TUF 9 Finale - Results

Let’s see:

Diego Sanchez def. Clay Guida (split decision)
James Wilks def. DaMarques Johnson (rear naked choke - 1)
Chris Lytle def. Kevin Burns (unanimous decision)
Ross Pearson def. Andre Winner (unanimous decision)
Joe Stevenson def. Nate Diaz (unanimous decision)
Melvin Guillard def. Gleison Tibau (split decision)
Brad Blackburn def. Edgar Garcia (split decision)
Tomasz Drwal def. Mike Ciesnolevicz (TKO – 1)
Nick Osipczak def. Frank Lester (rear naked choke - 1)
Jason Dent def. Cameron Dollar (anaconda choke – 1)

I thought Sanchez was going to get robbed in the decision based on previous judges’ scoring. While Sanchez was clearly delivering the majority of the punishment, Guida was on top for a good chunk of the decisive third round and usually top position is equated with winning. I assume, of course, that it was the third round that was decisive since Guida was on top for most of the second – but Sanchez delivered some brutal elbows in that round, so who knows which one swayed the third judge. Further clouding the issue is the fact that the UFC would benefit more from a Sanchez win as he is the more colourful character and would likely sell more tickets in a title fight than Guida. I’m not convinced judges aren’t influenced by this sort of thing. We can now look forward to a Sanchez vs Penn/Florian fight for the 155 belt in 4 months or so. It ought to be interesting either way, but, while I like Florian, I don’t think there’s much doubt a Sanchez-Penn match-up would be more desirable to the UFC and fans. After all, Sanchez humbled Florian once already (though in a different weight class) and it’s always more interesting to see an established champ defend the belt than first timers (see the light heavyweight division).

I also correctly predicted Wilks would beat Johnson. Wilks struck early, putting Johnson on the defensive and the American couldn’t get out of the round to gather himself. Despite a few decent exchanges, Wilks was clearly in control and got the much-deserved win. It’ll be interesting to see how he does going forward. I was impressed with Wilks’ skills.

I went 3-for-3 in the top portion of the card when Lytle got the nod over a game Kevin Burns. Lytle threw bombs from the opening seconds and didn’t let up until the horn sounded. I was really impressed with Lytle’s cardio, which allowed him to give it all for 15 minutes and was the difference in the fight; Burns was gassed and was in retreat mode for much of the third round. Lytle isn’t champ material, but he’s one of those guys who acts as a gatekeeper to the upper ranks – if you can beat him, you deserve top-flight fights. Burns just isn’t there yet.

I really wanted Ross Pearson to win, but I thought Andre Winner was going to squeeze out a decision. I thought these two would stand and trade shots, with Winner having the jab advantage. I didn’t expect that these guys would hug for 15 minutes with no intervention by the ref (have I mentioned how much most refs suck? Herb Dean is by far the worst with Mazzagatti second). For a TUF “title fight” this was a dud. The two competitors negated each other’s offence and the result was a fight too close to call; not enough happened to distinguish the two competitors. I thought it fair that the first two rounds would be split and the third would decide the outcome since no one seemed to deserve being up 2-0. That said, I thought Winner was getting the best of Pearson in the first two and might have gotten the nod as the result. But Pearson was a little more active in the third and, thanks to the split rounds, got the decision. I really wasn’t impressed, but am looking forward to seeing more of Pearson in the future to see what he really has to offer.

What was Nate Diaz thinking? His loss to Joe Stevenson was due to one thing – strategy. Diaz is the more talented fighter, but he allowed Stevenson to take him down and stay on top – which was enough to earn the victory. Stevenson really didn’t do much, but Diaz was happy to stay on his back and attempt submissions. What he should have done was stay on his feet as much as possible and pick Stevenson apart a la BJ Penn. Instead, he pulled guard, made no real attempt to get back up and tried…what? Kimoras? Come on… Diaz has pulled this kind of stupidity before and obviously needs new coaching ‘cause his current approach sucks. This is a serious speed bump for him. Both of these guys have careers going nowhere fast.

In the undercard, I went 1-4, but I blame part of that on bad info from the UFC website. Tomasz Drwal and Mike Ciesnolevicz were fighting at light heavyweight which explains the discrepancy in their stats. Ciesnolevicz failed to make weight, though, and the big cut he did make probably factored in his loss. I’d have to see the other fights to comment on them. I’d like to see the Guillard-Tibau fight, for one.

So 3-2 on the main card, 1-4 on the undercard, 4-4 with fighters I knew, 4-6 overall.

Let the hype and build-up to UFC 100 begin!

TUF 9 Finale - Predictions

The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale is Saturday night, so here are my picks:

MAIN CARD

Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida (155)

I used to be a pretty big fan of Sanchez’s, but he’s gotten crazier and crazier it seems and his style is suffering. He used to be relentless and inventive in his attacks, but lately he seems to have become more one-dimensional, looking to knock people out with boxing. Diego’s strength is his wrestling/ground game and he should return to it going forward. That said, he could take advantage of his size to pick Guida apart.

My money’s on: Sanchez. I see this one going to decision with Sanchez squeaking out a victory on points based on his jab.

DaMarques Johnson Vs. James Wilks (170)

These guys are pretty evenly matched. Both are good strikers without having the best chins. This could end in a surprising knockout at any moment.

My money’s on: Wilks. I can see Wilks taking Johnson down and earning the win. It ought to be close, though.

Chris Lytle Vs. Kevin Burns (170)

I like both of these guys, but Lytle’s a warrior and ought to be able to use his experience to beat Burns.

My money’s on: Lytle.

Ross Pearson Vs. Andre Winner (155)

I quite like Pearson’s energy and style, but Winner’s got a size advantage. When in doubt, go with the taller guy.

My money’s on: Winner. Go figure. (If Pearson wins, am I still right?)

Joe Stevenson Vs. Nate Diaz (155)

Stevenson may be the most overrated fighter in the UFC. He’s pulled off some nice submissions against foolish opponents, but Diaz is no fool and definitely has the edge in the submission department. Look for Stevenson to try to take Diaz down (after Diaz outboxes him) and, if he does, for Diaz to find the submission.

My money’s on: Diaz – on the ground or on the feet. Diaz ought to fly to the upper echelon after this fight.

UNDERCARD

Melvin Guillard Vs. Gleison Tibau (155)

This one all depends on Guillard. If he’s smart, he could knock Tibau out. If he’s foolish, he’ll get submitted in a heartbeat. We’ve seen this before.

My money’s on: Tibau. I just think Guillard will find a way to screw this up and he’s been off for quite a while.

Brad Blackburn Vs. Edgar Garcia (170) – I’ll take undefeated Garcia.

Mike Ciesnolevicz Vs. Tomasz Drwal (heavyweight) – Why is 205lb Drwal fighting a heavyweight? I’ll take the bigger guy: Ciesnolevicz.

Nick Osipczak Vs. Frank Lester (170) – Back to the TUF guys. Osipczak has the size/reach advantage, but he doesn’t have the chin to handle Lester if he connects. I’ll pick Lester in this one, probably by TKO.

Jason Dent Vs. Cameron Dollar (155) – I haven’t been impressed with Dollar and Dent has determination. I’ll pick Dent.

Tim Sylvia's career is over

I've never been a Tim Sylvia fan. The guy never struck me as particularly talented. He was a freak of nature who manged to befuddle his opponents - that's about the best you can say.

The only time he showed any MMA skill was in his highlight-reel stoppage of a freak of a different sort - Tra Telligman. His other wins have come by straight-up knockouts.

Other than that, he has been submitted like a bitch by Frank Mir, Antonio Nogueira, and Andrei Arlovski, bullied by Randy Couture, been involved in boring matches (Arlovski 3, Brandon Vera) and been suspended for taking steroids.

He lost to Mir in 50 seconds, Arlovski in 47 seconds and Fedor Emelianeko in 36 seconds. He's lost 3 of his last 4.

Oh, but wait - as if the Fedor match weren't humiliating enough (sure, it's Fedor, but 36 seconds?! Who is he - Jonathan Goulet?) the cherry on the top of Sylvia's sundae of suckitude came on Saturday night when he lost an MMA fight to former boxing champ Ray Mercer...

...in 9 seconds!

Dude. You suck.

There's no way he's ever going back to the UFC (I don't think Dana White was a fan anyways) and even the lesser organizations would have a hard time hyping a fight with this giant turd.

Sylvia's story is one of a guy who achieved success far beyond his abilities thanks to his freakish size; but now it seems the rest of the world has discovered Sylvia is all bark and little bite.

UFC 102 - Couture vs Nogeira

It's being reported that UFC 102 will feature Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira.

This fight has been in the works more or less since Nogueira's arrival from Pride, but delayed by Randy's holdout and the heavyweight title unification "tournament" that now has Frank Mir facing Brock Lesnar after both "champions" lost their semi-final matches. So I guess this is a "consolation final" of sorts.

Who knows how many fights Randy has left, but this is one of the few opponents for which he seems to think it's worth staying active. The dream of seeing Randy take on Fedor Emelianenko seems to be just that, and with news that Mirko Cro Cop has flown the coop and signed with Japan's Dream organization, there are few big name match-ups left. If Randy beats Nogueira, look for a Mir-Couture match-up in the future, regardless of the Lesnar fight's outcome. Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez are not quite ready for prime time - at least not in booking terms.

UFC 99 Results

UFC 99 was a so-so event, with the card being one of the least exciting in recent memory. Even with the return of Cro Cop, this was a somewhat sub-par card, exacerbated by the 3pm ET start time.

Ok, let's see how I did on predictions.

Rich Franklin def Wanderlei Silva (Unanimous decision)

"My money’s on: Franklin. Wanderlei has crazy power, but not much reach. Franklin is younger, faster and smarter and will figure out a way to neutralize the disco-loving freak."

Sounds like I was pretty much right on. Franklin found a way to avoid Wanderlei's power and get the decision.

Cain Velasquez def. Cheick Kongo (Unanimous decision)

"My money’s on: Kongo. Boooooooring."

Thank goodness Kongo lost. I'm pretty sick of his dull fights and even in defeat he bored me. Velasquez overcame some pretty heavy shots by Kongo and took the big man down at will. Sure, it wasn't exciting, but if Velasquez can improve his game, he ought to be more exciting than the Frenchman.

Mike Swick def. Ben Saunders (TKO - Rd 2)

"My money’s on: Swick. I see an entertaining fight ending with Swick knocking Saunders on his ass."

Yup - got this one right on, too. This would have been a pretty big win for Saunders and a pretty devastating loss for Swick. With this win behind him, Swick can now look forward to bigger opponents.

Dan Hardy def. Marcus Davis (Split decision)

"My money’s on: Davis. Hardy will give him a run for his money, but Davis will win if he can get inside or take Hardy down. If he wins, hopefully the UFC will give the ageing Davis a real name opponent before he retires!"

I should have had this right on, too. Davis had this fight won, but lost it when he inexplicably gave up top position to attempt an ankle lock. At that point Hardy took top position, punished Davis and won the round. Without question, that was the turning point. This loss really hurts Davis who had an otherwise stellar UFC record. A loss against a mid-level guy like Hardy pretty much spoils any chance Davis had of fighting top flight opposition before he retires.

Spencer Fisher def. Caol Uno (Unanimous decision)

"My money’s on: Fisher. Look for him to start moving up to the top of the ladder after this one. The UFC has denied this guy’s talent for too long."

Right on again. The most boring fight of the night, probably, but Fisher deservedly got the nod.

Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic def. Mostapha Al Turk (TKO - Rd 1)

"My money’s on: Cro Cop. Barely. This could be another boring fight if the larger Al Turk takes Cro Cop down, but if it stays standing, Cro Cop could deliver a highlight finish or at least win on points via strikes. This is definitely the iffy fight of the night."

Cro Cop did provide a brutal victory, but not without controversy. How the ref missed the fact Al Turk had been poked is beyond me. Even if he didn't see it, Al Turk was clearly wounded by something other than a strike. Cro Cop is under no obligation to give his opponent any quarter, but the sportsmanlike thing to do would have been to back off.

So 4-2 on the main card. Not bad.

Other matches:

Terry Etim def. Justin Buchholz (Sub - Rd 2) – Go that.

Dennis Siver def. Dale Hartt (Sub - Rd 1) – Got that.

Paul Taylor def. Peter Sobotta (Unanimous decision) – Got that.

Paul Kelly def. Rolando Delgado (Unanimous decision) – Got that.

Denis Stojnic def. Stefan Struve (Sub - Rd 2) – Got that. I wanna see this Struve kid.

John Hathaway def. Rick Story (Unanimous decision) – Got that.

So 6-0 on the undercard - sweet! 10-2 for the night. Wow. I must be psychic.

A lot of the undercard fights went the distance which suggests they weren't very exciting. Like I said - not a fantastic card nor event.

Next up is UFC 100 - without a doubt the biggest card in recent memory if not UFC history. Stay tuned for my predictions!

MMA Expo Toronto 2009

I checked out the MMA Expo at the International Centre on Sunday. I figured I’d probably spend a couple of hours in there – I ended up spending four.

It was a decent event, though it wasn’t exactly huge. The highlight, of course, was meeting some of MMA’s big stars in person, getting an autograph and a photo. It was nice to see guys making the effort to meet the fans and spread some love.

While I was there, I met:

Denis Kang
Jason MacDonald
Matt Hamill
James Irvin
Sean Sherk
Patrick Cote
Shonie Carter
Sam Stout
Arianny Celeste

Some were more personable than others (props to Shonie, Denis and Jason especially) but everyone was accommodating. I got them to sign my “Fighter” book – which now features a decent number of fighters’ autographs thanks to previous meetings with GSP, BJ Penn and Dana White.

Thiago Silva was supposed to be there, too, but I saw no sign of him (too bad because he’s featured in the book). Ditto Bill Mahood, Chris Horodecki, Carlos Newton and Frank Trigg.

Other than the celebs, there were vendors of all sorts, pushing things like supplements, gym memberships, equipment, apparel, vibrating “exercise” machines and videos.

There was also a jiu jitsu tourney taking place which was interesting to watch. Watching it live, you could really appreciate the difference between tournaments that use a gi compared to non-gi MMA.

Let’s hope MMA gets sanctioned in Ontario soon so that next year’s event can include some actual MMA action.

UFC 99 - Preview

This weekend, the UFC travels to Cologne, Germany for what ought to be a very entertaining card.

Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva (195lbs)

This catch weight fight features two guys who need to win. There’s a reason this card is dubbed “The Comeback”. The winner will see their stock rise and perhaps even earn a title shot, whereas the loser will be facing retirement questions.

Silva is on his way down to middleweight (185 lbs) while Franklin has already started his transition to the light heavyweight division (205 lbs). If Silva can pull off the upset, he may very well get a title shot against bitter rival Anderson Silva, thanks in no small part to the fact that every other middleweight seems to be powerless against Silva. (Silva is like the Tiger Woods of that division - everyone is waiting for a serious challenger to appear from the wilderness.) If Franklin wins, he has de-throned a legend and puts himself in the light heavyweight title mix (if he wasn’t there already). The light heavyweight division is stacked, but title shots seem to be thrown around like tic tacs (Mauricio Rua…I’m looking in your direction…) so Franklin could easily see himself in a main event in three months or so.

My money’s on: Franklin. Wanderlei has crazy power, but not much reach. Franklin is younger, faster and smarter and will figure out a way to neutralize the disco-loving freak.

Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez (205 lbs)

This fight could be the worst of the night if Kongo stays true to form. Despite wins, he probably hasn’t had a title shot because, quite frankly, he’s boring as hell. If he sits on Velasquez for three rounds, he may very well get the win, but a title shot? I dunno. I sense the UFC doesn’t like his style, either.

My money’s on: Kongo. Boooooooring.

Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders (170 lbs)

A battle of tall lanky guys that could end quick. Both of these guys seem to enjoy throwing. I wasn’t impressed with Saunders on the reality show, but he’s been looking pretty good since. I’m a fan of Swick’s though, and he needs this win.

My money’s on: Swick. I see an entertaining fight ending with Swick knocking Saunders on his ass.

Marcus Davis Vs. Dan Hardy (170 lbs)

This could be fight of the night. I like Davis’ style, but I like Hardy’s reach. Hardy has proven he has power, too, but Davis has heart. We’ve seen Davis get knocked on his butt and come back for the W; I don’t know if Hardy can do the same.

My money’s on: Davis. Hardy will give him a run for his money, but Davis will win if he can get inside or take Hardy down. If he wins, hopefully the UFC will give the ageing Davis a real name opponent before he retires!

Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno (155 lbs)

Where the heck has Uno been? He ain’t the fighter he used to be, but maybe he’s still got some juice left in him. Spencer is proven winner, though, and can withstand the best opponents can dish out.

My money’s on: Fisher. Look for him to start moving up to the top of the ladder after this one. The UFC has denied this guy’s talent for too long.

Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic Vs. Mostapha Al Turk (205 lbs)

Talk about a must win. Cro Cop’s rep has taken a beating in the past coupe of years after losses to Gabriel Gonzaga (in spectacular fashion) and Cheick Kongo (boooooring). If the UFC is ever to see the dream card of Cro Cop fighting for a belt, he has to start wining fast. Al Turk is clearly a sacrificial lamb, but so was Gonzaga once upon a time.

My money’s on: Cro Cop. Barely. This could be another boring fight if the larger Al Turk takes Cro Cop down, but if it stays standing, Cro Cop could deliver a highlight finish or at least win on points via strikes. This is definitely the iffy fight of the night.

Other matches:

Terry Etim Vs. Justin Buchholz (155 lbs) – don’t know much about Buchholz, but Etim has impressed. I’m picking Etim.

Dennis Siver Vs. Dale Hartt (155 lbs) – Going with experience. That means Siver over Hartt.

Paul Taylor Vs. Peter Sobotta (170 lbs) – Sobotta doesn’t even have a photo on the UFC website. That doesn’t bode well. Taylor losing would be upset of the night material. Taking Taylor to smoke the new guy.

Paul Kelly Vs. Rolando Delgado (155 lbs) – I like Rolando, but the shy kid is gonna get slaughtered by the tough Kelly.

Denis Stojnic Vs. Stefan Struve (205 lbs) – Who versus who? Holy crap; Stojnic is 5’11” & 235 lbs while “Skyscraper" Struve is 238 lbs and – get this – 6’11”!! Wow. Both have impressive records which means I’m taking the giant who knows how to win.

John Hathaway Vs. Rick Story (170 lbs) – Two more strangers with good records, but I’ll take the undefeated guy who at least has a photo. That means Hathaway over Story.

Shogun Rua deserves title shot? Really?!

So Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson will be the coaches for season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Sounds good.

I’m not sure Evans is “coach” material (Matt Hughes must be shaking his head), but here’s an opportunity for him to rise to the occasion, like Forrest Griffin did, and establish himself as an elder statesman of the sport.

Rampage has been here before, of course.

The surprising part of this announcement is that Rampage begged off a fight with new champ Lyoto Machida in order to take the (not-so?) TUF gig. Rampage could have taken a shot at regaining the belt he (deservedly) lost to Griffin, but, no, he wants Evans.

This isn’t a total shock as Rampage has little to offer beyond what Evans might have and we all know how Evans did against Machida. This is, as I believe Rampage himself said, an opportunity for Rampage to step back, take some time, and improve his game.

But what of Machida? Who will be his first challenger to the 205 title?

Apparently, it’ll be Mauricio Shogun Rua.

WTF?!?!

Let me get this straight: Rua comes to the UFC after being somewhat of a stud in the defunct Pride organization, promptly gets schooled by Griffin – who submits him no less – wins a lacklustre fight against a positively geriatric Mark Coleman, and knocks out Chuck Liddell (1-3 in his last four) who is an opponent so formidable that Dana White immediately retires him after the fight and THAT gets Rua a title shot?!

Huh?!

You all know I’m a Griffin mark, but, come on; doesn’t he deserve a title shot more than Rua? Griffin beat Rua, beat Jackson and lost to Evans. If Jackson was deserving of a title rematch, why not Griffin? How does Rua leapfrog him, especially considering his boring performances?

There seems to be this UFC tradition, though, that ex-champs have to win a fight before returning to the top of the mountain, and I guess that hasn’t happened yet.

It seems plain to me that the most deserving challenger is the winner of the upcoming Griffin-Silva fight (UFC 101). Since Evans-Jackson won’t happen until late this year, maybe there’ll be time for a Lyoto-Griffin/Silva fight before the TUF coach winner takes on Machida (spring-ish 2010).

Rua? Can you picture him as champ after his 3 UFC performances?

Come on.

Kimbo Slice the "Ultimate Fighter"?

Will Kimbo slice through the competition?

Seeing him in the same room as Dana White ought to be interesting.

Seeing him train ought to be interesting.

Seeing who picks him when ought to be interesting.

Seeing whether or not he improves ought to be interesting.

Seeing whether or not he gets to fight in the UFC regardless of his performance ought to be interesting.

It seems the UFC is doing all it can to promote Kimbo. Making it only a heavyweights’ show is one thing. Putting them in the house automatically is another indication (having him lose in an elimination match in the first episode would have sucked – IF you want him to do well…).

One way or the other, we’ll probably see Kimbo fight in the finale. After that, who knows?

Will one of the coaches pick him up as a training partner/protégé?