- Excellent kimura sweep by Miller; Shades of Parisysan/Dave Strasser.
- Miller defending the RNC with only one arm was impressive.
- What puts you in better standing with the UFC?
Beating a lesser opponent, or stepping up at the last minute to face a #2 or 3 title contender and losing?
- For the 13,000th time, we see Fitch triumphant in a less than crowd pleasing performance.
- Fitch isn't the only one to blame for the fight outcome. When opponents can't stop his lay n' pray, why should he have to change tactics?
- Champion Chuck had it right.
Let the wrestler come to you, wait for the shoot or clinch, and counter.
- Nice wrestling and ground chops by Pellegrino.
- Carwin has scary speed and power, combined with lunchbox sized fists.
- Beautiful heelhook by Palhares, bad end result.
- GSP via utter domination and body Karate.
- Not much GSP can do when Hardy has that much heart and pain threshold
- Dan Miragliotta and NJ should have more of an open mind to ground and clinch fighting.
Quote of the Night:
"Look at Jared Hamman, he looks like a postman."
Joe Rogan
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
UFC 111 Picks
Sorry guys, gotta make this one super quick.
Georges St-Pierre (19-2) vs. Dan Hardy (23-6)
GSP via wrestling, striking and/or submission.
15% chance for Hardy, via random punch while GSP is thinking about Canada, hockey or his Gatorade money.
Frank Mir (13-4) vs. Shane Carwin (11-0)
Multiple sites have reported Carwin looked pudgy and ill at the weigh-ins, but I'm still gonna pick him. Carwin via KO in the 1st or GNP in the 2nd after he takes down Mir.
If Mir can keep it standing and Carwin gases out quick, Mir could take this with strikes in the 2nd or 3rd. I think a sub is unlikely, given Mir would be hard pressed to keep Carwin in one position for a good amount of time to pull anything off.
Kurt Pellegrino (14-4) vs. Fabricio Camoes (10-4-1)
Camoes is an unknown to me, other than he's a Royler black belt, which means he's got a good submission game.
I'm going to take Pellegrino via decision, by using his wrestling to neutralize Camoes ground game. Pellegrino will probably employ the same game plan as when he fought Nate Diaz, just not get subbed at the very end of the fight.
Jon Fitch (21-3) vs. Ben Saunders (8-1-2)
Fitch via booooooooooring decision.
I'm rooting for Saunders only because he's more exciting to watch and if he wins, it'll be an impressive KO and victory.
Jim Miller (16-2) vs. Mark Bocek (8-2)
Miller has been on a roll and don't see why it won't continue here. I see a victory via his superior wrestling and striking skills against Bocek.
Georges St-Pierre (19-2) vs. Dan Hardy (23-6)
GSP via wrestling, striking and/or submission.
15% chance for Hardy, via random punch while GSP is thinking about Canada, hockey or his Gatorade money.
Frank Mir (13-4) vs. Shane Carwin (11-0)
Multiple sites have reported Carwin looked pudgy and ill at the weigh-ins, but I'm still gonna pick him. Carwin via KO in the 1st or GNP in the 2nd after he takes down Mir.
If Mir can keep it standing and Carwin gases out quick, Mir could take this with strikes in the 2nd or 3rd. I think a sub is unlikely, given Mir would be hard pressed to keep Carwin in one position for a good amount of time to pull anything off.
Kurt Pellegrino (14-4) vs. Fabricio Camoes (10-4-1)
Camoes is an unknown to me, other than he's a Royler black belt, which means he's got a good submission game.
I'm going to take Pellegrino via decision, by using his wrestling to neutralize Camoes ground game. Pellegrino will probably employ the same game plan as when he fought Nate Diaz, just not get subbed at the very end of the fight.
Jon Fitch (21-3) vs. Ben Saunders (8-1-2)
Fitch via booooooooooring decision.
I'm rooting for Saunders only because he's more exciting to watch and if he wins, it'll be an impressive KO and victory.
Jim Miller (16-2) vs. Mark Bocek (8-2)
Miller has been on a roll and don't see why it won't continue here. I see a victory via his superior wrestling and striking skills against Bocek.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones Picks
I'm pretty excited for this card - lots of potential for great finishes, with the striker-heavy match ups.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
Johnny Bones is the UFC's fast rising star, while Vera was in a similar scenario, back when first got into the UFC in '05. If this were the Vera right after the Assuerio Silva and Frank Mir starchings, I'd probably give it to him. He showed a great combination of skilled, technical aggression and confidence when he first got into the UFC. Today, he's much more docile and gun shy against his opponents.
Jones, on the other hand, is the epitome of wild, youthful, aggression With the dynamic striking displayed in his previous fights, fans are excited at the prospect of what he'll try and pull off next. I like his unorthodox standup to stifle Vera on the feet, now allowing Brandon to find his range or counter strike effectively. The only area that worries me for Jones is on the ground, where "The Truth" holds a BJJ brown belt with master Lloyd Irvin.
Otherwise, Vera's experience won't be enough to withstand Jones' fresh and creative striking, coupled with his wrestling skills.
Heavyweight Bout: Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Again, it's another ex-rising star, against the exciting and potential contender. And again, the ground is where this fight should be decided.
Gonzaga has shown more than enough in previous fights and in submission fighting accolades that he's the superior grappler. I don't doubt Cigano's BJJ skills, since he trains with Demian Maia and Minotauro, but when a fighter doesn't choose to utilize certain skills, I consider that more than a point of non-preference, but also as an issue in comfort with ones own skillset in that particular area.
Be that as it may, Dos Santos should be able to take this one by round 2, with a KO or TKO. He's got better footwork and standup, so all he needs to do is avoid the clinch and TD shots from Napao.
Heavyweight Bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
More guys that like to put hands on their opponents, so another potential KO of the night here.
This one is going to start off slow and ramp up quickly. With Kongo getting tagged real bad in his last fight, I don't see him coming in to make it a short night and Buentello tends to try and pick up on his opponent's standup rhythm and patterns before going in for the kill.
This is a hard one to pick Buentello because he's got the height, reach and speed disadvantage. Barring "The Headhunter's" KO power and better footwork, Kongo's going to have make an assortment of pretty stupid mistake to lose this one.
Middleweight Bout: Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin
This one is tricky to call.
Both guys have been on long layoffs, so it's hard to anticipate how each guy will react. I'm very surprised that some sports books have Irvin as the favorite, as he's had the much longer layoff (nearly 20 months), previously recovered from drug addiction and a drop to Middleweight.
Sakara, on the other hand, is on a 2-fight win streak. His chin can be a bit suspect at times, but I'm going to have to give the nod to him in this one.
It could also possibly be a boring 3 round stinker due to accumulated ring rust.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
Johnny Bones is the UFC's fast rising star, while Vera was in a similar scenario, back when first got into the UFC in '05. If this were the Vera right after the Assuerio Silva and Frank Mir starchings, I'd probably give it to him. He showed a great combination of skilled, technical aggression and confidence when he first got into the UFC. Today, he's much more docile and gun shy against his opponents.
Jones, on the other hand, is the epitome of wild, youthful, aggression With the dynamic striking displayed in his previous fights, fans are excited at the prospect of what he'll try and pull off next. I like his unorthodox standup to stifle Vera on the feet, now allowing Brandon to find his range or counter strike effectively. The only area that worries me for Jones is on the ground, where "The Truth" holds a BJJ brown belt with master Lloyd Irvin.
Otherwise, Vera's experience won't be enough to withstand Jones' fresh and creative striking, coupled with his wrestling skills.
Heavyweight Bout: Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Again, it's another ex-rising star, against the exciting and potential contender. And again, the ground is where this fight should be decided.
Gonzaga has shown more than enough in previous fights and in submission fighting accolades that he's the superior grappler. I don't doubt Cigano's BJJ skills, since he trains with Demian Maia and Minotauro, but when a fighter doesn't choose to utilize certain skills, I consider that more than a point of non-preference, but also as an issue in comfort with ones own skillset in that particular area.
Be that as it may, Dos Santos should be able to take this one by round 2, with a KO or TKO. He's got better footwork and standup, so all he needs to do is avoid the clinch and TD shots from Napao.
Heavyweight Bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
More guys that like to put hands on their opponents, so another potential KO of the night here.
This one is going to start off slow and ramp up quickly. With Kongo getting tagged real bad in his last fight, I don't see him coming in to make it a short night and Buentello tends to try and pick up on his opponent's standup rhythm and patterns before going in for the kill.
This is a hard one to pick Buentello because he's got the height, reach and speed disadvantage. Barring "The Headhunter's" KO power and better footwork, Kongo's going to have make an assortment of pretty stupid mistake to lose this one.
Middleweight Bout: Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin
This one is tricky to call.
Both guys have been on long layoffs, so it's hard to anticipate how each guy will react. I'm very surprised that some sports books have Irvin as the favorite, as he's had the much longer layoff (nearly 20 months), previously recovered from drug addiction and a drop to Middleweight.
Sakara, on the other hand, is on a 2-fight win streak. His chin can be a bit suspect at times, but I'm going to have to give the nod to him in this one.
It could also possibly be a boring 3 round stinker due to accumulated ring rust.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Post WEC 47 Thoughts
- Seemed like we got more fights (7) than normal. Wonder what the count is for previous WEC cards?
- Jens looked to surprise Javier Vazquez with leg kicks, but all it did was get him onto the ground faster. I'm hoping this was his last fight, for his own good. His last win was nearly 3 years ago and his last competitive fight was 2 years ago.
- All WEC bantamweight contenders should have taken notes on Benavidez's strategy against Miguel Torres. Combo into takedowns and keep the pressure on in his guard.
- I have no idea what they do with Torres right now.
- Bowles did the right thing, given the situation he was in. He was clearly not prepared for Cruz's style and strategy and probably would have lost the decision. With his hand not completely effed up, he now has the opportunity to recover sooner, and possibly get an immediate rematch. We'll see how generous the WEC is feeling when they do the matchmaking.
- If he doesn't get the rematch, I think Benavidez/Bowles should be next for #1 contender.
- Bonnar was a refreshing change of pace from Mir. He has less bias when he commentates and isn't as easily excited as Frank.
- Jens looked to surprise Javier Vazquez with leg kicks, but all it did was get him onto the ground faster. I'm hoping this was his last fight, for his own good. His last win was nearly 3 years ago and his last competitive fight was 2 years ago.
- All WEC bantamweight contenders should have taken notes on Benavidez's strategy against Miguel Torres. Combo into takedowns and keep the pressure on in his guard.
- I have no idea what they do with Torres right now.
- Bowles did the right thing, given the situation he was in. He was clearly not prepared for Cruz's style and strategy and probably would have lost the decision. With his hand not completely effed up, he now has the opportunity to recover sooner, and possibly get an immediate rematch. We'll see how generous the WEC is feeling when they do the matchmaking.
- If he doesn't get the rematch, I think Benavidez/Bowles should be next for #1 contender.
- Bonnar was a refreshing change of pace from Mir. He has less bias when he commentates and isn't as easily excited as Frank.
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