Friday, January 20, 2012

UFC on FX 1 Results

Man, just watched 5 hours of live fights on free tv. Sweet!

Jim Miller def. Melvin Guillard (sub 1)
Pretty much what you'd expect. Melvin couldn't KO Miller so Miller got the sub. Melvin really needs to work on sub defence...really...again. (1-0)

Josh Neer def. Duane Ludwig (sub 1)
Ludwig had the better of the stand up but once it went to the ground, it didn't take long for Neer to lock in a guillotine. If it had stayed standing, I think it would have been a different story. (2-0)

Mike Easton def. Jared Papzian (majority)
Fast-paced but largely ineffective striking. The fact that neither guy went down says less about the granite in the chins and more about the lack of real power. The fight stayed standing, so it came down to who the judges thought got the better shots in. From my point of view, Easton got some good shots, but Papzian got more shots and at least comparable quality shots. Close, but I might have given it to Papzian 29-28. As it was, it was 29-28, 30-27, 29-29 Easton. (3-0)

Pat Barry def. Christian Morecraft (KO 1)
Morecraft almost got the submission, but Barry defended well, and once it was on the feet, Barry had the edge. After a couple of big shots, Barry managed to get the W and avoid the axe. I expect Morecraft to get his walking papers. (4-0)

Jorge Rivera def. Eric Schafer (TKO 2)
Nice to see Rivera win his swan song fight. He has surprised me in the past and he did again. Schafer appeared to suffer from the weight cut and had nothing left in the tank after a dominant first round. Once Rivera got on top, it was over, as Schafer turtled and offered no resistance. (4-1)

Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Kamal Shalorus (sub 3)
Shalorus got clipped in the first and was not the same thereafter. Between rounds he was confused about what round was ahead, a clear sign he was out of it. H eventually tapped out to an awkward rear naked choke - again, perhaps indicative he was not all there. (4-2)

Charlie Brenneman def. Daniel Roberts (unanimous)
No sure how one judge gave it 29-28 - this was one way almost all the way. Roberts did try a couple of nice submissions, but Brenneman dominated. Strange reffing, as Herb Dean insisted on standing them up even though Brenneman was working. (5-2)

Fabricio Camoes def. Tommy Hayden (sub 1)
Hayden was doing alright, but Camoes was too much. (5-3)

Daniel Pineda def. Pat Schilling (sub 1)
This was a mismatch. Schilling had a decent record (5-0) but was clearly untested. Pineda took advantage and schooled the UFC newcomer. (6-3)

Nick Denis def. Joseph Sandoval (KO 1)
The Canadian made a big splash. Caught Sandoval with some crisp shots and then finished with some crazy standing elbows. (7-3)

Not bad, I guess.

UFC on FX 1

Only have about 15 minutes, so I don't have time for a full analysis of this relatively thin card; I'll just tell you who I like rather than making studied picks.

Jim Miller over Melvin Guillard
Josh Neer over Duane Ludwig
Mike Easton over Jared Papzian (I guess)
Pat Barry over Christian Morecraft (loser goes home)
Eric Schafer over Jorge Rivera
Kamal Shalorus over Khabib Nurmagomedov
Charlie Brenneman over Daniel Roberts
Tommy Hayden over Fabricio Camoes
Daniel Pineda over Pat Schilling
Nick Denis over Joseph Sandoval

Thursday, January 5, 2012

UFC 141 Results

Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar (TKO 1)
Not sure what Brock's game plan was. He made one half-assed attempt at a takedown, but otherwise stood with the striker and paid for it. Brock can't take a punch, we all know that, but apparently the kicks were too much to handle as well. Didn't necessarily make Overeem look good, but we'll find out soon enough when he fights Junior Dos Santos for the belt. (1-0)

Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone (unanimous)
W.T.F....? What was Cerrone thinking? He took out Diaz's legs numerous times but refused to go to the ground with the BJJ guy. Was he THAT afraid? Or was he just pig-headed? Diaz has lost numerous fights by going to the ground but not being able to finish. Surely Cerrone could have avoided getting submitted, so... This should have been a walk for Cerrone, but he totally and utterly blew it. Brutal. (1-1)

Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch (KO 1)
Don't think anyone saw this coming. Hendrick is talented, but knocking out Fitch with his first punch? Not so much. Tough break for Fitch. This was obviously a fluke, but it still counts. Does it make Hendricks the #1 contender? Maybe. Not sure who else deserves it. Fitch would have been in that spot had he won, so... (1-2)

Alexander Gustafson def. Vladimir Matyushenko (KO 1)
Another quick one. Gustafson has power for a tall, lanky guy. Keep an eye on him. (2-2)

Jimy Hettes def. Nam Phan (unanimous)
Wow. Hettes dominated Phan and made him look like a child. I'm not sure Phan is a top guy, but Hettes certainly looked great. Multiple 10-8 rounds. Glad I picked him. (3-2)

Ross Pearson def. Junior Assuncao (unanimous)
Assuncao simply didn't show up. A poor performance. (3-3)

Danny Castillo def. Anthony Njokuani (split)
Takedowns won the day. Castillo didn't do much, just laid and prayed. Boring fight. (3-4)

Dong Hyun Kim def. Sean Pierson (unanimous)
Pierson is a nice guy, but perhaps not UFC calibre. Kim clearly won. (4-4)

Jacob Volkmann def. Efrain Escudero (unanimous)
Missed it. Looks like Volkmann dominated. (5-4)

Matthew Riddle vs Luis Ramos (welterweight)
This fight didn't happen as Riddle took ill just before the fight.

Diego Nunes def. Manny Gamburyan (unanimous)
Looks like Nunes dominated. (6-4)

Not the most entertaining night ever as lots of guys just didn't come prepared, it seemed. Lesnar, Cerrone, Assuncao just didn't have the right game plans.