UFC 109 Results

Ok, how'd I do?....

Randy Couture def. Mark Coleman (sub 2) - Ugh. As in ugh-ly. Coleman looked ridiculous in this fight. He was never in it. He should most definitely retire. If you get submitted by Randy Couture, you don't belong in the UFC. Sure, Randy won, but like I said earlier, this does nothing for his career. Coleman looked bad more than Couture looked good, you know? The UFC may try to parlay this into a title shot, but it would be a sham of a justification. Randy need sot beat someone in the top five to deserve that. (1-0)

Chael Sonnen def. Nate Marquardt (unanimous) - What happened? How did Sonnen dominate so easily? Marquardt didn't seem to have an answer for Sonnen's wrestling skills when we've heard from Sonnen himself that that was not the case when they trained together a while back. Not sure what the deal was here, but this REALLY hurts Marquardt's chances at a rematch with Anderson Silva. (1-1)

Paulo Thiago def. Mike Swick (sub 2) - Man, did Swick disappoint. He hasn't been the same fighter since his first loss. He doesn't let his hands go anymore and appears gunshy. He used to win by throwing punches in bunches, but now seems convinced he's Chuck Liddell and can win if he just lands one punch. He needs to snap out of this funk or he'll drop like a stone in the rankings. (1-2)

Demien Maia def. Dan Miller (unanimous) - The fans were booing, but this wasn't that bad a fight. Maia pulled it off. Don;t think this will get him a title shot soon, though. He needs to be more dominant. Look for him to fight Swick next, perhaps. (2-2)

Matt Serra def. Frank Trigg (KO 1) - Someone PLEASE send Trigg away. PLEASE. He sucks. End of story. (3-2)

Mac Danzig def. Justin Buchholz (unanimous) - Barely watched it. Danzig avoids the chopping block for now. Look for Buchholz to disappear, though. (4-2)

Melvin Guillard def. Ronnys Torres (unanimous) - I'd have to watch this fight again. I had Torres winning the first two rounds. Either way, I thought he looked pretty good. (4-3)

Rob Emerson def. Phillipe Nover (unanimous) - Didn't see it. (5-3)

Phil Davis def. Brian Stann (unanimous) - This was a beatdown. Stann was overwhelmed. Davis looked great, but not flawless. He had Stann mounted but couldn't finish and Stann could have easily escaped to a better position had he kept his wits. Too bad we didn't see the scores. I had it 30-25. (5-4)

Chris Tuchscherer def. Tim Hague (majority) - Didn't see it, but another loss does not bode well for Hague. At least this one went beyond 7 seconds and reached a decision. Hague apparently came on strong at the end but by then had already given up the first two rounds. Still, one judge gave Hague a 10-8 third, resulting in a the majority decision. (5-5)

Joey Beltran def. Rolles Gracie (TKO 2) - WTF??? Gracie loked great for the first round and then tired out and was USELESS. His stand-up was ATROCIOUS. It looked like Gracie was gonna submit Beltran in the first 30 seconds, but then he just went retarded. This guy has GOT to disappear. (5-6)

5-6...should have bet with my head and not my heart...

UFC 109 Predictions

Ok, so UFC 109 is this weekend - better get my picks in so you can all mock me later, right?

Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman - Oh man, this is what it's come to, eh? Sure, it's a fight between legends, but it'll do nothing for two guys who are supposedly looking to make themselves relevant again. Who cares if an old guy beats an old guy? How does that move you up the rankings? Randy has more to lose than Coleman, that's for sure. I'll pick Randy to win. Look for the loser to contemplate retirement.

Nate Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen - I don't see how Sonnen has earned this, but if the UFC wants to give him a push, this is certainly one way to do it. Marquardt is super talented and can beat anybody if he puts things together. I'll pick Marquardt.

Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago - This could be the fight of the night. Expect these two to go fast and furious. Thiago has been impressive, but I like Swick too much to bet against him. Here's hoping he rebounds from his poor showing against Dan Hardy.

Demien Maia vs Dan Miller - Both of these guys are solid and have submission skills, but Maia is super dangerous on the ground and has beaten better fighters. If it gets there, look for him to eventually sink in a submission. Miller has to play it smart if he hopes to get the W. If Maia wins, look for him to get a title shot soon, possibly right after Marquardt.

Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg - Another battle between fighters who are looking at their best days in the rear view mirror. I can't believe Trigg is back. How many chances can the UFC give this guy? He has zero drawing power these days. Sure, he might beat the smaller Serra, but what does that do for the UFC? Here's hoping Serra gets the submission and Trigg retires for good.

Mac Danzig vs Justin Buchholz - Danzig is a fine fighter but just hasn't lived up to his billing. He won TUF easily due to his superior experience (it wasn't fair, really) but that hasn't translated into much in the big show. He has lost his last 3 fights and 5 of his last 7. He hasn't beaten anyone of consequence (except maybe Mark Bocek). If he loses tomorrow, look for his name in the next round of UFC cuts. Fortunately for Danzig, I think he'll actually pull it off.

Melvin Guillard vs Ronnys Torres - Guillard had better knock Torres out in a hurry or he's in trouble. If this fight goes to the ground, it's over. I don't know much about Torres, but he has a sick record and can submit you in a variety of ways. Guillard has proven he knows jack about the ground game. I'm picking Torres in his UFC debut.

Phillipe Nover vs Rob Emerson - Normally, I'd pick Nover in a heartbeat, but he's been injured while Emerson has been amassing experience. Emerson was useless on TUF but has since shown some significant improvement and powerful hands. This is a hard one to pick. Nover is probably the favourite, but I'll pick Emerson.

Brian Stann vs Phil Davis - This fight features a couple of guys with heavy hands. It could end early, but Davis is also a proven wrestler and may choose to take it to the ground. If so, look for him to get the win. Stann has way more experience, though, and may be calmer than the newcomer Davis. Tough call, but I guess I'll take Stann.

Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchscherer - I don't like the Canadian's chances, especially coming off his 7 second KO loss last time out. I imagine Tuchscherer will win, but I won't bet against the Canadian guy. I'll pick Hague in an upset.

Rolles Gracie vs Joey Beltran - Beltran has more experience, but never EVER bet against a man named Gracie. I'll pick the inexperienced Rolles.

Ok, let's see how I do!

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 100 - Results

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

Lesnar def. Mir - I picked Mir 'cause I figured he'd withstand the initial attack, better than he did last time. Well, I guess that didn't happen. I'm glad Lesnar won, but man he was a douche afterwards. Glad he apologized in the press conference. Props to Dana White for taking him to task. Lesnar can now play the villain champ, which will be good for UFC PPV buys - everyone will wanna see him lose. I picked wrong (0-1), but my fav won.

GSP def. Thiago Alves - Not a close fight. GSP dominated from the opening bell. He was on his back for about a minute only because he gave up position while going for a submission. Let's hope his injury isn't serious. I picked right (1-1).

Henderson def. Bisping - It went the way I thougth it would, aside from Bisping getting clobbered. Bisping inexplicably kept circling to the left, putting him in range of Henderson's killer right. That was certainly a highligh reel knockout. Was the follow-up shot overdoing it? Dunno. Sure, he could have pulle dup, but at least it was one shot, not the 5-10 some guys throw in after the guy is out. This is a serious speed bump in Bisping's title journey. Picked wrong, though I waffled back and forth and actually changed my pick at the last minute (1-2).

Fitch def. Thiago - Not a great fight. Fitch looked pretty good, but not as stellar as we've seen recently. He'll have to put together a few wins if he wants another title shot against GSP, who smoked his ass. Picked right (2-2).

Akiyama def. Belcher - I went back and forth on this one and changed my vote at the last minute. After doing some research, I figured Akiyama was overhyped and Belcher would squeeze it out with experience. It looked that way in the ring, too. Akiyama won the second round for sure, but I felt he lost the third and the first was a toss-up. Belcher and the announcers clearly thought Belcher had won. It suited UFC's purposes to see the new star, Akiyama, get the nod and he did. This may have been an example of reputation getting the edge. How one judge saw it 30-27 is beyond me. Picked wrong (2-3).

Coleman def. Bonnar - I have to see this to believe it. Bonnar ought to be let go from the UFC after this. He clearly is not improving, unlike other TUF alumni like Griffin and Evans. Picked wrong (2-4).

Miller def. Danzig - Wanna see this one too. Danzig is in trouble and may see his UFC career end prematurely. He's had tough bouts, but he hasn't impressed. Picked right (3-4).

Jones def. O'Brien - This guy is one to watch. Too bad we didn't get to. Picked right (4-4).

Kim def. Grant - Too bad the Canadian lost. Picked right (5-4).

Lawlor def. Dollaway - Yet another where I changed my vote at the last minute and paid for it. Definitely wanna see this. Dollaway is on his way out. Picked wrong (5-5).

Gugerty def. Grice - Grice was pissed after this one. Picked right (6-5).

So 2-3 on the main card (should have been 4-1) and 4-2 on the undercard. Not too bad, but no one's hiring me as an analyst at this rate!

Next up: Griffin vs. Silva and Penn vs. Florian. Ought to be interesting!

UFC 100 - Predictions

Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir (heavyweight)

Lesnar has to learn how to finish. He can be overwhelming early, but if he has to go 25 minutes with Mir, odds are good Mir will find a way to submit the big man somehow. Mir won’t be surprised by Lesnar’s speed and power again, and ought to be able to weather the early storm.

My money’s on: Mir. I like Lesnar and hope he wins, but I just think Mir is smart enough to find some way to submit the monster.

Georges St. Pierre vs Thiago Alves (welterweight)

This ought to be interesting. Alves is powerful and that’s usually GSP’s game. GSP will use his reach and boxing to keep Thiago at bay and then maybe throw him on his ass when he has the advantage. It’ll be interesting to see if Thiago can take GSP down.

My money’s on: GSP. No way I bet against him. He’s too smart and too good. He only loses by fluke.

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping (middleweight)

This could have been a main event fight, but with this being UFC 100, well… This is of course the Ultimate Fighter coaches match. Team UK clearly won the show, but who will win the final battle? Henderson is the vet but he really hasn’t been very impressive since coming over from Pride where he was a champ in two weight classes.

My money’s on: Bisping. I’ve been back and forth on this one. I think Henderson would have won if he were 5 years younger, but he just seems to have lost a step. I see Bisping winning a decision if it stays on the feet. Could be a pretty boring fight. Hope I’m wrong.

John Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago (welterweight)

I don’t know too much about Thiago, but Fitch is a beast. He was humbled by GSP, but who hasn’t been recently?

My money’s on: Fitch. He’s a warrior.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher (middleweight)

Akiyama has an impressive record, but Belcher has been the guy in the UFC trenches. He also enjoys a significant size advantage. The UFC will want Akiyama to get the nod so that they can start building him up. Both have beaten Denis Kang, which is no small feat.

My money’s on: Belcher. It’s about time he stepped up and lived up to the rep.

UNDERCARD

Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar (light heavyweight) - If Bonnar doesn’t win, he ought to quit. I mean, come on, Coleman? He’s ancient! I’m picking Bonnar. Could be a war.

Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller (lightweight) – Danzig had momentum coming off the TUF win, but he’s been less than stellar since, to be honest. I’ll pick Miller.

Jon Jones vs. Jake O’Brien (light heavyweight) – Both have had impressive outings. I’ll go with the Martian Manhunter – Jones.

Dong Hyun Kim vs. TJ Grant (welterweight) – Don’t know too much about these guys, but Kim has been impressive and is undefeated. Anyone who can go to a split decision with Karo Parisyan deserves respect. I’ll pick Kim, even though Grant is Canadian.

CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor (middleweight) – Features two TUF grads. On paper, Dollaway ought to be favoured, but he usually finds a way to make fights closer than they ought to be. Lawlor wasn’t impressive on the show. I’ll pick Dollaway in this one.

Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty (lightweight) – Don’t know these guys. Normally I’d go with the height advantage or better record, but they’re not that different. Grice’s UFC results aren’t very impressive while Gugerty went almost three rounds with Spencer Fisher. I’ll take Gugerty.

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.