They could have been a bit more imaginative... gave it lipstick or something...
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Judo Tournament Training Day 1
My takedowns suck.
They really do. So I am learning some Judo to supplement my pathetic double and single leg takedowns. To really put my feet to the fire, I am entering a Judo tournament. The tournament is in July.
My friend and Jujitsu coach, Ed, will be doing the tourney with me. Ed hurt his achilles tendon not so long ago, and has found that he can not shoot or do his normal takedowns. So he thinks that Judo will help him out with this.
We are approaching the tournament the same way we approach a Jujitsu tournament, or a MMA fight. First four weeks is about sports specific conditioning (drilling movements until they are second nature) and technique. Next three to four weeks is about Conditioning - with a capital "C" (gotta get a big gas tank to out physical our opponents)- and sparing.
Today we learned the uchimata. We spent about an hour and a half drilling the entry, pull, and reap. 100 reps today, and we are looking to get at least 100 reps on Thursday. In between, we are doing at least 25 reps on our own. That should give us about 250 to 300 reps by next Sunday when we learn a new throw.
Our philosophy is that you only need three to four throws in all. After that is is just being able to hit the throws in any possible situation. First we drill the three or four throws, to get the motion second nature. Then we spar them to be able to execute them in any situation that may arise.
I am already sore.
They really do. So I am learning some Judo to supplement my pathetic double and single leg takedowns. To really put my feet to the fire, I am entering a Judo tournament. The tournament is in July.
My friend and Jujitsu coach, Ed, will be doing the tourney with me. Ed hurt his achilles tendon not so long ago, and has found that he can not shoot or do his normal takedowns. So he thinks that Judo will help him out with this.
We are approaching the tournament the same way we approach a Jujitsu tournament, or a MMA fight. First four weeks is about sports specific conditioning (drilling movements until they are second nature) and technique. Next three to four weeks is about Conditioning - with a capital "C" (gotta get a big gas tank to out physical our opponents)- and sparing.
Today we learned the uchimata. We spent about an hour and a half drilling the entry, pull, and reap. 100 reps today, and we are looking to get at least 100 reps on Thursday. In between, we are doing at least 25 reps on our own. That should give us about 250 to 300 reps by next Sunday when we learn a new throw.
Our philosophy is that you only need three to four throws in all. After that is is just being able to hit the throws in any possible situation. First we drill the three or four throws, to get the motion second nature. Then we spar them to be able to execute them in any situation that may arise.
I am already sore.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
UFC 70 Recap
Werdum puts us to sleep, and CroCop got CroCoped
Paul Taylor def Edilberto "Crocota" de Oliveira TKO (Strikes) 0:37 rnd 3
My Pick: Crocota wins by triangle second round
Bad start.
Jess Liaudin def Dennis Siver Submission (Armbar) 1:21 rnd 1
My Pick: Siver by decision
Not good. But all TKD guys get armbared in MMA, so it is ok. The world still spins.
Alessio Sakara def Victor Valimaki TKO (Strikes) 1:44 rnd 1
My Pick: Sakara by KO second round
Sakara does it faster than I thought he would...
Junior Assuncao def David Lee Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:55 rnd 2
My Pick: Assuncao by RNC second round
Perfect score!!!! Man, method, and round!!!
Terry Etim def Matt Grice Submission (Guillotine Choke) 4:38 rnd 1
My Pick: Terry by triangle first round
Terry looked real good.
Cheick Kongo def Assuerio Silva Decision (Majority)
My Pick: Kongo by KO second round
Silva really has no business being in MMA. He did not move for the submission, he had great G&P position, he did nothing to win the fight.
Ryoto Machida def David Heath Decision
My Pick: Machida by decision
Man method and round. I am the man.
Michael Bisping def Elvis Sinosic TKO (Strikes) 1:20 rnd 2
My Pick: Bisping by KO first round.
Bisping nearly got caught with an arm bar and was nearly KOed with a knee, but he still managed to pull off the "W".
Andrei Arlovski def Fabricio Werdum Decision
My Pick: Werdum by arm triangle first round.
I don't know if the leg kicks did anything to take Fabricio's shot away, but he looked really bad in this fight.
Gabriel Gonzaga def Mirko Filipovic KO (Head Kick) 4:51 rnd 1
My Pick: Mirko by head kick second
I would have never never never never picked Gonzaga. Never by head kick, never winning never in the first round. Good work Gabriel. Randy has his work cut out for him.
I go 6-10. Not my best but still better than half.
Paul Taylor def Edilberto "Crocota" de Oliveira TKO (Strikes) 0:37 rnd 3
My Pick: Crocota wins by triangle second round
Bad start.
Jess Liaudin def Dennis Siver Submission (Armbar) 1:21 rnd 1
My Pick: Siver by decision
Not good. But all TKD guys get armbared in MMA, so it is ok. The world still spins.
Alessio Sakara def Victor Valimaki TKO (Strikes) 1:44 rnd 1
My Pick: Sakara by KO second round
Sakara does it faster than I thought he would...
Junior Assuncao def David Lee Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:55 rnd 2
My Pick: Assuncao by RNC second round
Perfect score!!!! Man, method, and round!!!
Terry Etim def Matt Grice Submission (Guillotine Choke) 4:38 rnd 1
My Pick: Terry by triangle first round
Terry looked real good.
Cheick Kongo def Assuerio Silva Decision (Majority)
My Pick: Kongo by KO second round
Silva really has no business being in MMA. He did not move for the submission, he had great G&P position, he did nothing to win the fight.
Ryoto Machida def David Heath Decision
My Pick: Machida by decision
Man method and round. I am the man.
Michael Bisping def Elvis Sinosic TKO (Strikes) 1:20 rnd 2
My Pick: Bisping by KO first round.
Bisping nearly got caught with an arm bar and was nearly KOed with a knee, but he still managed to pull off the "W".
Andrei Arlovski def Fabricio Werdum Decision
My Pick: Werdum by arm triangle first round.
I don't know if the leg kicks did anything to take Fabricio's shot away, but he looked really bad in this fight.
Gabriel Gonzaga def Mirko Filipovic KO (Head Kick) 4:51 rnd 1
My Pick: Mirko by head kick second
I would have never never never never picked Gonzaga. Never by head kick, never winning never in the first round. Good work Gabriel. Randy has his work cut out for him.
I go 6-10. Not my best but still better than half.
Friday, April 20, 2007
UFC 70 Weigh In Results
Gabriel Gonzaga (243) vs Mirko Cro Cop (225)
Gonzaga comes in 18lbs heavier than Mirko might make a difference if they make it to the ground.
Lyoto Machida (199) vs David Heath (205)
Machida is WAY too light to be a light heavy.
Elvis Sinosic (205) v Michael Bisping (204)
Fabricio Werdum (233) vs Andrei Arlovski (238)
Assuerio Silva (241) vs Cheick Kongo (229)
Silva comes in 12lbs heavier, not that it will make a difference.
Matt Grice (155) vs Terry Etim (154)
Junior Assuncao (155) vs David Lee (155)
Victor Valimaki (203) vs Alessio Sakara (204)
Dennis Siver (167) v Jess Liaudin (168)
Edilberto Crocota (169) vs Paul Taylor (169)
Gonzaga comes in 18lbs heavier than Mirko might make a difference if they make it to the ground.
Lyoto Machida (199) vs David Heath (205)
Machida is WAY too light to be a light heavy.
Elvis Sinosic (205) v Michael Bisping (204)
Fabricio Werdum (233) vs Andrei Arlovski (238)
Assuerio Silva (241) vs Cheick Kongo (229)
Silva comes in 12lbs heavier, not that it will make a difference.
Matt Grice (155) vs Terry Etim (154)
Junior Assuncao (155) vs David Lee (155)
Victor Valimaki (203) vs Alessio Sakara (204)
Dennis Siver (167) v Jess Liaudin (168)
Edilberto Crocota (169) vs Paul Taylor (169)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
UFC 70
The UFC puts on its first "PRIDE" style card with about half of its "on air" fighters coming from that promotion. That said, this is a very exciting card, Arlovski gets back in the ring, Bisping gets to fight on his home turf, and Cro Cop gets his first real test. It is also the first UFC off US soil since 2002, when Frank Mir got his ass kicked by Ian Freeman, and Lee Murray taught Tito Ortiz how fights work in the street.
If anyone wants to host us, that would be fun... otherwise we will all have to sit though all of the commercials. Wouldn't you rather DVR it and have your bestest friends come over an hour later to watch the fights without commercial interruption? You know you would.
Card and My Picks:
Edilberto Crocota Vs. Paul Taylor (Welterweight)
Crocota is a Brazilian fighter, and training partner of current Middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Like Silva, Crocota is a BJJ student of the Nog brothers, and his training pedigree shows by going 10-0-1, winning three by KO, and three by submission. Crocota is well known for his boxing skill, once winning a championship in his home country.
Paul Taylor begins the parade of local boys that all under cards of the UFCs out side of Vegas seem to have. Paul is a Cage Rage veteran, and has never fought off of his native England. A former kickboxer, Paul likes to finish his fights with the crowd pleasing KO, winning 4 of his 7-2-1 record that way. He knows the ground as well, winning 2 by submission.
The losses tell the tale here, both of Paul's losses come by submission (Yuki Sasaki armbar, and Che Mills RNC), wile Crocota has no losses. Crocota trains with one of the best MMA strikers in the business, if that were not enough he trains with the best MMA submission experts in the business. I think this one goes to the ground, where Crocota wins by triangle second round.
Dennis Siver Vs. Jess Liaudin (Welterweight)
Siver is a 10-3 fighter out of Germany. I didn't know they had MMA in Germany. Anyway Siver has fought all over Europe winning most of the time (5 times) by submission. Siver learned his submissions doing Judo, and picked up kickboxing along the way. What gets most attention though is his Tae Kwon Do. That's right, his TKD. It seems that Dennis is fond of throwing multiple kicks with out putting his foot on the ground. Despite that Dennis is a very aggressive fighter, who looks to end the contest early.
Jess is yet another European kickboxer who has made the switch to MMA. He sports a record of 9-9, winning 5 by submission, and 2 by KO. He won his last fight in Cage Rage, and has fought one well known fighter, loosing to Shone Carter by decision.
I really don't know these guys, they have never fought in a large international show, so I have never seen them fight. Tale of the tape has Liaudin with a two inch height advantage, but not much else. I will go with Siver. He has the better record. Siver by decision.
Victor Valimaki Vs. Alessio Sakara (Light Heavyweight)
We last saw Valimaki loose by split decision to David Heath back on the UFC Riggs vs Sanchez card in December. Since then Victor knocked out Jared Kilkenny in his native Canada. A record of 9-3 is respectable, but 4 wins by decision is not (3KOs 2 sub).
Sakara is in a slump in the UFC as of late. He first got choked out by a Dean Lister triangle, then got knocked out in his very next fight by MFS fighter Drew McFedries. Not good. Sakara has to win here, and win impressively, to even be considered for another contract. With Zuffa owning two of the three major MMA orgs, a loss of a contract is essentially the end of your career. Sakara impressed the MMA community with his sharp boxing, but was not able to muster the KO power to end any but Elvis Sinosic nights.
Both guys are on the ropes. Both guys need a win. In the end I think that it is Sakara that has the ability to do it. Sakara by KO second round.
Junior Assuncao Vs. David Lee (Lightweight)
BJJ brown belt Cleuder Assuncao lost his fight to "Batman" Kurt Pellegrino by RNC, back in 10/2006. This took his record to 6-2, no surprise that 4 of his wins are by submission (2KOs). Junior is an exciting fighter who looks to finish, and finish he will need to do to stay alive in the very competitive lightweight division.
David Lee is a BJJ purple belt, who also lost his last fight in the UFC, also by RNC, he lost to Tyson Griffin, though... not Batman. Anyway Lee is a native of London, and will be fighting in front of his home town for the first time since May of last year. All of his 6 wins come by submission... but so do all of his three losses.
Both guys are ground fighters, Junior seems to carry a bit more power in his punches though. In the end this will come down to who is the better submission guy. I think that the better man is... Assuncao. He is from Brazil. All Brazilians are good fighters. Assuncao by RNC second round.
Matt Grice Vs. Terry Etim (Lightweight)
Matt Grice is well... I don't know who the hell he is. His record is 11-0, but he has not fought anywhere, or anyone that I recognize. I do know that he wrestled for Oklahoma, but was always injured.
Terry Etim has the strange honor to have fought in the same ring as Mike Tyson... Mike was the guest ref for one of Terry's fights... Terry won by submission (Diego Gonazles triangle), and had to tell Mike what was going on so that Mike could stop the fight. Anyway Terry loves his submissions winning all but one of his 9 fights that way. The one fight he did not win by submission he won by head kick. My kind of guy.
Both of these guys are unknown, and it is a little embarrassing that they end up meeting in the UFC. However the UFC likes to play on the nationalism of its host countries so there you go. Terry by triangle first round.
Assuerio Silva Vs. Cheick Kongo (Heavyweight)
Silva lost by guillotine to Brandon Vera the last time he set foot in the UFC, but you couldn't tell. Silva has been so lethargic in the UFC that it has been very difficult to tell if he is fighting, performing as a mime, or just sleeping in the ring. Outside of the UFC Silva picked up two wins, one by KO ( Eduardo Maiorino) and the other by split decision (Igor Pokrajac). Silva used to be known for his Muay Thai, and his leg locks, but not so much now.
Kongo showed us what a kickboxer can do, knocking out Christian Wellisch and Gilbert Aldana... he also showed us what happens when a one dimensional striker fights a one dimensional wrestler, loosing by split decision to takedown/lay and pray artist Carmelo Marrero. Knongo is 8-3-1 with 7 wins by KO, and one submission.
If Silva decides to wake up, this should be a fantastic fight. Both guys are heavy legged and heavy handed kickboxers, Kongo gets a slight edge in the power category. Silva is good on the ground, but not good at the takedown. Kongo is terrible on the ground, but ok at stopping the takedown. It makes for an interesting fight. Kongo by KO second round.
Andrei Arlovski Vs. Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweight)
Arlovski is back from his many surgeries (knee, right hand) and is ready to begin the comeback trail. He dropped his last fight, a snoozer, by decision to Tim Sylvia. Arlovski carries C-4 in his right hand and can knock anyone out. During his reign as Heavyweight Champ he knocked out Justin Eilers and Paul Buentello. Both in the first round... Buentello in the first 15 seconds.
Werdum is a BJJ black belt, and the former BJJ coach to CroCop. He wins by submission, and he has faced the best in the world. He tapped out: Tom Erickson (RNC), Roman Zentsov (triangle armbar), Alistair Overeem (Kimura), Kristof Midoux (triangle), and Aleksander Emelianenko (arm triangle). He is a bad, bad man.
If this goes to the ground it is Werdum's fight. If it stays on the feet it is Andrei's fight. The last time Andrei came up against a BJJ expert... he knocked him in to next week (Pe De Pano lasted 3:15). BUT Pe De Pano was not the figher Werdum is. Pe De Pano did not train with the fighters that Werdum has. I think that Werdum will be able to get Andrei against the fence and take him down. From there I think that it will end with a submission. Werdum by arm triangle first round.
Michael Bisping Vs. Elvis Sinosic (Light Heavyweight)
Mike won TUF.
Elvis lost his last two fights in the UFC.
Honestly the ONLY reason Elvis is fighting this fight is because he known in England... He won his last two fights in Cage Rage by armbar (Katsuhisa Fujii & Mark Epstein). He is sort of known in the US, but not really, and that is why he is perfect for Mike to beat on. Elvis is a semi-well known fighter, with not a chance in the world. Bisping by KO first round.
David Heath Vs. Lyoto Machida (Light Heavyweight)
David Heath is on a roll winning his last 9 fights, the last two of those in the UFC. He seems to be a man to be reckoned with in the Light Heavyweight division, and is ready for his first real test. He has a record of 9-1 winning by KO (1), submission (5) and decision (3). He is a well rounded fighter.
Machida won his last fight in the UFC over Sam Hoger by decision. He is mainly known for his unusual fighting style mixing Karate, Judo, and BJJ in to an eclectic style that has toppled Rich Franklin (KO) and Stephan Bonner (KO).
This should be a very interesting fight. Both guys are on the rise in the UFC, winning their last fights. Both guys are hungry and both guys work hard to finish the fight. This is a very tough choice, but I like the way Machida is able to cut EVERYBODY he fights. Machida by decision.
Mirko Filipovic Vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (Heavyweight)
CroCop kicks people's heads off. He owns some of the most brutal one punch/one kick KOs in the sport. For a rundown of his wins just run a YouTube search.
Gonzaga is a BJJ black belt with a very, very heavy right hand. He has won his last three fights in the UFC, two by KO (Kevin Jordan and Fabiano Scherner) then tapped out Carmelo Marrero by armbar in his last. Gonzaga is no joke, he has skills. His record is 7-1.
This is a very interesting fight. The UFC is done throwing CroCop cupcakes and now wants to get their money's worth out of him. They pit him against the one guy in the UFC's roster besides Nog who has a chance against him. Gonzaga is a thicker stronger version of Nog... with out the freakish chin. Gonzaga can knock out Cro Cop, and he also has the ability to tap Mirko out. Mirko's sprawl game worked like a charm in the ring, but can it work against the fence? It is going to be fun finding out.
Gonzaga has had one loss. A KO loss to Werdum, the man who trained Mirko how to fight on the ground. I think that is the telling factor here. Gonzaga will try to get Mirko against the fence, but he will try to do it with punches instead of the clinch where he might have a chance. Mirko by head kick second round.
If anyone wants to host us, that would be fun... otherwise we will all have to sit though all of the commercials. Wouldn't you rather DVR it and have your bestest friends come over an hour later to watch the fights without commercial interruption? You know you would.
Card and My Picks:
Edilberto Crocota Vs. Paul Taylor (Welterweight)
Crocota is a Brazilian fighter, and training partner of current Middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Like Silva, Crocota is a BJJ student of the Nog brothers, and his training pedigree shows by going 10-0-1, winning three by KO, and three by submission. Crocota is well known for his boxing skill, once winning a championship in his home country.
Paul Taylor begins the parade of local boys that all under cards of the UFCs out side of Vegas seem to have. Paul is a Cage Rage veteran, and has never fought off of his native England. A former kickboxer, Paul likes to finish his fights with the crowd pleasing KO, winning 4 of his 7-2-1 record that way. He knows the ground as well, winning 2 by submission.
The losses tell the tale here, both of Paul's losses come by submission (Yuki Sasaki armbar, and Che Mills RNC), wile Crocota has no losses. Crocota trains with one of the best MMA strikers in the business, if that were not enough he trains with the best MMA submission experts in the business. I think this one goes to the ground, where Crocota wins by triangle second round.
Dennis Siver Vs. Jess Liaudin (Welterweight)
Siver is a 10-3 fighter out of Germany. I didn't know they had MMA in Germany. Anyway Siver has fought all over Europe winning most of the time (5 times) by submission. Siver learned his submissions doing Judo, and picked up kickboxing along the way. What gets most attention though is his Tae Kwon Do. That's right, his TKD. It seems that Dennis is fond of throwing multiple kicks with out putting his foot on the ground. Despite that Dennis is a very aggressive fighter, who looks to end the contest early.
Jess is yet another European kickboxer who has made the switch to MMA. He sports a record of 9-9, winning 5 by submission, and 2 by KO. He won his last fight in Cage Rage, and has fought one well known fighter, loosing to Shone Carter by decision.
I really don't know these guys, they have never fought in a large international show, so I have never seen them fight. Tale of the tape has Liaudin with a two inch height advantage, but not much else. I will go with Siver. He has the better record. Siver by decision.
Victor Valimaki Vs. Alessio Sakara (Light Heavyweight)
We last saw Valimaki loose by split decision to David Heath back on the UFC Riggs vs Sanchez card in December. Since then Victor knocked out Jared Kilkenny in his native Canada. A record of 9-3 is respectable, but 4 wins by decision is not (3KOs 2 sub).
Sakara is in a slump in the UFC as of late. He first got choked out by a Dean Lister triangle, then got knocked out in his very next fight by MFS fighter Drew McFedries. Not good. Sakara has to win here, and win impressively, to even be considered for another contract. With Zuffa owning two of the three major MMA orgs, a loss of a contract is essentially the end of your career. Sakara impressed the MMA community with his sharp boxing, but was not able to muster the KO power to end any but Elvis Sinosic nights.
Both guys are on the ropes. Both guys need a win. In the end I think that it is Sakara that has the ability to do it. Sakara by KO second round.
Junior Assuncao Vs. David Lee (Lightweight)
BJJ brown belt Cleuder Assuncao lost his fight to "Batman" Kurt Pellegrino by RNC, back in 10/2006. This took his record to 6-2, no surprise that 4 of his wins are by submission (2KOs). Junior is an exciting fighter who looks to finish, and finish he will need to do to stay alive in the very competitive lightweight division.
David Lee is a BJJ purple belt, who also lost his last fight in the UFC, also by RNC, he lost to Tyson Griffin, though... not Batman. Anyway Lee is a native of London, and will be fighting in front of his home town for the first time since May of last year. All of his 6 wins come by submission... but so do all of his three losses.
Both guys are ground fighters, Junior seems to carry a bit more power in his punches though. In the end this will come down to who is the better submission guy. I think that the better man is... Assuncao. He is from Brazil. All Brazilians are good fighters. Assuncao by RNC second round.
Matt Grice Vs. Terry Etim (Lightweight)
Matt Grice is well... I don't know who the hell he is. His record is 11-0, but he has not fought anywhere, or anyone that I recognize. I do know that he wrestled for Oklahoma, but was always injured.
Terry Etim has the strange honor to have fought in the same ring as Mike Tyson... Mike was the guest ref for one of Terry's fights... Terry won by submission (Diego Gonazles triangle), and had to tell Mike what was going on so that Mike could stop the fight. Anyway Terry loves his submissions winning all but one of his 9 fights that way. The one fight he did not win by submission he won by head kick. My kind of guy.
Both of these guys are unknown, and it is a little embarrassing that they end up meeting in the UFC. However the UFC likes to play on the nationalism of its host countries so there you go. Terry by triangle first round.
Assuerio Silva Vs. Cheick Kongo (Heavyweight)
Silva lost by guillotine to Brandon Vera the last time he set foot in the UFC, but you couldn't tell. Silva has been so lethargic in the UFC that it has been very difficult to tell if he is fighting, performing as a mime, or just sleeping in the ring. Outside of the UFC Silva picked up two wins, one by KO ( Eduardo Maiorino) and the other by split decision (Igor Pokrajac). Silva used to be known for his Muay Thai, and his leg locks, but not so much now.
Kongo showed us what a kickboxer can do, knocking out Christian Wellisch and Gilbert Aldana... he also showed us what happens when a one dimensional striker fights a one dimensional wrestler, loosing by split decision to takedown/lay and pray artist Carmelo Marrero. Knongo is 8-3-1 with 7 wins by KO, and one submission.
If Silva decides to wake up, this should be a fantastic fight. Both guys are heavy legged and heavy handed kickboxers, Kongo gets a slight edge in the power category. Silva is good on the ground, but not good at the takedown. Kongo is terrible on the ground, but ok at stopping the takedown. It makes for an interesting fight. Kongo by KO second round.
Andrei Arlovski Vs. Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweight)
Arlovski is back from his many surgeries (knee, right hand) and is ready to begin the comeback trail. He dropped his last fight, a snoozer, by decision to Tim Sylvia. Arlovski carries C-4 in his right hand and can knock anyone out. During his reign as Heavyweight Champ he knocked out Justin Eilers and Paul Buentello. Both in the first round... Buentello in the first 15 seconds.
Werdum is a BJJ black belt, and the former BJJ coach to CroCop. He wins by submission, and he has faced the best in the world. He tapped out: Tom Erickson (RNC), Roman Zentsov (triangle armbar), Alistair Overeem (Kimura), Kristof Midoux (triangle), and Aleksander Emelianenko (arm triangle). He is a bad, bad man.
If this goes to the ground it is Werdum's fight. If it stays on the feet it is Andrei's fight. The last time Andrei came up against a BJJ expert... he knocked him in to next week (Pe De Pano lasted 3:15). BUT Pe De Pano was not the figher Werdum is. Pe De Pano did not train with the fighters that Werdum has. I think that Werdum will be able to get Andrei against the fence and take him down. From there I think that it will end with a submission. Werdum by arm triangle first round.
Michael Bisping Vs. Elvis Sinosic (Light Heavyweight)
Mike won TUF.
Elvis lost his last two fights in the UFC.
Honestly the ONLY reason Elvis is fighting this fight is because he known in England... He won his last two fights in Cage Rage by armbar (Katsuhisa Fujii & Mark Epstein). He is sort of known in the US, but not really, and that is why he is perfect for Mike to beat on. Elvis is a semi-well known fighter, with not a chance in the world. Bisping by KO first round.
David Heath Vs. Lyoto Machida (Light Heavyweight)
David Heath is on a roll winning his last 9 fights, the last two of those in the UFC. He seems to be a man to be reckoned with in the Light Heavyweight division, and is ready for his first real test. He has a record of 9-1 winning by KO (1), submission (5) and decision (3). He is a well rounded fighter.
Machida won his last fight in the UFC over Sam Hoger by decision. He is mainly known for his unusual fighting style mixing Karate, Judo, and BJJ in to an eclectic style that has toppled Rich Franklin (KO) and Stephan Bonner (KO).
This should be a very interesting fight. Both guys are on the rise in the UFC, winning their last fights. Both guys are hungry and both guys work hard to finish the fight. This is a very tough choice, but I like the way Machida is able to cut EVERYBODY he fights. Machida by decision.
Mirko Filipovic Vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (Heavyweight)
CroCop kicks people's heads off. He owns some of the most brutal one punch/one kick KOs in the sport. For a rundown of his wins just run a YouTube search.
Gonzaga is a BJJ black belt with a very, very heavy right hand. He has won his last three fights in the UFC, two by KO (Kevin Jordan and Fabiano Scherner) then tapped out Carmelo Marrero by armbar in his last. Gonzaga is no joke, he has skills. His record is 7-1.
This is a very interesting fight. The UFC is done throwing CroCop cupcakes and now wants to get their money's worth out of him. They pit him against the one guy in the UFC's roster besides Nog who has a chance against him. Gonzaga is a thicker stronger version of Nog... with out the freakish chin. Gonzaga can knock out Cro Cop, and he also has the ability to tap Mirko out. Mirko's sprawl game worked like a charm in the ring, but can it work against the fence? It is going to be fun finding out.
Gonzaga has had one loss. A KO loss to Werdum, the man who trained Mirko how to fight on the ground. I think that is the telling factor here. Gonzaga will try to get Mirko against the fence, but he will try to do it with punches instead of the clinch where he might have a chance. Mirko by head kick second round.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Where Does My Money Go?
This is a good one for the day after the unconstitutional, socialist, and oppressive income tax filing deadline.
Where does my money go?
http://www.thebudgetgraph.com/view/
Where does my money go?
http://www.thebudgetgraph.com/view/
V-Tech Shooting
I feel that I have to weigh in on this sad, tragic event. As the Gun Control nuts begin to circle they will ignore the simple fact that if just one student or teacher would have been armed, many lives would have been saved.
Yes, the guy was a nut. Yes, he obtained his gun through legal means. Yes, he did line people up on a wall and began shooting them. Could he have done that if someone in the room could throw bullets back at him? No way. He would have been forced to retreat.
Virgina law prohibits carrying a concealed weapon on collage campuses. Concealed carry holders are some of the most law abiding people around, so this virtually guaranteed that no one on the campus would be armed when this nut went on his shooting spree. It is easy to get people to do what you want them to do when they have no means of defending themselves. Just as the Jews in Hitler's Germany, oh wait, Hitler took their guns then gassed 6 million of them. Sorry, forgot about that for a moment.
Yes, the guy was a nut. Yes, he obtained his gun through legal means. Yes, he did line people up on a wall and began shooting them. Could he have done that if someone in the room could throw bullets back at him? No way. He would have been forced to retreat.
Virgina law prohibits carrying a concealed weapon on collage campuses. Concealed carry holders are some of the most law abiding people around, so this virtually guaranteed that no one on the campus would be armed when this nut went on his shooting spree. It is easy to get people to do what you want them to do when they have no means of defending themselves. Just as the Jews in Hitler's Germany, oh wait, Hitler took their guns then gassed 6 million of them. Sorry, forgot about that for a moment.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Tomb of Jesus - Does It Really Matter?
Does it really matter if all of the new testament is 100% historically true? It can't all be true, the gospels contradict one another on many points, however it does not diminish the message.
So what if a tomb as a 1 in 600 chance of being Jesus'? So what if Jesus married and had a son? Does it change the message of Christianity so much?
Plato was a man. Einstein was a man. Buddha was a man. Kano Jigoro was a man. They all died, yet the message they carried remains despite their failings as men, or the crazy untrue stories attributed to them.
Why is it that certain religions take the obvious falsehoods of their faith as absolute truth? You apply reason and logic to all other problems, but go completely hands off when it comes to your religion. Christ did not ascend, body and all, to heaven. Christ did not rise from the dead. (Really if you were going to rise from the dead and wanted everybody to know about it, would you only appear to your best friends? NO! You would walk up the Senate steps in the Forum in Rome and give the Emperor a kiss on the head. If Christ did appear only to his best friends, and expected is message to get out, then I give him zero style points.) There was no world wide flood that wiped out all of the creatures on earth. We are not all the descendants from Noah. God did not get angry when someone shot an arrow from the Tower of Babble.
The message is important, not the fantasy around it.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152766396&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
So what if a tomb as a 1 in 600 chance of being Jesus'? So what if Jesus married and had a son? Does it change the message of Christianity so much?
Plato was a man. Einstein was a man. Buddha was a man. Kano Jigoro was a man. They all died, yet the message they carried remains despite their failings as men, or the crazy untrue stories attributed to them.
Why is it that certain religions take the obvious falsehoods of their faith as absolute truth? You apply reason and logic to all other problems, but go completely hands off when it comes to your religion. Christ did not ascend, body and all, to heaven. Christ did not rise from the dead. (Really if you were going to rise from the dead and wanted everybody to know about it, would you only appear to your best friends? NO! You would walk up the Senate steps in the Forum in Rome and give the Emperor a kiss on the head. If Christ did appear only to his best friends, and expected is message to get out, then I give him zero style points.) There was no world wide flood that wiped out all of the creatures on earth. We are not all the descendants from Noah. God did not get angry when someone shot an arrow from the Tower of Babble.
The message is important, not the fantasy around it.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152766396&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Thing of Beauty
The Laincair Columbia 400. Fastest production single engine piston aircraft out there.
Queen at UFC 70?
Normally I don't care one way or another about the Queen of England... but rumor has it she will be at UFC 70!!!
Rule Britannia!!! Go Queen!!! Anybody know any Queen cheers? I don't. My people gave up royalty when Washington beat Cornwallis.
Rule Britannia!!! Go Queen!!! Anybody know any Queen cheers? I don't. My people gave up royalty when Washington beat Cornwallis.
"Individual" Declared Racist
Seeing that Al Sharpton has declared that "you people" is now a racial slur, I have declared that the word "Individual" is now the worst kind of racial slur.
When someone refers to you as an "individual" be sure to look shocked and ask "Who are you calling an individual?" If you are at work, report the offender to HR immediately, if the person is a police officer, report them to their supervisor, a radio show host, call for their immediate firing.
I figure since most of the country has decided that individual rights are offensive, you know, freedom of speech (refer to Don Imus), freedom of religion (refer to the evangelical Christians), freedom of the press (refer to the Democrat party boycott of the Fox News sponsored debate), right to bear arms (refer to any Democrat candidate, and Rudy Giuliani's mayorhood); that the word "individual" should be easy to convert in to a racial slur. That way it is simply easier to push social programs on the group.
Free speech is just that. There is nothing in the Constitution about the freedom from offense. If you don't like what somebody has to say, don't listen to them. When you oppress speech and thought that you don't like, you invite others to oppress YOUR thoughts and speech that they do not like. This is why the the first amendment was written the way it was. Many of the great founders were hunted down and hung for saying what they believed. They KNEW that speech must be protected or surely a tyrant would seek to silence the people.
When someone refers to you as an "individual" be sure to look shocked and ask "Who are you calling an individual?" If you are at work, report the offender to HR immediately, if the person is a police officer, report them to their supervisor, a radio show host, call for their immediate firing.
I figure since most of the country has decided that individual rights are offensive, you know, freedom of speech (refer to Don Imus), freedom of religion (refer to the evangelical Christians), freedom of the press (refer to the Democrat party boycott of the Fox News sponsored debate), right to bear arms (refer to any Democrat candidate, and Rudy Giuliani's mayorhood); that the word "individual" should be easy to convert in to a racial slur. That way it is simply easier to push social programs on the group.
Free speech is just that. There is nothing in the Constitution about the freedom from offense. If you don't like what somebody has to say, don't listen to them. When you oppress speech and thought that you don't like, you invite others to oppress YOUR thoughts and speech that they do not like. This is why the the first amendment was written the way it was. Many of the great founders were hunted down and hung for saying what they believed. They KNEW that speech must be protected or surely a tyrant would seek to silence the people.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
UFC 69 Shootout Recap
Luke Cummo def Josh Haynes KO (Punch) 2:45 rnd 2
My Pick: Luke by decision.
Good fight. Luke looked really sharp and simpy dropped Haynes.
My Pick: Luke by decision.
Good fight. Luke looked really sharp and simpy dropped Haynes.
Marcus Davis def Pete Spratt Submission (Ankle lock) 2:57 rnd 2
My Pick: Macus by RNC second round.
Round method and fighter, but not the submission... three out of four isn't bad... In my opinion this will be Pete's last fight in the UFC. He is just too one diminetional.
Thales Leites def Pete Sell Decision
My Pick: Thales by armbar first round
Pete hung on for the decision. Shows his heart, but that might be the end of his UFC fights for a while.
Heath Herring def Brad Imes Decision
My Pick: Herring by KO third round
Heath continues to under perform... I see him moving to PRIDE very soon.
Kendall Grove def Alan Belcher Submission (D'Arce Choke) 4:42 rnd 2
My Pick: Kendall by ref stoppage second round
Well... The ref did stop the fight in the second round... Good use of a common BJJ choke... I just wish that I could get it to work.
Yushin Okami def Mike Swick Decision
My Pick: Swick by KO first round
Okami dominated a Swick who seemed not to be able to pull the trigger. There were times that Mike clearly got the upper hand, but would not, or could not press the action.
Roger Huerta def Leonard Garcia Decision
My Pick: I call Roger by G&P KO second round
Garcia was hella tough in what was the most exciting fight of the night. I don't think he should have been throwing hammer fits at Roger from the bottom half guard though... Both guys showed that they can punch hard and can take a punch. Both guys showed that they have a ways to go before challanging for the title.
Josh Koscheck def Diego Sanchez Decision
My Pick: Diego by KO first round
Koscheck fought the perfect fight. Fake the takedown hit with one or two punches back out repeat. He did not waver from his game plan, and Diego had absolutely no answer for it. Diego looked scared of Josh's takedown, and Koscheck took full advantage of that.
Matt Serra def Georges St. Pierre TKO (Strikes) 3:25 rnd 1
My Pick: GSP KO first round.
Proving once and for all that anything is possible in a fight, Matt Serra wins in the first round. I gave him no chance. I give him no chance with the rest of the heavy hitters in the Welterweight class. I think that while this fight was not a fluke, it is not representitive of GSP's ability.
I go 6 of 9. I am getting beter!!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
UFN Recap
Not a bad event, but too many commercials...
Results:Thiago Tavares Naoyuki Kotani Decision
My Pick: Thiago by KO second round
Dang no KO but Thiago wins as predicted.
Roan Carneiro def Rich Clementi Decision
My Pick: Roan by decision.
I don't think that we will see Rich again...
Kuniyoshi Hironaka def Forrest Petz Decision
My Pick: Hironaka by decision
Three in a row for the win, two in a row for the pick!!
Kurt Pellegrino def Nate Mohr Submission (Ankle lock) 2:58 rnd 1
My Pick: Kurt taps out a game Mohr by RNC first round
Mohr was definitely game, but Kurt was just too slick. I get the fighter method and round, but not the submission.
Drew Fickett def Keita Nakamura Decision
My Pick: Drew by decision. Wow... I am good. Five in a row.
Wilson Gouveia def Seth Petruzelli Submission (Guillotine choke) 0:39 rnd 2
My Pick: Seth wins this one
Stupid gorillas.
Kenny Florian def Dokonjonosuke Mishima Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 3:57 rnd 3
My Pick: Mishima by decision
Wow... Mishima got owned.
He can not find his groove in the UFC. I think he has one more fight on his contract and they will send him to the WEC or PRIDE.
Justin McCully def Antoni Hardonk Decision
My Pick: Antoni by KO second round.
I drop three in a row, and I dropped off to sleep during this fight. I hate heavyweights who gas.
Joe Stevenson def Melvin Guillard Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:27 rnd 1
My Pick: Joe by RNC second round
This happened exactly they way I said it would. The end just happened sooner than I thought it would.
I go 6 -3 on the night. Not bad not bad.
Results:Thiago Tavares Naoyuki Kotani Decision
My Pick: Thiago by KO second round
Dang no KO but Thiago wins as predicted.
Roan Carneiro def Rich Clementi Decision
My Pick: Roan by decision.
I don't think that we will see Rich again...
Kuniyoshi Hironaka def Forrest Petz Decision
My Pick: Hironaka by decision
Three in a row for the win, two in a row for the pick!!
Kurt Pellegrino def Nate Mohr Submission (Ankle lock) 2:58 rnd 1
My Pick: Kurt taps out a game Mohr by RNC first round
Mohr was definitely game, but Kurt was just too slick. I get the fighter method and round, but not the submission.
Drew Fickett def Keita Nakamura Decision
My Pick: Drew by decision. Wow... I am good. Five in a row.
Wilson Gouveia def Seth Petruzelli Submission (Guillotine choke) 0:39 rnd 2
My Pick: Seth wins this one
Stupid gorillas.
Kenny Florian def Dokonjonosuke Mishima Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 3:57 rnd 3
My Pick: Mishima by decision
Wow... Mishima got owned.
He can not find his groove in the UFC. I think he has one more fight on his contract and they will send him to the WEC or PRIDE.
Justin McCully def Antoni Hardonk Decision
My Pick: Antoni by KO second round.
I drop three in a row, and I dropped off to sleep during this fight. I hate heavyweights who gas.
Joe Stevenson def Melvin Guillard Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:27 rnd 1
My Pick: Joe by RNC second round
This happened exactly they way I said it would. The end just happened sooner than I thought it would.
I go 6 -3 on the night. Not bad not bad.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
UFC 69 Shootout
They call this one shootout, but I call it "The Return of TUF!!!" All but one of the 9 fights feature at least one fighter who was on a TUF season. TWO of the fights pit fighters from the same season of TUF. The UFC loves its TUF boys, I don't know why you even try hard on the show, because if you win one fight, you get another fight on an Ultimate fight night. Win two fights, you get to be on a PPV. Win the whole thing, and you get fed creampuffs for your first 4 fights on PPV. Only Jason Thacker and Jeremy Jackson have never been heard from again.
Josh Haynes Vs. Luke Cummo (Welterweight)
Josh is the blue headed wonder out of Team Quest. I say wonder because with his sloppy stand up and horrible ground game it is a wonder that he wins fights. But winning is not what he has done lately. In his last five official fights he has gone 1-4. His only win over Seth Kleinbeck by RNC. Don't know who he is? That's ok, I don't either. He does fight for the We$t$ide Fight Team. I did not add the dollar signs... that is all them... Anyway Josh did what any fighter does who is loosing a lot... drop weight. Josh started out as a 215lb heavyweight, dropped to 205 for TUF, and now fights at 170. He sports an official 12-7 record with 10 of his wins by KO. Josh may be sloppy but he hits hard.
Luke is 1-2 in the UFC outside of the show. He has had some very tough losses where he fought very hard, but was dominated by more athletic fighters. He best showing by far was his decision win over Jason Von Flue. He dominated the stand up, and controlled on the ground. Luke is on the weird side, and fights out of Matt Serra's gym.
This is a tough fight to call because you have the sloppiness of Haynes combined with the average athlete heart of a lion of Cummo. Luke is easily over powered at his weight class by the bigger wrestlers, and that is not good since Haynes will be coming in much bigger than Luke will. Outside of that, Luke is just tenacious, and is good at exploiting little technical mistakes that his opponents make. I think that will be the deciding factor here. Luke by decision.
Marcus Davis Vs. Pete Spratt (Welterweight)
The Irish Hand Grenade returns to the Octagon after beating Shonie Carter by decision in front of a very pro Shonie carter crowd. Marcus has done well in the UFC after TUF going 2-0. Not bad for a guy who said he was retiring after tapping to Joe Stephenson in the show. Marcus is a boxer/wrestler. He trains out at MFS, so his game is complete, going 12-4 with 3 KOs and 6 subs.
Pete Spratt is a kickboxer who really has no ground game to speak of. His first fight in the UFC he did catch Zack Light with an armbar from the bottom, but we really have not seen any ground offence to speak of since. He tapped to Chris Lytle then to Matt Serra, losing both times on the ground. Pete is 15-9.
Marcus knows the score, and is no stranger to the ground. Pete knows the score and is no stranger to tapping. Marcus would be stupid to take on Spratt standing. He will shoot. Pete would be stupid to not know that Marcus is going to shoot. The issue here is that Pete really does not have any sprawl game to speak of, so he is going down. Macus by RNC second round.
Thales Leites Vs. Pete Sell (Welterweight)
Thales lost his debut by decision to Martin Kampmann, but showed great promise. Thales is a BJJ black belt out of Nova Uniao in Brazil, with a record of 10-1, with 7 subs and 2 KOs.
Pete Sell works out of Matt Serra's gym in New York. He lost his last outing by KO to Scott Smith in one of the most entertaining fights, and strangest endings ever. Pete likes the ground game, understandable coming from a BJJ team. His record is 7-2, with 3 submissions.
The thing about Pete is that he likes the ground game, but he really is not that good at it. He does not emulate the style of Matt Serra, and is rather passive on the ground. He will try to keep this fight standing, but I don't think that Thales will accommodate him. Thales is a master on the ground, and there he will overmatch Pete. Thales by armbar first round.
Brad Imes Vs. Heath Herring (Heavyweight)
Brad went to the minor leagues after tapping to a Dan Christison armbar in his last UFC outing. He went 2-0 with a KO and a triangle, and is hungry to return. Imes is 7-3 with 4 submissions, and one KO.
Heath had a terrible first outing in the UFC loosing to ham and egger Jake O'Brien. Heath was supposed to steamroll Jake, but somebody forgot to tell Jake that. Jake kept Heath on his back, and won the lay and pray decision. Heath did little to get himself off of the ground. In PRIDE Heath was a force, beating Tom Erickson (RNC), and TK (KO), he even managed to KO Garry Goodridge in K-1. Over all Heath is 26-12, showing a preference for submissions with 16, but still slinging the leather for 7 KOs.
This is an interesting match up with a Heath Herring who has clearly lost a few steps, and an inexperienced sloppy Brad Imes. I think that Imes is supposed to be a "name" that Herring can beat. Brad likes to fight from his back, and I don't think that is a good idea with the experienced Herring. Herring by KO third round.
Alan Belcher Vs. Kendall Grove (Middleweight)
Alan is coming off of a third round KO win over Jorge Santiago at the last UFN. Alan owns his own gym in Biloxi, and trains with BJJ black belt Helio Soneca. Alan is a BJJ blue belt and wins his fights with a mixture of KO and submissions. Alan is 1-1 in the UFC and 9-4 overall.
Kendall won season three of TUF, upsetting Ed Herman by decision to do it. Since then he has beat Chris Price by submission from strikes. He is a tall lanky fighter with very good knees, he broke Kalib Starnes' ribs in their fight. Kendall has a record of 8-3, 5 submissions and 2 KOs.
Kendall is supposed to win this one. Alan is a little tougher opponent than Chris Price, but not as tough as really anyone of consequence. The UFC wants to build his mystique. Alan is not a push over so Kendall will have to work hard, but I see this one happening like this: short stand up exchange, Alan shoots gets the takedown, Kendall reversing position and finishing with his Tito Ortiz trained G&P. Kendall by ref stoppage second round.
Yushin Okami Vs. Mike Swick (Welterweight)
Yushin Okami snuck up on the UFC by beating all of the TUF fighters they could throw at him... which was two. He beat Alan Belcher by decision, then knocked out Kalib Starnes, then made Rory Singer tap to strikes. Okami likes the ground, he has a very fast shot, but tends to give up on it quickly. His record is 23-3 with many of his wins coming by KO (8). Even so he is a ground guy winning decisions with dominant position.
Mike Swick has found his stride in the UFC, winning 5 in a row since moving in to his normal weight class of 185. His biggest win so far was over David Loiseau. He beat David by decision, but dominated the Canadian standing and on the ground. Mike is known for flash knock outs, and even faster submissions. Thus earning his nickname "Quick". Mike is 10-1 with 3 submissions, and 4 KOs.
Okami tends to have trouble with fighters who are good wrestlers and have heavy hands. Mike Swick has trouble with fighters who swing wildly, or attack methodically on the ground... Okami is nether of these, however Mike Swick is a heavy handed wrestler. Okami has a decent chin, but he tends to stick it out where it can be hit. Mike is a powerful accurate puncher who can easily hit the mark. Swick by KO first round.
Diego Sanchez Vs. Josh Koscheck (Middleweight)
Diego is on a 6 fight winning streak in the UFC and a 17 fight winning streak overall. We all know the TUF 1 Middleweight winner. He has good hands, powerful knees, and strong submissions. He likes to exchange a bit standing up, get the takedown, G&P for position then G&P for the win or until the submission presents its self.
Kos is a wrestler. He has learned some stand up, but not very much. He is very much like the fighter we saw in TUF 1. Explosive takedowns, weak submissions, weak G&P.
I don't see a need for this fight because Kos is a very slow learner while Diego has improved dramatically. Koscheck will be hoping for the takedown, like the last time, Deigo will stuff him, like the last time, and throw knees in to Kos' noggin. If Josh tries to stand with Diego, it will be over very quickly as Kos can not match Diego's hand speed. Diego by KO first round.
Roger Huerta Vs. Leonard Garcia (Lightweight)
Roger is 2-0 in the UFC beating Jason Dent by decision and John Halverson by KO. Roger is showing real talent in the lightweight division, and absorbing all his MFS teammates can teach him.
Leonard Garcia is a Marc Laimon fighter with a record of 9-1, 8 by submission, one by KO. Garcia is a dynamic fighter known for throwing submission anywhere he sees an opening, even standing up. One of his fights ended when he caught Shawn Simpson with a flying triangle choke.
Interesting match up, but I don't think that Roger is going to get caught by any crazy submission. I think that a take down here is inevitable, but which fighter will get it? Hard to say... I call Roger by G&P KO second round.
Georges St-Pierre Vs. Matt Serra (Welterweight)
GSP beat Matt Hughes (KO), BJ Penn (decision), Frank Trigg (RNC), Sean Sherk (KO), Dave Strasser (Kimura), and Jason Miller (decision). He is the man.
Matt Serra could barely get through Shonie Carter and Chris Lytle. He is not the man.
Matt Serra does not deserve to be in the same ring as GSP, let a lone in a fight with him. GSP will stuff all of Matt's takedown attempts. If Sherk could not get GSP down, Serra certainly won't. GSP will then knock Matt out standing. GSP KO first round.
Josh Haynes Vs. Luke Cummo (Welterweight)
Josh is the blue headed wonder out of Team Quest. I say wonder because with his sloppy stand up and horrible ground game it is a wonder that he wins fights. But winning is not what he has done lately. In his last five official fights he has gone 1-4. His only win over Seth Kleinbeck by RNC. Don't know who he is? That's ok, I don't either. He does fight for the We$t$ide Fight Team. I did not add the dollar signs... that is all them... Anyway Josh did what any fighter does who is loosing a lot... drop weight. Josh started out as a 215lb heavyweight, dropped to 205 for TUF, and now fights at 170. He sports an official 12-7 record with 10 of his wins by KO. Josh may be sloppy but he hits hard.
Luke is 1-2 in the UFC outside of the show. He has had some very tough losses where he fought very hard, but was dominated by more athletic fighters. He best showing by far was his decision win over Jason Von Flue. He dominated the stand up, and controlled on the ground. Luke is on the weird side, and fights out of Matt Serra's gym.
This is a tough fight to call because you have the sloppiness of Haynes combined with the average athlete heart of a lion of Cummo. Luke is easily over powered at his weight class by the bigger wrestlers, and that is not good since Haynes will be coming in much bigger than Luke will. Outside of that, Luke is just tenacious, and is good at exploiting little technical mistakes that his opponents make. I think that will be the deciding factor here. Luke by decision.
Marcus Davis Vs. Pete Spratt (Welterweight)
The Irish Hand Grenade returns to the Octagon after beating Shonie Carter by decision in front of a very pro Shonie carter crowd. Marcus has done well in the UFC after TUF going 2-0. Not bad for a guy who said he was retiring after tapping to Joe Stephenson in the show. Marcus is a boxer/wrestler. He trains out at MFS, so his game is complete, going 12-4 with 3 KOs and 6 subs.
Pete Spratt is a kickboxer who really has no ground game to speak of. His first fight in the UFC he did catch Zack Light with an armbar from the bottom, but we really have not seen any ground offence to speak of since. He tapped to Chris Lytle then to Matt Serra, losing both times on the ground. Pete is 15-9.
Marcus knows the score, and is no stranger to the ground. Pete knows the score and is no stranger to tapping. Marcus would be stupid to take on Spratt standing. He will shoot. Pete would be stupid to not know that Marcus is going to shoot. The issue here is that Pete really does not have any sprawl game to speak of, so he is going down. Macus by RNC second round.
Thales Leites Vs. Pete Sell (Welterweight)
Thales lost his debut by decision to Martin Kampmann, but showed great promise. Thales is a BJJ black belt out of Nova Uniao in Brazil, with a record of 10-1, with 7 subs and 2 KOs.
Pete Sell works out of Matt Serra's gym in New York. He lost his last outing by KO to Scott Smith in one of the most entertaining fights, and strangest endings ever. Pete likes the ground game, understandable coming from a BJJ team. His record is 7-2, with 3 submissions.
The thing about Pete is that he likes the ground game, but he really is not that good at it. He does not emulate the style of Matt Serra, and is rather passive on the ground. He will try to keep this fight standing, but I don't think that Thales will accommodate him. Thales is a master on the ground, and there he will overmatch Pete. Thales by armbar first round.
Brad Imes Vs. Heath Herring (Heavyweight)
Brad went to the minor leagues after tapping to a Dan Christison armbar in his last UFC outing. He went 2-0 with a KO and a triangle, and is hungry to return. Imes is 7-3 with 4 submissions, and one KO.
Heath had a terrible first outing in the UFC loosing to ham and egger Jake O'Brien. Heath was supposed to steamroll Jake, but somebody forgot to tell Jake that. Jake kept Heath on his back, and won the lay and pray decision. Heath did little to get himself off of the ground. In PRIDE Heath was a force, beating Tom Erickson (RNC), and TK (KO), he even managed to KO Garry Goodridge in K-1. Over all Heath is 26-12, showing a preference for submissions with 16, but still slinging the leather for 7 KOs.
This is an interesting match up with a Heath Herring who has clearly lost a few steps, and an inexperienced sloppy Brad Imes. I think that Imes is supposed to be a "name" that Herring can beat. Brad likes to fight from his back, and I don't think that is a good idea with the experienced Herring. Herring by KO third round.
Alan Belcher Vs. Kendall Grove (Middleweight)
Alan is coming off of a third round KO win over Jorge Santiago at the last UFN. Alan owns his own gym in Biloxi, and trains with BJJ black belt Helio Soneca. Alan is a BJJ blue belt and wins his fights with a mixture of KO and submissions. Alan is 1-1 in the UFC and 9-4 overall.
Kendall won season three of TUF, upsetting Ed Herman by decision to do it. Since then he has beat Chris Price by submission from strikes. He is a tall lanky fighter with very good knees, he broke Kalib Starnes' ribs in their fight. Kendall has a record of 8-3, 5 submissions and 2 KOs.
Kendall is supposed to win this one. Alan is a little tougher opponent than Chris Price, but not as tough as really anyone of consequence. The UFC wants to build his mystique. Alan is not a push over so Kendall will have to work hard, but I see this one happening like this: short stand up exchange, Alan shoots gets the takedown, Kendall reversing position and finishing with his Tito Ortiz trained G&P. Kendall by ref stoppage second round.
Yushin Okami Vs. Mike Swick (Welterweight)
Yushin Okami snuck up on the UFC by beating all of the TUF fighters they could throw at him... which was two. He beat Alan Belcher by decision, then knocked out Kalib Starnes, then made Rory Singer tap to strikes. Okami likes the ground, he has a very fast shot, but tends to give up on it quickly. His record is 23-3 with many of his wins coming by KO (8). Even so he is a ground guy winning decisions with dominant position.
Mike Swick has found his stride in the UFC, winning 5 in a row since moving in to his normal weight class of 185. His biggest win so far was over David Loiseau. He beat David by decision, but dominated the Canadian standing and on the ground. Mike is known for flash knock outs, and even faster submissions. Thus earning his nickname "Quick". Mike is 10-1 with 3 submissions, and 4 KOs.
Okami tends to have trouble with fighters who are good wrestlers and have heavy hands. Mike Swick has trouble with fighters who swing wildly, or attack methodically on the ground... Okami is nether of these, however Mike Swick is a heavy handed wrestler. Okami has a decent chin, but he tends to stick it out where it can be hit. Mike is a powerful accurate puncher who can easily hit the mark. Swick by KO first round.
Diego Sanchez Vs. Josh Koscheck (Middleweight)
Diego is on a 6 fight winning streak in the UFC and a 17 fight winning streak overall. We all know the TUF 1 Middleweight winner. He has good hands, powerful knees, and strong submissions. He likes to exchange a bit standing up, get the takedown, G&P for position then G&P for the win or until the submission presents its self.
Kos is a wrestler. He has learned some stand up, but not very much. He is very much like the fighter we saw in TUF 1. Explosive takedowns, weak submissions, weak G&P.
I don't see a need for this fight because Kos is a very slow learner while Diego has improved dramatically. Koscheck will be hoping for the takedown, like the last time, Deigo will stuff him, like the last time, and throw knees in to Kos' noggin. If Josh tries to stand with Diego, it will be over very quickly as Kos can not match Diego's hand speed. Diego by KO first round.
Roger Huerta Vs. Leonard Garcia (Lightweight)
Roger is 2-0 in the UFC beating Jason Dent by decision and John Halverson by KO. Roger is showing real talent in the lightweight division, and absorbing all his MFS teammates can teach him.
Leonard Garcia is a Marc Laimon fighter with a record of 9-1, 8 by submission, one by KO. Garcia is a dynamic fighter known for throwing submission anywhere he sees an opening, even standing up. One of his fights ended when he caught Shawn Simpson with a flying triangle choke.
Interesting match up, but I don't think that Roger is going to get caught by any crazy submission. I think that a take down here is inevitable, but which fighter will get it? Hard to say... I call Roger by G&P KO second round.
Georges St-Pierre Vs. Matt Serra (Welterweight)
GSP beat Matt Hughes (KO), BJ Penn (decision), Frank Trigg (RNC), Sean Sherk (KO), Dave Strasser (Kimura), and Jason Miller (decision). He is the man.
Matt Serra could barely get through Shonie Carter and Chris Lytle. He is not the man.
Matt Serra does not deserve to be in the same ring as GSP, let a lone in a fight with him. GSP will stuff all of Matt's takedown attempts. If Sherk could not get GSP down, Serra certainly won't. GSP will then knock Matt out standing. GSP KO first round.
Monday, April 2, 2007
UFC Fight Night April 5th
The UFC comes out with its latest UFC, featuring many TUF fighters, but also a lot of new talent from RINGs and other Japanese shows. Speaking of TUF, don't forget that TUF 5 begins right after the show. BJ Penn, and Jens Pulver are the coaches, with Joe Lauzon and company in the house.
Card and My Picks
Naoyuki Kotani Vs. Thiago Tavares (Lightweight)
Naoyuki Kotani trains with his brother Hiroaki Kotani at the famous Kz Factory in Tokyo. The last time we saw him do anything, was when he got knocked out in 11 seconds vs Luiz Azeredo. Naoyuki is a journeyman fighter in the Rings and ZST shows in Japan; amassing a record of 17-5-4. Like most Japanese fighters, Kotani is a ground fighter, winning 13 of his 17 by submission. Like most ground specialists, if he doesn't tap you, it goes the distance, owing for his 4 draws.
Kotani has fought in the US, and in a cage, before back in December of 2004, he beat Vito Woods by armbar in the Xtreem Fighting organization.
Thiago is 6-0, and comes out of American Top Team. His record is impressive, but made more so when you know that none of his fights have gone the distance. Thiago finished them all with 5 submissions and one KO. What is not so impressive is when you find out that only two of his opponents have winning records. Of the four that do not have winning records, half were making their debut when they fought Thiago.
This looks to bee a ground battle with two good ground guys from two good ground schools facing off. Kotani has the edge in experience, and in opposition (he lost to Yves Edwards KO, Roger Huerta KO, Rich Clementi Decision, and Luiz Azeredo KO). I don't know enough about either fighter to say who is better standing up, but if you pressed me I would give the edge to Thiago, because his team is so well rounded. In the end, I think that Thiago gets the W. Thiago by KO second round.
Roan Carneiro Vs. Rich Clementi (Lightweight)
Roan fights out of the famous Brazilian Top Team and has a record of 10-5. His wins come just as you would expect from a ground fighter, by submission (6) and decision (4). He has fought mainly around Brazil, with occasional bouts in Japan, and elsewhere.
Rich Clementi has gotten his wish of fighting again in the UFC... but has not done much with it. He was beaten by Shone Carter by decision on the show, then was choked out by Din Thomas. He then tapped the hapless Ross Pointon, but not until late in the second round. Rich seems to be a good "B" level fighter, but he just can not quite step in to the "A" level. He is primarily a BJJ guy, preferring to tap his opponents out, his 10 of 27 wins by submission speak to that.
The real telling stat here is that Rich has 11 wins by knock out... really 10, cause he knocked out Brian Dunn once, and Brian once knocked him self out while eating Cheetos, anyway of Roan's 5 losses 3 of them come by KO, and to guys who have much less experience than Rich... Well, not really. Roan was knocked out by Anderson Silva, Ryo Chonan and Leonardo Nascimento ( I don't know who he is either). Both guys are tough and have good ground games. Rich tends to fold when he does not have the upper hand, and it will be tough on the ground. Carneiro is a BJJ black belt, and trains with one of the best teams in the world. Rich trains by himself. I think that this one will go to the ground, and then be decided there. Roan by decision.
Seth Petruzelli Vs. Wilson Gouveia (Light Heavyweight)
The Silver Back returns to the Octagon. The last time we saw Seth, he lost a decision to deaf fighter Matt Hamill in October of 2006. Seth is known for his kickboxing, especially his powerful leg kicks. His record is 9-4, with 7 wins by KO, the rest decisions. Seth is not really known for his ground work, loosing two of his four by submission.
Wilson Gouveia is a 7-4 fighter out of American Top Team. He is a BJJ black belt, and yet only has won 2 of his fights by submission. The knock out is his favored way to end a fight winning 4 in that manner. Wilson has had trouble with his stand up, and tends to submission wrestle when he is on the ground. It makes for a messy MMA fight, because he gets hit a lot on the ground.
Seth is a good wrestler, but not very good from his back. Wilson is a good BJJ fighter, but tends to absorb too much punishment on the ground. Both have their advantages, but I think that Seth wins this one.
Forrest Petz Vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (Welterweight)
Forrest beat Sam Morgan, then lost to Marcus Davis... How do you beat Sam then loose to Marcus??? Anyway, Forrest is a tough guy with a good record of 15-3. He has been in with some very heavy hitters and came out respectably loosing by triangle to Josh Neer, and beating Krazy Horse Charles Bennett by forearm choke.
Kuniyoshi is a Judo and BJJ black belt out of Tokyo's SSS Academy. He is also the guy who knocked out, and made Renato Verissimo go in to retirement the first time. Before that he held a decision win over Nick Diaz, but lost his UFC debut by decision to Jon Fitch.
Kuniyoshi is a ground guy, but has knocked guys out before. His record is 10-3
Petz is a replacement for Jeff Joslin, who dropped out due to a training injury. Petz seems to be more the MMA jack of all trades, where Hironaka is certainly a ground guy who punches. The deciding factor is this: when Petz was fighting in front of hundreds at Absolute Combat Challenge, and Fightfest, Kuniyoshi was fighting in front of thousands at Shooto. This is not Petz's first rodeo, but I don't think he has what it takes to beat Kuniyoshi. Hironaka by decision.
Kurt Pellegrino Vs. Nate Mohr (Welterweight)
"Batman" Pellegrino is 1-1 in UFC competition beating Cleuder Assuncao by RNC, but loosing to Drew Fickett by the same submission. Kurt is currently 13-2, with 7 wins by submission and 2 by KO. Kurt is a prodigious submission wrestling competitor. He is a BJJ black belt who used to train at ATT, but left with Hermies Franca to start the Armory. Both camps are excellent MMA schools with a heavy emphasis on BJJ.
Nate Mohr is 8-3 and makes his debut in the UFC. John Strawn is the only guy who Nate has fought that I know of... that is because Justin James beat John by armbar to take the VFC light weight title. Nate lost to John by RNC... Nate hits hard, all but one of his wins are by submission due to strikes or KO. He has one Guillotine Choke to his credit.
Nate took this fight on very short notice, less than a week. The telling statistic is all of Nate's three losses have been by submission. Kurt is a BJJ black belt who trains at one of the best submission academies in the US. Not a good thing if you are Nate. Kurt taps out a game Mohr by RNC first round.
Keita Nakamura Vs. Drew Fickett (Welterweight)
K-taro lost his opening fight in the UFC by decision to Brock Larson. That was his first loss. His record is 13-1-2. He has fought in some cage fights in Japan, but mostly fought in the Shooto organization. He is a ground guy, winning 8 by submission, twice winning three consecutive fights in a row by RNC.
Drew Fickett lost his last outing in the UFC by decision to Karo Parisyan. It was a very very entertaining fight. Drew always gives it his best. Drew is now 29-5.
Drew is primarily a ground guy, winning 17 by submission. He has been adrift lately with his training, he trained with Ivan Salavary last fight, but I am not sure who he was with this time. Ivan had him in such terrific shape for his last fight, I can not think why he did not go back.
This will be another very tough fight for Drew. K-Taro is a very tough ground guy, not as tough as Karo, but very tough none the less. I have a hard time picking against Drew, but I just don't know how his training has gone this time through... Drew by decision.
Dokonjonosuke Mishima Vs. Kenny Florian (Lightweight)
MISHIMA!!!! Dokonjonosuke lost his last outing to Joe Stephenson by guillotine choke. A choke he simply handed to Joe. Mishima is Shooto, DEEP, and PRIDE veteran, going 17-5-2, and is currently the only fighter to have won a fight by "Cobra Hold." Mishima is a ground fighter, but you can't really attach any style to him. He is very unorthodox. Eight of his wins are by submission.
Kenny Florian lost a very tough decision to Sean Sherk in his last UFC outing. Kenny is known in the UFC for his amazingly sharp elbows, winning fights vs Alex Karalexis and Chris Leben by cut stoppage. Kenny is a BJJ black belt and was a very active submission wrestler in the lighter weight classes, much lighter like 145lbs. As a MMA fighter Kenny fought in the 170lb class, officially going 1-1. His over all record is 6-3.
Mishima has trouble with big strong wrestler/punchers. Kenny tends to have problems with powerful wrestlers. Neither one is the other's nemesis. Mishima is a slick submission guy. Kenny is a methodical kickboxer/ground fighter. Mishima throws out submissions like Nick hands out STDs. Kenny picks his shots, like Warren finding a girl who he is not "just friends" with. This should be an entertaining fight, and I don't think that Mishima will mess up like he did last time. Mishima by decision!!!
Justin McCully Vs. Antoni Hardonk (Heavyweight)
McCully is a Team Punishment fighter with a respectable 7-3 record. Ummm... Evan Tanner beat Justin by submission back in 1998. Ummm... Justin fought last in Valor Fighting beating Ruben Villareal (Warpath) by Front Choke. Ummm... yeah that's it.
Antoni last his UFC debut over Sherman "The Tank" Pendergarst by destroying "The Tank's" left leg with crushing leg kicks. Antoni's over all record is 4-1, with a nearly impossible submission (Keylock) victory over Wes Sims. Antoni is known as a kickboxer and trains Muay Thai at Bas Rutten's old gym Vos in Holland. Isn't that weird???
Justin is just like Sherman; a big wrestler who will look to shoot and G&P. I very much doubt that Justin will want to trade with Antoni after what happened to "The Tank." I think that Antoni stuffs the shot and imposes his will on Justin. Antoni by KO second round.
Joe Stevenson Vs. Melvin Guillard (Lightweight)
Joe is coming off a gimme win over Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Joe has had mixed results in the UFC beating Mishima and Yves Edwards, but loosing a decision to Josh Neer. After the loss to Neer, Joe moved down to light weight to beat the other two. Joe is a very good submission wrestler, who fancies himself a kickboxer. It is a good thing that after getting hit a few times, he remembers that he is a ground guy. Joe's record is 27-6, winning 13 by submission, 6 by KO.
Melvin is a very athletic, powerful kickboxer/wrestler. That really sums up his game. He is 21-6-1, winning 15 by KO, and 2 by submission.
Melvin will knock your teeth right out of your head, then slam you on the ground, then finish you with elbows. He is big, strong, and powerful. The problem is that he is not very smart. Joe likes to trade, but then takes you down to submit you. Joe is a bit smarter than Melvin. Again the telling stat is that all but two of Melvin's losses are by submission. Joe has not lost a fight by submission or KO since Chris Brennan caught him in a triangle in 1999. Melvin will try to slam and power his way out of the Stevenson submissions, but I don't think that he can avoid them forever. Joe by RNC second round.
Card and My Picks
Naoyuki Kotani Vs. Thiago Tavares (Lightweight)
Naoyuki Kotani trains with his brother Hiroaki Kotani at the famous Kz Factory in Tokyo. The last time we saw him do anything, was when he got knocked out in 11 seconds vs Luiz Azeredo. Naoyuki is a journeyman fighter in the Rings and ZST shows in Japan; amassing a record of 17-5-4. Like most Japanese fighters, Kotani is a ground fighter, winning 13 of his 17 by submission. Like most ground specialists, if he doesn't tap you, it goes the distance, owing for his 4 draws.
Kotani has fought in the US, and in a cage, before back in December of 2004, he beat Vito Woods by armbar in the Xtreem Fighting organization.
Thiago is 6-0, and comes out of American Top Team. His record is impressive, but made more so when you know that none of his fights have gone the distance. Thiago finished them all with 5 submissions and one KO. What is not so impressive is when you find out that only two of his opponents have winning records. Of the four that do not have winning records, half were making their debut when they fought Thiago.
This looks to bee a ground battle with two good ground guys from two good ground schools facing off. Kotani has the edge in experience, and in opposition (he lost to Yves Edwards KO, Roger Huerta KO, Rich Clementi Decision, and Luiz Azeredo KO). I don't know enough about either fighter to say who is better standing up, but if you pressed me I would give the edge to Thiago, because his team is so well rounded. In the end, I think that Thiago gets the W. Thiago by KO second round.
Roan Carneiro Vs. Rich Clementi (Lightweight)
Roan fights out of the famous Brazilian Top Team and has a record of 10-5. His wins come just as you would expect from a ground fighter, by submission (6) and decision (4). He has fought mainly around Brazil, with occasional bouts in Japan, and elsewhere.
Rich Clementi has gotten his wish of fighting again in the UFC... but has not done much with it. He was beaten by Shone Carter by decision on the show, then was choked out by Din Thomas. He then tapped the hapless Ross Pointon, but not until late in the second round. Rich seems to be a good "B" level fighter, but he just can not quite step in to the "A" level. He is primarily a BJJ guy, preferring to tap his opponents out, his 10 of 27 wins by submission speak to that.
The real telling stat here is that Rich has 11 wins by knock out... really 10, cause he knocked out Brian Dunn once, and Brian once knocked him self out while eating Cheetos, anyway of Roan's 5 losses 3 of them come by KO, and to guys who have much less experience than Rich... Well, not really. Roan was knocked out by Anderson Silva, Ryo Chonan and Leonardo Nascimento ( I don't know who he is either). Both guys are tough and have good ground games. Rich tends to fold when he does not have the upper hand, and it will be tough on the ground. Carneiro is a BJJ black belt, and trains with one of the best teams in the world. Rich trains by himself. I think that this one will go to the ground, and then be decided there. Roan by decision.
Seth Petruzelli Vs. Wilson Gouveia (Light Heavyweight)
The Silver Back returns to the Octagon. The last time we saw Seth, he lost a decision to deaf fighter Matt Hamill in October of 2006. Seth is known for his kickboxing, especially his powerful leg kicks. His record is 9-4, with 7 wins by KO, the rest decisions. Seth is not really known for his ground work, loosing two of his four by submission.
Wilson Gouveia is a 7-4 fighter out of American Top Team. He is a BJJ black belt, and yet only has won 2 of his fights by submission. The knock out is his favored way to end a fight winning 4 in that manner. Wilson has had trouble with his stand up, and tends to submission wrestle when he is on the ground. It makes for a messy MMA fight, because he gets hit a lot on the ground.
Seth is a good wrestler, but not very good from his back. Wilson is a good BJJ fighter, but tends to absorb too much punishment on the ground. Both have their advantages, but I think that Seth wins this one.
Forrest Petz Vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (Welterweight)
Forrest beat Sam Morgan, then lost to Marcus Davis... How do you beat Sam then loose to Marcus??? Anyway, Forrest is a tough guy with a good record of 15-3. He has been in with some very heavy hitters and came out respectably loosing by triangle to Josh Neer, and beating Krazy Horse Charles Bennett by forearm choke.
Kuniyoshi is a Judo and BJJ black belt out of Tokyo's SSS Academy. He is also the guy who knocked out, and made Renato Verissimo go in to retirement the first time. Before that he held a decision win over Nick Diaz, but lost his UFC debut by decision to Jon Fitch.
Kuniyoshi is a ground guy, but has knocked guys out before. His record is 10-3
Petz is a replacement for Jeff Joslin, who dropped out due to a training injury. Petz seems to be more the MMA jack of all trades, where Hironaka is certainly a ground guy who punches. The deciding factor is this: when Petz was fighting in front of hundreds at Absolute Combat Challenge, and Fightfest, Kuniyoshi was fighting in front of thousands at Shooto. This is not Petz's first rodeo, but I don't think he has what it takes to beat Kuniyoshi. Hironaka by decision.
Kurt Pellegrino Vs. Nate Mohr (Welterweight)
"Batman" Pellegrino is 1-1 in UFC competition beating Cleuder Assuncao by RNC, but loosing to Drew Fickett by the same submission. Kurt is currently 13-2, with 7 wins by submission and 2 by KO. Kurt is a prodigious submission wrestling competitor. He is a BJJ black belt who used to train at ATT, but left with Hermies Franca to start the Armory. Both camps are excellent MMA schools with a heavy emphasis on BJJ.
Nate Mohr is 8-3 and makes his debut in the UFC. John Strawn is the only guy who Nate has fought that I know of... that is because Justin James beat John by armbar to take the VFC light weight title. Nate lost to John by RNC... Nate hits hard, all but one of his wins are by submission due to strikes or KO. He has one Guillotine Choke to his credit.
Nate took this fight on very short notice, less than a week. The telling statistic is all of Nate's three losses have been by submission. Kurt is a BJJ black belt who trains at one of the best submission academies in the US. Not a good thing if you are Nate. Kurt taps out a game Mohr by RNC first round.
Keita Nakamura Vs. Drew Fickett (Welterweight)
K-taro lost his opening fight in the UFC by decision to Brock Larson. That was his first loss. His record is 13-1-2. He has fought in some cage fights in Japan, but mostly fought in the Shooto organization. He is a ground guy, winning 8 by submission, twice winning three consecutive fights in a row by RNC.
Drew Fickett lost his last outing in the UFC by decision to Karo Parisyan. It was a very very entertaining fight. Drew always gives it his best. Drew is now 29-5.
Drew is primarily a ground guy, winning 17 by submission. He has been adrift lately with his training, he trained with Ivan Salavary last fight, but I am not sure who he was with this time. Ivan had him in such terrific shape for his last fight, I can not think why he did not go back.
This will be another very tough fight for Drew. K-Taro is a very tough ground guy, not as tough as Karo, but very tough none the less. I have a hard time picking against Drew, but I just don't know how his training has gone this time through... Drew by decision.
Dokonjonosuke Mishima Vs. Kenny Florian (Lightweight)
MISHIMA!!!! Dokonjonosuke lost his last outing to Joe Stephenson by guillotine choke. A choke he simply handed to Joe. Mishima is Shooto, DEEP, and PRIDE veteran, going 17-5-2, and is currently the only fighter to have won a fight by "Cobra Hold." Mishima is a ground fighter, but you can't really attach any style to him. He is very unorthodox. Eight of his wins are by submission.
Kenny Florian lost a very tough decision to Sean Sherk in his last UFC outing. Kenny is known in the UFC for his amazingly sharp elbows, winning fights vs Alex Karalexis and Chris Leben by cut stoppage. Kenny is a BJJ black belt and was a very active submission wrestler in the lighter weight classes, much lighter like 145lbs. As a MMA fighter Kenny fought in the 170lb class, officially going 1-1. His over all record is 6-3.
Mishima has trouble with big strong wrestler/punchers. Kenny tends to have problems with powerful wrestlers. Neither one is the other's nemesis. Mishima is a slick submission guy. Kenny is a methodical kickboxer/ground fighter. Mishima throws out submissions like Nick hands out STDs. Kenny picks his shots, like Warren finding a girl who he is not "just friends" with. This should be an entertaining fight, and I don't think that Mishima will mess up like he did last time. Mishima by decision!!!
Justin McCully Vs. Antoni Hardonk (Heavyweight)
McCully is a Team Punishment fighter with a respectable 7-3 record. Ummm... Evan Tanner beat Justin by submission back in 1998. Ummm... Justin fought last in Valor Fighting beating Ruben Villareal (Warpath) by Front Choke. Ummm... yeah that's it.
Antoni last his UFC debut over Sherman "The Tank" Pendergarst by destroying "The Tank's" left leg with crushing leg kicks. Antoni's over all record is 4-1, with a nearly impossible submission (Keylock) victory over Wes Sims. Antoni is known as a kickboxer and trains Muay Thai at Bas Rutten's old gym Vos in Holland. Isn't that weird???
Justin is just like Sherman; a big wrestler who will look to shoot and G&P. I very much doubt that Justin will want to trade with Antoni after what happened to "The Tank." I think that Antoni stuffs the shot and imposes his will on Justin. Antoni by KO second round.
Joe Stevenson Vs. Melvin Guillard (Lightweight)
Joe is coming off a gimme win over Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Joe has had mixed results in the UFC beating Mishima and Yves Edwards, but loosing a decision to Josh Neer. After the loss to Neer, Joe moved down to light weight to beat the other two. Joe is a very good submission wrestler, who fancies himself a kickboxer. It is a good thing that after getting hit a few times, he remembers that he is a ground guy. Joe's record is 27-6, winning 13 by submission, 6 by KO.
Melvin is a very athletic, powerful kickboxer/wrestler. That really sums up his game. He is 21-6-1, winning 15 by KO, and 2 by submission.
Melvin will knock your teeth right out of your head, then slam you on the ground, then finish you with elbows. He is big, strong, and powerful. The problem is that he is not very smart. Joe likes to trade, but then takes you down to submit you. Joe is a bit smarter than Melvin. Again the telling stat is that all but two of Melvin's losses are by submission. Joe has not lost a fight by submission or KO since Chris Brennan caught him in a triangle in 1999. Melvin will try to slam and power his way out of the Stevenson submissions, but I don't think that he can avoid them forever. Joe by RNC second round.
AWESOME!!
This picture is so awesome, there are really no other words for it... If this picture and any other picture got in to a fight, this picture would kick the other picture's ass, then take the other picture's girlfriend home and have sex with her, her twin sister, and her mom all at the same time. All while the other picture cheered this picture on, and aided this picture in any way it possibly could. It is that awesome.
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