UFC 132 Cruz vs Faber Predictions

Cheick Kongo vs Pat Barry Recap

UFC on Versus 4 Afterthoughts: Kongo Barry Delivers

It was a wild night of fights on  Versus with several jaw dropping moments.  Even though the main event had to be scrapped due to the unanswered medical issues with Nate Marquardt, the card still delivered.  The Fight Night shows deliver great fights more often than not.  Tonight was no different.

Starting with the prelims, Nik Lentz and Charles Olivera put on one of the more entertaining first rounds in awhile.  It was back and forth with big shots, grappling reversals, near submissions, had me fired up!  Unfortunately, the fight ended controversially in the 2nd round after Olivera landed a blatant and brutal illegal knee which the referee "did not see."  However, I have no idea what the ref was watching because on the replay it looked like he had a clear view of the action.  The athletic commissioner came into the cage and instantly informed the referee he had missed an illegal knee.  Joe Rogan then informed the audience that the commission would immediately review the fight and could possibly change the fight to a no contest.  The knee definitely cost Lentz the fight, I don't think Olivera is a dirty fighter, but it was an unfortunate way to end what was a very entertaining fight (won fight of the night, despite the controversial ending).

In the first fight on the Versus card, Matt "Meathead" Mitrione took on Christian Morecraft.  I said before the fight that I still wasn't sold on Mitrione's heart and skills but once again Mitrione put on an impressive performance.  Meathead dominated the stand up rocking Morecraft several times in the first round.  I was surprised with Morecrafts lack of takedown attempts.  His corner was telling him to push Matt against the cage and take the fight to the ground, and although Morecraft was able to do this twice, he just laid on Mitrione and seemed complacent with resting rather than working.  Mitrione went on to finish Morecraft with a beautiful hand combination and rather than pounding on the fallen Morecraft, Mitrione demonstrated class and walked away.  That's five in a row for Matt Mitrione and I think it's time for a step up in competition, possibly a match up with Kongo is on the horizon.  
In a fight that had job security implications, Matt Brown defeated John Howard by way of decision.  Both fighters claimed the fight would be fight of the night, however, it wasn't the most exciting.  Howard seemed slow, and gassed only after one round.  Nothing much to talk about in this one, but looks like Matt Brown lives to fight another day in the UFC.  Howard could find himself on the chopping block.  

In a shocking momentum killer, underdog and last minute replacement Charlie Brenneman stunned the surging Rick Story.  Brenneman's wrestling was the difference maker in this fight.  Brenneman cruised to a two round lead after taking Story down and controlling him on the ground.  I'm not sure if Story may have over trained or was fatigued stepping in on short notice but he looked noticeably slower in this fight.  Props to Story for taking the fight with Brenneman on one days notice with really nothing to gain from the fight and everything to lose.  Story looked good in the final round locking in several close submissions but it was too little too late.  Brennanmen pulled off the stunner and left cage with the biggest victory in his MMA career.

In the main event, Cheick Kongo and Pat "HD" Barry stepped up and ended the show with a bang!  Both fighters started off exchanging low kicks with the advantage going to Kongo.  However, Barry lands a huge overhand right dropping Kongo.  Barry jumps on Kongo as the referee runs over and nearly stops the fight.  Kongo grabs a hold of Barry's waist but Barry lands another big shot dropping Kongo again.  Kongo looked to be out several times but was able to recover quickly after both crushing shots.  Kongo makes it back up to his feet, visibly wobbly, he gets backed up against the cage.  Barry is looking for the kill but Kongo lands a desperation right hand that stuns Barry then lands a huge uppercut that drops Barry.  Kongo pounces with a couple of hammerfists but Barry is out cold!  It was one of the greatest comebacks in MMA history.  From the jaws of defeat, Kongo rises from the dead to pull off a miracle!  Crazy.

Great night of fights,  UFC 132 coming up this weekend, that's all I got for now.  PEACE!   

UFC on Versus 4 Marquardt vs Story Predictions

Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Afterthoughts

The opening round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix is complete, and the semi final match ups are set.  It was a solid, yet somewhat bizarre night of fights in Dallas.  I've got a lot on my mind following this show, so let's get started with my post fight afterthoughts.

The first fight was Valentijn Overeem taking on Chad Griggs.  Griggs, known for his brawling style, showed some nice technique in this fight.  Griggs had a great takedown, using Overeem's forward momentum to flip him over as they fell to the ground.  Overeem immediately found himself in trouble with Griggs pounding away at his head.  Overeem eventually rolled over to his stomach, covered up, and tapped by way of strikes.  I know fighters get a lot of heat for tapping to strikes but sometimes I feel it's justified (GSP tapping to Serra).  Overeem just looked like a fighter without any heart.  He did very little to scramble and to me it didn't seem like Griggs's attack was doing all that much damage.  I'm not taking anything away from Griggs's performance, first round finishes are always nice to have on the record.  It just seemed like Overeem lacked desire, whereas Griggs came to win.

In the next fight, up and coming talent and undefeated Daniel Cormier defeated veteran Jeff Monson.  Both fighters are very much undersized for the heavyweight division.  I thought Cormier would come in with a size advantage when actually height wise I think he was slightly shorter than Monson which was surprising.  Anyways, I wasn't all that impressed with Cormier in his last fight against Devin Cole; however, he stepped up his game against Monson.  Cormier's striking looked very much improved.  He landed several combos that had Monson stumbling.  Cormier reminds me a lot Rashad Evans.  Both started out as undersized heavyweights with strictly wrestling backgrounds.  Rashad made huge strides in his striking which eventually led to his success in becoming a UFC Champion.  If Cormier wants to be successful in MMA, he must continue to improve his striking but also make the cut to light heavyweight much like Rashad did.  Cormier has huge potential, but would struggle against the larger heavyweight talent.  Overall, this was a great showcase fight for Cormier and solidified his status as a dangerous up and coming prospect.

In one of the more surprising fights, at least for me, Jorge Masvidal delivered a beating to former EliteXC Lightweight Champion K.J. Noons.  I thought Noons would have the experience advantage coming off his recent five round battle with Nick Diaz.  However, Noons was hit early and often.  Blood poured from Noons's forehead throught the entire fight.  I think it might have been a knee that caught Noons early in the first rounded that cut him.  Masvidal nearly had the fight finished in the first, but Noons's heart willed him through.  Noons never seemed to fully recover from the first round beating.  With that being said, it was an impressive performance by Masvidal.  The fight had title implications and I think Masvidal did enough to earn a shot at Gilbert Melendez.  

In the co-main event of the evening Josh Barnett took on Brett Rogers in a first round Grand Prix match up.  I said in my predictions that this was a major mismatch in terms of style and skill and it was.  Josh Barnett showed no ring rust and dominated Brett Rogers.  Barnett controlled Rogers with his wrestling, never giving Rogers the chance to land a power punch.  Barnett also had two highlight takedowns.  The first was somewhat padded by Rogers grabbing the cage on his way down, but the second was a big one as Barnett rolled Rogers over with their momentum sending the two sliding halfway across the mat.  Barnett easily controlled Rogers on the ground getting mount position in both the first and second round and eventually forcing Rogers to tap by way of arm triangle.  I was very impressed with Barnett's return and I think with his wrestling and grappling skills he has a great shot at winning the tournament.  

In a somewhat disappointing and bizarre main event, Alistair Overeem won a very close and to some a controversial unanimous decision victory over Fabricio Werdum (all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Overeem).  It was evident from the start that Werdum wanted nothing to do with standing and striking with Overeem.  It was also evident from the start that Overeem wanted nothing to with going to the ground and grappling with Werdum.  This is where things started to get weird.  Werdum was pulling guard as much as possible and would then proceed to beg, literally hands together begging, Overeem to come to the ground with him.  This fight was tough to call because even though Werdum appeared to be knockdown several times by Overeem's strikes, I think Werdum was almost pro-wrestling style "selling" shots to try and bate Overeem to pounce on him on the ground.  I was also not impressed by Overeems stand up last night.  In fact, it's possible Werdum actually got the better of Overeem.  Werdum was landing some big knees from the clinch and had Overeem covering up and backing up against the cage several times.  Nonetheless, Overeem pulled off the win and advances to take on Antonio Silva in the semi finals of the tournament.  

Overall, it was a solid night of fights.  My quick prediction for the rest of the Strikeforce Grand Prix is Overeem vs Barnett in the finals with Barnett defeating Overeem to take the crown.  Thanks for tuning in, PEACE!   

Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum Predictions

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix continues this Saturday, live on Showtime.  The event has taken a bit of a blow with the injury of Gina Carano, but the card is still stacked!  There are some awesome and interesting match ups.  Haven't had access to my video camera this week but thought I would write out my predictions here on the blog.  Check back post fights for some afterthoughts!

Alistair Overeem (34-11) vs Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) (Non-Title Fight)

This is a rematch from their 2006 match up where Werdum submitted Overeem by kimura in the final moments of the fight.  Up until he found himself tapping, Overeem was controlling the fight.  Most of the fight took place on the ground with Overeem controlling Werdum and avoiding submissions.  A lot has changed in 5 years.  Alistair Overeeem, current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, has beefed up in size and has improved his striking immensely (proving this by winning the 2010 K-1 tournament).  Werdum, is coming off the biggest win of his career submitting the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and is looking to continue to surprise.  

Overeem is a heavy favorite in this fight and it's tough to pick against him.  I think Overeem will fight smarter and keep this fight standing as much as he can.  Overeem has a huge advantage on the feet and has the power to finish Werdum.  Unlike their first fight, I see Overeem not playing into Werdums strengths and doing all he can to keep this fight a striking battle.  Overeem has looked like a beast lately and if he puts the pressure on Werdum I think he will finish the fight with by TKO.

Prediction:  Overeem by 2nd Round TKO

Josh Barnett (29-5) vs Brett Rogers (11-2)  

A former UFC Champion, Josh Barnett is by far the more experienced fighter in this fight.  However, he has been out of action for almost a year and may show some cage rust.  Rogers opened a lot of eyes in his battle with Fedor Emelianenko and quick finish of Andre Arlovski.  Rogers has the power to finish anyone with a single punch.  Barnett will be looking to take this fight to the ground where he should be able to control Rogers.  Although Rogers possess the power punch, I think this is quite a mismatch.  Barnett has far more skills and really the only way Barnett loses this fight is if he gets caught by a punch much like Rogers did to Arlovski.

Prediction:  Josh Barnett by 3rd Round Submission (rear naked choke)

K.J. Noons (10-3) vs Jorge Masvidal (21-6)

With Carano out, we get the Noons vs Masvidal match up on the main card which is a great fight!  Noons is coming off his recent three round war with Nick Diaz, falling short by way of decision.  Masvidal went the distance in his last fight with Billy Evangelista, earning the victory.  However, I was not all that impressed by Masvidal in his last fight.  He was noticeably the better fighter over Evangelista but really seemed to lack the tenacity to finish the fight.  Noons,  a former Strikeforce Champion, is back down to Lightweight which is the right division for him.  I think Noons has the better stand up where I think most of this fight will take place.  This should be a great battle, glad it made it onto the main card.

Prediction:  K.J. Noons by Unanimous Decision

Daniel Cormier (7-0) vs Jeff Monson (42-11)

The rook takes on the veteran.  Monson is quite an undersized heavyweight which may put him at a disadvantage in this fight.  It's an interesting match up.  I wasn't all that impressed by Cormier's stand up in his last fight and feel Monson has the advantage in the striking department.  However, Monson also has a solid background in jiu jitsu while Cormier has Olympic caliber wrestling.  Does Cormier try and take Monson down and avoid submissions?  Or does he attempt to stand and trade?  It's tough to call this one but I think Cormier's size will be the factor in this fight.  I think he will be able to wrestle this fight to the ground and avoid Monson's subs. 

Prediction:  Cormier by Unanimous Decision

Valentijn Overeem (29-25) vs Chad Griggs (10-1)

Griggs continues to surprise me.  The guy doesn't really look the part of a fighter but shows up and brawls and has proved to be effective with the style.  With a record like he has, I'm surprised Overeem continues to fight.  I guess he's just one those guys that loves the sport.  I think this fight will be a stand up battle.  If Griggs can survive the early fury from Overeem I think he has the better gas tank and can fish Overeem later in the fight.   

Prediction:  Griggs by 2nd Round TKO

Dana White UFC 131 Post Fight Interview

UFC 131 Dos Santos vs Carwin Predictions

Dos Santos vs Carwin is going to be insane! GET PUMPED!

Dana White UFC 131 Video Blogs

Video Blog Day 1

Video Blog Day 2

Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale: The Afterthoughts

Well my picks were off tonight and although I pulled an O-for on the predictions none of the outcomes surprised me.  There were some great fights, finishes, and all around it was entertaining show.  Here is a quick rundown of my post fight thoughts for The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.

Danny "Boy" Downes had nothing to lose tonight stepping in for Johnthan Brookins on short notice...or so he thought (nearly lost his arm!).  Jeremy Stephens caught Downes in a deep and nasty kimura, nearly breaking the arm right out of the shoulder.  Downes had a ton of heart to survive three rounds with Stephens but he was just out matched.  Stephens wins by dominating fashion and that's four wins in his last five fights with the only loss coming by way of split decision to recently surging Melvin Guillard.    

Chris Cope dominated Chuck O'Neil on the feet working his way to a decision victory.  I was never really impressed by Chuck on the show.  He just came across to me as an average fighter who thought he was tough stuff.  However, Cope was not all that impressive himself either.  However, he did look improved tonight, mixing up his striking and adding some flashy attacks.  I side with Joe Rogan on the "Woos," at times it seems a little too much, other times its well timed and hilarious!  Only thing is, it's not original, we all know who made the "Woo" famous and that's former pro-wrestler Ric Flair as Joe gave gave surprising credit to during the broadcast.  Spencer Fisher is also known to "Woo" frequently, but only because he's a big fan of Flair.  Regardless, I don't see Cope ever quitting the "Woo" any time soon and he'll be sticking around a bit longer following tonight's win.

Great slugfest between Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado.  Took home the fight of the night honors and bonus.  Close fight but I agreed with the Kingsbury decision, I had him winning the fight.

Welcome back to the UFC Ed Herman!  Nothing like coming back from a two year layoff consisting of two knee surgeries and a long difficult rehab to KO your opponent in the first round.  Could not have gone any better for "Short Fuse."  He looked a little stiff on the feet but it's been awhile and he finished the fight so quick he never got the chance to loosen up.  Glad to see Herman back and healthy.  Big win for his career.

I feel really disappointed for Anthony Pettis.  I just hate the whole "promised title shot" thing Dana does.  More often than not it never works out.  Usually fighters are granted these promised shots because they either truly deserve it or it's a match up fans really want to see.  I really wanted to see the WEC vs UFC Lightweight Title merger fight!  Champion vs Champion!  Unfortunately, that won't be happening.  Unless you hypothetically follow the WEC title with Guida and where it goes from there, but that's pointless.  I predicted Pettis to win this fight, I thought with his active guard he could catch Guida in submission (which he almost did).  Not the most entertaining effort from Guida but it won him the fight.  Pettis's jumping spinning heel kick off the cage was awesome, something I had never seen before.  I'm still a huge fan of Pettis, but looks like he may struggle against tough wrestlers and there a lot of them in the lightweight division. 

So what's next for Clay Guida?  Well the other current stand out contender is Jim Miller who will be fighting Ben Henderson at UFC on Versus 5 in August.  I think Guida needs one more win before he is deserving of a shot and since the lightweight title fight has been postponed there is time to get him another match up.  I think if Miller beats Henderson he deserves the title shot 100% (that would be eight wins in a row in the UFC...an eight fight winning streak!  Give the man what he deserves if he beats Bendo).  However, if Henderson pulls out the win I think a fight between him and Guida makes sense.  Melvin Guillard would also make for a solid match up for Guida.  I know they both are fighting out of Greg Jackson's camp but I don't see this preventing the potential match up from happening.

Not much to say about the TUF 13 Finale.  Tony Ferguson packs power in his punches, but I think he has a long way to go before he makes any kind of impact in the welterweight division.  The same can be said for a lot of the recent TUF champions, there hasen't been many stand out winners in lately.  Ramsey needs to work on his stand up, the bull rush all out style is not smart.  I'm not a fan of Tony, but he finishes fights and tonight's knock out was a good one.  

Great day/night of fights (nice having all the prelims on Facebook!).  As always, thanks for following, and check back for UFC 131 predictions.  PEACE!       

Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale Predictions

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale is live this Saturday (6/4) on Spike TV starting at 9 p.m. eastern (9 p.m. for west coast viewers on tape delay).  Overall, I was a bit disappointed with Season 13.  There weren't really any fighters that caught my attention, I thought the talent level was pretty low, there weren't many exciting fights, and there was zero interaction between Lesnar and Dos Santos (not that it would have amounted to anything since Lesnar just had surgery and Dos Santos now faces Shane Carwin at UFC 131).  However, fights are fights and in the end I much rather watch The Ultimate Fighter than anything else on television so no more complaining.  I was stoked when I heard Anthony Pettis would be taking on Clay Guida, I think the two best fighters from TUF made it to the finals, and it's great to see Ed Herman back in the UFC after his brutal injury, so I'm actually really looking forward to Saturday's fights.  Here's a quick rundown on my thoughts and predictions.

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (11-1-0) vs. Clay "The Carpenter" Guida (28-8-0)

I think the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard rematch had to happen following the draw, but I was disappointed for Pettis because I really wanted to see the unification title fight between WEC and UFC champions and Pettis deserved his shot.  Pettis is coming off the matrix kick heard around the MMA world and has a bunch of momentum behind him.  I'm pulling for Pettis in this fight and would still really like to see an official unification title fight.  

Fan favorite Clay Guida has been on a roll lately.  After dropping back to back fights to Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, Guida has won his last three fights all by submission.  Guida's strengths are his relentless pressure and wrestling.  His aggression has cost him in past fights, but Guida himself has said he is now a smarter fighter and we saw this in his latest win over Takanori Gomi.  Guida was much more patient and picked his attacks wisely.  Guida wins this fight by pressing the action, closing the distance, pushing Pettis up against the cage, and utilizing his wrestling to take Pettis down and control the fight.   

Everyone has been waiting to see Anthony Pettis step back into the cage following his impressive decision win over Ben Henderson in the main event of the final WEC event.  Pettis's stand up arsenal is crazy.  Not only does he throw wild spinning kicks and strikes but he's been landing them consistently.  Pettis's strengths are his stand up and submissions.  Pettis has an underrated ground game, he has a very active guard which was on display in his fight against Henderson.  I think Pettis has more ways than Guida to win this fight.  His stand up is superior to Guida, and even if Guida takes this fight to the ground I think Pettis is just as dangerous with his submissions.  Although it is his signature look, I think Guida's long hair will cost him in this fight (tougher to get out of a submission).

My pick is Anthony Pettis by 2nd Round Submission.  I see Guida taking Pettis down to the ground only to get caught in triangle choke.  The fight should be nothing short of fireworks, and screams fight of the night.  

TUF Finale:  Ramsey Nijem (5-1-0) vs Tony Ferguson (11-2-0)

As the Ultimate Fighter show progressed I found myself becoming a fan of Ramsey Nijem.  The guy is a little bit on the strange side, but when it comes to fighting he means business.  Each time he stepped into the cage, he fought his heart out and you could tell by his tenacity he wants to win this show.  Ramsey comes to fight and he will be up in your face the entire time.  Junior Dos Santos said early on that Ramsey was the best fighter there.  After his semi-final TKO of Chris "Wooo" Cope, Ramsey now has the opportunity to prove Junior right.

On the other hand, Brock Lesnar was saying Tony Ferguson was the best fighter on the show.  I started out liking Tony a lot.  He was one of the few fighters finishing his opponents and I liked his decision to present himself as a classy, well dressed fighter.  I dig it when fighters like GSP, Rashad, Jon Jones dress professionally.  I don't think everyone should do it, but when there's a select few, it's cool.  So I was down with Tony, that was until he went off on his "black out" drunk tirade.  The guy was disgraceful with his remarks and was insincere with his apology.  The whole "I dress nice, I have class, I'm  a professional" persona went down the toilet for me when that happened.  I now not much of a fan of Tony and I don't think he's deserving of repping the "swag" as Evans and Jones put it.  On to the the fight prediction. 

As mentioned before, I think these are the two best fighters in the finale.  Tony has definitely shown that he packs a power punch.  He's a tall strong guy with solid stand up.  If I remember correctly, he was taken to the ground in his first fight on the show and demonstrated that he's got a decent ground game.  However, Ramsey is a pitbull.  He pushes the action and has the wrestling ability to take the fight to the ground.  I think Ramsey's pressure will surprise Tony, and if Ramsey doesn't get caught by a power punch rushing in, I think Ramsey will eventually get this fight to the ground.  Ramsey should then be able to control Tony and work his way to good positioning.

My pick is Ramsey Nijem by 2nd round submission.  Ramsey will get Tony's back and end the fight by rear-naked choke.  

Ed "Short Fuse" Herman (17-7-0) vs Tim "Crazy" Credeur (13-5-0)

Before I begin this, I just want to say it is awesome to see Ed Herman back in the UFC.  Herman suffered one of the more brutal and unfortunate injuries I've seen when he blew out his knee in his fight against Aaron Simpson.  Herman hurt his knee in the first round but decided to fight through the pain and continue.  Visibly limping and struggling, Herman attempted throw a kick or punch and the weight exerted on his knee made it pop.  Herman instantly crumpled to the ground in a heap of pain and the fight was ended.  It was tough to watch.  It's a great comeback story for the former Ultimate Fighter 3 finalist, and a win would make a return even sweeter.

Both fighters have not stepped into the cage since 2009.  Credeur has been battling injuries himself as well.  Herman was somewhat underachieving following his Ultimate Fighter 3 stint, dropping fights to up and coming fighters Demian Maia and Alan Belcher.  He bounced back earning a decision victory over returning UFC veteran David "The Crow" Loiseau, then hurt his knee in his next fight.  Tim Credeur was somewhat of a surprise on the Ultimate Fighter 7.  He opened a lot of eyes in his gritty second chance, decision loss, to C.B. Dollaway in the show's semi-finals.  Tim showed huge improvements in his fight game winning three fights in a row in the UFC following the Ultimate Fighter show.

This fight will be a brawl and is tough one to call since I neither man  has fought for awhile.  I have no idea what kind of shape they'll be in, or if ring rust will play a factor.  I think Herman is the more well rounded fighter and has a solid ground game, but Tim does have a Black Belt in BJJ and will be tough to submit.  I would give Tim a slight advantage in the stand up department.  I'll be pulling for Herman, a win would make for a great comeback story, but I think Tim will do enough to pull off a decision win.  It should be a close contest.  

My pick is Tim Credeur by Split Decision