UFC Rio (134) Results

Hm. Think I took a bath on this one... Let's see.

Anderson Silva def. Yushin Okami (KO 2)
Honestly. What are these guys thinking? I'm big, I'm a wrestler, I think I'll stand and bang with Anderson Silva. Are you f***ing retarded? Think. We know wrestling works against Silva - why do people insist on standing back and waiting to be knocked out? Ridiculous. Waste of a fight. (1-0)

Mauricio Rua def. Forrest Griffin (KO 1)
Again, what was this guy thinking? Griffin should have taken down Rua fast and worn him out, but instead stands with another heavy hitter and gets put on his ass. Way to go. Anyone else think Forrest might retire soon? Although I'm not sure what else he'd do... (1-1)

Minotauro Nogueira def. Brendan Schaub (KO 1)
Schaub had Nogueira hurt but couldn't finish before getting caught. Schaub doesn't make the leap into the top echelon of the division, but still looked like he could hang with Nogueira. (1-2)

Edson Barboza def. Ross Pearson (split)
Finally an upset that paid off. Pearson pressed the action, but Barboza had the more effective strikes, I thought. I gave it to him on a thin decision. (2-2)

Stanislav Nedkov def. Luiz Cane (TKO 1)
Cane looked good early and had Nedkov on the ropes but did not finish and got caught. (2-3)

Thiago Tavares def. Spencer Fisher (TKO 2)
Fisher is in trouble, dropping too many of these fights. The stoppage may have been premature, what with Fisher taking no damage (though he was turtled), but he wasn't exactly lighting up Tavares. (2-4)

Rousimar Palhares def. Dan Miller (unanimous)
Palhares looked as good as you can without finishing a fight. He didn't seem to go for too many submissions but he beat the crap out of Miller for most of the fight and got either two 10-8s or an unheard-of 10-7 from one judge. (3-4)

Paulo Thiago def. David Mitchell (unanimous)
Didn't see it, but it sounds like Thiago dominated. (4-4)

Raphael Assuncao def. Johnny Eduardo (unanimous)
Assuncao didn't impress much, it seems, but got the nod in the end. The fight might have been closer than the scorecards suggested. These failed upsets are killing me! (4-5)

Yuri Alcantara def. Felipe Arantes (unanimous)
Whatever. (5-5)

Yves Jabouin def. Ian Loveland (split)
This fight was close, it seems, with Loveland providing wrestling while Jabouin looked for highlight finishes. Strangely, Jabouin gets the decision despite one judge giving all three rounds to Loveland. (6-5)

Somehow I missed the Erick Silva vs Luis Ramos fight in my picks. This had a wicked KO with Silva getting the win.

So, 6-5 is not terrible and better than I thought I was going to do, considering many of my upsets didn't pan out. I'm not gonna celebrate, though. :P

UFC Rio picks

So apparently this event is so cool that they aren't giving it a number? Whatever. (It's UFC 134) Let's get to the picks.

Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami (middleweight)
It's nearly impossible to go against Silva these days, especially because few fighters in the division have the tools to beat him. Sonnen is at least one fight away, so Silva gets another sacrifice. Does Okami have a chance? Sure, if he presses the action. But I bet he gets KTFO before he gets close. I'm picking Silva.

Forrest Griffin vs Mauricio Rua (light heavyweight)
I hate betting against Griffin, but I don't like his chances in this one. Rua is coming off big fights while Griffin has been MIA promoting books and such. Still, I'll pick Forrest just so that I don't root against him.

Brendan Schaub vs Minotauro Nogueira (heavyweight)
Schaub has KO power and that's his key to victory. He won't outwrestle Nogueira and he certainly can't BJJ the guy. Can Nog get Schaub down? Maybe. But I think Nogueira is way past his prime these days and Schaub will connect. I'm picking Schaub in the upset.

Ross Pearson vs Edson Barboza (lightweight)
I like Pearson, but he isn't god's gift to MMA. Barboza is relatively unknown but TKO's guys with kicks! That's crazy. This ought to be a slugfest and I'm picking Barboza.

Luiz Cane vs Stanislav Nedkov (heavyweight)
Stanislov who? The guy hasn't fought in over a year and was rarely fighting before that. Great record, but you'd think he'd need more seasoning... Anyhow, he's a BJJ black belt and knocks guys out fast. But with the ring rust... Cane is dangerous but has underperformed in the past. He, too, is a BJJ black belt with KO power. Not sure where to go here. I'll pick experience and go with Cane.

Thiago Tavares vs Spencer Fisher (lightweight)
Could be fight of the night. Both of these guys were impressive a few years ago, but have fallen on hard times since. I expect this to go to decision with Fisher getting the nod.

Rousimar Palhares vs Dan Miller (middleweight)
Both of these guys have black belts in BJJ but Palhares is on a different level. His kneebars and ankle locks are sick. Can Miller avoid them? We'll see. I'll pick Palhares.

Paulo Thiago vs David Mitchell (welterweight)
Thiago was a rising star not so long ago, but has lost two in a row - usually signifying a must win match. Mitchell is a submissions guy who won a decision in his UFC debut. I think he's being thrown to the wolves here, though - I'll pick Thiago.

Raphael Assuncao vs Johnny Eduardo (featherweight)
Assuncao is a bit of a name, though he has lost a few recently. Eduardo is a nobody but has a string of victories and is used to fighting in Brazil. Neither of these guys blows me away. I'll go with the upset again and pick Eduardo.

Yuri Alcantara vs Felipe Arantes (featherweight)
This is getting ridiculous. The UFC featherweight division is so thin that neither of these guys has a profile on the website. Alcantara has a sick record and finishes guys fast. Arantes doesn't even appear on Wikipedia. Fuck that guy, I'm picking Alcantara.

Yves Jabouin vs Ian Loveland (bantamweight)
Loveland has been doing well recently and has some power, but gets submitted easily. Good thing for him, Jabouin is a striker, too. Jabouin really needs a win. Since I hate going against Canadians, even transplanted ones, I'll pick Jabouin.

UFC 126 Results

Pretty good event. Some interesting fights and quality finishes.

Ok, how'd I do?

Anderson Silva def. Vitor Belfort (KO 1)
Wow. Highlight reel finish for sure. Straight kick to the face? Nice. It's a move that is rarely used, and then normally for defensive purposes. I like it, because guys often expect the side kicks but leave themselves open to this kind of attack. Worked beautifully for Silva. Everyone expected fireworks, but not like this. Too bad Belfort didn't get to show more. He had Silva on his heels when he did attack - he just took too long to do it. Should have gone berserker on Silva sooner. (1-0)

Forrest Griffin def. Rich Franklin (unanimous)
I saw it 29-28 for Forrest as well. He used his size to bully Franklin around a little, got him down and pounded out a decision. Not exciting, but effective, and smart. Really, it's what he should have done against Silva. Franklin didn't do much except get some counter jabs in - that's not gonna win you too many MMA fights. Does this do much for Forrest? We'll see. Something tells me his loss to Silva is going to haunt him and keep him out of the title mix for a long time. (2-0)

Jon Jones def. Ryan Bader (sub 2)
This fight was all Jones. Once Bader was on his back, it was over. Typical werstler's weakness. Aftre the fight, it was announced that Jones would replace the injured Rashad Evans against champion Shogun Rua next month. Great PR move, but not sure it's deserved. There are only so many guys who can take a fight on short notice, but Jones has beaten no one of significance (Bader included). Bader had actually faced tougher guys and this fight was supposed to determine who was "for real" not who was going to get the next shot. I may be biased, but it seems to me that Forrest would have been the more deserving choice, if he could step up. Forrest has beaten Rua before and lost his title to Evans. Like I said, it appears the Silva fight will haunt Griffin. (3-0)

Jake Ellenberger def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (split)
Not even sure I remember this one. I think Rocha was doing well at first, but didn't fight smart. he let Ellenberger dictate and he took the fight. (4-0)

Miguel Angel Torres def. Antonio Banuelos (unanimous)
Pretty boring fight, but what do you want when one guys has such a ridiculous reach advantage? Of course he's going to keep his distance and jab his way to victory. Banuelos just couldn't seem to let go and risk going inside, despite his corner's encouragement. Some guys just don't seem to be willing to take a punch and risk the KO. (5-0)

Donald Cerrone def. Paul Kelly (sub 2)
Not a bad fight, but once it went to the ground, it was over. Kelly is a stand-up brawler and so he stood little chance against Cerrone's BJJ. Once again, Cerrone stood for longer than he should have. (6-0)

Chad Mendes def. Michihiro Omigawa (unanimous)
Mendes dictated the fight, Mendes won. Omigawa stuck in there and had a shot, but just did not fight smart. (7-0)

Demetrious Johnson def. Norifumi Yamamoto (unanimous)
Had to lose one sometime. Don't remember much... Underdog didn't pay. (7-1)

Paul Taylor def. Gabe Ruediger (TKO 2)
Can we PLEASE send Ruediger home now? Please? He clearly does not belong in the UFC. (8-1)

Kyle Kingsbury def. Ricardo Romero (KO 1)
Wow. This was a quick, brutal fight. Kingsbury looked possessed, swarming the dangerous Romero and knocking him out before he could really get a shot off (stats say he landed one punch in those 21 seconds). Should garner Kingsbury some more attention. (8-2)

Mike Pierce def. Kenny Robertson (KO 2)
Once again, the dog didn't pay. Picked the new kid against the boring wrestling vet and of course the boring wrestler won. At least he did it by TKO. (8-3)

Well, well: 8-3. Not bad at all.

UFC 126 Picks

Ok, here we go - back to predictions.

UFC 126 has a fairly decent card, with some interesting fights in the main events.

Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort (middleweight)
Anderson Silva has dominated the middleweight division for some time. But let's face it: it's a pretty weak division. Has he really faced the level of competition that other title holders have? For the most part, he has faced guys who are tailor-made for this style: stand-up guys with little knock-out power or jiu-jitsu guys with little to no wrestling ability. Not hard for a guy with crazy reach and KO power to dodge. Wrestlers have given him a harder time. Travis Lutter looked decent until he gassed and fell into a triangle. Chael Sonnen was kicking Silva's ass for 4.5 rounds until he also had a brain fart and got caught with a punch from the back followed by a triangle. I sense someone like Randy Couture could beat Silva. Even GSP, if he could get inside. But this is the first time Silva will face a guy with crazy KO power. We've seen Silva get stunned by punches before and not by powerful guys. If Belfort can crack Silva just once, that might be the end of it. Question is: can he get close enough to the champ? Belfort has only been TKO'd twice - by Randy Couture, a guy who grounded and pounded him to death first. That's not Silva's style. This is a great match-up, as both guys will be looking to bang. It'll be a matter of who connects best, first. Don't be surprised if Vitor KO's the champ. Still, I don't like the way his career has been up-and-down, and I'm not quite convinced he has earned this title shot. But, like I said, it's a weak division. I'm picking Silva, but I'll be cheering for Belfort.

Forrest Griffin vs Rich Franklin (light heavyweight)
Another interesting match-up. These two have very similar styles - stand-up guys, with not the greatest KO power. Franklin has the edge in the KO potential department, while Griffin will have a size advantage which may help if he plays it smart and takes Franklin down. I like both of these guys, but I've always been a big Forrest fan. I can't bet against him, even though I sense Franklin might get the TKO. I'm picking Forrest by decision.

Ryan Bader vs Jon Jones (light heavyweight)
Yet another fascinating match-up. The flashy, powerful Jones versus the powerful wrestler Bader. Two young guns with perfect records (forget that Matt Hamill nonsense) looking to move up the ladder in the UFC's deepest division. Can Bader get inside and take Jones down? Will Jones pull off some crazy move for the highlight-reel victory? Jones dominated Hamill, so why should this fight be any different? Bader has been impressive, but he hasn't faced someone with Jones' skills. This will be a big win for one of these fighters, moving them into the upper tier and perhaps two fights away from a title shot. I really like Bader, but my money's on Jones.

Jake Ellenberger vs Carlos Eduardo Rocha (welterweight)
Ellenberger is a wrestler with a very good record, though not huge wins. Rocha is a Brazilian jiu jitsu guy with a perfect record and zero important wins. He's super dangerous on the ground it seems, but he has very little experience. So should we believe the hype or will he fold to the veteran? One would think that the wrestler would avoid the ground and rely on his KO power. I'm guessing Ellenberger's not an idiot, so I'll pick him. Ellenberger by TKO.

Miguel Angel Torres vs Antonio Banuelos (bantamweight)
A WEC import fight. Personally, I'm a bit disappointed that the UFC has folded the WEC into the main house, since it means featuring the bigger guys less and making name recognition just that much more difficult. I can't say I know too many of these light guys, and it'll take some time to make them household names - at the expense of up-and-coming big men. Torres was the man at bantamweight for a while, of course, seemingly unbeatable - until he lost. Twice. Banuelos is known for some big fights in WEC as well as an early appearance on the TapouT talent hunt show. His record would suggest he's not quite in the same class as Torres, but he does have some fight in him, form what I recall. Still, I'm picking Torres to get his career back on track now that he's in the big show.

Donald Cerrone vs Paul Kelly (lightweight)
Should be a good fight. Both of these guys are active, stand-up guys, but Cerrone likes the ground, too. Kelly keeps surprising me, but I haven't seen his recent fights to know how he has handled himself. Cerrone is a guy who tends to stand more than he should. He has very dangerous ground skills which should serve him well in this fight. I'm picking Cerrone by submission.

Chad Mendes vs Michihiro Omigawa (featherweight)
9-0 versus 12-8? Seems like an obvious pick, right? Omigawa doesn't have the best record, but that's deceptive - most of his losses came early in his career and he's on a pretty good run right now. He also has power, which is unusual at that weight. But I'm not convinced that the Pride fighters are able to adapt to the octagon. Omigawa has fought twice in the UFC before, both losses. Mendes is a wrestler and has a perfect record. That's it: I'm picking Mendes.

Norifumi Yamamoto vs Demetrious Johnson (bantamweight)
Johnson is a wrestler with submission skills. Yamamoto is a wrestler with muay thai skills. That means Yamamoto ought to be able to keep this on the feet and use his power advantage. I'm gonna go against the grain and pick Yamamoto.

Paul Taylor vs Gabe Ruediger (lightweight)
Not sure why Ruediger is getting yet another fight in the UFC. He has shown nothing. Despite the fact that he has lost 5 of 7, Taylor sticks around because he goes all out and gets Fight of the Night honours. I'm picking the bigger Taylor to knock Ruediger out. I bet the loser gets cut.

Kyle Kingsbury vs Ricardo Romero (light heavyweight)
Kingsbury was a TUF competitor and has had mixed results since, but is coming off a FotN win. Romero, though, is no joke. He essentially has a perfect record, his only loss being a DQ when he soccer kicked a downed opponent. I'm picking Romero.

Mike Pierce vs Kenny Robertson (welterweight)
Pierce is a wrestler who almost always goes to decision. Boring, but he's 13-3. Robertson (no Wikipedia page) has a perfect record and submission skills. Let's hope he can put them to good use and show the wrestler that fans don't like boring. I'm picking Robertson.

UFC 106 - Forrest wins, Koscheck still a douche

Ok, so I didn't get my predictions in for this one. My bad. Busy, busy and all that jazz.

I was looking forward to this event, though, as it featured one of my favs, Forrest Griffin, in a redemption fight - the opportunity to not only avenge his split decision loss to Ortiz in the first fight, but also to redeem himself in the eyes of fans who saw him run from the cage after his loss to Anderson Silva.

Here are the results:

Forrest Griffin def. Tito Ortiz (split) - Another debatable result, but, frankly, I thought Forrest won. Maybe it was my rose coloured glasses, but I thought that despite being taken down a couple of times, Forrest was FAR more active in the stand-up and got the best of the exchanges. It does bring up that age-old question of the importance/weight one should place on takedowns. I have always thought they were overrated and, let's face it, contribute to the legend of Randy Couture. A takedown should score points, but not more than a couple of solid shots to the face. It's what a fighter does AFTER they take down an opponent that matters. If they can get punches through, pass, and inflict damage, that's one thing, but laying a praying is b.s. Ortiz just didn't do enough in my book to outweigh Forrest's sustained action. Besides, they weren't exactly clean, skilled takedowns. They were pretty sloppy and Forrest just kinda fell. I would have picked Forrest in this one.

Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson (sub 2) - I really wanted Johnson to knock uber-annoying Koscheck into next week. But c'est la vie. Koscheck did drop another couple of notches in my eyes, though, after blatantly faking an eye injury when Johnson threw a potentially illegal knee that connected with Koscheck's arm - AND NOT HIS HEAD. Johnson was deducted a point for the "foul", but replays showed Koscheck was just stalling for time, like the bitch he is. Way to bring MMA down to the level of soccer, you douche. Hey fighters: there's no point in faking injuries in a fight - you'll lose more respect than you gain when replays show you faked it. Seriously: f**k you, Kos.

Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann (unanimous) - Not the most exciting pairing, but what with all the injuries and backing out, the UFC bumped this to the main card. Thiago looked good, though.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Luiz Cane (TKO 1) - Little Nog looked good. Cane is no slouch and Nog took him out with extreme prejudice. The light heavyweight division just got more complicated. Wonder if the UFC will have Couture face the other Nogueira after his loss to big bro?

Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni (unanimous) - Much like Ortiz, Baroni had nothing after the first couple of rounds. He gassed badly and Sadollah just kept scoring and scoring. Not sure I'm drinking the Sadollah Kool-Aid just yet, but I'm sure the UFC will be testing him in the near future, so we'll see what he can do against better competition.

Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis (KO 1) - This was a disappointment, but no surprise. It was a terrible match-up for Davis. Saunders is decent, not great, but his reach advantage was just too much. For a muay thai guy, reach is everything. Davis just couldn't handle it. He didn't get inside, which is where he had to be to inflict any damage. Staying at distance just allowed Saunders to soften him up before bringing in the big knees and taking Davis out.

Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt (sub 1) - Grove won, but didn't look great. Rosholt was slapping him around until Grove slipped on a triangle choke from his back. Grove is a talented kid, but he has a hard time standing and banging. If Rosholt had just stayed on his feet, it might have been a different outcome.

Brian Foster def. Brock Larson (TKO 2) - Brock Larson continues to underachieve in the UFC. What's up with this guy? Highly-touted, great record... but just doesn't seem to live up to the hype and can't beat anyone of consequence. Disappointing.

Caol Uno & Fabrico Camoes (majority draw) - Sounds like it was a stinker. Didn't see it. Two judges had it for Camoes, but since he had a point deducted, it was 28-28 on those scorecards. One judge had it 29-27 for Uno with the point deduction. Looks like Uno stunk the joint up again. He needs to go away.

George Sotiropolous def. Jason Dent (sub 2) - Dent is a gamer, but Sotiropolous is a very talented fighter who would be a big threat in the UFC if he could get a few things polished.

I think I would have been 5-4-1 in this event... At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

UFC Fight Night results

Ok let's see...

Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard (Sub 2) - I had this one pretty much figured. Guillard gave Diaz fits at first with his power, but got cocky. What a moron. He started off playing it smart, even when he was taken down, but clearly got away from the game plan when he tried a silly possum game and missed, stumbling into Diaz's guard and the easy finish. You'd think a guy with that many fights would be smarter. Guillard's a buffoon. (1-0)

Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta (split) – I had this one 29-28 Maynard, but apparently two judges wanted to run Huerta out of the UFC as emphatically as possible and didn't give him a single round. Good fight, though. (2-0)

Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger (split) – I was surprised this was split. Condit got smashed in the first round, but I thought he clearly won the next two. Still, I wasn't very impressed with him and don't expect him to get far in the UFC. (3-0)

Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur (unanimous) - Fight of the night. These two guys laid into each other. I was surprised by Credeur's stand-up and I bet Quarry was, too. Quarry demontrated he had superior power, though, and that made the difference. He still has to work on passing guard. (4-0)

UNDERCARD:

Brian Stann def. Steve Cantwell (unanimous) – Another decision. I thought Cantwell might get a submission, but since it went the distance, it isn't surprising that Stann got the nod. (4-1)

Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson (sub 3) – I guess I picked Wilson. Oops. Should have known not to bet against a guy who trains with Griffin and Maynard. (4-2)

CB Dollaway def. Jay Silva (unanimous) – Ugh. Oh well, didn't get my wish. I knew the odds were long. Dollaway won and may stick around. Yay. (4-3)

Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz (TKO 1) – Stephens will stick around for a while after this, I guess. Like I said, Buchholz's fights don't last, one way or the other. He may be on his way out. (4-4)

Mike Pierce def. Brock Larson (unanimous) – This was a shocker. Gotta see this. Yet another decision. Might have been a very boring fight for those in attendance. (4-5)

Ryan Jensen def. Steve Steinbeiss (TKO 1) – Finally got one right on the undercard. Geez. (5-5)

Sam Stout vs. Phillipe Nover didn't happen because Nover suffered some sort of seizure before the fight. Bummer. Hope he's alright, but he needs to get that checked out and fixed. That's twice now.

So, perfect (4-0) on the main card and a disgusting 1-5 on the undercard. Well, at least I can pick the big boys right.

UFC 103 picks tomorrow!

UFC Fight Night - Diaz vs Guillard

Fight Night tomorrow night. Guess I should get my picks in quick.

Ok, here goes:

Nate Diaz vs Melvin Guillard – Diaz has to be way smarter than in his previous fights. Fortunately, Guillard is a banger with not much of a game plan, so it seems he may have been hand-picked to get Diaz back on track. I’ll pick Diaz.

Gray Maynard vs Roger Huerta – Much has been made of the fact that Huerta is on his way out of the UFC and MMA to pursue acting, so it seems likely that his heart isn’t 100% in this. If that’s the case, this might be an easy night for Maynard who is on a roll and on his way to a title match someday. If he beats Huerta, look for him to get a shot sooner rather than later. I’ll pick Maynard.

Carlos Condit vs Jake Ellenberger – Jake who? Condit is a former WEC champ who is being groomed by the UFC, likely the reason he’s facing a no name on the main card of a Fight Night. Ellenberger has a respectable record and a fair number of KO/TKOs, but I don’t know him from Adam, so I’ll go with Condit.

Nate Quarry vs Tim Credeur - I like Quarry, so I’ll be pulling for him. Credeur seems like a decent guy but his fighting style isn’t exactly flawless. He ought to give Quarry headaches if it goes to the ground (being more well-rounded), but I sense Quarry will pick him apart and get the TKO. I’ll pick Quarry.

Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann – This is actually the third time these two have fought, having split previous stoppages. Stann has power, but Cantwell has submissions and since these two are familiar with each other, I don’t expect Cantwell to get caught again. I’ll pick Cantwell.

Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle – Tough call. Wilson beat Rory Markham while Pyle lost to him. Pyle has some tough fights, though, including a loss to Rampage Jackson and a win over Jon Fitch. He also trains with Forrest Griffin and Gray Maynard, so you know he has a work ethic. I’m leaning towards Wilson…

CB Dollaway vs. Jay Silva – Sweet lord, why is CB Dollaway still in the UFC? Someone must STILL think his TUF loss was a fluke. I hope he loses just so that he can go somewhere else to get some experience. He doesn’t look like much, but I’ll pull for Silva. I sense he’s a sacrificial lamb, though.

Sam Stout vs. Phillipe Nover – I like Nover, but bet against a Canadian? Not if I can help it. Besides, Stout has way more octagon experience than the TUF alumnus, so I’m figuring this could be a quick one. Stout.

Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz – Stephens doesn’t really turn my crank. I’ve been underwhelmed by his performances, despite some highlight wins. Buchholz’s fights don’t last and he seems to have a more impressive win/loss profile than Stephens, with some submissions thrown in. I’ll pick Buchholz.

Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce – Brock was supposed to make a run in the UFC. Pierce is being fed to the lions, I suspect. I’ll pick Larson.

Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss – Yikes. Neither of these guys has an impressive history. I’ll pick the more experienced Jensen.

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.

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.

UFC 101: Silva vs Griffin

The UFC has announced that Anderson Silva will once again move up to the 205-pound division to test himself against the bigger boys. This time, his opponent will be none other than Forrest Griffin.

This blows.

See, I quite like Forrest. I think he’s a hard worker, a strong talent and a funny, personable guy. He’s gonna get his ass kicked. See, Forrest’s style is somewhat like Rich Franklin’s (mostly a stand up striker). And we all know how well that worked for him in his two fights with Silva. And we’ve seen how Forrest can sometimes get knocked silly by one good punch. He could try to take Silva down, but then he’s playing the jiu-jitsu game against a Brazilian. That’s like playing against a Sicilian when death is on the line. (ok, maybe that analogy doesn’t work)

Forrest’s only hope is to out-point Silva, which could happen I suppose, but I’m not sure I’d wanna stand and trade with Silva.

Who knows? Maybe Forrest will be too big and strong for Silva to bully with his Muay Thai clinch. But what does this fight prove? I mean, wouldn’t it be more interesting to have Silva take on the 205 champ? If Silva wins, does he get Evans/Machida next? If Forrest wins…so what? Is it a big deal for Forrest to beat the god of the middleweight division? Does it move Forrest closer to a rematch for his lost belt? I would hope so, but I’m not convinced. If he loses, where does that leave him? And who here really thinks Anderson Silva is second banana to Rashad Evans? I say let Anderson take on the champ, vacate his 185 belt (when he wins) and make the middleweight division competitive again.

Man, I hope Griffin wins....