Guida last December. He posted an impressive 6-0 campaign in 2007, and while I argue that his opponents weren’t top caliber fighters, his aggressive, all-action style makes for great fights and his win over Guida showed he is dangerous at any point during a fight. While he should be compared to GSP in terms of talent level, he’s similar in that he’s an athletic, well rounded competitor. He’ll need to apply pressure for all 3 rounds and not allow Florian to gain control on the ground.
For Florian, his biggest challenge will be sticking to his gameplan. I’m confident that due to his experience at a championship level, he’ll be able to do this, but he needs to avoid getting into a fast paced, all-action brawl with Huerta. Florian’s striking is very good, don’t get me wrong, but Huerta is more athletic and rangier, so Florian will need to utilize angles and his Muay Thai clinch. If he control the action and eventually take Huerta down, I think he can work his way to the mount and go for the finish.
Kenny Florian wins via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Heath Herring vs. Brock Lesnar
I hate this fight because I’m actually a fan of both fighters. Herring HAS to be one of everyone’s favorite fighters simply because the guy will fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. That and his infamous YouTube clip in which he knocked the guy out for kissing him during the stare down. That scores points with me any day of the week.
Yet interestingly enough, you have to respect Brock Lesnar because he’s not taking any cupcakes for opponents. This guy has stated he wants to fight tough, credible opponents, and he got that in Frank Mir and he’s getting that again in Herring. I thought Lesnar was mighty impressive against Mir, inflicting serious damage and relentless attack before being caught in a submission. Meanwhile, Herring is coming off an impressive win over Cheick Kongo, a match that many thought would go the other way. But Herring has revamped his training and dedication to the sport, and he looked very tough, durable and much improved in grinding out the decision win.
There’s no question that the biggest hole in Lesnar’s game is his submission defense, and Herring has captured 16 of his 28 victories via just that. However, a lot of those have been submissions that come as a result of being on top of his opponents. I simply don’t see him finding a way to control Lesnar on top and work his way to a mount, taking the back, acquiring a choke, etc. While he may be able to roll Lesnar or work out of Lesnar’s guard, it’s my contention that Brock will simply be too big, too strong and too powerful. Herring will put in yet another gritty, impressive performance, but Saturday’s fight will show why he is the Chris Lytle, Chris Leben and Marcus Aurelio of the heavyweight division.
Brock Lesnar wins via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Demian Maia vs. Jason McDonald
Maia and McDonald could be a ton of fun to watch. Both are sick submission specialist, and I thank them both for their respective embarrassments of Ed “Short Fuse” Herman. Maia has come out of nowhere and is off to a modest 7-0 start to his career. McDonald, meanwhile, has shown flashes of brilliance at times, earning him fights with Yushin Okami and Rich Franklin. He fell flat on his face both times, however, and is slowly developing into a guy who will always fall just a bit short.
A lot of times when two guys with similar backgrounds go at it, the fight is won by utilizing other facets. It’s a matter of who is more comfortable in other areas and can keep it there. I don’t think that will be the case here. Maia seems to have jiu-jitsu skills that are unparalleled, and I think his will simply outclass McDonald’s in scoring a late submission win.
Plus his submission over Ed Herman was much cooler than McDonald’s. That and I also have trouble picking a guy with the nickname, “The Athlete.”
Demian Maia wins via 3rd round submission
Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Joe Silva is pitting a pair of TUF 5 alums against each other here. Interestingly enough, Emerson is an alum of something else, as well: The Lords of South County. Pretty hardcore, eh? Not if you watch the video in which he and his boys ambushed some poor guy at a gas station filling up his car. Pretty weak. I’m not a fan of Gamburyan, either, but I’ll take him over some spoiled, rich kid punk. Not only do I expect Manvil the Anvil to run right through Emerson, I’m hoping he gets hold a limb and goes Babalu on that ass.
Manny Gamburyan wins via 1st round submission
Undercard Bouts
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via decision
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via 1st round submission
Tamden Mcrory def. Luke Cummo via decision
Andre Gusmao def. Jon Jones via 1st round submission
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via decision
-Besse and Keefe
E-mail The Brief at sportsbrief@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
UFC 86 Predictions
With Keefe on vacation this week in the lovely town of Auburn, NY, I’m flying solo for this rendition of The Sports Brief’s UFC 86 predictions. I’ll actually be on vacation myself in Virginia Beach, VA, but don’t think for a second that I’ll miss two of my favorite fighters on this card in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Ricardo Almeida.
Top to bottom, I don’t think this card has the luster and allure as others, such as UFC 84 have had in the past. Part of the reason is the lack of marketability in the fighters. “Rampage” and Griffin is a very marketable main event, but with both fighters being shelved for the taping of TUF7, I think it’s hurt their appeal and interest from the fans, which is becoming a bit of an unfortunate trend for some of the high-profile stars in the UFC. The most recent case has come in the announcement of TUF8, which will pit former Heavyweight champ Frank Mir opposite current interim UFC Heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. They’ll most likely fight at the end-of-the-year show around New Year’s, which means neither will have fought for over 10 months when they finally clash. God forbid one of them gets hurt, Matt Serra.
But that’s enough ranting from me. On to the picks!
Preliminary bouts
Jorge Gurgel def. Cole Miller via decision
Ben Saunders def. Jared Rollins via 2nd round submission
Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Siver via (T)KO in the 1st round
Justin Bucholz def. Corey Hill via submission in the 2nd round
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully via decision
Televised bouts
Tyson Griffin v. Marcus Aurelio
Aurelio fought some of the best lightweights in the world for three years over in PRIDE; he’s never been stopped in his career. Griffin, meanwhile, hasn’t finished an opponent since 2006. You can credit Griffin for stopping several opponents early in his career, including current WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber, but I attribute that more to Faber fighting out of his weight class as opposed to being soundly beaten by a better opponent. I thought Griffin elevated his status in his last victory over Gleison Tibau at UFC 81, but Aurelio has rattled off two impressive wins since dropping three straight fights. One of those wins came on one of the best armbar maneuvers I’ve seen since watching MMA. Aurelio is a proven veteran, and while Griffin will be game, I think Aurelio will simply be too wily, smart and more prepared.
Marcus Aurelio def. Tyson Griffin via decision
Joe Stevenson v. Gleison Tibau
This is a great matchup for Stevenson in a comeback fight after his championship loss to BJ Penn earlier this year at UFC 80. He was outclassed by Penn in that fight, but show he can compete at an extremely high level. In Gleison Tibau, I think Stevenson gets to face a fringe prospect at best whose name carries more weight than his game. He’ll be a low level threat for “Daddy”, and I think he’ll look for the takedown to control the fight from there. However, I see Stevenson working well out of guard and eventually sweeping Tibau, achieving the mount and then working a rear-naked choke.
Joe Stevenson def. Gleison Tibau via submission (rear-naked choke) in the 2nd round
Josh Koscheck v. Chris Lytle
For me, this is one of those classic fights where I am completely biased to one of the combatants and pick for him out of adoration or against him out of pure spite. I’d say I’ve been wrong on picks like that 9 out of 10 times. And something tells me this is one of those trap fights, so I’m going to pick Koscheck even though I’ll rooting for Lytle. Koscheck has always come across as an arrogant d-bag since his days with Bobby Southworth on the original TUF series. He was a lay-n-pray guy back in his early days, and for the most part, I still think he is. I thought he was fortunate in his victory over Hazelett, and I don’t think he’d beat him in a rematch.
Lytle, meanwhile, is becoming the Chris Leben, Heath Herring and Tito Ortiz of the welterweight division. He’s essentially a gate-keeper; if you’re a rising prospect or fringe contender, throw him in with Lytle and see how it pans out. I’m hoping Lytle catches him with a right hook then pounces for the finish in the 2nd round, but something tells me Koscheck will utilizes his incredible wrestling skills and ride out a lackluster decision.
Josh Koscheck def. Chris Lytle via decision
Patrick Cote v. Ricardo Almeida
This is my favorite fight on the card. I enjoy watching both of these fighters, but Almeida has become a personal favorite. His black belt jiu-jitsu is world class, and his submission over Rob Yundt was amazing. I think there’s still ring rust there, as he took off almost four years from MMA competition. But if he gets this fight to the ground, it’ll be over before Cote’s back even hits the mat. Cote has dynamite in his hands and has put that on full display in his recent string of knockout victories over Jason Day, Kendall Grove and Drew McFedries, who was a feared and respected striker in his own right. If Cote keeps this on his feet, he’ll certainly prevail, but I don’t see that happening. I look back on his losses to Travis Lutter and Joe Doerksen; those give me enough support to believe that Almeida will lock in a submission and re-establish himself as one of the elite contenders at 185.
Ricardo Almeida def. Patrick Cote via submission in the 1st round
Main Event
Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson v. Forrest Griffin
Up until his victory over Shogun, I can’t say that Griffin had a substantial victory over a big name opponent yet. In my eyes, he was still a fringe contender who had yet to prove he belonged among the UFC’s elite, nevermind the world’s. And while I do believe Rua’s health – or lack thereof – played a role in that fight, Griffin smother him with attacks and wore down the last man to defeat Jackson before finally securing a fight-ending rear-naked choke. It was an impressive victory for Griffin, and while I don’t think he was the most deserving of a title shot, he was certainly a very marketable solution.
I’m reading comments by many people who seem to think that Griffin training with Wanderlei Silva means he’ll have the gameplan to dethrone the champ by smothering Jackson up against the cage and overwhelming him with strikes. It’s a valid argument, and certainly one worth discussing. But I don’t agree with it. At all.
Silva is a completely different fighter than Griffin. He has a better chin, better, more compact and powerful strikes, and knees are at a premium in his arsenal. Griffin is a more tactical fighter. He’ll throw kicks and his punches are accurate, precise and very deliberate. But that’s when he’s on the outside. He has a tendency to stand in the pocket when he’s in trouble and trade, and when you have a glass jaw and your punches aren’t as powerful as your opponents, that won’t work out very well.
Jackson, meanwhile, has evolved into one of the most complete MMA fighters in the world. Against Eastman and Liddell, he showed that his striking is efficient, powerful and well groomed. Against Dan Henderson, he displayed an excellent ground game, terrific cardio and has shown time and time again that he has a solid chin.
I think Griffin will put up a solid fight here, and I think he may actually have the champ in trouble at some point. But Jackson is too well rounded and very tough. He’ll work his way inside, sustaining any punishment on his way in, and find himself in the pocket with Griffin trading bombs. At that point, advantage goes to Jackson, who will wobble the challenger, land a big takedown and finish the fight with some ground-n-pound before the ref stops the fight and Jackson retains the belt.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson defeats Forrest Griffin via (T)KO in the 2nd round
I’d love to hear your feedback on these fights and who you think will win this weekend in Las Vegas. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the fights.
-Bess
Top to bottom, I don’t think this card has the luster and allure as others, such as UFC 84 have had in the past. Part of the reason is the lack of marketability in the fighters. “Rampage” and Griffin is a very marketable main event, but with both fighters being shelved for the taping of TUF7, I think it’s hurt their appeal and interest from the fans, which is becoming a bit of an unfortunate trend for some of the high-profile stars in the UFC. The most recent case has come in the announcement of TUF8, which will pit former Heavyweight champ Frank Mir opposite current interim UFC Heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. They’ll most likely fight at the end-of-the-year show around New Year’s, which means neither will have fought for over 10 months when they finally clash. God forbid one of them gets hurt, Matt Serra.
But that’s enough ranting from me. On to the picks!
Preliminary bouts
Jorge Gurgel def. Cole Miller via decision
Ben Saunders def. Jared Rollins via 2nd round submission
Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Siver via (T)KO in the 1st round
Justin Bucholz def. Corey Hill via submission in the 2nd round
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully via decision
Televised bouts
Tyson Griffin v. Marcus Aurelio
Aurelio fought some of the best lightweights in the world for three years over in PRIDE; he’s never been stopped in his career. Griffin, meanwhile, hasn’t finished an opponent since 2006. You can credit Griffin for stopping several opponents early in his career, including current WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber, but I attribute that more to Faber fighting out of his weight class as opposed to being soundly beaten by a better opponent. I thought Griffin elevated his status in his last victory over Gleison Tibau at UFC 81, but Aurelio has rattled off two impressive wins since dropping three straight fights. One of those wins came on one of the best armbar maneuvers I’ve seen since watching MMA. Aurelio is a proven veteran, and while Griffin will be game, I think Aurelio will simply be too wily, smart and more prepared.
Marcus Aurelio def. Tyson Griffin via decision
Joe Stevenson v. Gleison Tibau
This is a great matchup for Stevenson in a comeback fight after his championship loss to BJ Penn earlier this year at UFC 80. He was outclassed by Penn in that fight, but show he can compete at an extremely high level. In Gleison Tibau, I think Stevenson gets to face a fringe prospect at best whose name carries more weight than his game. He’ll be a low level threat for “Daddy”, and I think he’ll look for the takedown to control the fight from there. However, I see Stevenson working well out of guard and eventually sweeping Tibau, achieving the mount and then working a rear-naked choke.
Joe Stevenson def. Gleison Tibau via submission (rear-naked choke) in the 2nd round
Josh Koscheck v. Chris Lytle
For me, this is one of those classic fights where I am completely biased to one of the combatants and pick for him out of adoration or against him out of pure spite. I’d say I’ve been wrong on picks like that 9 out of 10 times. And something tells me this is one of those trap fights, so I’m going to pick Koscheck even though I’ll rooting for Lytle. Koscheck has always come across as an arrogant d-bag since his days with Bobby Southworth on the original TUF series. He was a lay-n-pray guy back in his early days, and for the most part, I still think he is. I thought he was fortunate in his victory over Hazelett, and I don’t think he’d beat him in a rematch.
Lytle, meanwhile, is becoming the Chris Leben, Heath Herring and Tito Ortiz of the welterweight division. He’s essentially a gate-keeper; if you’re a rising prospect or fringe contender, throw him in with Lytle and see how it pans out. I’m hoping Lytle catches him with a right hook then pounces for the finish in the 2nd round, but something tells me Koscheck will utilizes his incredible wrestling skills and ride out a lackluster decision.
Josh Koscheck def. Chris Lytle via decision
Patrick Cote v. Ricardo Almeida
This is my favorite fight on the card. I enjoy watching both of these fighters, but Almeida has become a personal favorite. His black belt jiu-jitsu is world class, and his submission over Rob Yundt was amazing. I think there’s still ring rust there, as he took off almost four years from MMA competition. But if he gets this fight to the ground, it’ll be over before Cote’s back even hits the mat. Cote has dynamite in his hands and has put that on full display in his recent string of knockout victories over Jason Day, Kendall Grove and Drew McFedries, who was a feared and respected striker in his own right. If Cote keeps this on his feet, he’ll certainly prevail, but I don’t see that happening. I look back on his losses to Travis Lutter and Joe Doerksen; those give me enough support to believe that Almeida will lock in a submission and re-establish himself as one of the elite contenders at 185.
Ricardo Almeida def. Patrick Cote via submission in the 1st round
Main Event
Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson v. Forrest Griffin
Up until his victory over Shogun, I can’t say that Griffin had a substantial victory over a big name opponent yet. In my eyes, he was still a fringe contender who had yet to prove he belonged among the UFC’s elite, nevermind the world’s. And while I do believe Rua’s health – or lack thereof – played a role in that fight, Griffin smother him with attacks and wore down the last man to defeat Jackson before finally securing a fight-ending rear-naked choke. It was an impressive victory for Griffin, and while I don’t think he was the most deserving of a title shot, he was certainly a very marketable solution.
I’m reading comments by many people who seem to think that Griffin training with Wanderlei Silva means he’ll have the gameplan to dethrone the champ by smothering Jackson up against the cage and overwhelming him with strikes. It’s a valid argument, and certainly one worth discussing. But I don’t agree with it. At all.
Silva is a completely different fighter than Griffin. He has a better chin, better, more compact and powerful strikes, and knees are at a premium in his arsenal. Griffin is a more tactical fighter. He’ll throw kicks and his punches are accurate, precise and very deliberate. But that’s when he’s on the outside. He has a tendency to stand in the pocket when he’s in trouble and trade, and when you have a glass jaw and your punches aren’t as powerful as your opponents, that won’t work out very well.
Jackson, meanwhile, has evolved into one of the most complete MMA fighters in the world. Against Eastman and Liddell, he showed that his striking is efficient, powerful and well groomed. Against Dan Henderson, he displayed an excellent ground game, terrific cardio and has shown time and time again that he has a solid chin.
I think Griffin will put up a solid fight here, and I think he may actually have the champ in trouble at some point. But Jackson is too well rounded and very tough. He’ll work his way inside, sustaining any punishment on his way in, and find himself in the pocket with Griffin trading bombs. At that point, advantage goes to Jackson, who will wobble the challenger, land a big takedown and finish the fight with some ground-n-pound before the ref stops the fight and Jackson retains the belt.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson defeats Forrest Griffin via (T)KO in the 2nd round
I’d love to hear your feedback on these fights and who you think will win this weekend in Las Vegas. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the fights.
-Bess
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Sports Brief's UFC 84 Picks
I can't even begin to tell you how excited The Sports Brief is for this weekend's card. Not only do Penn and Sherk settle the score, but someone may die in a fight between the "Dean of Mean" and the "Ax Murderer". It may be one of the greatest nickname combinations ever to step into the Octagon against one another. And to top it all off, Tito Ortiz makes what will most likely be his final stand in the Octagon. So much drama, so much intrigue, let's get to the picks...
BJ Penn (champion) v. Sean Sherk
This is a terrific match-up between a champion and former champion who truly hate each other. Stylistically, I don’t think this is a good one for Sherk. He’s short and will be up against a considerable reach advantage for Penn, who is a far superior striker. And while Sherk will certainly be the better wrestler in this fight, he’ll be playing right into Penn’s strength. “The Prodigy” is clearly the most flexible fighter in all of MMA, and his jiu-jitsu is world class. If put on his back, he’ll be able to neutralize the attack of Sherk and possibly even submit him.
But I don’t think the fight will go there. Sherk, like Matt Hughes, has yet to evolve from a wrestler with a tremendous ground-and-pound to a well-rounded mixed martial artist. Because of that, I think Penn will either score a takedown or pull Sherk into his guard then sweep, taking top control and working his way to a victory. Just look at St. Pierre’s dominant victory over Sherk at UFC 56. Penn, who arguably may have won his fight with GSP (after which GSP went to the hospital), should have the same success.
Penn via T(KO), referee stoppage due to strikes.
Keith Jardine v. Wanderlei Silva
It bothers me that this is Jardine’s first fight since his shocker over Chuck Liddell at UFC 76. But it’s intriguing, because Liddell is the last opponent for both of these guys. Jardine has to be bitter that Forrest Griffin, whom he destroyed in their fight, leapfrogged him for a shot at the Light Heavyweight title. Silva, meanwhile, needs to win here in order to make himself relevant in this division in the UFC.
This will assuredly be an all-out standup war, much like the fight between Liddell and Silva. “The Ax-Murderer” is an exciting fighter who lays it all on the line, win or loss, in every fight. He applies pressure and constantly works. While Liddell kept him at bay with the jab, using his reach advantage and counter-striking ability, Jardine doesn’t have the same technical prowess as Liddell. His kicks are what did in the “Iceman”, and they were successful because Liddell stayed on the outside trying to box and counter. Silva won’t be doing that here. We’ve seen in the past that Jardine’s defense is like a sieve, particularly against the likes of Houston Alexander who dominated him in the clinch and inside. I like Silva to use his superior cardio and apply constant pressure, working inside the jab and kicks to put the “Dean of Mean” to sleep.
Silva via KTFO in the 2 nd round.
Tito Ortiz v. Lyota Machida
I’m actually nervous about this fight. Tito is by far my favorite MMA fighter, and this is a fight that will have me on pins and needles until it’s over. Machida is an underrated, technical fighter who frustrates opponents and constantly outscores them; this is why most of his wins have come by decision. He’s defeated a murderer’s row of opponents, too, including Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar and a bloated BJ Penn.
Ortiz, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since July of ’07 when he gassed against Rashad Evans and would have won the fight had he not grabbed the fence. After a long layoff and an appearance on “Celebrity Apprentice”, Ortiz claims to be fully healthy and ready to go. It’s also a contract fight for the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy”, and his feud with Dana White will come to full boil at UFC 84: Ill Will. I can’t help but think that Machida will grind out yet another decision here. But I’m not going to do it. I think Ortiz is in fact motivated and will provide his best performance in years. Look for him to pressure Machida the entire fight and display a vastly improved cardio. I can only hope to join Ortiz in his celebratory “grave digger” ceremony after a victory.
Ortiz via T(KO) in the 2 nd round
Wilson Gouveia v. Goran Reljic
Gouveia is on a four fight win streak in the UFC after a tough decision loss to Jardine back in ’06. Reljic, meanwhile, is a UFC newcomer who comes with five submission wins in seven victories, no defeats. For Gouveia, I think he’s okay here. He’s a jiu-jitsu practitioner and has never been submitted. If he can avoid whatever strikes Reljic throws at him, I think Gouveia should be able to secure victory here. He was impressive in his last win over Jason Lambert which was a spectacular knockout, and I think he’ll continue to prove his mettle in the UFC on Saturday.
Gouveia via Decision
Thiago Silva v. Antonio Mendes
Remember way back when Silva was supposed to fight Rashad Evans on this card? And then Evans got bumped to fill in for Mauricio Rua as the main event against Liddell at UFC 85? And then Liddell got injured and James Irvin was supposed to fight Evans even though it was no longer a main event? And then Irvin got hurt and Evans got scrapped? Remember? Doesn’t that suck for everyone involved, from Silva to Evans to the UFC and the fans. Imagine if that fight was still on this card?
Instead, we get Mendes, a Brazilian riding an 11-fight win streak and 14-2 overall record. This should be a good test for Silva, who has terrific striking ability and showed some explosive ground and pound against highly touted, and now overhyped, Houston Alexander. I personally think Silva is a BAMF and don’t think he’ll have a letdown here. This guy was probably an assassin or enforcer in a past life, or this life even, and I think he’ll put on another impressive performance. Look for an explosion early on, but Silva will prevail.
Silva via T(KO) in the 1 st round
Ivan Salaverry v. Rousimar Palhares
Palhares by submission in the 2 nd round
Rameau Sokoudjou v. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Sokoudjou via Decision
Rich Clementi v. Terry Etim
Clementi by submission in the 2 nd round
Jon Koppenhaver v. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Yoshida via T(KO) in the 1 st round
Jason Tan v. Dong Hyun Kim
Tan by submission in the 3 rd round
Christian Wellisch v. Shane Carwin
Carwin by (T)KO in the 2 nd round
Please note that these are only my picks. Rich is too nervous about the Tito fight to write anything for this weekend’s card. But he did want me to say hello and also pass along that he’s going Penn, Wandy and Tito. Enjoy, and let me know what you think will happen with this weekend’s fights.
-Bess
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