Category: MMA

Tonight we have UFC 103, so here are my picks:

Cole Miller vs. Efrain Escudero – I know of Cole Miller from the Ultimate Fighter show. He doesn’t look like much of a fighter, but don’t let that fool you. He’s a tough kid and I’m picking him to win fairly easily.

Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin – This should be an entertaining fight. Both have a good ground game, but I think that Griffin is a more rounded fighter who always comes ready to rock. I pick Griffin in what should be an excellent fight.

Frank Trigg vs. Josh Koscheck – This should be another excellent fight. I think that Koscheck will win by decision.

Paul Daley vs. Martin Kampmann – Kampmann should win this pretty easily.

Juniior Dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic – I keep changing my mind on this fight. At first I was thinking Santos… then I thought “Cro Cop”… then Santos. Okay. I’m going with “Cro Cop” — the deciding factor? Bartledoo Joey said so.

Vitor Belfort vs. Rich Franklin – Belfort came in slightly over weight.  He did make it by the required time, but he doesn’t look as in shape as he needs to be in order to hang with Franklin. It should be a good fight, but I see Franklin taking this one.

UFC 102 was Saturday so let’s how I did:

Chris Tuchscherer (17 – 1) vs Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4)   My pick: Tuchscherer by decision.  Actual Result: Tuchscherer wins by TKO  My Average: 100%

Krzysztof Soszynski (18-8-1) vs Brandon Vera (10-3) My pick: Vera by decision.  Actual Result: Vera by decision  My Average: 100%

Demian Maia (10 – 0) vs Nate Marquardt (28 – 8 – 2) My pick: Marquardt in a close decision.  Actual Result: Marquardt by 1st round KO  My Average: 100%

Jake Rosholt (5 – 1) vs Chris Leben (18 – 6)  My pick: Leben by decision.  Actual Result: Leban by 3rd Round Submission  My Average:  75%

Thiago Silva (13 – 1) vs Keith Jardine (14 – 6)   My pick: Jardine by decision.  Actual Result: Silva by 1st Round KO  My Average: 60%

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) vs Randy Couture (16 – 9)   My pick: Couture by KO.  Actual Result: Nog by Unanimous Decision  My Average: 50%

Man, I started out like Anderson Silva and ended up like a journeyman fighter.  Oh well, there’s always next time!

UFC 102 is tonight so let’s go right to my picks:

Chris Tuchscherer (17 – 1) vs Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) Gonzaga has fought the better quality of fighters, but Tuchscherer is no slouch. If he can get through the first round and make use of his All-American wrestling skills, he should be able to take the win. My pick: Tuchscherer by decision.

Krzysztof Soszynski (18-8-1) vs Brandon Vera (10-3) Vera is favored because Soszynski seems made to order. Vera is bigger, and more skilled.  Still, I’ve never been a Brandon Vera fan. I’m pulling for the upset in this one however… My pick: Vera by decision.

Demian Maia (10 – 0) vs Nate Marquardt (28 – 8 – 2) This could be the best fight of the night. I like both of these fighters. It’s hard to go against an undefeated talent like Maia, but… My pick: Marquardt in a close decision.

Jake Rosholt (5 – 1) vs Chris Leben (18 – 6) I’m not a huge fan of Leben, but even I can’t deny he is one tough fighter. If Rosholt sticks to wrestling, he could have a very good shot at an upset. My guess is Leben won’t let him. If Rosholt tries to slug it out with Leben, game over. My pick: Leben by decision.

Thiago Silva (13 – 1) vs Keith Jardine (14 – 6) Keith Jardine goes into every round looking for the knockout.  Silva won’t want to trade with Jardine.   Jardine shouldn’t want to take it to the ground with Silva. This could make for a very tactical fight… it could also end up a snooze fest if Silva refuses to stand and trade in order to set up a takedown. My pick: Jardine by decision.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) vs Randy Couture (16 – 9)  I like both of these fighters.  Couture is older and has had less fights. Both are coming off of losses [Nog was KO’d by Frank Mir and Couture was KO’d by Brock Lesnar]. Both need the win in order to remain at the top of the MMA food chain. My pick: Couture by KO. [And the fact that Couture is co-starring in “The Expendables” had very little to do with my decision. ; ) ]

UFC 101 was had two fights I was interested in and surprisingly I went with the underdog in each fight.   While I know that the race doesn’t always go to the strongest or the fastest, that IS the way to bet.  Fortunately for me, I had no bets on either of the fights.

Anderson Silva was a huge favorite to keep his winning streak alive and retain his title.  I thought that Forrest Griffin. would give him a tough time and maybe, just maybe find a way to win.  Silva was just too skilled and won by KO in the first.

BJ Penn was favored to beat Kenny Florian, despite Florian’s six fight and three year undefeated streak. Penn is called the Prodigy, and for good reason.  He was able to win by forcing Florian to tap by way of rear naked choke in the fourth. 

Yeah, I knew the odds were against me big time and like most long shots they didn’t pay off.  Luckily, I didn’t have to either.

UFC 101 is Saturday night and if I’m going to see the fights it’ll be at a local joint. That’s because there are really only two fights on the card that I care about, but they should both be excellent.

Anderson Silva is a 3 to 1 favorite to keep his nine fight winning streak alive when he faces off against Forrest Griffin.  Although Silva is the more polished fighter, you can be sure that Griffin is going to go in swinging and try to wear down Silva over the course of the fight.  Silva is perhaps the best pound for pound fighter in mixed martial arts, but I’m going to go for the big upset and take Griffin. 

BJ Penn is favored to beat Kenny Florian, despite Florian’s six fight and three year undefeated streak.  Penn is called the Prodigy, but again, I’m going with the underdog and picking Florian. 

Yeah, I know.  Odds are against me big time this weekend.

There was a lot of news for MMA fans today, but the biggest news was something that didn’t happen.  First, let’s look at what did:

• Tito Ortiz has re-signed with the UFC.  He and Dana White have sorted out there differences and soon Ortiz will be back in the cage.  His first opponenet has not yet been named.
• Rich Franklin was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 103.  That has been changed.  Franklin will now face Victor Belfort.  Henderson is in line to get the next title shot at Anderson Silva.  This should work out better for everyone involved.
• And now for what didn’t happen.  Fedor Emelianenko didn’t sign with the UFC.  Fedor was offered more money than he’s ever made plus a percentage of the ppv sales.  He was going to be allowed to wear M-1 logos [his manager’s organization] in the cage and on whatever signs, shirts, he wanted.  He would still be allowed to fight in Sambo.  The only concession White wouldn’t concede was to make M-1 a partner with the UFC in the promotion of the fights.  If Fedor is truly the best or even just wants to fight the best, he should have made the deal.  Kevin Iole sums it up perfectly here.  Looks like Fedor will be sitting on the couch with his “belts” for the time being.  Bah.

Lesnar vs. Mir – My prediction was a Lesnar win and he did, but Lesnar’s antics after the fight got more press.  Sure, Lesnar won via a 2nd round stoppage.  He was able to take Mir down, but once on the ground was either unable or afraid to try and advance his position.  Instead he would lay on Mir and punch away.  Lesnar is huge and uses his weight and canned ham-fists to full advantage.  Mir did manage to rock Lesnar with a knee in the second round, and although Lesnar admitted it made him see “Tweety-birds”, he was lucky enough to land on top of Mir.  I don’t think that Mir realized how stunned Lesnar was, and he was able to quickly recover and start pounding away until the ref called the fight.

After the fight, Lesnar was loudly booed by fans.  He responded by giving them a double-middle finger salute.  Lesnar then ran over to Mir and began yelling in his face.  Talk about gracious in victory!  Then in the in-ring post-fight interview, Lesnar said he was going to drink Coors because UFC sponsor Bud Lite wouldn’t pay him enough!  He told fans to keep booing because he loved it and that he’d probably go home and get on top of his wife.  Very classy, right?  At the post fight interview with the media, Lesnar apologized for his rude behavior, said that he was really going to drink Bud Lite all night, blah, blah, blah. 

Normally when someone messes up and apologizes, I’m quick to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Not this time.  Lesnar admitted that Dana White had taken him aside to talk to him about his antics.  There’s no doubt that White explained to Lesnar how insulting a company sponsor would hurt future events and ALL UFC fighters, that insulting the fans would hurt Lesnar’s own pay-per-view and t-shirt sales, etc.  So although Lesnar apologized, I think there was more “showmanship” in his apology than his antics after the fight.  Think back to how Lesnar acted when he lost to Mir the first time.  Lesnar said he “gave” the fight to Mir.  That Mir lucked into it.  That the ref was at fault for stopping it when Lesnar hit in the back of the head.  Lesnar talked all kinds of junk and never once said, “Mir beat me because he was the better man that night and when he pulled the kneebar on me I tapped out.”  Contrast that with his behavior after earning a decision against Heath Herring.  Lesnar was showboating and acting the fool.  He loses with no class and wins the same way.

I hope that Lesnar does learn from his mistakes.  Time will tell.  If he does begin to show some class, then my opinion of him will change.  if not, not.  

GSP vs. Alves – My prediction was a GSP victory and we’re one step closer to him fighting Anderson Silva.  GSP easily won and we are.

Henderson vs. Bisbing – My prediction: Henderson wins.  He did by the most devestating KO of the night… maybe the year!

Fitch vs. Thiago – My prediction was Fitch wins by crazy beard.  He did and still has the beard.

Bonnar vs. Coleman – My prediction was Bonnar wins and he lost and now is a bit closer to sitting with fans during the fights.

Lesnar vs. Mir – Although Mir tapped out Lesnar in the first round the last time they fought, Vegas Odds have Lesnar as the favorite [as do fans voting on the UFC website]. How can you go against Vegas Bookmakers AND the fans? My prediction is Lesnar wins [but I’d take Mir if I could could decent odds].

GSP vs. Alves – GSP is looked at as either the greatest pound-for-pound fighter fighting today or second to Anderson Silva.  If GSP can beat Alves [who is currently on a long win streak], he gets that much closer to the hall of fame legacy he wants. Alves is a beast. He’s huge. He’s skilled. He wants the title. My prediction is a GSP victory and we’re one step closer to him fighting Anderson Silva.

Henderson vs. Bisbing – I like both of these guys. I’m surprised that Henderson is the big favorite. While it’s true that Bisping has had the most trouble with good wrestlers, I thought Henderson’s age would be more of a factor. My prediction: Henderson wins a tough fight by decision.

Fitch vs. Thiago – I can’t come up with a better prediction than Ryan Cody when he said: Fitch wins by crazy beard.

Bonnar vs. Coleman – A lot of the popularity of the UFC can be traced back to the first Ultimate Fighter finale when Bonnar and Forrest Griffin stood toe-to-toe for three rounds. It’s said that the ratings for that event continued to go up as the fight went on because fans were calling friends and saying to tune in. Unfortunately, Bonnar’s career since that fight has gone on a very different path than Griffin’s. My prediction: Bonnar wins and perhaps gets a bit closer to becoming a headline UFC fighter.

This teaser for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter lasts for just 22 seconds, but boy are they well done.  Rampage Jackson… “Sugar” Rashad Evans… that GIANT standing behind them… and of course Kimbo Slice.  After watching that teaser I want the season to start NOW.

UFC 99 are in.  Let’s see how my predictions held up…

Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis Vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy: What made this fight interesting was a real dislike stemming from Hardy calling Davis a “fake Irish man”. I went with the fake Irish Man over the fake Outlaw.  Unfortunately, at least for Davis and me the “fake Outlaw” won via split decision.

Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno: Fisher eeked out a unanimous [29-28 on all three cards] decision.  I thought it would be an easier win, but I was right in picking Fisher.

Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders: Swick won via a second round stoppage defeating Saunders who I had picked to win.

Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Mostapha Al Turk: I picked Cro Cop, who won via a first round stoppage [which turned out to be caused by an eye poke].  Surprisingly, the finger poke wasn’t the most controversial aspect of Cro Cop’s night.  You can read how Cro Cop pulled a fast one on Dana White here.

Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez:: I thought that Cain would have his way with Congo and it would end before the final bell.  Cain did dominate the fight, but it went the full three rounds with Cain winning on all cards 30-27.

Rich Franklin Vs. Wanderlei Silva: I predicted an entertaining fight with Franklin winning.  It was and he did.

UFC 99 is tonight.  Although there are a couple of good fights on the card, there aren’t enough to tempt me to get the PPV.  Let’s take a look at what they do offer…

Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis Vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy: Both men come in with similar records [21-5 vs 21-6].  What makes this fight interesting is that these guys seem to have a real dislike for each other stemming from Hardy calling Davis a “fake Irish man”.  Whew!  Talk about insults.  I’m going with the fake Irish Man over the fake Outlaw.

Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno: Fisher has the much better record and I’ve seen him fight before.  You guessed it, I’m taking Fisher.

Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders: This may be the fight of the night.  Swick is 13-2 and Saunders is 7-0.  Both men are strong, fast, and skilled.  I’m going with Saunders in what I expect to be a fast paced and brutal fight.

Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Mostapha Al Turk: Cro Cop is working his way, he hopes, back into contention.  I predict he’ll win by knockout.

Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez:: Congo is 6-4 and a solid 240 pounds.  He has a record of 24-4.  Cain is 6-1and 240 with a 5-0 record.  On paper it should be a tough fight.  I think that Cain will have his way with Congo and end it before the final bell.  Cain appears to be the real deal.  We shall see.

Rich Franklin Vs. Wanderlei Silva: The main event pits two of the most popular former champions in the game against each other.  Both men need a win to get back into the title hunt.  Silva is going down in weight and Franklin up.  They’re fighting at a catch weight of 195.  I think that Franklin will win.  It should be an entertaining fight.  [As crazy as it sounds, I think we’ll soon see Wanderlei Silva fighting Anderson Silva even if Wanderlei looses to Franklin tonight.  They don’t like each other and Anderson worked with Franklin for tonight’s fight.  Of course if Wanderlei wins, there’s even more reason for them to fight… I just don’t see it happening.]

It’s all on Kimbo Slice.

Love him or hate him, MMA fans know the name.  Kimbo was the backyard brawler who became a Youtube sensation.  Then Kimbo transitioned to cage fighter and instantly began to headline cards.  It didn’t matter that he was fighting little known opponents.  It was even less of a concern that he wasn’t fighting for the UFC, seen by many as the premiere MMA organization.  What did matter was that Kimbo was winning.  And those wins made more people tune in,  which drove up ratings as well as Kimbo’s paycheck.

Then in his third pro MMA fight Kimbo was knocked out.  It was a devestating loss.  Suddenly Kimbo was seen as the Emperor with no clothes.  The organization that Kimbo fought for went out of business.  Dana White of the UFC said that the only way Kimbo would ever fight for him was if Kimbo earned his way by winning The Ultimate Fighter.  Most folks thought that Kimbo would take his money and fade away.

Last night Dan Wetzel broke the story that Kimbo Slice will be one of the sixteen heavyweight on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.  Talk about a win-win situation for everyone involved.  Kimbo, if he wins, heck, even if he just does well, shows the world that he in’t just a backyard brawler. If Kimbo loses [and odds are he will], he will know how close he is to being able to compete with UFC caliber fighers.  Should it turn out that Kimbo was just a flash in the pan, a tough guy who was able to parlay his big fists into a few big paydays, he will still be able to walk away knowing that at least he tried.  He had the stones to put it on the line and enter the cage.

Kimbo fans are winners because they’ll get to see their guy mix it up agian.  If he wins [or does well], they’ll be able to say, [as my buddy, JB does to rub it in] “I tole you so!”  If Kimbo loses, they can also say at least he tried.  Who doesn’t like someone who gives it their best shot?  The Kimbo haters are winners because they can crow if Kimbo doesn’t win it all.  And even if he does make it to the finals and win, the haters will still have  tuned in each week hoping to see Kimbo take a whoopin’.

Of course Dana White and the UFC is the biggest winner.  Having Kimbo on the show gets them tons of publicity.  More press means more people tuning in to see next season of The Ultimate Fighter… and the great thing is it doesn’t matter to White or the UFC if Kimbo wins, does well or loses.  If he loses, that just proves that it takes a special breed of fighter to be successful in the UFC.  If Kimbo wins, it just means more people tuning in to pay-per-views to see Kimbo.

That’s why it’s all on Kimbo Slice.

As you can see from the photo above, “Sugar” Rashad Evans was knocked out in the second round by Lyoto “Dragon” Machida.  Everything Evans lost, Machida gained… both had undefeated records going in to the fight [Evans lost his and Machida gained another win], Evans had the championship belt which will now rest around the waist of Machida.

Matt Hughes won a close, but unanimous decision [29-28 on all three judges cards] over Matt Serra.  It was the last fight on Hughes’ contract, but he expressed an interest to keep fighting and feels he can be competitive in the division.  Serra, on the other hand, seemed more interested in getting some pasta.