UFC Title Fights

Announcement day in the UFC, clearly up some of the title fight questions.  Here is what we know now...

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Champ Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustaffson - UFC 165, September 21, Toronto


HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos - UFC 166, October 19, Houston


WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks - UFC 167, November 16, Las Vegas


Other match ups that have been set.

MIDDLEWEIGHT: Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman (UFC 162, July 6)

LIGHTWEIGHT: Benson Henderson vs. T.J. Grant (UFC 164, August 31)

FEATHERWEIGHT: Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis (UFC 163, August 3)

FLYWEIGHT: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga (UFC on Fox 8, July 27)

UFC 142 Predictions

I'm back baby!

After a long hiatus, I've decided to try and commit myself to posting blogs more consistently moving forward. Work has taken a toll on me, but after starting a new job, moving apartments and getting settled after the holidays, the hope is I'll have some time to make occasional posts during the week and some on the weekends.

For the first blog back, here are predictions on the main card for the UFC 142 fight tonight:

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes

Interesting take here. I actually work with a guy who is friends with a lot of members in and associated with Team Alpha Male: Urijah Faber, Mark Munoz, and none other than Chad Mendes. We've talked a lot about this card over the last couple weeks, and he firmly believes, bias or not, that Mendes' wrestling can be the difference in this fight.

I don't.

While I think he can find success in moments throughout the fight, I don't think he'll have the ability to wear down Aldo enough in this pockets to finish him. And when the fight is on the feet, Aldo has the significant advantage. Mendes packs power, but Aldo's striking is so versatile, fluid and devastating, Mendes could be worn down by the 4th and 5th rounds. In fact, my co-worker told me he was cageside for the Aldo vs. Faber fight, and the leg kicks were devastating from Aldo. They could see the impact on his legs from the 1st row, and after the fight Faber told him they hurt like hell. Expect Mendes to face the same difficulty.

Aldo will wear him down on the feet, and while Mendes will score in short spurts, Aldo will carry a lead in the championship rounds, where Mendes will be tired, sore, and not have the spring in his legs to score any takedowns. As a result, Aldo hurts Mendes with a flurry late in the 4th before finishing him on the ground.

Result: Aldo defeats Mendes via 4th round (T)KO stoppage.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson

"Rumble" came rumbling onto the scale at 197lbs, 11lbs over the contracted weight. Dana White just released his Day 2 Vlog and it's interesting to watch his conversation with Belfort, informing him of the predicament and his options to either stop cutting and rehydrate now or make weight and accept 20% of Johnson's purse. Vitor, ever the professional, accepted the latter.

One thing I caught in the video, which you can view below, is that the fight will take place around 3am in Brazil. Vitor is from Brazil, so he's used to the time zone and has a sense of what needs to be done to be ready by fight time. I can't assume Johnson, far from the professional Belfort is, has the same awareness. So while Johnson may have the advantage from weighing much heavier than Belfort, he also went through some serious medical issues that caused him to miss weight, and I think Belfort will actually be fresher when they enter the cage.

In terms of tangibles, it's an interesting matchup of styles. Both are prolific strikers. Belfort has the faster, crisper strikes, while Johnson brings power that may not be matched at 170, 185, or possibly even 205. This guy throws bombs, plain and simple. But the quickness of Belfort on the feet could force Johnson to consider packing up his ego and relying on his wrestling. The "Phenom" will have to watch out for that.

Picking this fight is tough. The weight thing really throws a wrinkle into the mix, but ultimately I think Belfort prevails. He's fighting in his home country, has quick, fast hands with power, and has fought guys just as big if not bigger than Johnson. It's not something new to a guy with a wealthy of experience. Johnson will be a legitimate threat while the fight lasts, but I think Belfort wobbles "Rumble" and closes fast with a shocking flurry of strikes that puts Johnson down and out in the 2nd round.

Result: Belfort defeats Johnson via 2nd round KO

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio

This won't take long. I'm not sure how Massenzio wins this fight. And he won't. Palhares will bully him to the mat within the first couple minutes of the fight, land some strikes from the top, then latch onto a leg as Massenzio tries to scramble. He'll tap, Palhares will hold the submission a few seconds after the ref steps in, Massenzio will get hurt, and there will be a massive scrum in the cage as UFC brass try to restore order.

In other words, just another day in the life of Palhares.

By the way, does Palhares have the biggest arms in MMA? Holy christ.

Result: Palhares defeats Massenzio via 1st round submission (kneebar)

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater

Prater looks like a badass, but he's actually just a veteran fighter with a ton of experience. Silva, meanwhile, is an up-and-coming prospect who is looking to pass yet another test as he tries to climb the ladder.

My knowledge of Prater goes back to his days in the WEC. A failed title attempt against then 170lb. champ Carlos Condit, and another loss to former WEC welterweight contender Brock Larson. He was wiped out in both fights, and while he's fought a lot of tough, top guys in the sport, he's never really found success at the highest of levels.

Silva, meanwhile, is a guy who has finished 10 of his 13 professional victories, 7 by submission. He's also trained with fellow Brazilians Anderson Silva and the Nogueria brothers. The guy can attack, and against Prater I think he continues his climb to contendership with relative ease. He'll soften Prater up with strikes, then after being wobbled, Prater will try and scramble for a takedown. On his knees while reaching for a leg, Prater's neck will be exposed and Silva will pounce on it, locking up the guillotine and finishing the longtime MMA vet with the tapout.

Result: Erick Silva defeats Carlo Prater via 1st round submission (guillotine choke)

Terry Etim vs. Edson Barboza

This should be a barn burner. I love to watch Etim. Long, lean and athletic, and he has a fantastic submission game. Great threat on the ground. Barboza, meanwhile, is an undefeated prospect with some serious striking on the feet. He's coming off a split decision win against Ross Pearson, a guy who's pretty talented on his feet, as well.

Both guys should bring it, and this is my early pick for Fight of the Night honors. As far as the result, Etim is going to need to get this fight to the ground and be on the attack, not fighting in a scramble. If it stays on the feet, he's tough and will be game, but it'll be the best way for him to lose a decision.

Ultimately, I think that's how it goes down. Etim won't be able to sustain any success on the mat against Barboza, and the majority of it will showcase the superior striking of the undefeated talent.

Result: Barboza defeats Etim via unanimous decision

That's all I'll weigh in on, as the undercard fights have kicked off. Just wanted to get this up as I want the end of the 49ers-Saints game and get ready for the Pats. A great weekend of sports, and more exciting UFC action coming this month, a lot of which has been featured on FOX during this game which has been pretty cool to see.

Enjoy the games and the fights!

-Bess

UFC Title Picture By Division

There are 7 divisions in the UFC. The biggest of them all took center stage last Saturday night for the promotions network television debut. Junior Dos Santos defeated Cain Velasquez to become the newest champ in the UFC. What is next for JDS and the rest of the champs? Here is a divisional breakdown of the best-of-the-best.

HEAVYWEIGHT:
Champion: Junior Dos Santos

How: Defeated Cain Velasquez, November 12, 2011 at UFC on Fox

What's Next? Faces the winner of Brock Lesnar - Alistair Overeem, which is set for December 30, 2011 at UFC 141. It will be Dos Santos' first title defense.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT:
Champion: Jon Jones

How: Defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, March 19, 2011 at UFC 128. Defended title against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, September 24, 2011 at UFC 135.

What's Next? Was set to face Rashad Evans but injuries to Evans have postponed the match up twice, he will now square off against former champ Lyoto Machida, December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.

MIDDLEWEIGHT:
Champion: Anderson Silva

How: Defeated Rich Franklin, October 14, 2006 at UFC 64. Defended title a record 9 times with wins over:
Nate Marquart (UFC 73)
Rich Franklin (UFC 77)
Dan Henderson (UFC 82)
Patrick Cote (UFC 90)
Thales Leites (UFC 97)
Demian Maia (UFC 112)
Chael Sonnen (UFC 117)
Vitor Belfort (UFC 126)
Yushin Okami (UFC 134)

What's Next? Rematch with Chael Sonnen, date TBA.

WELTERWEIGHT:
Champion: Georges St. Pierre

How: (On current run) Defeated Matt Hughes, December 29, 2007 at UFC 79 for Interim Title, defeated Matt Serra, April 19, 2008, to become undisputed champ. Defended title 6 times with wins over:
Jon Fitch (UFC 87)
B.J. Penn (UFC 94)
Thiago Alves (UFC 100)
Dan Hardy (UFC 111)
Josh Koscheck (UFC 124)
Jake Shields (UFC 129)

What's Next: Nick Diaz, February 4, 2012 at UFC 143. (GSP was set to face Diaz at UFC 137, before Diaz was replaced by Carlos Condit because of failure to meet pre-fight responsibilities. GSP was then off the card due to injury.)

LIGHTWEIGHT:
Champion: Frankie Edgar

How: Defeated B.J. Penn, April 10, 2010 at UFC 112. Defended title against B.J. Penn, August 28, 2010 at UFC 118, kept title after a draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125, and then defeated Maynard at UFC 136.

What's Next: Ben Henderson, February 26, 2012 at UFC 144.

FEATHERWEIGHT:
Champion: Jose Aldo

How: (WEC Title became UFC Title) Defeated Mike Brown, November 18, 2009 at WEC 44. Defended belt 4 times:
Urjiah Faber (WEC 48)
Manny Gamburyan (WEC 51)
Mark Hominick (UFC 129)
Kenny Florian (UFC 136)

What's Next: Chad Mendes, January 14, 2012 at UFC 142.

BANTAMWEIGHT:
Champion: Dominick Cruz

How: (WEC Title became UFC Title) Defeated Brian Bowles, March 6, 2010 at WEC 47. Defended belt 4 times:
Joseph Benavidez (WEC 50)
Scott Jorgensen (WEC 53)
Urijah Faber (UFC 132)
Demetrious Johnson (UFC on Versus 6)

What's Next: TBA likely winner of Faber vs. Bowles which is set for this Saturday at UFC 139.

-Keefe

GSP Wins, Couture KO'd at UFC 129

Georges St. Pierre defended his Welterweight title with a 5-round unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields. The fight stayed on the feet for almost the entire 25 minutes. Shields hit GSP with what looked like a knuckle to his open left eye, St. Pierre said he could not see out of it. Not completely dominate, but there was no doubt when the horn sounded that GSP was the winner. After the fight he was noncommittal about moving up to middleweight and fighting Anderson Silva.

Couture done like that? Randy "The Natural" Couture said prior to the fight with Lyoto Machida, that he would retire. The 47 year old former champion was knocked out in the 1st round by something out of The Karate Kid. Machida landed a devastating kick to the face that sent Captain America to the ground. That was it... or will he be back?

Jose Aldo (boring) Vladimir Matyushenko (20 seconds TKO punches), and Ben Henderson (decision) were all winners on the night's main card.

-Keefe