UFC 101 Preview: Silva-Griffin, KenFlo-Penn Odds and Predictions

UFC 101 is about to hit and there are two huge fights about to happen.  Here is the when and where:

• UFC 101 Date: Saturday, August 8th, 2009
• UFC 101 Location: Philadelphia, PA at the Wachovia Center
• UFC 101 Time: 7:00 PM ET
• UFC 101 TV: Live on Pay-Per View

This is one of the UFC events where the “main event” is nowhere near as interesting as the secondary fight.  However, the “main event” is the top of the card so the “main event” will be previewed first.

“The Prodigy” BJ Penn (Lightweight Champion) (-240) Vs. Kenny Florian (+190)

The “main event” of the evening will see, possibly, the most gifted fighter in the UFC – BJ Penn – take on a man who works his ass off  – Kenny Florian.  KenFlo hasn’t lost a fight in almost 3 years.  Penn is coming off of the most one-sided fight in his life, a demoralizing ass kicking at the hands of Georges St-Pierre.

Word on the street is that Penn has left his hometown of Hilo, Hawaii and has started training with a group of people he hasn’t been bullying since birth.  They say he has started actually working to be great instead of relying on his God-given ability to be the best with minimal effort. 

If that is true then getting his ass handed to him by GSP was the best thing that could have ever happened to Penn and we could be about to see him make a run for the title of best fighter of the modern age.  The man has ridiculous natural dexterity, his BJJ is outstanding, and he posses knockout power befitting a light heavyweight.   Despite all of that, his heart has never been in training and his conditioning has always suffered as a result.

Kenny Florian posses a great jiu-jitsu game himself and may be able to take Penn down.  His elbows have been described as “razor like” and he has never been accused of under-training for a fight.  KenFlo also is an anchor on ESPN’s “MMA Live” .  He will gameplan for Penn and work toward his strengths.  His conditioning will be excellent and his spirit will be willing. 

The big question in this fight is whether you value natural ability or hard work.  Penn is great at jumping out of pools and carrying rocks at the bottom of the ocean, but he seems to not be so great at working hard.  Florian works hard every day, but is that enough?

My Pick: BJ Penn Submission Rd 2

Anderson “The Spyder” Silva (Middleweight Champion) (-350) Vs. Forrest Griffin (+250)

Years ago I went to a pro-wrestling event (listen up, story time with the old man right now).  An old favorite of mine and of most of the people at the event (Terry Funk) was wrestling in a barbed wire match.  During this match he got up on a ladder which most of the audience had noticed had been severly damaged and Mr. Funk had not seemed to notice this fact.  As he climbed, step by step, the ladder started giving way.  The crowd started chanting “Please Don’t Die” over and over again.  Thankfully Funk didn’t die and we were able to meet the man after the match.

I tell this story because it is how I felt when the match was announced.  In my mind I was transported back to that day at the ECW Arena when we chanted “Please Don’t Die”, only this time I was saying it for Forrest. 

Anderson Silva is a freak of nature.  While he has taken a lot of heat lately for having “boring” fights, the fact of the matter is no one has been able to touch him.  It isn’t his job to go after the challenger and engage them.  His job is to win, and he has done so. 

In his last 3 fights (one of which was at 205lbs, which is where this fight will be contested) I don’t think he has been touched once.  His ground skills are great, his standup is amazing, and his gameplan is always impeccable.  Silva is undefeated in his UFC run and is the most successful of the former PRIDE fighters to make the transition (though Rampage isn’t doing too badly, other then the mental breakdown).

Forrest Griffin is one of everyone’s favorite fighters.  He’s an engaging person, a never-say-quit fighter, and a former Light Heavyweight Champion.  The man possesses a solid ground game, a solid stand-up game, great take-down defense, and one of the best chins in the history of the sport (I still give him benefit of the doubt after the Rashad Evens KO). 

Griffin has never been one to finish a fight, but he almost always finds a way to win a fight.  His fight at the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 finale against Stephen Bonner ushered in a whole era for the sport of MMA.  It is really too bad most of this doesn’t matter.  Griffin is a guy you never want to count out, and he is a guy you want to hang out with, but I see no way he wins this fight.

Forrest is gonna push Silva.  He wont allow Anderson to pick and choose his shots, but I am not sure that will be enough for my man.  It is with great sadness and a heavy heart I pick:

My Pick: Anderson Silva KO Rd. 2

UFC 100: The Lines, The Predictions, The Article

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will be holding their 100th Pay Per View event this Saturday evening. Less then ten years ago it looked as if the UFC was a failed experiment, but now things seem to have come full circle. It’s PPVs reach millions, a few of its fighters are household names, and Dana White has a successful V-log.

UFC 100

• UFC 100 Date: Saturday July 11th
• UFC 100 Start Time 7pm PT/10pm ET
• UFC 100 TV: Live only on Pay Per View

UFC 100 Betting Lines and Predictions:

Brock Lesnar (Heavyweight Champion) -240 Vs. Frank Mir (Interim Heavyweight Champion) +190

It seems like only yesterday that Brock Lesnar was F-5ing the Big Show on WWE Smackdown, my how time flies. Lesnar is now 2-1 in the UFC and appears to be unstoppable. His combination of size, redneck fervor, and brute force seems to have turned him into some kind of superhuman fighting manufactured home owner.

Back in 2004 Frank Mir captured the Heavyweight Title, then was injured in a motorcycle accident. It was two years before he returned to the octagon, and two more years before he returned to title holder status. The man is a submission expert and seems to have figured out how to win on his feet.

Mir welcomed Lesnar to the UFC by allowing Brock to pound on his face then making him tap out to an ankle lock in the first round. Brock hates Mir for that and for not wearing Death Clutch T-shirts in every interview.

What makes this pick problematic for me is the first fight. Mir said, in a few interviews, he was going to wait for Brock to expose his legs and then attack them because wrestlers tend to forget about them. While Mir was getting pounded by Lesnars meet hooks, he found Brock’s legs, and then attacked them. That says a lot to me about both guys. One, Lesner was relaying on his power and wasn’t paying attention to Mir. Two, Mir actually gameplans.

My Pick: Brock Lesnar… though I don’t feel good about it.

Georges St-Pierre (Welterweight Champion) -300 Vs. Thiago Alves+220

The big news coming into this fight is that Thiago Alves is near making weight. Yeah, nothing about the actual match up. I guess that becomes a big deal when you cut weight to fight at 170 but walk around over 200lbs. Also, he has a history of missing weight for big fights (ok one big fight, but it was the one which gave him this fight).

Georges St-Pierre, the man is invincible. He is like MMAs’ Rambo. He will out wrestle a wrestler, submit a BJJ blackbet, KO and standup fighter, and then shake your hand, bow and wish you the best after he wins. After it’s all said and done he will have probably boinked your sister and you’ll shrug it off saying “Well, that guys good.”

This is where I usually give the underdog some kind of fighting chance then mention what the favorite does well. Alves is good at eating and knocking people out; GSP is great at everything else. This money line may be too close (and that line will decide my fate when Alves hits a flash KO and GSP falls while cursing my name)

My Pick: Georges St-Pierre

Jon Jones -450 Vs. Jake O’Brien +325

Yeah there are some bigger fights on the main card like Fitch Vs. Thiago, the TUF coach fight of Henderson Vs. Bisping, or the two grizzled vets Coleman Vs. Bonnar, but this fight is much more interesting. Not because it will be a back and forth battle between two guys fighting for their livelihoods; or because the two men hate each other and it will quickly divulge into an old fashion slug fest. This is interesting because one of these guys is two fights away from being a headliner, and the other guy is from my hometown.

Jon “Bones” Jones is one good opponent or two more wins away from being the UFC’s next big star. He’s only 21 years old but he is already 8-0 in MMA. In two UFC fights he has pounded his way to decision victories. His last fight should have ended in a spectacular KO via a spinning elbow, but Stephen Bonnar somehow stumbled his way back into a defensive position and was able to make it through the rest of the match while getting manhandled. This guy is fast, powerful, and a showman.

Jake O’Brien isn’t exacly someone to overlook though. He had a lot of success as a heavyweight until he ran into the Pitbull Andrei Arlovski. He suffered one more defeat after that and has decided to drop weight to fight in the stacked Light-Heavyweight division. If Jones wasn’t such a young phenom, I would expect to see something out of O’Brien. Though this fight isn’t on the main card, I would look forward to seeing it.

My Pick: Jon “Bones” Jones

MMA Roundup: UFC 99 – The Comeback

Last week we had Strikeforce and the WEC to wet our MMA palates, this week we get the big leagues. First off the when’s and wheres:

UFC 99 The Comeback

Broadcast Live from the Lanxess Arena in Germany

Saturday June 13, 3pm EST live and replay at 10pm EST

Rich “Ace” Franklin -145 Vs. Wanderlei “The Ax Murder” Silva +105

I would not touch these lines. “Ace” lost his last fight against Dan Henderson, no big deal. His other 2 UFC losses come at the hands of one Anderson SIlva, also nothing to be ashamed of. Wande has lost 2 of his last three UFC fights. One, a questionable decision to Liddell, the other a highlight reel KO at the hands of Rampage. The reason I want nothing to do with this fight is because Wanderlei is fighting for his career. He is a guy who is backed against a corner. Dana White has said that the Chuck Liddell forced retirement could be in the cards for Silva if he drops this fight.

Another twist in this fight is Rich Franklin’s training partner for this fight. The man that has handed him two UFC losses, Anderson Silva. Anderson and Wanderlei used to be training partners, they had a fall out and now cant seem to stand each other. Right now Rich is not only training with the best in the world, but he is training with someone who has spent a great deal of time with his opponent.

One last thing to consider for this fight is it’s weight class. This is a catch-weight battle at 195. It’s heavier then Franklin usually fights at, and lighter then Silva. Now, does Franklin hold the advantage from not having to cut as much as he usually does, or does “The Ax Murder” hold the edge by not carrying as much weight as his body is used to.

MY PICK: Wanderlei Silva, KO RD 1 (if he doesn’t end it early, Franklin will take it)

Cheick Kongo +150 Vs. Cain Velasquez -185

If I could bet on one aspect of this fight it wouldn’t be the winner, but how many times Kongo “Kongo’s” Velasquez. As I have mentioned, being “Kongoed” means to get hit in the groin. My friends and I have turned all Kongo fights into drinking games. Every hit to the man berrys is a drink.

Now Cain is an up and commer in the sport. He appears to want to become a KO artists, but I dont think he has what it takes to get Kongoed and keep moving. He’s young, so I dont see this as a major setback to him, and if he can turn in a good preformance, ,it could be good for his career.

Kongo is looking for a title shot, to get it he needs to make this a highlight reel victory. Be it KO or tap out, this needs to become his “Mr. Hollands Opus” if he hopes to move up in the Heavyweight ranks and be more then a gate keeper.

MY PICK: Cheick Kongo Via TKO after a hard punch to the junk

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic -500 Vs. Mostapha Al Turk +300

As much as I hate to say this, it might not be a bad idea to put about %10 of what you would normally bet in a fight on Al Turk. I am picking Cro Cop, but I am also an unbiased Cro Cop fanboy. The fact of the matter is Cro Cop hasn’t fought anyone except Alistair Overeem (which he won via DQ due to shots to the junk despite being manhandled the entire fight) since last UFC stint.

Cro Cops last UFC run ended the same way Al Turks started, getting hit in the dick by and loosing to Cheick Kongo. Al Turk has a great build, a pro-wrestling made name, and a few believers. Cro Cop has special forces training, the entire Croatian Government, and me behind him.

MY PICK: MIrko Cro Cop Via Kick to the head.

MMA Roundup: 2 Events this weekend, and the return of Kimbo

This weekend is stacked. No two ways around it, this is the biggest weekend for MMA until UFC 100. I know my heavyweight hero Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is coming back next weekend at UFC 99, and that a very interesting fight between Wanderlei SIlva and Rich Franklin will be headlining, but those matches are no match for the quality of fighter we will see in action this weekend.

Sunday June 6, 9pm ET on Versus WEC presents Brown Vs Faber 2

This is my pick for fight of the weekend. No matter how it ends, as long as it happens no other fight holds the interest this does. Urijah Faber is 22-2 and was considered an unstoppable featherweight until last November when Mike Brown man handled him for just over 2 minutes then scored a TKO victory. Both fighters have fought once since then. Both scored first round submission victories, and both plan on doing the same in this fight.

While both fighters are determined and skilled, I just cant see Faber loosing this. In his last fight (a rematch Vs. Jens Pulver) Faber came to the ring with an air of victory. He could have been fighting Brock Lesner that day and won. His will was so strong that it came through the TV and let you know, as soon as you saw him, that he was going to win decisively. That being said, Browns domination of Faber in the first fight was surprising. Faber never stood a chance on that day and Brown seemed to have his number. I really hope this fight goes past the first round.

Saturday June 5, ,10pm ET on Showtime Strikeforce presents Lawler Vs Shelds

For me, the headlining match isn’t the biggest match on this card. While I fully expect Robbie Lawler and Jack Shelds to tear the house down and have a great fight (who could forget the two EliteXC contest between Lawler and Smith?) I am much more interested in the match between Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers. This could very well be showcasing 2 of the three best Heavyweights outside of the UFC (Fedor being the other), maybe I am a little overzealous to name Rogers as a top heavyweight, but that dude has potential to be a star. I believe him to be much better the Josh Barnett (whom Fedor is fighting in August) and I can see him having a very bright future in MMA. I hope Arlovski can hold Rogers off, but I’m not sure I can see it happening. No matter the outcome of this fight, the UFC needs to do all it can to sign whoever wins.

This Strikeforce event will also showcase someone who is becoming a begrudging favorite of mine, Nick Diaz. He will be fighting Scott Smith in what will probably turn into a stand up war. Smith has a habit of being in the most intense battles in MMA. His chin seems to be made of adamantium and his fist are of steel. Nick Diaz however is a BJJ black belt who fancies himself as a boxer. In my opinion, the smart move would be for Diaz to take Smith down and try to submit him, but I don’t think he will. This fight wont go all 3 rounds, but however long it does last, it will be a war. Diaz will trash talk, and maybe even flip the bird. Diazs’ brother (UFC fighter Nate Diaz) will stand on the outside talking smack and almost definitely flipping the bird. Smith will take a ton of punishment, seem to be knocked out, then comeback again and again. In the end I don’t know who will win. I am starting to really enjoy the side show that is the Diaz family, but I also really pull for Smith who seems to be a good guy with a family to feed. After this fight is over I just hope both fighters aren’t too hurt and can move on to their next fights soon.

While UFC 99 doesn’t happen for another week, it hasn’t exactly been quiet over at the Zuffa offices. For those of you who don’t know, The Ultimate Fighter 10 started filming this last week and the big news coming out of the taping doesn’t concern either Rashad Evans or Quintin “Ramapge” Jackson who are the coaches, nor does it concern the reported 4 former NFL players who are on the show this season. It seems that Kimbo Slice has won the “Brass Balls” award for the week by joining the cast of TUF 10. This is a guy who was criticized by UFC President Dana White almost none stop just over a year ago as being a freak show. White always stated that Kimbo could come on TUF if he ever wanted to get a UFC contract, well it appears Kimbo decided to take him up on it.

I am pulling for Slice. If that guy can get his head together and get and sort of condition he could be really good for MMA. He was in the 1st and 3rd most watched events in the history of MMA and has ridiculous charisma . With the UFC in need of some, what I call, placeholder stars no one could be better for them then Kimbo.

UFC 98 Preview, Odds, and Precitions: S@!t Hits the Fan

We are merely days away from UFC 98 and that can mean only one thing: I’ve been wasting money making predictions about winners and losers online. Here ladies and gents, is my guide to you for UFC 98!

Lets get the where’s and whens out of the way right now:

• UFC 98 Date and Start Time: May 23, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET
• UFC 98 Viewing: PPV
• UFC 98 Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
• UFC 98 Tickets: Buy & Sell UFC 98 Tickets at StubHub
• UFC Gear: Click Here to Get Up to 65% off at the UFC Store!
• UFC Gear: UFC Store Best Sellers – Click here to check it out!

I have been doing my research on this event for the last month and I am still not sure how these lines came to be, so consider this me going head to head against the odds makers. Also interesting about this event: the number of times the line up has changed. There have been six big named fighters preciously scheduled to fight here and each one has gotten injured causing a scramble to fill in spots. As a result I am only making two predictions.

(If you don’t understand how to read betting lines, go here and read an overly long explanation I wrote a long time ago involving Mike Tyson’s Punch Out)

UFC 98 Preview: Evans v Machida Odds and Prediction

“Sugar” Rashad Evans (+160) Vs. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (-200)

These are two undefeated fighters, neither of then gets hit very much when they fight, and both have been criticized for their stand up game in the past. Also, both come off of amazing KO victories. Lyoto knocked Thiago SIlva into another dimension back at UFC 94, and Evans won the Light-Heavy title by dribbling Forrest Griffin’s head on the mat like a basketball back at UFC 92.

Lyoto’s strength is his karate. This means he works angles and counter strikes. He isn’t going to chase after Evans nor is he going to be very keen to go to the ground with him. I can see Lyoto trying to keep this standing and continuously moving away from Rashad like he has swine flu. Lyoto’s best chance at winning this fight is for it to go to decision like 4 of his 6 UFC fights have.

Evans’ strengths lay in his wrestling and his much improved stand up. He will start the fight tentative and try not to move into Lyoto’s counters. I see Rashad eventually getting frustrated and shooting in for take downs. I also see him succeeding in getting the fight to the ground. Rashad will probably try to ground and pound if that happens; scratch that, when that happens.

MY PICK: Rashad Evans TKO Round 4

———-

UFC 98 Preview: Hughes v Serra Odds and Prediction

Matt Hughes (-250) Vs. Matt Serra (+190)

Two old men enter, one old man leaves. That’s how I feel about this fight.

Will I watch it? Yes. Will it be fun? Maybe. But at the end of the day what does it mean?

Serra is 34 and Hughes is 35, in pro-fighter terms, that makes them both Nintendo 64’s. Sure they were fun back in their time, and yeah you can go back every now and then to play WCW Vs. NWO, but at the end of the day you would rather play the new Mario Kart.

I keep reading people picking Huges because they feel he can bully Serra around and throw him all over the ring. I see this happening a few times, but for some reason I see Hughes getting tapped out by some good old fashion Jiu-Jitsu. The last few times I have seen Hughes fight he hasn’t been the Matt of old. He has dropped 3 of his last 4 and he hasn’t fought in over a year. This is usually the place where I would mention that Serra has a win over Georges St Pierre, and look there I did it, but Hughes does also.

This fight is going to come down to which guy gets frustrated. These two hate each other. Matt Hughes is outspoken in his dislike for Serra, and Serra has made it known he is no fan of crotchety old man Hughes and his redneck ways.

MY PICK: Matt Serra Submission Round 1

Due to the aforementioned plague of injuries and the appearent curse of UFC 98 those are the only fights I have any sort of insight on. While there are a few more interesting fights, there is nothing that I find overly compelling or surprising (at least in Vegas odds). I will mention that I expect “Professor X” Xavier Foupa-Pokam to win, and I know some sites had him as a dog.

MMA Roundup: Lesnar, Mir, Evans, Shamrock, Other Shamrock, Diaz and more

Man oh man, what a week it has been in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Any week in which we have both Shamrock brothers in the news is a week I consider good…ish.

Let’s start with the news from the reigning champions of MMA, the UFC.

UFC 100 would be a huge event no matter what was on the card. The number 100 is a milestone many tried to keep MMA from reaching. Just think back to the late 90’s, when John McCain was petitioning to get MMA banned in the US, the UFC was just getting out of it’s “No Holds Barred” era, and many people viewed the sport as “human cock fighting”. Say what you will about the Feritta brothers, Dana White, and the TapouT Crew (one of whom passed away this week), but without them MMA would have never made it this far.

Just over a month ago it seemed White and company planned on relying on the number “100″ itself to sell the event. They shot down rumors of all titles being on the line that night, they made clear the superfight of our generation between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre wouldn’t happen, and they had planned to have Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir have their rematch to unify the Heavyweight title at UFC 98. Well what a difference a month makes.

None of this is “official” yet, but the current plans for UFC 100 have Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping facing off in the traditional battle of Ultimate Fighter coaches, GSP is supposed to defend his title against Thiago Alves, and of course the much delayed rematch between Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar for the unification of the UFC Heavyweight Title.

While the UFC is trying to make UFC 100 something special, they still had a UFC 98 that was missing a main event. It was initially announced that if Quintin “Rampage” Jackson defeated Keith Jardine at UFC 96 he would face off with “Sugar” Rashad Evans for the UFC’s Light Heavyweight Title. Rampage defeated Jardine, had a face off with Evans immediately following the fight, and promptly had to pull out of the fight.

It appears Rampage will be undergoing surgery on his jaw to fix an injury suffered during training for his bout against Wanerlei Silva last December. Now Evans is set to face off against Lyoto Machida. While it is much to early to make predictions, I can tell you that the champion is the early underdog in this fight. Not that I would ever gamble online, but if I did, I may have already taken Evans at +160 in this one.

In order to move away from UFC news, I would like to mention that I will be attending Wrestlemania 25 on April 5th in Houston, Texas. What does this have to do with MMA you ask? Let me tell you, part of this week’s big news involved two former WWF/E champions.

Former UFC Heavyweight and WWF Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock was supposed to face the former WWE US and ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley at the upcoming Roy Jones Jr.-promoted Boxing/MMA March Badness event. Well, Ken Shamrock has since been suspended for a year from fighting within the US due to testing positive for steroids. Lashley is now scheduled to face off against Clay Guidas’ bigger, not-as-talented brother Jason. Lashley has come out in the last few days saying he wouldn’t mind taking the Shamrock fight to Japan where they don’t uphold US suspensions.

My last little bit of news involves two of the most entertaining fighters in MMA.

Frank Shamrock (adoptive and estranged brother of Ken) will be facing off against perpetual menace to society Nick Diaz. For the record, I am a Frank Shamrock fan. I want to see him fight and I enjoy his spirited verbal sparring most of the time. Nick Diaz I see as a person who has no respect for the sport and the prototype of all that is wrong with meat head fans/fighters. That being said, I am super excited that Strikeforce is making this match-up happen. It could turn into the most entertaining build up to a match since Ali Foreman. As we get closer to the April 11th Showtime fight I will preview more, but for now I will just leave you with quotes from both men. These come courtesy of Cagepotato.com:

“Someone asked me the other day how my comeback was going so I guess I’ve come back. I love fighting. I love this art. I want to thank Nick Diaz for the opportunity and just warn him that when I punch his head and he lands in the second row he’ll need someone to catch him.” — Frank Shamrock

“Frank can talk all he wants, but I’m going to beat him up. Let’s see how much he fights back.’’ — Nick Diaz

MMA Roundup: UFC 96 Preview, UFC 98 Mir-Lesnar Bout Canceled

While UFC 96 is a mere hours away, the big news surrounds May’s UFC 98. It has been reported that the Frank Mir v Brock Lesnar Heavyweight Title unification bout has been canceled. There are conflicting reports of a knee or back injury. (Update: See comment section for update.) Either way it is Frank Mir who has to pull out of this fight. It’s unclear weither UFC officials will replace Mir or if Brock will be pulled completely off the card.

As mentioned above, this match was to unify the Heavyweight title Lesnar had won from Randy “The Natural” Coture at UFC 91 last November, and the Interm Heavyweight Title Mir won from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in December at UFC 92. Mir’s upset victory not only garnered him that interim title, but it added heat to the unification bout since he defeated Lesnar in the first round of his UFC debut.

Now to more immediate info.

UFC 96 is live this Saturday on PPV. As has been my duty in the past, I’m going to give you a look into the money lines, the backgrounds, and my feelings on a few of the fights. First lets his the specifics:

UFC 96 Live on Pay-Per-View, Saturday March 7th, 10pm est. All lines courtesy of BetUs.com.

Quintin “Rampage” Jackson (-350) v Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine (+250)

The top fight on this event will see one of my all time favorites take on one of the ugliest men in the business. Rampage has been up and down over the last year. He lost the Light-Heavy title to Forrest Griffin, decided to stop eating and sleeping for a week, went for a highly publicized drive that resulted in injuries and damages to other people and their cars, fired his trainer, and joined a new camp in England. After all of that he still found it in him to turn out the lights on Wanderlei Silva and win the Knockout of the Night award back at UFC 92 in December. It’s rumored if Rampage wins, his next fight will be to reclaim the Light-Heavy title against a surging Rashad Evans.

There isn’t a lot of nice things I have to say about Keith Jardine. He has never wronged me personally and I haven’t met him. As a fighter I just don’t like him.

He is a guy who fights up to the talent level of whoever he’s fighting. That tells me he is lazy. He’s beaten both Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell, but during this span he has also lost to a failing Wanderlei Silva (who placed one hand on Keith’s neck and used the other to punch him ugly) and a worthless Houston Alexander.

What I am saying is Keith wins fights he should lose and loses fights he should win. His best bet at beating Rampage is by using leg kicks and hoping he can cause the same type damage Forrest Griffin did against Jackson.

My Pick: Rampage via KO in the First.

Gabriel “Napo” Gonzaga (-160) V. Shane Carwin (+130)

This is a fight I want to watch. I have no idea what is going to happen in it, but we have one guy in Gonzaga who has the ability to have really fun bouts, and we have a guy in Carwin who is something of an up and comer. Gonzaga has a two-fight win streak going, and both have been dominate. That being said Fabrico Wedum and Randy Couture both TKO’ed him not that long ago.

Shane Carwin is someone I don’t know much about. I have watched his fights without ever really remembering him, of course that probably speaks more to my alcohol consumption then to his memorability. What I have learned about Carwin is that he is a wrestler by nature and he looks like he belongs in the WWE. Most importantly, he has never had to go out of the first round to get a win.

I don’t see it being out of the realm of reasonability that, with Mir out, this becomes a #1 contenders match. Whoever wins gets a shot at Lesnar at 98? I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but it would help the UFC add some last minute heat to a PPV which is seriously lacking buzz.

Just for you the reader, as I was finishing this article I happened across an interview with both Gonzaga and Carwin. It is because of this interview I am changing my prediction:

My Pick: Gonzaga via armbar in the second

Outside of these two fights, there isn’t a whole lot for me to add to this prediction. The actual PPV card is a bit weak for the UFC. Sure the Pete Sell Vs. Matt Brown match could turn into a slug fest, but neither man will turn into a title contender by winning. I am personally hoping to see Matt “The Hammer” Hamill drop to the new comer Mark Muno, but that is solely based on the fact Muno trains with Urijah Faber.

What is probably the most interesting fight on this card is the Brandon Vera v Michael Patt. It’s not interesting because of the matchup, but because Vera is within one loss of becoming a sports cautionary tale. He spent a year in a contract holdout to make huge money, pissed people off, got what he wanted, came back and hasn’t been impressive at all since. If Vira looses this fight, he will have gone from main event-caliber name to a pink slip in less then a year. After having watched the fighters weigh in, Patt looks like the town drunk, but Vera looked like he was already beaten. I wont be suprised if this goes to a decision or if Vera looses via TKO.

UFC 94 Recap: The Aftermath

It’s in the books, UFC94 is done and over. BJ Penn, Nate Diaz, Stephen Bonnar, and Thiago Silva are all scratching their heads trying to figure out what happened. I went 1-2 on my picks and finally hit an upset special. Here’s my quick review.

Starting at the top:

GSP defeated BJ Penn Via Stoppage.

GSP dominated this fight. After watching these two mix it up, it almost seems silly that anyone ever doubted GSP. The only thing Penn showed us in this fight is that he can take a beating, then have his brother throw in the towel. This was 1 round of feeling out and then 3 rounds of dominance. Two questions now remain: 1) How does BJ Penn respond to this beating and 2) Do we now get to see GSP fight Anderson Silva?

The answer to the first question has already started to be answered as BJ’s camp has filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Comission over GSP’s corner adding Vaseline to his back in between rounds 1 and 2. As Dana White put it “some Vaseline on a guy’s back didn’t change the outcome of that fight, but you don’t do it.”

Lets hope that UFC continues its tradition of giving us fans what we want and talks Anderson Silva into going down in weight, or GSP into going up in weight so we can finally see who the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world really is (no offense meant toward Fedor).

Next we will look at Jon “Bones” Jones defeating “The American Psycho” Stephen Bonnar Via Decision

I used their ring names because I love them both for different reasons. Bonnar has the best in MMA, and Jones may have the worst. Therefore I am quite fond of them both.

Jones dominated the first and second round of this fight. He showed aggressiveness and the ability to throw a sick spinning elbow (pictured). “Bones” gassed out in the third, but by that point all he had to do was keep from getting knocked out or submitted.

Bonnar is still good, but he needs to really work to catch up to his TUF 1 opponent Forrest Griffin. Joe Rogan mentioned he is now training at Extreme Couture and that will help him in the future, but if he wants to keep in the mix at 205 he really needs a convincing victory soon.

Now onto the fights I missed:

Lyoto Machida defeated Thiago Silva via KO

Yes you read that right. Lyoto KO’ed my pick Silva. This fight went the way I thought it would with Silva trying to be aggressive against Lyoto’s bait and counter style. That being said, I never thought that Lyoto would be so efficient. He knocked Silva silly two times before finishing him off. All it took was a picture perfect foot sweep followed by a fist to the face on his way to the mat with one second left in the first round. When the bell sounded Lyoto got up to walk to his corner and Silva laid motionless. It was an awkward KO and a surprising one given Lyotos penchant for winning by decision. I could be wrong about Lyoto… maybe he is good.

Clay Guida defeated Nate Diaz Via Split Decision

So, due to me working late last night, and not being able to find this fight online, I haven’t seen it yet. I can only assume that Nate Diaz made some profaine gestures then cussed at Clay a bunch. Guida was forced to start swinging his arms like the Tasmanian Devil until one shot hit Nate in the face and they then went to the mat. Now I’ll say Nate again flipped the bird at Guida while Guida was in Nate’s guard. Guida then began to smother Diaz with his curly locks of hair. This went on for 3 rounds. One judge was impressed at Diaz’s ability to keep his brother from jumping into the ring and starting a scuffle, so he gave the fight to Nate. The other two judges were enamored with Guida’s ability to use his hair as a weapon, so they gave it to him. I’ll also assume that after the fight Stocton’s favorite sons, The Diaz Brothers, gave big props to their home town then went on call out fighters who are still under contract to Elite XC.

As mentioned above, I missed the rest of the show, so here is a list of the rest of the fights:

Matt Arroyo defeated Dan Cramer Via Split Decision

Jake O’Brien defeated Christian Wellisch Via Split Decision

John Howard defeated Chris Wilson Via Split Decision

Thiago Tavares defeated Manny Gamburyan Via Decision

Jon Fitch defeated Akihiro Gono Via Decision

Karo Parisyan defeated Dong Hyun Kim Via Split Decision

UFC 94: St-Pierre v Penn 2 – Preview, Predictions, and Lines

Ladies and gentlemen it’s finally here.

After three weeks of hype, two weeks of underwhelming PPV’s, and a lucky punch by Fedor, we have now come to UFC 94: St-Pierre Vs. Penn 2. Now I’m going to take a moment and let you all know my predictions have been off the last few months. I have gone a total 2-5 since picking for this site and am 0-2 on my upset specials. This has not only hurt my pride but also my check book.

A quick breakdown of the particulars:

• What: UFC 94: St-Pierre v Penn
• When: Saturday, January 31 at 10:00 PM ET
• Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
• TV: PPV – $44.95 ($54.95 if you want HD)

Let’s start this preview at the top:

Georges St-Pierre ( Welterweight Champion) -185 Vs. BJ Penn (Lightweight Champion) +130

This is one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history. It has all the makings of a true blood feud. St-Pierre and Penn legitimately dislike each other, their first fight was won on a split decision, and both men are current UFC champions.

If you look at common opponents both men have fought Sean Sherk, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. They both beat Sean Sherk by TKO, so no advantage there. They have both beaten Matt Serra, but Penn did it in his first try (decision). St-Pierre got unlucky in their first fight and lost to a TKO, but followed it up with a dominate TKO victory in the rematch. I have to give Penn the advantage there.

Things get interesting as we look at Matt Hughes. Penn submitted a near his prime Hughes in ‘04, but then got TKO’ed to a past his prime Hughes in ‘06. St-Pierre was submitted by a near his prime Hughes in ‘04 and then submitted a past his prime Hughes in ‘07. I think St-Pierre gets this one because losing to Hughes in ‘04 isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but losing to him in ‘06, via TKO no less, is probably a bit of a blemish. While on the subject of Hughes, Saturday night will be the 5 year anniversary of Penn’s win.

The first match between Penn and St-Pierre was a split decision that saw St-Pierre win, but a split decision isn’t much to go off of. Looking at common opponents also wont give you much. I say go with your gut. Mine says St-Pierre wins. He works harder then Penn, seems to take his career more seriously then Penn, and he scares me more then Penn. All that being said, this fight could really go either way. Both are solid standing up and on the ground, both have a blood lust, and both are insanely competitive. I think Penn’s ego gets in his way and St-Pierresomehow pulls it out in the 2nd.. lets say by submission.

My Pick: Georges St-Pierre

What do you think?

Who will win?

• Penn
• St-Pierre

View Results

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Lyoto Machida -265 Vs. Thiago Silva +200

I’m telling you right now, this will be an upset (but not my special). Both of these fighters stand undefeated with a record of 13-0. It’s my opinion the only reason Lyoto is favored so heavily is because he beat Tito Ortiz. The truth of the matter is that Lyoto won that fight by running away from Tito. He didn’t really land any shots and only seemed to have an advantage once in the fight. He also almost gave up a triangle to Tito (a man not known for his submission skills). Loyto has won 4 of his 5 UFC fights by decision.

On the other hand you have Thiago Silva. He has won all 4 of his UFC fights by TKO or submission. I don’t think he will let Lyoto run away from him like Tito and others have. Most importantly, Thiago is freaking scary man! I’ve seen all 4 of his UFC fights and he has been dominate. I say this is a first round TKO for Silva

MY Pick: Thiago Silva

Stephan Bonnar -185 Vs. Jon Jones +154

We all know and love “The American Psycho” Stephen Bonnar. His Ultimate Fighter 1 main event against Forrest Griffin helped to cement the UFC as Americas next big sport. He never backs down and he can take a crap load of punishment. We all always pull for the guy, but he hasn’t fought in the UFC since October of 2007 and he is 31 years old. The clock is ticking on Bonnar.

Jon Jones appears to be an up and comer, he’s only 21 and has a record of 7-0. That could be deceiving though as only one of his fights have come in the octagon.

This seems like a developmental fight to me. If Jones loses it wont hurt his stock because Bonnar is a known name with a fan base and a guy who’s only UFC losses come at the hands of the current and former Light Heavy Champions (Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin). Yet, if he wins it is a upset victory and the UFC has the beginnings of a new star.

I don’t know enough about Jones to predict how this fight will go, but I get the feeling someone in the UFC may have decided to groom this guy. I will choose this as my upset special.

My Pick: Jon “Bones” Jones

Nate Diaz -130 Vs. Clay Guida EVEN

If you’re anything like me, chances are you think Nate and his brother Nick are both a waste of talent. Nate isn’t as bad as Nick, but the simple relation to him makes me hope that Clay justifies the way this line has been moving for the last 2 weeks.

I have no horse in this race, and I don’t know much about Clay Guida, but I want to see Nate Diaz loose. That being said, I pick him to win. He may be a mess as a person, but he has talent. It also doesn’t hurt that the few times I have seen Clay in action he has been inconsistent.

My Pick: Nate Diaz

UFC 93: Short Review for Lame Event

It’s my opinion UFC 93 doesn’t warrant it’s own article space, but it’s my job so here are a few notes on the evenings main events.

The PPV was the first UFC event I can remember that made me fell it was a wast of money. I am sure others feel differently, but I just cant handle so many judges decisions (3) and the just plan sloppy fights (Coleman Rua).

Hendo won a solid fight against Rich Franklin. It was one of the nights judges decisions (split decision) and it saw a Henderson headbutt open a gash on Franklin’s noggin then, with about 35 seconds left in the fight, Hendo poked Franklin in the eye. It wasn’t a bad fight but it wasn’t as good as I had expected. Final note on this fight, Franklin completely wore down Henderson. That is no small feat, Henderson is used to fighting in Pride where the first round was 10 minutes. Franklin may not be the best conditioned fighter in all of the UFC.

Now, on the opposite side of conditioning we have Coleman and Rua. In my preview article I picked Coleman to win by KO. I said Rua’s conditioning would come into play and I thought Coleman would land a KO blow or get a ground and pound victory. The match played out %99 the way I said it would, that final %1 I missed was Rua’s TKO on Coleman. For the record Coleman should not fight again, he was just as gassed as Rua.

My record since joining this site continues to suck. I went 1-1 on my picks bringing me to a combined 2-4 so far and 0-2 on my upset picks (Lytle was my upset pick. I don’t think I made that clear). At least I was right that Lytle and “The Irish Hand Grenade” won the fight of the night.

Here is to hoping that UFC 94 is a better event.

MMA Round Up: UFC 93 Preview, Affliction, Then UFC Again.

Believe it or not there is a UFC PPV this weekend. I know you all are watching the build for UFC 94 with the St. Pierre Penn rematch and the UFC Prime-time but that event doesn’t happen for 2 more weeks. You need to drop $54 dollars this weekend to watch a sub-par card in the mid afternoon on a Saturday to prove you’re a true hardcore UFC fan.

Now I call it a subpar card because chances are you only know 4 fighters; 5 if you are a fan, as I am, of Chris Lytel. I pick his fight against Marcue Davis to be fight of the night. I also pick him to win because he’s a hometown guy. Those 4 fighters are all facing each other, so it’s a $54 event on PPV, featuring 2 fights that are solid undercard matches on most events, or great free matches for a fight night on Spike.

Then in two more weeks there is a rematch between two of the greatest fighters in the UFC in Penn and St. Pierre. I don’t know about all of you, but I am planning on finding a bar with a low cover charge for this weekend.

Now, a preview of those two main events for this weekend’s UFC 93, which are: Rich Franklin Vs. Dan Henderson and Mark Coleman Vs. Mauricio Rua.

Franklin V. Henderson Preview

This is interesting because whoever wins will probably end up the coach on the next Ultimate Fighter. Franklin has been fairly adamant about not wanting to be a coach and “Hendo” has keep to him self about it. I would like to see Henderson get a rematch with Anderson Silva. He seemed to be a bit out of it in their last match and Silva dominated him. I think a rematch and a more focused Henderson would be a great fight. As for my Pick, I have to go with Dan Henderson even if he is 1-2 since returning to the UFC.

Mark Coleman V. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Preview

This fight is actually a rematch. Coleman won the first fight back in Pride F/C when Shoguns’ arm broke. It was a freak accident and not any type of decisive win, but a win for Coleman none the less. When picking this fight you have to think about a few things:

First of all, Coleman is 44 and just came out of retirement. He’s old for a fighter, and while Randy Couture has shown no signs of aging (the Brock Lesner fight is an abnormality until I see him lose to someone who isn’t a freak of nature), can the same be said about Coleman? How many people can beat father time like Randy? Also, Coleman has never fought in the modern age of the UFC. A lot has changed since he last choked out Dan Severn.

As for Rua, well his first, and last fight in the UFC saw him completely gas out against Forrest Griffin. There was a time when Rua was considered the best at 205, but those were the old Pride days. As we have seen time and again (forget Anderson SIlva and Rampage), the old Pride vets haven’t been able to make a great transition to the UFC. Also, if his brother, “Ninja” Rua is any indication of how these guys train now that they are no longer part of Chute Box Academy, then Shogun will probably gas out if the fight goes past the first. I am picking Coleman in the second.

As mentioned before, Affliction is presenting it’s second PPV offering next weekend. Their attempt to make you part with your cash is offering the best heavyweight match up of the year (I know it’s early).

Andrei “How taste my pee-pee?” Arlozski Vs. God (known around MMA circles as Fedor Emelianenko).

Let’s face it, no one is giving Andrei a chance in this fight. Hell, Vegas has him at +275. Now, even if he is fighting Fedor, Arlovski has a few things going for him. Mainly, he has Freddie Roach in his corner. Sure Freddie is a boxing guy, but he is the guy that trained Oscar De La Hoya while he was good, then showed Manny Pacquiao how to dismantle everything about Oscar after De La Hoya burned him.

If Andrei can keep this fight standing he stands a real chance at beating Fedor based simply on his corner. The otherthing Adnrei has going for him, the fangs. I cant stress this enough. The fanged mouthpieces make the fighter who wears them. If Arlovski wears the fangs to the ring he will win this fight. My pick, and my money are going to Andrei… no mattter how much I regret it.

Quick note, it is being widely reported this could be the final Affliction PPV. While having the highest payroll in all of MMA has allowed them to creat the best Heavyweight division, the lack of promotion and ticket sales have greatly hurt the company. I wouldn’t expect another PPV from them, so this may be your last chance to see Fedor fight a true top 10 heavyweight. These guys make their money off of high priced T-shirts, loosing money on a television expansion just doesnt make much sense to me.

An Open Letter to Nate Davis: Leave Ball State Early for the NFL Draft

Nate,

Over the last few years I have grown quite fond of you. I, being a BSU alumni, appreciate all you have done for our program and will never forget this last season. So thank you for your time here and thanks for giving us our first positive national exposure (Letterman not withstanding).

After all you have done for us (The alumni and student body of BSU) I think it is only fair that I shoot straight with you. It’s time for you to move on. People like BSU President Jo Ann M. Gora and A.D. Tom Collins are probably telling you otherwise. Coach Parrish may even be in your ear asking for another season, but let’s face it: that is not in your best interest.

With 20 seniors leaving after this year there is little to no chance next season is going to go as well as this one went. Brady Hoke is gone, there isn’t another Dante Love on his way into the program, and the football schedule isn’t going to improve. You get better by playing better opponents, and there are no better opponents coming up at BSU. All of those things point to one logical conclusion. In order for you to get better and move on to the next level, you need to go ahead and enter the NFL draft.

Yes, it is true your last two BSU games have cost you millions of potential dollars, but there are still millions to be made. Also, what does living in Muncie do for you? With people like the Muncie Stars’ Greg Fallon waiting to call you things like “immature and unintelligent” the only thing sticking around could do is continue to bring you down.

Fallon starts his piece by saying, “Forget what the NFL advisory committee says, what ESPN’s Todd McShay or Mel Kiper Jr. says.” Ok, fine don’t listen to them. How about you listen to a real sports writer, a national writer; how about one who happens to be a BSU alumni… say Jason Whitlock. Earlier in the season he said you were the most pro-ready QB in Indiana and a top NCAA QB. You have a NFL future and you should jump on it now.

One last thing Nate. What has BSU done for you? Over the years the administration has made it pretty clear they don’t care about athletics. Everything from the previously shady basketball program to the early 2000’s longest losing streak in the nation points to a lack of caring. Those two things are just circumstantial though; the real damning evidence is the pushing out of Brady Hoke and the unceremonious way they handled it. Why would you risk injury and millions to play for a school which is uncommitted to you?

Nate, I wish you luck and hope you make the right decision. I am sure you will.

Plough

MMA Roundup: Quick UFC 92 Review and Notes

UFC 92 has come and gone and so has my gambling account. Let me tell you, there is nothing like telling your fiancee that there is no going out for sushi for a few weeks because Frank Mir learned how to punch.

Ultimate 2008 was an entertaining card. Personally, I though UFC 91 was a better broadcast but if you bought UFC 92 you definately got your money worth. If you look at “safe bets” UFC 92 took your account. I went 1-3 on my predictions, and the one I hit on was a Vegas underdog.

Rampage, Frank Mir, Rashad Evans, and Cheick Kongo all won by decisive knockouts. Of that group I only hit on Rampage. Too bad I took him in a parlay with Forrest Griffin.

While on the UFC 92 card, I have one question… Has Kongo ever been in a fight where he didn’t deliver one obviously deliberate cock punch? His fight against M. Al Turk saw Al Turk deliver one accidental knee to the groin. AT that point 5 of the people in my room made joks that all suggested we knew Kongo wouldnt allow someone to get by with his trademarked knee to the nuts. Sure enough during the next clench Kongo got himself into position, looked down to make sure where his knee was, then lifted Al Turn off his feet via a knee to the junk.

I think it’s time to start fining guys for repeated rules violations. I’m not talking about the occasional accidental kick to the groin, thumb to the eye, or accidental blow to the back of the head. I’m talking about patterns that arise and violate the rules whenever a certin fighter fights. Kongo has built a career using knees to the balls, every fight there is at least one. If I were a heavyweight I wouldn’t want to fight the guy, not because he’s good, but because I saw what happened to every other guy he has fought.

Moving on to new news it appears the door is open for Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski to return to the UFC. Dana White was quoted this week as saying that Arlovski is the one who got away. Andrei wanted to do some boxing and stuff outside UFC and Dana wanted Arlovski all to himself. I would look for Andrei to start talking with Dana seriously after he his upcoming Affliction bout against Fedor Emelianenko on January 24. As for that bout, I’ll take Arlovski, I dont care how great Fedor is or was, there is just something special about Andrei’s fanged mouthpiece and that smile which makes me pick him every time. Side note: as soon as I saw Rashad Evans was wearing a fanged mouth piece against Forrest Griffin I knew my money was on the wrong fighter. One of my rules is never bet against the fangs.

In other Dana White news, it is reported that he may be interested in bringing back Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. It was reported on Cagepotato.com that Dana said (On Best Damn Sports Show) if Cro Cop wins his New Years eve freakshow fight against Hong Man Choi he will be welcomed back in the UFC. Adding more fuel to this fire, Cro COp still has his cage up in his training facility. Now, I dont want to run with speculation, but UFC needs heavyweights. Cro Cop is a marketable heavyweight, even if he went 1-2 in his UFC stint and had a horrible 2008 (Hey who didn’t?), he is still a former top 5 heavyweight who has crazy knock out power. I’m not saying this will happen, I’m just saying I would pay to watch Mirko fight anyone, especially if he is coming in with a point to prove.

Money Lines for UFC 92 – Money Well Spent?

Before I start this article I want to make clear I don’t endorse gambling. Not because I don’t like it, but because I am very bad at it. Sure i go to Vegas twice a year but that is beside my point. In these rough economic times one should be saving money under their bed cushions, in the sock drawer, or in a Rocky 5 DVD case (No one would ever dare open a copy of Rocky 5). All that being said, Vegas and odds makers are pretty good at knowing who is going to win, so with that in mind I am going to take you through the money lines for UFC 92.

For you experienced degenerates who know how to read money lines, skip to the next paragraph, the rest of you read on. A money line has a + or a – in front of it. If there is a + it means that person or team is

supposed to lose. If there is a – then they are the favorite to win. The number following the + or -

indicates what you would win or lose. A typical lines reads like this: Mike Tyson -200 Vs Little Mac +700. That means if you bet on Tyson (the favorite), and he won, you would have to wager $200 in order to win $100. If you bet $100 on Little Mac (the underdog), and he won, you would win $700. Hope that helps.

I gave some predictions at the beginning of the month, if you want to check them out go here. Now I am going to look at the top three lines, give my opinion, pick an upset, then post the lines for the rest of the card.

Quintin “Rampage” Jackson +110 V. Wanderlei “The Ax Murder” Silva -140 I keep seeing this line change. Everything points to Rampage getting his third beating by Wande, but something tells me he is going to win this fight. He feels like his title was stolen from him, he dropped his old manager, went crazy, got himself together, joined a new fight camp in England, and now has what Micky would call “that Eye of the Tiger” again. Wanderlie on the other hand never lost his urge to … well… Ax Murder. He had a highlight reel knockout of Keith Jardine last time he fought, but before that he seemed to be on his way down. Silva does have two, count ‘em, two brutal KO and TKO victories over Jackson back in the Pride F/C years and he hasn’t recently been involved with tabloid scandals.

This line is so close it’s not really worth betting on Rampage unless you feel he is a lock. With Silva having been around the block a few times I wouldn’t feel right putting my money on him either.

My Pick: Rampage wins and makes some people very little money.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Interm Champ) -350 Vs. Frank Mir +275 I’m not supposed to like Frank Mir. He’s cocky, doesn’t train hard, and makes light of serious situations. But damn it, he’s made me laugh a lot. As a result I hate to see him face Nogueria. There is just nothing funny about a man who can be beaten within one breath of death, then pull out a submission victory and do that on a regular basis. Nogueira is a freak of nature, the fact the guy can walk is a testament to how tough his skull is. Tim SIlvia pounded it until I though his hands were broke, and then what happened? Nog made that fat f… guy tap. Keep in mind, the winner of this fight will soon be facing Brock Lesnar to unify the heavyweight title.

The line on this is what it should be, I’d bet on the return of Corey Haim before I’d put money on Mir. Sure it’s tempting to throw a few bucks on him, but that’s money you’ll never see again.

My Pick: Big Nog chokes Mir out in 3.

Forrest Griffin (Champ) -130 Vs. Rashad Evans EVEN MONEY Wow, This is a close line. Ultimate Fighter Season 1 winner Vs. Ultimate Fighter Season 2 winner. This is getting my pick for fight of the night. I think Rashad Evans is turning into a hell of a fighter, and I think Forrest Griffin is a hell of a fighter. There is going to be a lot of take-downs followed by scrambles and stand up. Forrest has proven to be one of the toughest SOB’s in the history of the UFC. Everything from his T.U.F. final fight versus Stephen Bonner and his near upset over Tito Ortiz, to his controversial championship win over Rampage has proven that Forrest is the real deal. Rashad Evans has also proven himself worthy of the UFC and this title fight by taking Tito to a judges Draw and then knocking the hell outta Chuck Liddell.

If you bet on Rashad, and he wins, you double your money. To make any money on Forrest you don’t have to bet much more. This one is close enough you’re probably better served spending your gambling money on beer and just watching.

My Pick: Forrest retains by judges decision.

My Pick for random upset of the night goes to:

Mostapha Al Turk +250 Vs. Cheick Kongo -325 My only real reasoning for this is that Chuck seems overrated to me. Part of that is due to his fight against one of my favorite fighters (Cro Cop) in which he won after hitting Cro Cop in the junk about 8 times a round for three rounds. He has been impressive in one fight since then, but I have read some minor rumblings about Al Turk being an up and commer. So, don’t take my word for it, but I think Chuck “Dick Punch” Kongo goes down in round 1.

Here are the rest of the lines in no paticular order:

Yushin Okami -350 Vs. Dean Lister +275

Matt Hamill -500 Vs. Reese Andy +300

Ryo Chonan -170 Vs. Brad Blackburn+140

Dan Evensen +200 Vs. Pat Barry-250

CB Dollaway -150 Vs. Mike Massenzio +120

Antoni Hardonk -365 Vs. Mike Wessel +285

MMA Roundup: A Few Quick Hits

The article title is supposed to be a bad pun. One which references MMA fighters getting hit in the face, not the Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo in this month’s High Times sort of pun.

While I would link over to Cagepotato.com and share the photos from that spread, they are just too weird. I don’t want to creep you guys out as much as I’ve been creeped out.

So tonight is the live TV season finale of The Ultimate Fighter. Whoopee. Now I am all for live, free MMA on television, but T.U.F. isn’t something I get excited for. It seems like it’s to much to soon.

T.U.F. has done 7 seasons, and been around almost 4 years. That’s almost 2 seasons a year. Part of the reason the Superbowl is so huge is because it happens once a year, I think T.U.F. would have done better to have spread it’s seasons out a bit more.

All that being said, tonight should make for some great TV. If you have never watched MMA and are thinking about getting into it, this will be a great chance to see new fighters go out there and give it their all.

These guys are fighting for their livelihood. This isn’t two comfortable people out there fighting because it’s their job. This will be people out there fighting because they want to be able to buy dinner tomorrow. It’ll also be a chance to find someone whose career you may end up following.

The unknown who won TUF 1 is now Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin, and at UFC 92 he will be fighting T.U.F. season two winner Rashad Evans.

In other MMA news this weekend, former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley is looking to become “The Next Big Thing” (That’s a shot at Brock Lesnar for the wrestling fans… I know you are out there).

There are a lot of similarities between the Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley. Both are freakishly big, both decorated collegiate wrestling champions, both held titles in the WWE, and both have last names brought to you by the letter “L”.

Lashley’s debut will be tonight (Sat. Dec. 13) on the Mixed Fighting Alliance “There Will Be Blood” card at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. While I always thought Brock Lesnar would do well in MMA (yet hoped he wouldn’t), I have my doubts about Bobby Lashley. That being said, he has the testicular fortitude to step into the cage so I wish him luck.

While I am talking about the smaller MMA feds, let’s take a look at my favorite heavyweight of all time: former Pride F/C star and UFC failure Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. It appears that Japan’s love for both Cro Cop and freak shows is going to combine at this years K-1 Fields Dynamite New Year’s Eve show.

Here Cro Cop will be fighting Hong Man Choi (pictured dwarfing Brock Lesnar), a man known for being freakishly big and getting destroyed by Fedor.

Now lets take a step back and think about what we all saw this last Wednesday at “Fight for the Troops”. We saw Josh Koscheck knock the will to live out of Yoshiyuki Yoshida, but that wasn’t all now was it? Before we even got to that amazing knockout we had injuries that make even the most hardened fan cringe.

Not only did we see the result of a blocked kick, but we got to see what happens in a street fight when an attacker gets caught in an armbar. The broken leg belongs to Corey Hill who underwent surgery and is going to be out 12-18 months rehabbing that SId Vicious style break.

The dumbass who didn’t tap is Razak Al-Hassan, and while it appears his arm is broke, it was only a dislocation. The jerk who is excited because he thought he broke a guys arm is Steve Cantwell. While I am no fan of gloating in someone else’s injury… it is pretty impressive.

Now don’t forget the upcoming UFC 92, I wrote an early preview of the top of the card a week or so ago. I’ll come back once the event gets closer and see if I change anything, and also give my take on the betting lines… not that I endorse any gambling.