UFC 123 Rsults

How'd I do?

Rampage Jackson def. Lyoto Machida (split)
This was hardly an impressive fight for either fighter. The first round was a toss-up, with Rampage taking the second by a nose and Lyoto dominating the third. So it all came down to how you viewed the first round. Rampage got the nod, but he wasn't the only one surprised. Rampage didn't win this fight so much as Lyoto lost it due to inactivity. This doesn't move either fighter up my rankings. (0-1)

BJ Penn def. Matt Hughes (KO 1)
Wow. Even though I picked Penn, I didn't have him winning this quick, this easily. Penn caught Hughes with a nice shot to the side of the head and Hughes was done. Crazy. Penn looked smaller than his opponent, but he showed he was sharper. That's what you get when all of your recent fights are big ones and your opponent is fighting stiffs. If Hughes wants to have any kind of career going forward he has to sharpen his skills and face tougher dudes. Otherwise, he should move to the "Legends" division. (1-1)

Maiquel Falcao def Gerald Harris (unanimous)
Harris looked pathetic. All he had was a jab and a big swing. Falcao had opportunities to win this fight outright, but instead coasted his way to a decision. Is Falcoa dogging it or is he not as talented as it would seem? Remind me not to bet on Harris again. And I came THIS close to picking the dog... (1-2)

Phil Davis def. Tim Boetsch (sub 2)
Davis continues to impress. Boetsch was a spectator in this one. Davis finished him with a one-handed kimura! Wow. (2-2)

George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Lauzon (sub 2)
This was my Fight of the Night pick and I was right. I'm shocked George won this easily, though. Both guys have great jiu jitsu but George is SO dominant when he gets on top - something not all jiu jitsu guys handle well. George is definitely in line for a title shot, I'd say. Maybe one more fight against a Kenny Florian or something. (3-2)

Brian Foster def. Matt Brown (sub 2)
Brown was doing well, but Foster pulled off the choke when Brown stuck his neck out. Too bad for Brown. (4-2)

Mark Munoz def. Aaron Simpson (unanimous)
Close fight, but Munoz had the slight edge and got the nod. (4-3)

Dennis Hallman def. Karo Parisyan (TKO 1)
What has Karo been up to all this time? 'Cause it certainly hasn't been training. He looked AWFUL. He looked small, sick and lacklustre. Hallman made him his bitch in no time. Karo may not get another shot in the UFC. Brutal. A shadow of his former self. (5-3)

Edson Barboza def. Mike Lullo (TKO 3)
Didn't see it, but kinda wish I'd stuck around. TKO by leg kicks? Hm. (6-3)

Paul Kelly def. TJ O'Brien (TKO 2)
Paul Kelly won, but didn't exactly impress. Even when he had O'Brien pinned in a crucifix and had him at his mercy, it took a very obliging ref to stop the fight and give him the win. O'Brien was clearly not hurt. I wish they'd let it go and see if O'Brien could make it to the end of the round. Not that O'Brien looked good, either. (6-4)

Nik Lentz def. Tyson Griffin (split)
Didn't see it. (7-4)

7-4. Not bad.

UFC 123 Picks

Alright, some quick picks on the Rampage-Machida card:

Rampage Jackson vs Lyoto Machida (light heavyweight)
This is finesse versus the rabid dog; and it could get embarrassing. I could see Machida easily dodging Rampage's attacks and countering effectively, frustrating Jackson and eventually putting him away or winning a lopsided decision. But, make no mistake, Jackson has a puncher's chance. He may possess Shogun Rua's power, but unless he can move like Rua, it's hard to imagine him getting the KO. I'm picking Machida.

Matt Hughes vs BJ Penn (welterweight)
Penn moves back up to welterweight to settle the score in this rubber match. Is Hughes too old to catch Penn and take him down like he did last time? Is Penn going to use his skills to submit Hughes like he did the first time or will he stand and jab his way to a decision? Hughes hasn't been relevant since he lost his belt, mostly due to a long layoff and a couple of less-than-stellar since his return. (don't get me started on that Almeida fiasco) Hughes isn't the fighter he was, in my eyes, while Penn has been battling top-notch lightweights as champ. Both fighters are on the decline, but Hughes has the head start. I'm picking Penn.

Gerald Harris vs Maiquel Falcao (middleweight)
This has Knock Out of the Night written all over it. These two guys like to bang hard. Falcao is a nobody with an insane record and a mile-long list of first round KOs. I was gonna pick Harris, but this Falcao's record has me second guessing myself. Still, I'll go with the guy who has been under the big lights before - Harris.

Phil Davis vs Tim Boetsch (light heavyweight)
I wish Tim well, but there's NO WAY I'm going against Davis. Forget it. The guy is a machine. I'm picking...Davis.

George Sotiropoulos vs Joe Lauzon (lightweight)
This has Fight of the Night written all over it and I would suggest the winner will be knocking on the Title Shot door. Bot are favourites of mine and possess crazy jiu jitsu skills. But will they respect each other's strengths and choose to box instead? I hope not. I like Joe, but he had his shot at the #1 contendership with his disappointing fight against Florian - I'm cheering for Sotiropoulos.

Matt Brown vs Brian Foster (welterweight)
If Brown loses, I think this might be the last we see of him for a while. Foster has had some tough fights and beaten some decent opponents. I might cheer for Brown, but I'll bet on Foster.

Aaron Simpson vs Mark Munoz (middleweight)
Munoz is a very decent fighter who is much more suited to the middleweight division than his previous status as a light heavyweight. Simpson is a strong wrestler with KO power, which may give him the edge in this fight. I'm picking Simpson.

Karo Parisyan vs Dennis Hallman (welterweight)
Karo (hopefully) makes his return to the octagon against the man who has beaten Matt Hughes twice and never lost (which gives him a leg up over 2-1 GSP). Hallman has VERY good jiu itsu skills with a number of quick submission wins. Can he get Karo to the ground and submit him? Karo has an impressive record himself, but seems to lose big fights just when he's on the cusp of a title shot. He has way too many decision wins for my taste. This is only his second fight in almost two years. I like Karo, but I'll bet on Hallman.

Edson Barboza vs Mike Lullo (lightweight)
Ok, time to make some guesses. Lullo has no profile on Wikipedia and no big fights. Submission skills, though. Barboza is undefeated and knocks guys out. He does have one submission win, so he must have some skills. I'll pick Barboza.

Paul Kelly vs TJ O'Brien (lightweight)
Paul Kelly is a very decent fighter who dropped down to lightweight after a so-so welterweight career. So far he's...so-so. TJ O'Brien is a nobody but has a crazy submission victory record. It's his UFC debut, so Kelly will have a huge experience advantage, but I'll pick the tall, lanky kid to surprise everybody: O'Brien.

Tyson Griffin vs Nik Lentz (lightweight)
The undercard for this event is insane. Is this a dark match? Huh. Lentz is a wrestler who tends to win by decision - a lot of wins, mind you. Griffin is a former contender who is coming off two very disappointing loses. I'll pick the taller Lentz.