My Psychic Powers: Koscheck to fight Johnson at UFC 106

Holy crap! I really am a mind-bender! I can even make Dana White and Joe Silva do my bidding!

Yesterday - YESTERDAY - in my UFC 104 recap, I wrote the following (as I'm sure you remember):

Anthony Johnson def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (TKO 1) - I'll be shocked if this isn't
the end of Yoshida in the UFC after two massive knockouts. Johnson is gonna get
a bigger push now. I'd pay to see him and Koscheck. (2-3)

Guess what? I open TSN.ca today and find out that the two are now scheduled to meet in a hastily-arranged battle at UFC 106, in part because the card has suffered the loss of Lesnar vs Carwin.

This ought to be a great fight and a BIG test for Johnson. If he wins this, look for him to go right to the top of the rankings and perhaps be next in line to fight GSP (because he'd be one of the few top-flighters GSP hasn't beaten yet).

So: how should I use my psychic powers next?

Remember: with great power comes great responsibility.

UFC 104 Results

Turns out I pretty much completely missed the event, what with all the hob-knobbing I had to do that night, so I couldn't telepathically tell the fighters what to do. And so, many of my picks lost.

Let's inspect the dammage:

Lyoto Machida def. Mauricio Rua (unanimous) - It seems the three judges at ringside were the only ones who could unanimously agree Machida won this fight. There was an immediate uproar and booing of the champ when he retained the title. I only saw the last two rounds but when I walked in the door, the other guys were already calling it for Rua. One guy even paid his losing bet before the fight was over. We were stunned - STUNNED - when Machida's arm was raised. Judging by the champ's reaction, he was, too. Now there's talk of a rematch. Seriously? Ok, I get it that the UFC thinks Rua might have been robbed, but there are a bunch of guys waiting to fight the champ. Guys who HAVEN'T lost to him. Former champs who didn't get a rematch. When do THEY get their shot? Well, at least I picked the "winner" right. (1-0)

Cain Velasquez def. Ben Rothwell (TKO 2) - More controversy. Apparently this one was stopped early. From what I saw of replays, it looks like Rothwell was getting hammered, but was in no real danger. Oh, the ref was Mazzagatti, by the way. Go figure. From what I hear, Velasquez wasn't exactly impressive in terms of punching power. We'll see how far his wrestling takes him. (1-1)

Gleison Tibau def. Josh Neer (unanimous) - Yup. Should have gone with my heart. (1-2)

Joe Stevenson def. Spencer Fisher (sub 2) - This was a shocker for me. Looks like Stevenson threw Fisher around and then lay the smack down. I'm still in disbelief. Wanna see the replay. (1-3)

Anthony Johnson def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (TKO 1) - I'll be shocked if this isn't the end of Yoshida in the UFC after two massive knockouts. Johnson is gonna get a bigger push now. I'd pay to see him and Koscheck. (2-3)

Ryan Bader Vs. Eric Schafer (unanimous) - Bader dominated most of the fight. He lost some gas in the second but regained enough composure to take the third. Hopefully he learns not to tucker himself out in the first round. Schafer impressed with his chin (is that a compliment?). (3-3)

Pat Barry def. Antoni Hardonk (TKO 2) - Wow. Did Barry ever impress! Look for him to get more face time in the UFC. Fight of the Night for sure. (4-3)

Chael Sonnen def. Yushin Okami (unanimous) - No idea what happened here. I think Okami is likely on his way out of the UFC. (4-4)

Jorge Rivera def. Rob Kimmons (TKO 3) - Apparently Kimmons lost yet another big fight. Didn't see it. (4-5)

Kyle Kingsbury def. Razak Al-Hassan (split) - No idea. (4-6)

Stefan Struve def. Chase Gormley (sub 1) - Seems I did well on the fights I saw. Struve used his height to his advantage, wrapping his legs around Gormley for the choke. Not surprisingly, it won Submission of the Night - it was the only one! (5-6)

So 4-0 on the fights I saw (yay telepathy!) and 1-6 otherwise. I should have been one of those goat staring guys.

UFC 104 Predictions

Time for predictions once again. I can't say this card fascinates me, but I still wouldn't wanna miss it.

Lyoto Machida Vs. Mauricio Rua - I'm blown away that this fight is even happening for the light heavyweight belt. Machida got his shot without fighting any real top flight competition (Ortiz before he left? untested Silva?) in his weight class (he has wins over Rich Franklin and BJ Penn) and Rua has received an even easier road to the title. Rua lost to Griffin, was crap against geriatric Mark Coleman, and beat Chuck Liddell at a time in his career where he was SO dangerous that Dana White promptly retired him after the fight. Honestly: what the f*ck? The light heavy division is stacked with talent and yet these guys get byes to the top. I call bullshit. Anyhow, I pick Machida to beat Rua.

Cain Velasquez Vs. Ben Rothwell - This fight could be boring as hell if it turns into a wrestling match. It could also end in dramatic fashion if Rothwell can catch Velasquez and tag the chin that Cheick Kongo exposed. Neither is deserving of a title shot, of course, though Velasquez is the latest UFC poster boy. Rothwell has a lot of experience and could pull off the "upset". He's certainly the biggest test of Velasquez's short career. I'll pick Rothwell to shatter Dana White's dreams.

Gleison Tibau Vs. Josh Neer - Both of these fighters have good reputations, but haven't been able to break into the top ranks of MMA, due to disappointing losses to upper-middle guys. Both have submission skills but Neer has more KO power. That could be the difference. My gut says Tibau, but my head says Neer. I usually go wrong when I don't go with my heart... I'll go with my head again. I'll pick Neer.

Joe Stevenson Vs. Spencer Fisher - I used to quite like Joe "Daddy" Stevenson but he just hasn't evolved and has never lived up to the potential he showed in TUF. Fisher is a warrior. I'll pick Fisher.

Anthony Johnson Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida - Yoshida has only beaten some so-so guys and got blasted by Josh Koscheck. Johnson is one scary dude. I'll pick Johnson.

Ryan Bader Vs. Eric Schafer - This could be another boring one. Bader is badass but is a pretty straight forward wrestler. Eric "The Red" is riding a four fight win streak but has always been one of those guys who just hasn't lived up to the hype. He might have the experience to outsmart Bader, though. Tough call. I like Bader, so I'll take him.

Antoni Hardonk Vs. Pat Barry - Hardonk is another underachiever. He has lost to McCully, Kongo and Mir, while beating no one of significance. Like Hardonk, Barry has a kickboxing background and has finished opponents with kicks. He isn't very experienced, but he seems like a scary guy. I'll pick Barry in another "upset". I just can't pick Hardonk.

Yushin Okami Vs. Chael Sonnen - both guys came in with big buzz but haven't quite lived up to the hype. Okami has at least pulled out some ugly victories, but Sonnen has been the poster boy for those who dismissed the WEC as a farm team organization. The guy just doesn't do it for me. I'll pick Okami in another boring decision.

Jorge Rivera Vs. Rob Kimmons - Why Rivera keeps getting face time in the UFC is a bit of a mystery. He really isn't all that good; inconsistent to say the least. He seems to alternate wins and losses, sometimes beating middle of the road guys, but often losing to anyone decent. Kimmons has an impressive record, but seems to lose all of his biggest matches. He has a crazy number of submissions on his resume, though, and so I'll give him the edge against the average Rivera. I'll pick Kimmons.

Kyle Kingsbury Vs. Razak Al-Hassan - Two guys trying to make names for themselves in the UFC and in danger of getting cut if they don't. Kingsbury was a TUF 8 cast member, but didn't impress. Al-Hassan is also making his second appearance in the UFC, after a spectacular loss almost a year ago to Steve Cantwell in which Al-Hassan had his arm broken...and still didn't tap. It was nasty. This one is a toss-up to me, but I'll pick Al-Hassan just 'cause of his guts.

Stefan Struve Vs. Chase Gormley - I can't wait to see this giant fight again to see just what he has to offer. He's 6'11"!! That's nuts. Gormley is making his UFC debut and that usually does not bode well, perfect record or not. Struve is a submission machine while Gormley seems more well-rounded. Another pick-'em, so I'll go with Struve for fun.

This doesn't appear to be an exciting card. I hope that I'll be pleasantly surprised.

TUF 10 Episode 3 - Kimbo Tested

So here we are at episode 3 of The Ultimate Fighter X and we got our chance to see the legendary Kimbo Slice in the octagon.

It would be a big test - literally - as he would be taking on former IFL heavyweight champ Roy "Big Country" Nelson. Some said this match-up would have been fitting for a pay-per-view.

I think a lot of people would have been asking for their money back. And it probably says something about how foolish Elite XC was for sinking all their hopes into the Kimbo pool.

The fight didn't live up to the hype.

Neslon is a big fat fuck. He's hardly a fighter. I mean, the guy is not tall for a heavyweight, yet he tested the weight limit, weighing in at 264 lbs. It's all stomach, baby.

But that's all he needed against the inexperienced brawler. Nelson managed to get Kimbo down, then rested his big belly on the poor street fighter who could not free himself from The Blob.

Nelson was clearly upset that the referee (Herb Dean) did not stop the fight before the end of the first round when he had Kimbo in a crucifix-like position and dropped...uh...marshmallows on Kimbo's head.

I mean, let's face it - they were hardly bricks.

The second round went much the same way. Kimbo landed a couple of decent shots but fell under Nelson's weight again and, this time, the ref stopped the fight when Nelson landed another couple of dozen marshmallow shots to Kimbo's head.

Was Kimbo "defenseless"? Maybe. But was he in danger? Hardly.

Frankly, the ref should have let the fight continue. I mean, what's the criteria here? Do you have to "intelligently defend" yourself when you're in no danger? If Nelson can't finish properly from that position I say let him tire himself out and see what happens.

It was a terrible display by both Kimbo and Nelson. Neither would fare well in the UFC with this skills. The fact Nelson sees himself as the favourite is either a commentary on his ego or on the lack of talent on this season of TUF.

I fear it may be both.

So far this season is one big country dud.