UFC 97 Recap

Eliot Marshall def Vinny Magalhaes Decision
My Pick: Vinny by armbar first round
Vinny needs to go back to MMA school...


T.J. Grant def Ryo Chonan Decision (Split)
My Pick: Chonan by decision
Time to kiss Chonan goodbye.

Mark Bocek def David Bielkheden Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 4:57 rnd 1
My Pick: Bocek by decision
Mark is my new hero.


Ed Herman def David Loiseau Decision
My Pick: Loiseau by KO second round
Time to kick Loiseau to the curb.

Nate Quarry def Jason MacDonald TKO (Elbows) 2:27 rnd 1
My Pick: Nate by KO from strikes on the ground mid third round
Nate takes care of MacDonald before I thought he would. Nate really seems to be on the right track after Rich Franklin nearly ended his career.

Denis Kang def Xavier Foupa-Pokam Decision
My Pick: Kang by KO first round
Denis really? You can't take out even a no name first comer to the UFC? You must have been on the really good vitamins in PRIDE.

Luis Arthur Cane def Steve Cantwell Decision
My Pick: Cane by KO second round.
Cane takes care of business.


Cheick Kongo def Antoni Hardonk TKO (Punches) 2:29 rnd 2
My Pick: Hardonk by KO late second/early third
I have to admit, I am impressed with Kongo. He wins by G&P, something I did not expect, and neither did Hardonk. One way to eliminate the reach advantage, is to take your man down. That is what Cheick did.

Krzysztof Soszynski def Brian Stann Submission (Kimura) 3:53 rnd 1
My Pick: Krzysztof by triangle first round
No surprise.

Mauricio Rua def Chuck Liddell TKO (Punches) 4:28 rnd 1
My Pick: Chuck by KO first round.
I hate to see him go after he had so many great fights, but the world has figured out Chuck. Liddell can no longer avoid the left hook. All his opponents do is duck the big right and counter with the left. Lights out Chuck. Time to hang up the gloves.

Sam Stout def Matt Wiman Decision
My Pick: Matt by decision
Wow... Time for Matt to re-evaluate his game.

Anderson Silva def Thales Leites Decision
My Pick: My gut tells me Anderson by KO in the second.
I don't know what all of the fuss is about. Silva did not want to engage on the ground and Leites did not want to engage on the feet. In the current rule set, where the stand up fighter has the advantage, the grounded fight will always loose. Leites' game plan was to lure Anderson on to the mat. Anderson did not play that game.

I go 6 for 12, and not nearly as good as I thought I would be... Some of those fights I thought were locks, especially Kongo/Hardonk. Sorry to all of the gamblers out there who use me as their reference.