- Nog looked like the Nog from the Mir fight, in which he had a severe Staph infection.
Or was Cain really that much quicker than him?
- Again, Bisping proves he's all bark and no bite.
Looks like the Axe Murderer has a date with his sexiness, Akiyama.
- Sotiropoulos and Bader should no longer be remembered as TUF lowlies, but threats in their respective divisions.
- Why is Mirko fighting still? Does he really need the paycheck?
He's already done so much and I didn't even seem glimmers of his old, badass self.
- Sick submission by Lytle.
Showing posts with label cain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cain. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
UFC 110 Picks
Just a quick rundown because I'm not particularly excited about the match-ups. And I'm really interested in reading Performify's analysis on the card.
Heavyweight Bout: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
Unless you're reppin' Team AKA, I'd call you a silly bastard for not picking Minotauro. The man has triple the experience of Cain, can take ungodly amounts of punishment, and is the best HW grappler in the game.
Cain would need to add mercury to his gloves to beat him standing, and channel the living legend, Rickson Gracie, to even remotely stand a chance on the ground. Being an undefeated, blue chip stock in MMA isn't enough to convince me he will beat a legend, that is still showing promises of brilliance in his fights.
Middleweight Bout: Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping
I predict this fight will be a little bit like Bisping/Leben, but have a finish similar to Bisping/Henderson.
Bisping is going to apply the same hit and run strategy he tried on Leben and Hendo, on account of the similar standup mentalities all 3 of them have; They are literally trying to kill you with their fists. The biggest difference between those 2 previous fights is that I believe Silva has the explosiveness to catch Bisping. I like Hendo and loved him more after he decimated Bisping's jaw, but I believe that was one really lucky punch he took Bisping out with.
Lightweight Bout: Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
This is George's break into the big leagues and out of TUF squalor. I'm not completely sold on his standup, but I'm also not worried about Joe Daddy's. The interesting part will be how the fight goes on the ground. Both guys have BJJ black belts, but George seems much more comfortable being on top and bottom. Maybe not a finish by sub, but I expect George to be able to transition to the dominant positions for a decision or TKO stoppage.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader
I honestly can't remember how Jardine fairs on the ground, especially on bottom. There's a 80% chance the fight will end up there, with Bader working some GnP for the TKO.
But I'm also on the fence about the standup battle. All I know is Jardine will come out with his usual flailing monkey style and Bader will most likely be looking for the one hitter quitter.
Heavyweight Bout: Mirko Filipović vs. Ben Rothwell
Updated: Rothwell is out with an illness
I'm still analyzing based on the original matchup because I no nothing about Anthony Perosh.
This was probably going to be Crocop's swan song in the UFC. He hasn't looked good in any of his UFC fights and Rothwell is a poor stylistic choice for him.
Rothwell is aggressive in the standup and won't let Crocop setup for any of his vintage strikes. Unless Big Ben gasses quickly, which seemed plausible in his fight against Cain, I don't see Crocop winning.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
UFC 104 - Disappointment
I'm being harsh with my critique of this event but it's the first word that came to my mind when trying to summarize it for the title. Lots of one sided affairs and just not as all round entertaining as usual.
1. Anthony Johnson defeats Yoshiyuki Yoshida via TKO
This was exactly the outcome that most people expected. I thought "Rumble" might be slightly more affected by the massive weight cut, but it didn't stop him from blasting "Zenko" into another dimension.
Yoshida had some extremely poor excuses for clinch attempts either for takedowns, throws or Thai plums. And of course, one of the worst standup sins you can do - circling into your opponents power side. Especially when that person is 6 foot something, has 0% bodyfat and ALL ATHLETIC.
I think Johnson's ready for a stiffer test - someone with a stronger ground game.
2. Joe Stevenson defeats Spencer Fisher via Submission
Joe took this one in a respectable, but not one sided affair. He mixed up standup with takedown attempts and eventually used some nice bjj skills to establish great position and unleash some brutal, rapid fire elbows on the helpless Fisher. Jeff said it best, "Now that's how Roy Nelson should have finished Kimbo".
Fisher looked pretty good at the start of round 2, showing a little more variance in his standup with more kicks in his combos but he wasn't active enough on bottom when he was taken down, and pushed up against the fence. He put up a valiant effort, trying to prevent Joe from getting side control, and I think his best chance of escaping was when Joe went for the leglock; He should have attempted to push off and force a stand up.
I know he's booked against Nate Diaz, but I think I'd rather see Joe vs. Gray Maynard at this point.
3. Chael Sonnen defeats Yushin Okami via Decision
I'm very surprised here that Sonnen completely dominated Okami. I knew his wrestling was good, but Sonnen took the match where ever he wanted and Okami had no anser. Chael pushed the pace with everything he threw and all Okami could do was move backwards. Sonnen's leg kicks accumulated him so good points, but his wrestling put the nails in the coffin. You could have called this Sonnen vs. Filho, part 3 - Sonnen is clear underdog but his opponent just gives up before the match even starts.
While "Thunder" had good jabs to keep Sonnen at a distance, he did not show any of his usually MW gorilla strength and attempted ZERO takedowns. He looked completely off his game. It's always a bad sign for you when Chael Sonnen decides to throw a spinning back kick.
I think Sonnen needs to try his hand at another BJJ guy, like Rousimar Palhares. Should give him some more credibility and a nice bump up in the division.
4. Gleison Tibau defeats Josh Neer via Decision
My first bad pick on my part, as Tibau straight OWNED Neer.
Tibau is the Brazilian Sherk and played the role to a "T" in this match.
Neer was getting overwhelmed with takedowns throughout and really looked like he didn't care it was happening. He got up quickly, multiple times after getting taken down but he had to have known it was slowly losing him the match. "The Dentist" had that killer instinct in his eyes but just couldn't pull anything off. His best offensive technique were his low and mid range leg kicks that seemed to connect every time. I would have liked to see him try to cut off Tibau at angles and corners, rather than continually plod forward.
Although Tibau had some fantastic takedowns reminiscent of Zangief's throw arsenal, I really despised his style and strategy here. He mounted no relevant standup or ground attacks. Was he afraid of Neer's two submission attempts or punches that barely connected with his face?
Neither man's strikes really seemed to connect or was there even an effort to throw with bad intentions. I'd relegate both men back to the prelims after these performances.
5. Cain Velasquez defeats Ben Rothwell via TKO
Another disappointing pick and loss.
It's not that I don't like Cain, but he's just got too much hype for a guy who was only 6-0 before this match. But he really impressed the hell out of me with his performance, with his tremendous takedowns and constant pressure. He definitely knows where his bread and butter lies. I think guys are underestimating his vicious GNP and how easily he can take you down, given his size in relation to most other UFC HW's. It seems like Dana is really trying to push Cain quickly so I'd expect another top 15 fighter in his upcoming match.
"Big Ben" was anything but the prospect I thought'd he be debuting here. He didn't display anything that made him the top dog in the IFL or anything remotely resembling an offense or defense in this match. He looked completely clueless and frankly, the stoppage probably just saved him a couple brain cells.
For once Mazzagati, I don't boo.
6. Lyoto Machida defeats Mauricio Rua via Decision
Who would have ever thought you'd see "Shogun" Rua implement a game plan that relied heavily on patience, with crisp and accurate striking?
Not only was this strategy perfect against Machida, I believe he won the match and should appeal to CSAC. He beat Lyoto to the proverbial punch in nearly every exchange they had. His high guard blocking was perfect against Lyoto's straight counter punches. He also kept catching Lyoto every time he back peddled, circling into Rua's power side, to meet kicks to the inner thigh. This was THE elite "Shogun" that everyone used to talk about. While not the flashiest or most exciting performance, you cannot argue the absolute brilliance and execution of Rua's strategy in this match.
Conversely, this was Lyoto poorest performance to date. He appeared very lackadaisical in this match, in every round. He didn't appear to adapt to Shogun's considerably better offense and I'd be very surprised if he thought he'd won more than 2 rounds. Every punch or kick was countered or intercepted, and every feint ignored by Shogun. I'm not even sure if "The Dragon" cleanly landed more than 10% of his strikes. Why was there no ground game implemented after he was getting bruised and battered?
It's a real shame that he took the undeserving decision victory. Let's hope he's more prepared in the rematch.
I was pretty bummed given how the card ended but luckily, Dream picked me up.
Hopefully, the next entry will sound a little less like ranting.
Peace,
~S
1. Anthony Johnson defeats Yoshiyuki Yoshida via TKO
This was exactly the outcome that most people expected. I thought "Rumble" might be slightly more affected by the massive weight cut, but it didn't stop him from blasting "Zenko" into another dimension.
Yoshida had some extremely poor excuses for clinch attempts either for takedowns, throws or Thai plums. And of course, one of the worst standup sins you can do - circling into your opponents power side. Especially when that person is 6 foot something, has 0% bodyfat and ALL ATHLETIC.
I think Johnson's ready for a stiffer test - someone with a stronger ground game.
2. Joe Stevenson defeats Spencer Fisher via Submission
Joe took this one in a respectable, but not one sided affair. He mixed up standup with takedown attempts and eventually used some nice bjj skills to establish great position and unleash some brutal, rapid fire elbows on the helpless Fisher. Jeff said it best, "Now that's how Roy Nelson should have finished Kimbo".
Fisher looked pretty good at the start of round 2, showing a little more variance in his standup with more kicks in his combos but he wasn't active enough on bottom when he was taken down, and pushed up against the fence. He put up a valiant effort, trying to prevent Joe from getting side control, and I think his best chance of escaping was when Joe went for the leglock; He should have attempted to push off and force a stand up.
I know he's booked against Nate Diaz, but I think I'd rather see Joe vs. Gray Maynard at this point.
3. Chael Sonnen defeats Yushin Okami via Decision
I'm very surprised here that Sonnen completely dominated Okami. I knew his wrestling was good, but Sonnen took the match where ever he wanted and Okami had no anser. Chael pushed the pace with everything he threw and all Okami could do was move backwards. Sonnen's leg kicks accumulated him so good points, but his wrestling put the nails in the coffin. You could have called this Sonnen vs. Filho, part 3 - Sonnen is clear underdog but his opponent just gives up before the match even starts.
While "Thunder" had good jabs to keep Sonnen at a distance, he did not show any of his usually MW gorilla strength and attempted ZERO takedowns. He looked completely off his game. It's always a bad sign for you when Chael Sonnen decides to throw a spinning back kick.
I think Sonnen needs to try his hand at another BJJ guy, like Rousimar Palhares. Should give him some more credibility and a nice bump up in the division.
4. Gleison Tibau defeats Josh Neer via Decision
My first bad pick on my part, as Tibau straight OWNED Neer.
Tibau is the Brazilian Sherk and played the role to a "T" in this match.
Neer was getting overwhelmed with takedowns throughout and really looked like he didn't care it was happening. He got up quickly, multiple times after getting taken down but he had to have known it was slowly losing him the match. "The Dentist" had that killer instinct in his eyes but just couldn't pull anything off. His best offensive technique were his low and mid range leg kicks that seemed to connect every time. I would have liked to see him try to cut off Tibau at angles and corners, rather than continually plod forward.
Although Tibau had some fantastic takedowns reminiscent of Zangief's throw arsenal, I really despised his style and strategy here. He mounted no relevant standup or ground attacks. Was he afraid of Neer's two submission attempts or punches that barely connected with his face?
Neither man's strikes really seemed to connect or was there even an effort to throw with bad intentions. I'd relegate both men back to the prelims after these performances.
5. Cain Velasquez defeats Ben Rothwell via TKO
Another disappointing pick and loss.
It's not that I don't like Cain, but he's just got too much hype for a guy who was only 6-0 before this match. But he really impressed the hell out of me with his performance, with his tremendous takedowns and constant pressure. He definitely knows where his bread and butter lies. I think guys are underestimating his vicious GNP and how easily he can take you down, given his size in relation to most other UFC HW's. It seems like Dana is really trying to push Cain quickly so I'd expect another top 15 fighter in his upcoming match.
"Big Ben" was anything but the prospect I thought'd he be debuting here. He didn't display anything that made him the top dog in the IFL or anything remotely resembling an offense or defense in this match. He looked completely clueless and frankly, the stoppage probably just saved him a couple brain cells.
For once Mazzagati, I don't boo.
6. Lyoto Machida defeats Mauricio Rua via Decision
Who would have ever thought you'd see "Shogun" Rua implement a game plan that relied heavily on patience, with crisp and accurate striking?
Not only was this strategy perfect against Machida, I believe he won the match and should appeal to CSAC. He beat Lyoto to the proverbial punch in nearly every exchange they had. His high guard blocking was perfect against Lyoto's straight counter punches. He also kept catching Lyoto every time he back peddled, circling into Rua's power side, to meet kicks to the inner thigh. This was THE elite "Shogun" that everyone used to talk about. While not the flashiest or most exciting performance, you cannot argue the absolute brilliance and execution of Rua's strategy in this match.
Conversely, this was Lyoto poorest performance to date. He appeared very lackadaisical in this match, in every round. He didn't appear to adapt to Shogun's considerably better offense and I'd be very surprised if he thought he'd won more than 2 rounds. Every punch or kick was countered or intercepted, and every feint ignored by Shogun. I'm not even sure if "The Dragon" cleanly landed more than 10% of his strikes. Why was there no ground game implemented after he was getting bruised and battered?
It's a real shame that he took the undeserving decision victory. Let's hope he's more prepared in the rematch.
I was pretty bummed given how the card ended but luckily, Dream picked me up.
Hopefully, the next entry will sound a little less like ranting.
Peace,
~S
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