UFC 133 Results

I didn’t get a chance to get my picks in for this one, but let’s recap anyway.

Rashad Evans def. Tito Ortiz (TKO 2)

This was one of those fights where one guy had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Unlike many of those past fights, though, the guy still won. Rashad dominated Ortiz for the most part – the exception being the seemingly tight guillotine choke from which Evans escaped. Ortiz was given this fight thanks to a late notice injury. Frankly, he did not deserve it otherwise. Sure, he beat Ryan Bader but that was more of a Matt Serra-like fluke. Ortiz simply is not in the same class as these top guys he’s been allowed to fight. Hell, even Bader is overrated and has flaws. I’m not sure where Ortiz goes from here, but based on his Bader win and popularity, he’s likely to be given at least one more decent fight.

Vitor Belfort def. Yoshihiro Akiyama (KO 1)

No way Akiyama deserved this fight. With the exception of his loss to Anderson Silva, Belfort has been a monster while “Sexyama” has been mediocre at best. Getting submitted by Chris Leben should not get you into Belfort’s sights. But the division is pretty thin and good fights are scarce. The right guy won and won in highlight reel fashion.

Brian Ebersole def. Dennis Hallman (TKO 1)

I would have been tempted to pick Hallman in this one, but he has disappointed me in the past. Both of these guys have insane records, but haven’t really made splashes in the UFC. That seems to be changing for Ebersole who now has had a couple of impressive wins.

Constantinos Philippou def. Jorge Rivera (split)

I would have been tempted to pick the rejuvenated Rivera, but he, too, has disappointed me in the past. I didn’t watch this fight too closely, but what I did see of it led me to believe the right decision was made. In fact, Rivera survived to a decision thanks to some generous refereeing, I believe.

Rory McDonald def. Mike Pyle (KO 1)

Wow. McDonald is looking impressive. Good for the young Canadian. Let’s hope he gets some bigger fights.

Alexander Gustafsson def. Matt Hamill (KO 2)

Despite a decent record, Hamill has been unimpressive of late. His retirement announcement on Monday seems to confirm that his heart just wasn’t in it anymore. Congrats to him for making the UFC and having a decent career, but, yes, it was probably the right time and the right decision.

Chad Mendes def. Rani Yahya (unanimous)

Didn’t watch it too closely, but this appeared to be the right decision.

Ivan Menjivar def. Nick Pace (unanimous)

Didn’t see it.

Johny Hendricks def. Mike Pierce (split)

Didn’t see it. Good for Hendricks, but the split makes me wonder how impressive he was. He’s usually pretty stellar.

Mike Brown def. Nam Phan (unanimous)

Surprised this one wasn’t on the main card, considering how weak the card was and the names involved. Looks like this one was a blowout, though. Not sure Phan is ready for former champs yet.

Rafael Natal def. Paul Bradley (unanimous)

Another decision. Looks like the undercard kinda sucked. Didn’t see this one.

Hm. Think I might have gone 8-2 in this one had I got my picks in. Darn.

UFC 121 Thoughts

Was pretty busy, so didn't have time to post my picks. Oops. I know you're all terribly disappointed.

I can give you my quick two cents, though.

Cain Velasquez def. Brock Lesnar (TKO 1)
This fight really exposed Lesnar's chin. He can throw a mean right hand, but he also cowers and covers up at the first sign of strong resistance. Not good. Lesnar need sot get punched in the face a few times by training partners to get over this impulse. His weaknesses seem to be psychological. you need to keep your wits about you when your opponent is standing over you dropping bombs. This is a tough task and requires significant mental discipline. So Velasquez is the new champ. Will it last? I dunno. He's good, but considering how much trouble he had against Cheick Kongo, you'll forgive me if I don't bestow godhood upon him. I could see him getting taken out by a wise veteran like Randy Couture or Frank Mir. Even Shane Carwin has to be foaming at the mouth. What's next for Lesnar? Well, some rest for one. But who else can this guy fight? I mean he's already beaten Couture, Carwin, Mir and Herring, so you can't really put him up against also-rans like Cro Cop or Barry or Kongo... So does Lesnar just keep getting title fights? He'll get a tune-up and, if he wins that, surely he'll get a rematch. But frankly he needs experience. Seven fights ain't much.

Jake Shields def. Martin Kampmann (split)
I wasn't surprised by the decision (unlike others) but I was not impressed by Shields. Does this fight earn him a title fight? Hell no. At least, not in my opinion. Dana White seems to think otherwise. Shields hasn't beaten anyone of significance in the UFC (Kampmann is tough, but not THAT tough) and his Strikeforce/EliteXC days can kiss my ass. How do these welterweights keep getting title fights without having to fight other top contenders? Shields should have to beat Fitch or Koscheck or Hardy or Alves or Hughes or SOMEONE who has fought for the title in the last five years before getting GSP. This is goofy.

Diego Sanchez def. Paulo Thiago (unanimous)
Would the real Diego Sanchez PLEASE stand up? Seriously. Diego has been LOST his last few fights, even if he got a title shot against Penn, but he shows up like a mofo against the very tough Thiago. Where has this guy been? Let's hope he keeps it up. He should still drop to lightweight in my opinion, though.

Matt Hamill def. Tito Ortiz (unanimous)
How long before the UFC cuts Ortiz? Who knows. He is a shadow of his former self, that's for sure. He needs a good camp. He needs someone to show him what he's doing wrong. His style is antiquated and isn't going to get him anywhere. He hasn't won a fight in four years and his two wins prior to that were over the geriatric Ken Shamrock. The UFC keeps Ortiz but cuts the very game Patrick Cote who is coming off an injury layoff and lost to a lay and prayer? Doesn't seem to make much sense... Hamill didn't look THAT good.

Brendan Schaub def. Gabriel Gonzaga (unanimous)
Pretty dull fight. Not a lot of leather thrown and Gonzaga didn't try hard enough to get this to the ground. not sure what his gameplan was.

Court McGee def. Ryan Jensen (sub 2)
McGee looked alright. Needs a lot more seasoning before he moves up the ladder.

Tom Lawlor def. Patrick Cote (unanimous)
Boring as hell. Cote couldn't get past Lawlor's ground game and the ref didn't stand them up enough to save him. Cote gets cut afterwards despite being two fights removed from a title fight (in which he was doing alright against Anderson Silva) and getting pile driven by Alan Belcher. Lawlor lays and prays his way to victory. Let's hope Cote can get his act together and come back.

Daniel Roberts def. Mike Guymon (sub 1)
Roberts looked good. Guymon looked lost.

Sam Stout def. Paul Taylor (split)
Didn't see it. I imagine it was a decent boxing match.

Chris Camozzi def. Dongi Yang (split)
Didn't see it.

Jon Madsen def. Gilbert Yvel (KO 1)
Yvel is in the UFC...why? He sucks. Seriously.

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale - Predictions

Okay, better get these in quick before I get too busy again.

Roy Nelson vs Brendan Schaub - If it stays up, Schaub takes it, but if Big (Fat) Country gets on top of Schaub on the ground, it could be all over. I doubt Schaub could buck Nelson the way he did Marcus Jones. I think Nelson will win by smothering, I hate to say.

Matt Hamill vs Jon Jones - I like Hamill but he's stubborn. He seems ot refuse to use his wrestling skills in favour of slugging. If it stays up, I see Jones taking it, but if Hamill is smart he'll use his wrestling and get the win. I'll go with Hamill, though I don't like his odds.

Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander - I don't know how much weight cutting Kimbo had to do, this being a catchweight fight. Houston will be bigger than usual, being a light heavyweight by trade. Houston doesn't have the best technique and he is being given this fight for one reason: to stand and bang. Can he out-bang the internet sensation? I wouldn't be shocked. But I expect he'll leg kick Kimbo to death. I'll take Houston. If Kimbo loses, well, that may be the end of his mystique after a disappointing showing on TUF.

Frank Edgar vs Matt Veach - Can't say I remember Veach. Which means I don't like his odds against Edgar. I'll pick Edgar.

Marcus Jones vs Matt Mitrione - I like Marcus Jones and I hope he keeps fighting. I expect he'll get some motivation after kicking Mitrione's ass. I think this'll be a cakewalk for Jones once he gets Mitrione down.

Darrill Schoonover vs James McSweeney - McSweeney's a douche. This is a bully vs bullied fight. I think McSweeney is the better fighter... Guess I'll have to pick him. Darn it.

Jon Madsen vs Justin Wren - I'll take Wren.

Brian Stann vs Rodney Wallace - Who? Stann it is.

John Howard vs Dennis Hallman - Can Hallman's record possibly be correct? 64-12-2? Seriously? AND he has beaten Matt Hughes TWICE? Ok, sure - I'll take him.

Mark Bocek vs Joe Brammer - I've heard of Bocek, never heard of Brammer. Bocek it is.

MMA Expo Toronto 2009

I checked out the MMA Expo at the International Centre on Sunday. I figured I’d probably spend a couple of hours in there – I ended up spending four.

It was a decent event, though it wasn’t exactly huge. The highlight, of course, was meeting some of MMA’s big stars in person, getting an autograph and a photo. It was nice to see guys making the effort to meet the fans and spread some love.

While I was there, I met:

Denis Kang
Jason MacDonald
Matt Hamill
James Irvin
Sean Sherk
Patrick Cote
Shonie Carter
Sam Stout
Arianny Celeste

Some were more personable than others (props to Shonie, Denis and Jason especially) but everyone was accommodating. I got them to sign my “Fighter” book – which now features a decent number of fighters’ autographs thanks to previous meetings with GSP, BJ Penn and Dana White.

Thiago Silva was supposed to be there, too, but I saw no sign of him (too bad because he’s featured in the book). Ditto Bill Mahood, Chris Horodecki, Carlos Newton and Frank Trigg.

Other than the celebs, there were vendors of all sorts, pushing things like supplements, gym memberships, equipment, apparel, vibrating “exercise” machines and videos.

There was also a jiu jitsu tourney taking place which was interesting to watch. Watching it live, you could really appreciate the difference between tournaments that use a gi compared to non-gi MMA.

Let’s hope MMA gets sanctioned in Ontario soon so that next year’s event can include some actual MMA action.