Category: MMA

There was maybe one person who had a worse night that me when it came to UFC 130.  Who?  Oh, I’d say maybe Stefan Struve… maybe. Let’s see what made it so bad…

• Thiago Alves [18-7] vs. Rick Story [12-3]
  Prediction: Alves wins by decision
  Result: Story wins by unanimous decision making me 0-1 for the night.

• Jorge Santiago [23-8] vs. Brian Stann [10-3]
  Prediction: Stann wins by TKO.
  Result: Stann wins by TKO making me 1-1 for the night

• Travis Browne [10-0] vs. Stefan Struve [21-4]
  Prediction: Struve by TKO
  Result: Browne by KO in the first round making me 1-2 for the night

• Frank Mir [14-5] vs. Roy Nelson [15-5]
  Prediction: Mir by decision
  Result: Mir by decision making me 2-2 for the night

• Matt Hamill [10-2] vs. Quinton Jackson [31-8]
  Prediction: Hamill by decision.
  Result: Jackson by unanimous decision making me 2-3 for the night

Final Thoughts:

• Rick Story is a tough kid who just won’t quit!
• Brian Stann has a great future ahead of him.
• Stefan Struve got KO’d!
• I wish Mir could have ended the fight against Nelson.  Unfortunately, Nelson was tough enough to hang in but not in shape enough to make it really competitive.
• Hamill fought a dumb fight.  I thought he’d have tried to stay on the outside of Jackson and just keep kicking and punching.  Instead, Hamill continued to shoot for takedowns [which Jackson easily stuffed] and then would get clocked each time he tried to disengage.
• Bring on Caine vs Do Santos!

• Thiago Alves [18-7] vs. Rick Story [12-3] If Alves didn’t weaken himself making weight and he doesn’t have too much ring [mat] rust, he should do okay.
  Prediction: Alves wins by decision

• Jorge Santiago [23-8] vs. Brian Stann [10-3] Stann is a star on the rise and Santiago hasn’t fought in the UFC in five years.
  Prediction: Stann wins by TKO.

• Travis Browne [10-0] vs. Stefan Struve [21-4]  These are two giants!  Browne is 6’7″ and Struve is 6’11”.  If there’s a KO someone has a long way to fall.
  Prediction: Struve by TKO

• Frank Mir [14-5] vs. Roy Nelson [15-5]  This should be the main event.  I like both of these warriors, but Mir is my favorite fighter.  Nelson can take a punch and has a great ground game.  Mir is a submission artist but does he want to go to the ground with Big Country?
  Prediction: Mir by decision

• Matt Hamill [10-2] vs. Quinton Jackson [31-8]  Jackson has the experience and usually does well against wrestlers.  What worries me is that Rampage has been talking about quitting the fight game in a few years.  In my opinion that signals trouble.
  Prediction; Hamill by decision.

Brock Lesnar has pulled out of his fight against Junior Dos Santos that had been scheduled for UFC 131 next month.  Brock says his medical condition has flared up again.  Now Dos Santos will fight Shane Carwin.  Interestingly enough, Roy “Big Country” Nelson predicted, way back in January, that something like this would happen.

Nate Diaz lost to Rory MacDonald – MacDonald dominated all three rounds and won a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Diaz by decision made me 0-1 for the night.

Mark Bocek lost to Ben Henderson
Prediction: Henderson gets the decision made me 1-1 for the night.

Randy Couture was KO’d in the 2nd round by a front kick to the face from Lyoto Machida
Prediction: Couture by decision made me 1-2 for the night.

José Aldo defeated Mark Hominick in a war the went the distance but earned Aldo a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Aldo by TKO or KO made me 2-2 for the night.

Georges St-Pierre won a unanimous decision over a very game Jake Shields
Prediction: GSP by decision made me 3-2 for the night.

Final Thoughts:

• Nate Diaz didn’t know what hit him.  Rory MacDonald is a fighter to watch!

• I hate that Randy Couture got KO’d in his last fight.  Machida said in a post fight interview that Steven Seagal taught him the front kick that he used to KO Couture.

• GSP did what he needed to do to defeat a very game Jake Shields.  After the fight GSP headed to the hospital to be checked out and missed the post-fight interviews.  I was of the opinion that GSP, if he won would go up in weight and fight Anderson Silva.  I’m not so sure about that now.

• Next up UFC 130 on May 28th: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard // Matt Hamill vs. Quinton Jackson // Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson

Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald – Both Diaz and MacDonald are tough.  I’m not a fan of either of the Diaz brothers, but they sure come to fight.  This should be a good one.
Prediction: Diaz by decision.

Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson – Ben Henderson may be the best fighter that nobody knows.  That should all change now that he’s in the UFC.
Prediction: Henderson gets the decision.

Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida – Randy Couture is one of my favorite fighters.  How can you go against Captain America?  The only thing that worries me is that Couture has said, “Win, lose, or draw, this is my last fight.”  THAT bothers me.  Still, I think that Couture will be able to force the action and if he gets Machida down or against the fence, the battle is won.
Prediction: Couture by decision.

José Aldo (c) vs. Mark Hominick – As Ryan Cody said: “Aldo is a beast. Beast! He wins via TKO…”
Prediction: Aldo by TKO or KO.

Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. Jake Shields -This should be a great fight.  Shields is coming in as a 5 to 1 underdog.  I think that the odds are way off on this one.  GSP should win, but I’d lay a bet on Shields if I had 5 to 1.  If GSP can take Shields down [which I think he will], what then?  We’ll find out tonight.
Prediction: GSP by decision.

On Saturday night, UFC 128 will air on pay-per-view and the card looks to be a good one from bottom to top.  So, if you’re interested, this is who is fighting and who I’m predicting to win.

• Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub
  Prediction: There was a time when Cro Cop was one of the most feared fighters in the octagon… although it’s been a while.  If Schaub pressures Cro Cop, I see it going his way.  Schaub wins via TKO.

• Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller
  Prediction: I’m a big Marquardt fan and am looking for him to win via submission or ref stoppage.

• Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
  Prediction: Miller for the win.

• Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
  Prediction: The California Kid (Faber) via stoppage or submission.

• Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Jon Jones
  Prediction: Jones wins by decision.

UFC on Versus 3 Live was an excellent fight card.  Here are my picks and the results:

• Danny Castillo vs. Joe Stevenson.
  Prediction: Stevenson via stoppage.
  Result: Castillo won via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) making me 0-1.
• Damacio Page vs. Brian Bowles
  Prediction: Bowles wins by decision
  Result: Bowles won via submission by guillotine choke in round 1 making me 1-1
• Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman
  Prediction: Sakara wins by decision
  Result: Weidman won via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) making me 1-2
• C.B. Dolloway vs. Mark Munoz
  Prediction: Munoz wins by decision
  Result: Munoz won via TKO (punches) in round one making me 2-2
• Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann
  Prediction: Sanchez via stoppage.
  Result: Sanchez won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) making me 3-2

FInal Thoughts:

• Joe Stevenson could be on his way out of the UFC with that loss.  I’d hate to see him go.
• Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann fought a classic battle.  Although it was close, I gave the edge to Diego.  Dana White was so impressed that he gave them both $40,000 fight of the night bonuses and then moved the bonus to $60k each and then $100 grand each.  That should tell you what kind of fight it was.

UFC on Versus 3 is live tonight starting at 9pm EST.  Without further adu, here are my picks:

• Danny Castillo vs. Joe Stevenson. [Shown on the “Facebook card”].
  Prediction: Stevenson via stoppage.
• Damacio Page vs. Brian Bowles
  Prediction: Bowles wins by decision
• Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman
  Prediction: Sakara wins by decision
• C.B. Dolloway vs. Mark Munoz
  Prediction: Munoz wins by decision
• Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann
  Prediction: Although Kampmann is favored to win and is a tough kid, I’m going with one of my favorite MMA fighters and predicting Sanchez via stoppage.

I’ll post results tomorrow.

Although season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” doesn’t premiere until March 30th, the anticipation is building.  Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos will coach the fourteen welterweights who will fight for the six-figure UFC contract.

Recently Sherdog.com posted their rankings for the Top Ten MMA Fighters in Each Division.  Here are my Top Five for Each Division:

Heavyweight

1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): Undefeated and the Champ.
2. Shane Carwin (12-1): One loss and that’s to the former champ Brock Lesnar.  Carwin was destroying Lesnar until Carwin gassed.  I don’t believe that would happen again and that’s why I rate Carwin ahead of Brock.
3. Brock Lesnar (5-2): Former champ who surprised me by agreeing to coach on TUF.  Although I think Junior Del Santos would be a favorite against Brock, since they haven’t yet met I’ll give Brock the benefit of the doubt.
4. Junior dos Santos (12-1): Will coach against Lesnar in the TUF and then fight him at UFC 131.
5. Frank Mir (14-5): My favorite MMA fighter faces Big Country Roy Nelson at UFC 130.

Light Heavyweight

1. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-4): The Champ.
2. Jon Jones (12-1): “Bones” Jones has one loss and that was a DQ for illegal elbows against Matt Hamill.  Jones was destroying Hamill when the fight was called.  No one has come close to beating Jones.
3. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): Evans has come a long way from his days on TUF when he was a showboating wrestler.  Now he’s a legitimate contender for the belt he once held.
4. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8): Talks trash as good as he fights… maybe even better than he fights.
5. Lyoto Machida (16-2): At one time Machida was unbeatable.  Now it seems fighters have his number.  If Couture beats him at UFC 129, Machida’s glory days may over.

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (28-4): The Champ with the longest undefeated streak in the UFC.  Silva dominates or finds a way to win.
2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1): Dominated Anderson Silva for 4 and 1/2 rounds until Silva caught him in a triangle and forced him to tap.  Sonnen has had trouble out of the ring and I’m not just talking about the crazy junk that he spouts.  I’d love to see a rematch with Silva, but until and if Sonnen gets his life straightened out that ain’t gonna happen.
3. Yushin Okami (26-5): Surprised me by beating Nate Marquardt [who didn’t fight at his best].
4. Nate Marquardt (30-10-2): Should be fighting for the title but his loss to Okami was a major setback.
5. Demian Maia (14-2): Slapped the stuffing out of Kendall Grove and then played the bongos on his back in route to a win that moved him into my top five.

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (21-2): The Champ and my choice for best pound-for-pound fighter. I may be in the minority, but I’d pick GSP to win if he chooses to fight Anderson Silva.
2. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC): A great grappler who wins fights.
3. Jake Shields (26-4-1): Made the jump to the UFC after upsetting Dan Henderson.  Shields is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
4. Martin Kampmann (17-4): His recent split-decision loss to Jake Shields moved him up in my ratings.
5. Thiago Alves (18-7): A tough fighter looking to get into the title hunt.

Lightweight

1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1): Whooped the Prodigy twice in a row and is the Champ.
2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1, 1 NC):If you can fight the Champ to a draw, you have to be ranked #2.
3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2): A tough fighter who is looking to move up in weight.
4. B.J. Penn (16-7-1): I’ve never been a big Penn fan.  He’s talented, but never lived up to the hype.
5. Eddie Alvarez (21-2): One of the toughest fighters in the division.

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (18-1):The Champ
2. Chad Mendes (10-0): Has yet to face a fighter who can beat him.
3. Hatsu Hioki (23-4-2): a seasoned fighter with an impressive record
4. Joe Warren (6-1): Claims to be the “baddest man on the planet” — did win the Bellator featherweight title
5. Dustin Poirier (9-1): Impressive punching power — but will it be enough to get to the title?

Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (17-1): Currently the best in a tough division.
2. Brian Bowles (8-1): The man Cruz beat to win the title.
3. Urijah Faber (24-4): Faber is the only man to ever beat Champion Cruz.\
4. Joseph Benavidez (13-2)
   
5. Miguel Torres (39-3): Former Champ and one of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the world.

I’m not familiar enough with the Flyweights to rank them.

Here are my predictions and the results for last night’s UFC Fight for the Troops 2:

• Cole Miller vs. Matt Wiman
  Prediction: Miller wins via submission
  Result:  Wiman via unanimous decision making me 0-1
  
• Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran
  Prediction: Barry wins via TKO or KO.
  Result: Barry unanimous decision making me 1-1
  
• Mark Hominick vs. George Roop
  Prediction: Hominick wins by decision
  Result: Hominick via TKO in Round 1 making me 2-1
• Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague
  Prediction: Mitrione wins by early TKO/KO or ugly decision
  Result: Mitrione via TKO (punches) in Round 1 making me 3-1
  
• Melvin Guillard vs. Evan Dunham
  Prediction: Dunham wins via submission.
  Result: Guillard via via TKO in Round 1 making me 3-2

Final Thoughts:

• Matt Wiman shocked me with how easily he dominated Miller. 
• Pat Barry seemed be holding back on his kicks.  Once he started unloading them, he dominated.  So why did he wait until the 3rd round?
• Matt Mitrione got a lot of praise after the fight for his improved footwork, handspeed and how he dominated the fight.  Sure, Mitrione won, but didn’t it sound like he was being over-hyped? 
• Melvin Guillard dominated the previously undefeated Evans.  Guillard said he will go undeafeated this year and will get a title shot in the not to distant future.  Based on his performance last night, Guillard may be right.