Post UFC 111 Thoughts

- 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

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.

Post UFC 107 - The Dilemma of the Prodigy

With the stunning and thorough destruction of Diego Sanchez, the UFC is fast running out of options for quality opponents for "The Prodigy". He's decimated his last 5 lightweight opponents (via TKO or sub) since coming back to the UFC and hasn't lost a bout in that division since 2002 against Jens Pulver. It's quite clear that DW and the brothers Fertitta are going to have some trouble coming up with quality matches with the current LW roster, so here's my recommendations:

1. UFC Light Weight Championship - Eddie Alvarez

Probably the biggest challenge BJ has left in all of the LW division, this ex-HS wrestling champ shot up in the rankings after a ridiculous run in the Dream LW tournament, defeating Andre Dida, Tatsuya Kawarjiri and Joachim Hansen. He's the current Bellator LW champ and has an exciting style that would easily draw fans if he were to fight BJ. His style is a blend of speed and power as a standup slugger. While his biggest weakness is one of BJ's strengths, I think Alvarez's wrestling will be the key. His takedowns aren't GSP explosive, but he'll definitely have the size advantage in the clinch and on the ground.
The fight would probably stay on the feet anyway, as both fighters prefer to stand and test their opponent's chin.
If Eddie can beat him to the punch and avoid the best jab in MMA, it's quite possible that Alvarez could connect and be the first fighter to find BJ's kill switch.


(Credit to Machinemen)



2. UFC/WEC Superfight - Jose Aldo

With Jose Aldo's recent ascension to FW destroyer, I think the timing would be a great for a segue into the first WEC PPV. It could be a clash of champions and a stiff test for both.
Aldo is in a similar position as BJ; having starched his last 3 opponents, with no true #1 contender in sight. Both Faber and Brown are clearly 1-2 fights away and even then, I don't see them fairing well. His mix of speed and laser-like, striking precision are currently without peer in any division. I liken him to a prime version of Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto - with better accuracy.
Were this fight to happen, I wouldn't be surprised if this were the first time in a long time that BJ would clearly want to take the fight to the ground. He may have the best MMA boxing, but it won't help if you're repeatedly beaten to the punch. As with the his second fight with GSP, BJ has no answer when he can't counter against a faster opponent. While Aldo, won't have the clear wrestling threat to impose, his speed is frightening to behold.
BJ's only other option will be taking the fight to the ground, which will be considerably tough given a couple factors:

a. His wrestling is sub-par
b. He doesn't have the clear size or strength advantage

Even if it takes 1-2 years, I think both these competitors haven't reached their apex yet and this potential fight could be big bucks for both the UFC and WEC.


(Credit to Teenskater117)


3. UFC WW Contendership - Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch or Josh Koshcheck

This is the idea that DW and Co. are flirting with the most because it's the simplest and easiest from a company internal structure standpoint. Throwing BJ in as WW is less hassle than trying to sign Alvarez or stealing away Aldo from the WEC, even if it's just for one fight from a sister promotion. If he happens to obliterate Aldo, the balance of the FW division could potentially be upset.
The key to a matchup for BJ here would most definitely require no less than a top 5 contender because it needs to be main event material, and clearly relevant for an eventual title shot with GSP. This means no Daley, Swick or Kampmann because they're either on the outskirts of the top 10 or recently dropped a fight. Fitch and Kos are easy choices because they both should easily deserve a title shot with their next couple wins and simply, they will most likely never fight each other unless its for the belt. Alves is in their as an opponent because he's the most recent notch on the champ's proverbial belt, making him no less than 2 rankings removed from the #1 contender spot.
Sticking BJ in as a WW basically means automatically somewhere from 3-5th, depending on how he finishes his first opponent there.


These are the guys that are close but just somehow don't make the cut.


Shinya Aoki - Recently signed with Strikeforce and would only be a challenge if this were an ADCC match.

JZ Calvacante - Coming off 2 losses and knee surgery, the 2x King of Heroes has seen better days.

GSP - What crack would Dana be smoking if he made this match now?

Edgar/Maynard - Sadly, one of them is probably next in line. Either has the wins or names to their credit to deserve a title shot.

WEC 43 Cerrone vs. Henderson

I feel bad for people that don't get the Versus channel.
They're forced to search the internet for cards like this after people like me tell them they NEED to watch this card. Or they miss a fantastic card with fighters under 155 lbs., that would get anyone hooked on the little guys.
Note that the matches reviewed are from the replay of the event.


1. Damacio Page defeats Will Campuzano via Submission

If the Tasmanian Devil were a fighter, he would fight like Damacio.
Except I think Damacio drinks more Red Bulls before his matches. He also has less fur and better back control.
Speaking of back control, I'd like to hear what the heck Campuzano was thinking giving his back up like a tree to a koala?


2. Raphael Assuncao defeats Yves Jabouin via Decision

GSP-lite vs. the "good" Assuncao brother.
And being the best of the brothers was just enough to beat Yves.
They had some good, short bursts of exchanges in the pocket. Yves looked to be the better one on the feet with his fancy spin moves and crisp strikes, but I think both of them landed a pretty even number of clean strikes. Yves was also moving around with good angles but he also moved forward a lot when he threw any strikes. What's the point of moving at awkward angles but not using them to your advantage? Raphael threw some pretty awful, wild haymakers but it was more than enough to stifle Yves on the feet. Throw in a dash of bjj and you've got an easy decision victory for Assuncao.


3. Dave Jansen defeats Rich Crunkilton via Decision

Kudos to WEC newcomer Dave Jansen for beating a veteran in Crunkilton. "Cleat" had no answer for Dave's takedowns and constant pressure and movement.
Both could do with a trip to Thailand to work on their striking to complement their wrestling base.


4. Benson Henderson defeats Donald Cerrone

This was a classic striker vs. wrestler matchup with a twist. Both guys were equally skilled in another area that complimented their base area very well. Cerrone has excellent Muy Thai and an outstanding bottom submission game - 90% of his wins were via submission.
"Smooth" has the mirror opposite, complimentary skillset to Donald's. While only a purple belt in bjj, he's got ridiculous submission defense. So much so that in his next fight when they list his 3 main traits, one of them should be "unsubmittable". I was dumbfounded when Mir mentioned that Ben had submitted black belts in competition matches. This would explain his Mr. Miracle-like escapes and counters to Cerrone's submission attempts.
The other thing that Ben was great at was his standing offense while Cerrone was on his back. "Cowboy" did NOTHING to defend against the punches to his head and abdomen. I wasn't sure why Cerrone wasn't more active with his feet with upkicks or heel kicks and the like.
Too bad this match wasn't in a Dream event because "Cowboy" would have definitely been awarded the match. The Dream judges award the fighter the win based on the match as a whole and less on individual rounds, like boxing.


And lastly...FIND THIS CARD AND WATCH IT.

Later,

~S