UFC 102 Results

Missed the event on Saturday - I was busy getting wine spilled on me at a wedding...

Looks like I missed an entertaining one. Let's see how my predictions went:

Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (heavyweight) - Sounds like this one lived up to the hype and then some. It appears Couture avoided a gauntlet of submissions to make it to the decision, but the judging wasn't really in doubt. Nog knocked The Natural down a couple of times, which was probably all the difference he needed. I'm a bit surprised that Nogueira got the better of the stand up. I hope they show this fight on UFC Unleashed soon. (0-1)

Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva (light heavyweight) - Got this one right on, pretty much. Silva knocked out Jardine pretty quickly - a story we've seen from Jardine before. Let's hope this is the end of the Jardine title shot talk for a while. He really needs to develop a better arsenal. Being "unorthodox" only gets you so far. (1-1)

Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt (middleweight) - What happened here? I hear Leben was winning the fight but got choked out in the third. Oops. (1-2)

Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia (middleweight) - Wow. This was short-lived. I thought this could be fight of the night, but it was over before it started. Highlight reel finish puts a mark on Maia's record and puts Marquardt back in the title hunt. (2-2)

Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (light heavyweight) - I anticipated a better fight. I hear this one drew boos and was one of the few fights to go the distance. Apparently Soszynski did alright in his first fight against "top" competition. Let's hope he can learn from it and put something together for his next fight. Vera isn't making lots of friends these days with boring fights and lacklustre performances. I didn't see this one, but if you're drawing boos, you're drawing the ire of Dana White. (2-3)

Ed Herman Vs. Aaron Simpson (middleweight) - This one almost doesn't count because the fight ended on an injury to Herman. That's too bad 'cause it was a homecoming of sorts and no one likes to see a fight end like this. (2-4)

Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Chris Tuchscherer (heavyweight) - I picked the newcomer in this one, but he didn't get the job done. (2-5)

Justin McCully Vs. Mike Russow (heavyweight) – The newcomer delivered in this one. I still don't know what Russow can do, though. (3-5)

Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee (heavyweight) – Yikes. 8 seconds? Yikes. Dunno if Hague will be invited back. Too bad. (3-6)

Nick Catone Vs. Mark Munoz (middleweight) – Sounds like this was a close decision, but Munoz pulled off the victory in the lighter weight class. (4-6)

Marcus Aurelio Vs. Evan Dunham (lightweight) – Fluked this one, too. No idea what this Dunham kid is like. (5-6)

Another event with a losing record. Ugh. But, like I said, the Herman fight ought not to count, really, and If I were picking with my head instead of my heart I'd have probably gone 8-3.

UFC 102 Predictions

OK, a little busy, but have to get my predictions in before the event on Saturday (which I’m going to miss – darn it!).

Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (heavyweight)

Both are aging warriors, but Nogueira seems to be showing his age more than Captain America. Neither has looked spectacular in recent showings, though Couture lost to Lesnar (no shame there) while Nogeira hasn’t looked sharp in the octagon at all. Both are known for pulling off victories despite the odds. On paper Nogueira seems to have the edge in size and skill, but I can never count Randy out. He seems to always come in with a good game plan and I think he’ll find a way to squeeze this one out.

My money’s on: Couture.

Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva (light heavyweight)

Frankly, I can’t believe people still talk about Jardine being “in the title mix”. He’s beaten some good fighters but he’s lost more than his fair share of fights and to guys one would expect an elite fighter to beat. He seems like a nice guy and I used to be a fan, but I’m getting a little tired of the unwarranted hype. I’m almost hoping Silva sends him packing to clear up the light heavy division. I can see Silva knocking Jardine out.

My money’s on: Silva.

Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt (middleweight)

Leben is a psycho but a tough son of a gun. He’s always willing to bang, but can easily be outsmarted by a good game plan. Rosholt doesn’t seem like much, so if Leben wants to stick around, he had better find a way to knock this guy out.

My money’s on: Leben.

Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia (middleweight)

Could be fight of the night. Probably the two most skilled guys on the card. I like Marquardt but for whatever reason he seems to come up a bit short in big fights. This is a doozy as it will probably be a #1 contenders fight. Maia is talented but has some holes – had Jason MacDonald fought a smarter fight against him, Maia probably would have lost. I don’t see Marquardt getting submitted.

My money’s on: Marquardt.

Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (light heavyweight)

I’m peeved I’m gonna miss this one. This could be great. I’m a fan of “The Polish Experiment” and like his style and humour. Vera got a big push when he first came to the UFC but has suffered some massive setbacks since. Is he once again ready for prime time? If he loses, he may very well be shown the door. I’m hoping Krzysztof pulls it off and keeps his streak alive.

My money’s on: Soszynski.

Ed Herman Vs. Aaron Simpson (middleweight)

Herman is talented but needs to learn greater discipline. He’s got the tools but needs to get his head straight and in the game. Don’t know much about this Simpson guy, but apparently he has some killer knockout power, winning all of his fights by KO/TKO. Look for Herman to shoot and test Simpson’s ground game.

My money’s on: Herman (if he’s smart).

Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Chris Tuchscherer (heavyweight)

Gonzaga is another guy who got a big push early thanks to a big win over Cro Cop but has not been stellar since. His opponent has a terrific record (17-1) and will probably get an equally large push if he defeats Napao. I think this fight may come down to where it takes place. I’d give Gonzaga the edge on the ground, Tuchscherer the edge standing up.

My money’s on: Tuchscherer in a tough one – if he can overcome first UFC fight nerves.

Justin McCully Vs. Mike Russow (heavyweight) – Could be interesting. Both of these guys seem to have a good amount of submission wins, which is rare for heavyweights. I’ll pick Russow to pull it off in his UFC debut.

Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee (heavyweight) – No way I’m banking against the Canadian who had an impressive victory last time out. Duffee is undefeated in only 4 fights, but his last victory was over Assuerio Silva who is no slouch. I’m still picking Hague.

Nick Catone Vs. Mark Munoz (middleweight) – Looks like Munoz is looking to drop a weight class. Catone has lost to Tim Credeur while Munoz got bulldozed by Matt Hamill. What effect will the weight cut have on Munoz? The answer to that will probably determine the winner. I’ll bet on Munoz.

Marcus Aurelio Vs. Evan Dunham (lightweight) – Aurelio has gotten lots of praise coming into the UFC, but he’s lost against all the top guys he’s faced (Guida, Franca, Tyson Griffin). Once again, I’m picking the new guy, Dunham, to pull off the upset.

Strikeforce - Carano mauled by Cyborg

Strikeforce held their first pay per view post-Fedor signing on the weekend, so it was a bit of a coming out party for them – an opportunity to really make some noise and win over some MMA fans.

But as I predicted the other day, they ended up killing one of their golden geese.

Cris Cyborg Santos pretty much humiliated Gina Carano. It was really a mismatch, as Cyborg is naturally the bigger gal (and is far more talented). Still, one would have hoped Carano would have made it close, and I’m positive the Strikeforce powers that be were praying she’d pull out the win.

Instead, Santos dominated from the opening seconds, while Carano backpedalled to the fence and covered up as much as possible to avoid the Cyborg barrage. Santos landed heavy shots, took Carano down at will and threatened to submit “the face of women’s MMA” at numerous times with heel hooks and rear naked chokes. Carano offered little in return other than a few haymakers, none of which landed effectively. Cyborg even managed to push Carano down with a face wash!

The end came in somewhat controversial fashion as the ref stopped the fight with about a second to go in the first round. Carano was clearly overwhelmed and beaten, but had the ref known the round was nearly over, he would have done better to let the fan favourite recover between rounds and face her fate in a more clean-cut fashion. Instead, Cyborg’s victory lap was met with confusion from fans who thought their heroine might have been saved by the bell. Boos rained down on the ring from fans who thought it was an early stoppage.

Maybe, but at any other second it would have been completely justified. Carano was defeated.

So what’s next for women’s MMA? Do people really want to pay to see Cyborg defend against nobodies? Or will Strikeforce look to build up the next comely gal who has any level of skill as the next big thing to challenge the evil Santos? I don’t see it happening. There’s a reason the UFC has stayed away from the ladies division: the level of competition simply isn’t there. Cyborg looked good, but even her style is ugly.

Strikeforce will be putting all of its eggs in the Fedor basket now. If he loses…watch out.

Strikeforce - Carano vs Cyborg

This Saturday features a head-to-head match-up between the UFC and Strikeforce... kinda.

Strikeforce, the upstart MMA promotion, will be holding a live event while the UFC counters with a free presentation of some of the UFC 100 fights.

I live in Toronto, so the only way for me to get Strikeforce is on Super Channel (I think), which I don't get (I get, like 500 channels - but not that). So I probably don't have too much of a choice - I can catch the event at some bar (maybe - I don't know any that are showing it) or stay at home and watch a UFC event I've already seen for the most part. I'll see what I can do, but odds are I won't be able to catch the Strikeforce event and I'll be more than happy to catch a couple of fights I missed from UFC 100 (Bonnar-Coleman, Jones-O'Brien) on my TiVo.

I wanted to check out the Strikeforce card, though, so I looked up their website, which is pretty basic next to the UFC's. One of the things I like about the UFC site is the event breakdown with photos, record, weight, height and links to the fighter's profile. The Strikeforce event page is pretty sparse with no direct link to the fighters embedded. Strikeforce would do well to improve their look and get greater free exposure up north. The UFC has learned that Canadian fans are rabid about MMA.

I don't know many of the fighters on the card, so I won't bother picking winners. I'll say this: Strikeforce lives and breathes via "the face of women's MMA" - Gina Carano. They have now acquired another big name - Fedor Emelianenko. The Carano-Cyborg fight is one fans have wanted to see for a long time, but be careful what you wish for. Cyborg is the bigger lady and Carano is talented but not flawless (at least in her fighting style). I would be surprised if Cyborg didn't kick her ass - which may kill the golden goose, much like Kimbo's big loss was the death knell for EliteXC. Fortunately, Strikeforce has Fedor as a back-up, but imagine what would happen to the organization if Gina and Fedor both lost within the year. Fedor will be fighting meatheads, but it could happen. No one gave Seth Petruzelli a chance against Kimbo, either.

Here's the Strikeforce card:

MAIN CARD (BEGINNING AT 7:30PM):

Gina “Conviction” Carano (7-0) vs. Cris “Cyborg” (7-1) – 145lb Female Championship

Renato "Babalu" Sobral (35-8) vs. Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) - Light Heavyweight Championship

Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (15-2) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (18-5-1) – Lightweight Interim Championship

Jay "The Thoroughbred" Hieron (17-4) vs. Jesse "JT Money" Taylor (13-3)

UNDERCARD (BEGINNING AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30 PM)

Mike "Mak" Kyle (12-6-1) vs. Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (11-4-1)

Scott Lighty (4-0) vs. Mike Cook (7-4)

David "Tarzan" Douglas (4-1) vs. Justin "The Silverback" Wilcox (5-3)

James Terry (6-1) vs. Zac Bucia (2-3)

Isaiah Hill (4-6) vs. Alex Trevino (3-0)

UFC 101 - Results : Penn defends, Griffin humiliated

Well, you can’t say I didn’t call it.

Sure, I wasn’t willing to “bet” against my boy Forrest, but I knew when the fight was first announced that he’d get trounced by Anderson Silva.

I was right.

It wasn’t even close.

They say styles make fights, and this was a complete mismatch. Griffin is a puncher with a relatively weak chin and no knockout power. How the hell was he supposed to beat a guy who has awesome stand up and has insane knockout power? His only hope was to clinch and use his weight to try to take Silva down – that strategy was nowhere to be seen.

The UFC sold some tickets and some PPVs, but in the process, they may have spoiled one of their golden geese by exposing Griffin’s weak chin and, essentially, humiliating him in front of millions.

Griffin certainly didn’t help matters by running out of the ring and, as some are stating, the arena. There were some reports that he ran to the back to get medical attention for a broken jaw and loss of hearing, but those reports appear to be false. I’d still like to hear Griffin’s take on the fight and reason for bolting. I thought he had learned from the fiasco that followed the Keith Jardine fight (another fight that shouldn’t have happened – for completely different reasons), but I guess not. He lost a little bit of my respect, but I’m still hoping there’s a decent explanation.

Who should Silva fight? The obvious choice is champion Lyoto Machida, but apparently that won’t happen since they’re training partners and “like brothers”. Machida is a high calibre fighter with skills similar to Silva’s – hard to hit with good knockout power. Clearly, Silva ought to remain in the light heavyweight division, so if he doesn’t fight the champ… Other “tune-up” fight opponents might include Rampage, Rashad Evans or, get this, Randy Couture. Rampage and Rashad are big guys with good chins and knockout power. Randy, on the other hand, would challenge Silva in close and is known for brilliant strategizing.

If the UFC had big brass balls, though, they’d put Silva in with Lesnar and set up a clash of titans. I’d give Silva even odds against the inexperienced Lesnar - at least.

Ok, let’s move on to the results from UFC 101:

BJ Penn def. Kenny Florian (sub 4) – I thought Florian might pull off the upset, but I didn’t count on a stupid strategy of single-leg takedown attempts and cage hugging. This was clearly not working. I don’t know if Florian was trying to take a page out of training partner GSP’s book, but let’s just say he’s no GSP. Florian had to take Penn down or, failing that, stick to leg kicks all night long and wear down the champ until he could pounce into a ground and pound game. Instead, Florian got outboxed by Penn and hugged his leg while Penn punished him. Seriously. WTF? (picked wrong 0-1)

Silva def. Griffin (TKO 1) – See above. Not even close. This was a non-fight from the start. Had Griffin won it would have been the biggest upset in UFC history. (picked “wrong” 0-2)

Johny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah (TKO 1) – Despite what some may think, this was a good stoppage. Sadollah was out of it, defenceless (he was on all fours and not looking at his opponent) and at risk of injury. Hendricks looked pretty good in this brief bout. I’m looking forward to his next fight. (picked right 1-2)

Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove (Unan Dec) – Grove was never really in this, except for an arm bar that was set up when he illegally grabbed the cage for leverage (which the ref either missed or dismissed). It drives me nuts when refs don’t call cage grabbing when it leads to a submission opportunity. I’ve seen it a number of times. Anyhow, Almeida didn’t look great, but we ought to see more of him after this. Grove, well, I think he’s out of his league in the UFC, but I’m sure they’ll keep him around due to his name recognition. (picked right 2-2)

Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer (Unan Dec) – I missed most of this fight, but hear it was pretty dull. Looked like a lot of laying and praying in the third. (picked wrong 2-3)

UNDERCARD

Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson (Unan Dec) – This was the famous rematch. Neither fighter was very impressive, but Riley got the nod, justifiably. (picked wrong 2-4)

John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory (Split Dec) – Wish I’d seen this. Sounds like it was a decent fight, but Howard wore McCrory down late. (picked wrong 2-5)

Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites (Split Dec) – If reports are true, both of these guys should be kicked out of the UFC as I suggested. I hear it was a crazy boring fight and the fans booed. Thales Leites is coming off a title shot, for Pete’s sake, which goes to show how thin the middleweight division is. (picked wrong 2-6)

Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer (Unan Dec) – Would have liked to have seen this, too. (picked right 3-6)

George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop (Sub 2) – George looked good, but should have finished sooner. He had boatloads of opportunities and completely outclassed Roop on the ground. Looking forward to seeing more of him. (picked right 4-6)

Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort (TKO 3) – I picked this blind, so can’t take too much credit. (picked right 5-6)

Ok, so the divining rod let me down, but considering I didn’t really pick Forrest to win, it was more like 6-5 than 5-6. I’ll try to do better next time.

UFC 101 Predictions

The UFC heads to Philadelphia on Friday for UFC 101.

Can it continue the heat and media buzz generated by UFC 100? I doubt it, but it's still shaping up to be a pretty good card.

The main event features BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian for the lightweight belt, but make no mistake: people are tuning in to see Forrest Griffin take on the seemingly unbeatable Anderson Silva in Griffin's light heavyweight class. I'm a big Griffin mark, but I do not like his chances in this one. At the end of the night, I'm either going to be elated or depressed. I guess we'll see.

Now for my predictions:

BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian (lightweight)

This could be a really good fight. BJ likes to stand and bang when he can, but is known primarily for his jiu jitsu. Florian has good stand up and should enjoy a reach advantage. he's also well versed in jiu jitsu and could be on top if the fight hits the mat. If so, he's known for his finishing skills. Penn is still hurting from his destruction at the hands of GSP and could wilt if the fight isn't going his way. Penn is "the master" but he's also a big effing baby. Which Penn will shine through?

My money's on: Florian in a big upset. He doesn't look like much, but with the exception of Sherk's "lay and pray" strategy, Florian seems to be able to take what his opponents dish out and return the punishment in spades. I see a stand up battle at first, with Florian gradually taking the cardio advantage and punishing Penn on the mat.

Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva (light heavyweight)

Silva is a beast at either middleweight or light heavyweight and has hands of stone. Griffin has terrific cardio and is always game, but has shown he can be knocked silly. Is it just a matter of time before he gets caught by the very accurate Brazilian and becomes another victim? Or will he come up with a strategy that will defy the odds and give him the biggest win of his life? (sorry, Rampage) I don't like Griffin's chances, but if you think I'm betting against him, you're nuts.

My money's on: Griffin. Not really, but I can't bet against him and don't want to "push". This would be a way bigger upset than the Florian victory. I give him a 10% shot at best.

Amir Sadollah Vs. Johny Hendricks (welterweight)

I like Sadollah and he has pulled off some surprising wins, but, really, he isn't THAT talented. CB Dollaway is way overrated. Hendricks has been plying his trade in WEC where the talent level isn't quite as high, but at least he has experience - and anyone who has a win by D'Arce Choke deserves respect.

My money's on: Hendricks. I like the look of this guy and think that after this win, the UFC will look to move him up the ladder.

Kendall Grove Vs. Ricardo Almeida (middleweight)

Grove was a guy I really wanted to watch after his TUF win, but he's been disappointing in his last few fights. He really got exposed by Jorge Rivera and Patrick Cote. Sure he has a win over former champ Evan Tanner, but Tanner was never that well rounded. Almeida, on the other hand, seems to be a guy who just doesn't deliver like he should. He's a talented guy, no doubt - he has a submission victory over Nate Marquardt - but he's never been that impressive (he has lost to Patrick Cote and Andrei Semenov).

My money's on: Almeida. If he doesn't beat Grove, send him packing.

Josh Neer Vs. Kurt Pellegrino (lightweight)

People seem to think highly of both of these fighters, but I haven't been that impressed. Pellegrino has lost to Nate Diaz, Joe Stevenson and Drew Fickett and beaten....who?... Rob Emerson? Thiago Tavares?... Junior Assuncao? Clearly he's not top notch. "The Dentist" Josh Neer has beaten a bunch of meatheads (Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard the possible exceptions) and lost to Nick AND Nate Diaz, Josh Burkman, Mark Miller, Drew Fickett and Spencer Fisher. Why is this fight on the main card?

My money's on: Neer. It's a toss up. Neer is bigger and more experienced, so there you go.

UNDERCARD

Shane Nelson Vs. Aaron Riley (lightweight) - Neither one has an impressive pedigree. Riley is far more experienced, but has lost to every significant fighter he's faced. This is a rematch set thanks to a controversial stoppage at UFC 96. I didn't see it, but I heard it was bad. Still, I'll take Nelson in the rematch, too.

Tamdan McCrory Vs. John Howard (welterweight) - I like this McCrory kid. If he can avoid those bloody armbars, it would seem he'd have a very promising career. I'll pick McCrory to submit Howard.

Thales Leites Vs. Alessio Sakara (middleweight) - Who would have thought a few months ago that we'd be seeing this fight buried in the undercard? These are two "name" guys who have fallen by the wayside. Leites looked promising at first, but put in such a stinker in his title fight against Anderson Silva that the UFC will probably toss him out on his ass if he lays another egg on Saturday. "Legionarius" was given much fanfare by the UFC commentators when he showed up, but he's been way way way less than impressive. He beat perennial punching bag Elvis Sinosic, but then dropped four of his next six UFC fights, including a devastating knockout by upstart Houton Alexander. How is this guy still in the UFC?! He should be shown the door if he loses Saturday. Oh, I guess my money's on Leites.

Matthew Riddle Vs. Dan Cramer (welterweight) - This ought to be fun. I like Riddle, so I'll pick him.

George Sotiropoulos Vs. George Roop (lightweight) - Some more TUF guys. I like Sotiropoulos, so I guess I'll pick him. He does seem to have the more impressive pedigree.

Jesse Lennox Vs. Danillo Villefort (welterweight) - I don't know these guys at all, so this is blind. Villefort is slightly bigger with Lennox having the slightly better record. He also has a significant number of submissions, so I'll take Lennox.

UFC Changes Franklin 103 Match-up

Looks like someone at the UFC is listening.

I gave my two cents about the lack of logic behind Franklin-Henderson II scheduled for UFC 103 and it seems I may not have been the only one. The UFC has changed its mind and now has Franklin facing returning former champion Vitor Belfort.

The lack of logic in this one? It's being contested at a catchweight of 195.

Why?

Is the UFC trying to create a new division for Franklin? Why have him move from middleweight to light heavyweight if you're just going to have him competing at these catchweight levels? This doesn't help him move up the rankings nor prove his value to the light heavyweight division.

Maybe the UFC figures the division is already stacked and this keeps Franklin from getting pummeled by the likes of Forrest Griffin and Rampage Jackson.

Still, I'm looking forward to UFC 103 - it's shaping up to be an interesting card.

Stay tuned for UFC 101 predictions.