UFC 92 is in the books so let’s see how the night and my predictions went.

The Undercard

I said:

Dan Evensen vs. Pat Barry: Barry, TKO, Rd. 2

Ryo Chonan vs. Brad Blackburn: Chonan, Decision

Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy: Hamill, TKO, Rd. 2 – probably the last fight I can hold out hope for Hamill until I give up.

Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel: Hardonk, TKO, Rd. 1

Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister: Okami, Decision

I had 4 of 5 winners correct and 2 were right on the money (Hamill and Okami). Grade: A- (3.7)

We saw a bunch of these fights on the PPV broadcast which has been a great trend as of late. Some thoughts: getting leg-kicked by Pat Barry isn’t an enjoyable endeavor, Hamill’s stand-up is still ugly as sin – but the guy hits hard, Hardonk has bought more time in the UFC.

I haven’t seen my main man Yushin Okami’s fight, but it sounds like a one-sided affair that the crowd didn’t enjoy. Pretty much what I expected since it’s tough to finish a grappler like Dean Lister without knocking him out. Unfortunately, this will only add fuel to the already raging “Okami is boring” fire. No respect.

Cheick Kongo vs. Mustapha al Turk

I said:

Look for Kongo to unleash some gnarly strikes and drop Mostapha in the first and follow it up with strikes on the ground.

Prediction: Kongo, TKO, Rd. 1

Bull’s-eye on this one. Grade: A (4.0)

Note to fighters: don’t clinch with Cheick Kongo if you intend to procreate. Of course, al Turk drew first blood in this one so I guess its all fair in the end.

In any event, that was the most vicious Kongo we’ve seen to date. In his last two fights he seems to have finally developed the killer instinct he needs.

If you look at the names in the heavyweight division, it’s apparent that Kongo isn’t far from a title shot. In fact, he would probably already be slated as the next contender if it weren’t for his loss to Heath Herring which is an absolute eyesore on his record and a real credibility killer.

I’d like to see him go against the winner of Gonzaga/Carwin to determine the first opponent for the winner of Lesnar/Mir.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio

I said:

Still, I think Dollaway takes the fight in a surprisingly stand-up affair by landing the cleaner strikes. It will go to the ground a few times by Dollaway’s choosing where he will avoid submissions, but fail to do much damage. 

Prediction: Dollaway, Decision

I had the winner, but wasn’t anywhere close on how the fight went. Got to stay moderate here. Grade: B (3.0)

Atta boy, C.B. Silence the critics.

OK, OK – he didn’t exactly beat Anderson Silva, but it’s a step in the right direction. I was very impressed with his ability to come back from being rocked midway through the first. I was sure it was over when the guillotine was sunk in, but he escaped and used superior wrestling to gain top position. After that, it was a smooth transition to the mount and the finish.

I don’t see them being in too much of a rush to put C.B. against a contender. I’m thinking he will get a main card bout against fellow TUF7 castmate Tim Creduer who has strung together a nice win streak and who is also the only person in the TUF7 semi-finals that C.B. has yet to fight.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson

I said:

Ok, in the end Wandy beats him again. Look for the leather to fly for the first couple of minutes before Jackson gets a takedown to close the round. In the second, they will go toe-to-toe again, but this time Silva hurts him with a punch and grabs the clinch to finish him off with knees. 

Prediction: Silva, TKO, Rd. 2

Bloody hell. The fists did fly (a bold prediction, I know) so I’ll give myself a little credit. Grade: D- (0.7)

There is not much analyzing to do here – Wandy threw a sloppy punch and Rampage made him pay.

Quinton finally got his revenge and it appears he is ready to pick up right where he left off before his fight with Forrest. His switch to Wolfslair looks to be paying off. It seems like a tight knit group that will keep Jackson’s head on straight. Next up will be a fight with Rashad Evans for the title.

Wanderlei is a different story as he has now lost 4 of his last 5. He used his free swinging style and got caught. Now he is a long way out of the title picture, but is a big enough name to continue getting high profile fights. I see Luiz Cane in his future.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir

I said:

Nog will open up with strikes right off the bat and continue to for the entire first round. Mir will helplessly try to take this to the ground and eventually attempt pulling guard to no avail. His will to win will be broken by the second round where Nog will continue to land strikes, eventually dropping Frank and finding a submission soon after.

 Prediction: Nogueira, Submission, Rd. 2

Welcome to Chumpsville. Population: Me. Grade: F (0.0)

Good Lord, reading over that prediction, I don’t know if it’s possible to be more wrong about a fight. If nothing else though, at least I can take comfort in the fact that no one saw this coming. Even the few people who picked Mir couldn’t have envisioned what happened – unless, of course, they are scum-sucking liars.

Frank’s stand-up was dynamite with crisp combos and nice movement. He also had a clear gameplan that he stuck to, which I liked. He wanted to keep the fight standing and every time he dropped Nog, he forced the legend to get up.

So, did Mir simply have the fight of his life? Or does he finally have everything together and is ready to be a top-5 heavyweight? I’m rooting for, and somewhat suspecting, the latter. I’m also highly anticipating his rematch with Brock which I will have plenty more to say about it in the coming months.

While I give Mir all the credit in the world, Nog just didn’t seem right. I mean, he barely threw a punch. Have the wars caught up with him? Did he simply have an off-night? Was Frank just that good? Who knows…

Nog is now in a weird spot. He didn’t put up enough of a fight to justify another title shot without winning a few in a row. But who can he fight? The UFC won’t give him Velasquez or Carwin and risk having one of their up-and-coming studs lose. If he fights Kongo and beats him then the UFC is out a contender. And you can’t give him someone like Hardonk and risk him losing to a no-name.

So who is left? It’s an obvious answer, but it makes all the sense in the world: Randy Couture. I don’t care that they both just got pummeled, this is a fight that all MMA fans would love to see and time is running out.

Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans

I said:

Here is how I see it going down: Forrest starts winning the stand-up which causes Rashad to try and take him to the ground. While he may score a takedown or two, they wont be with any kind of consistency (he couldn’t takedown Bisping regularly and Forrest is much bigger than the Count). Evans is going to use a lot of energy by doing this and will be gassed by the 4^th while Forrest is still fresh. From here Forrest ends up taking Rashad down and working in a submission to retain his title.

 Prediction: Forrest, Submission, Rd. 4

I knew it would be close and it was actually playing out somewhat how I thought it would. But still, this has to be low. Grade: C- (1.7)

Rashad has come a long way since smothering Sam Hoger to a split decision win. The days of him being called boring and unable to finish fights are over.

Can he buck the trend of revolving door LHW champions? It’s possible. He matches up well with most everyone in the division thanks to his wrestling and knockout power. The problem is the first person he will be fighting – Rampage – also possesses both qualities. Then, if he gets by Page, he will most likely meet Machida who is a bad match-up for anyone. Still, you can’t doubt Sugar anymore so we’ll wait and see how he defends the belt.

You know what’s most amazing about Evans? It wasn’t long ago that people were calling for him to drop to middleweight – which he easily could do. He looked tiny next to Forrest.

Speaking of Griffin, a friend of mine proposed an interesting theory about him which I think hits the nail on the head. He said that Forrest will probably never fight for the title again because from here on out he will have only high profile fights against the top contenders. Even if he can string a few wins together, it’s unlikely that he will ever win enough in a row to get another shot – unless he is able to win two in a row right now while his ‘former champ’ stigma is still in the air. More than likely, he will post about a .500 record for the rest of his career, but will always be known as a gamer.

The main problem for Forrest is his lack of knockout power. He hit Rashad with his best shots and all Evans did was blows him a kiss and grab his own crotch – stay classy, champ. He isn’t going to be a dominant fighter without more ways to finish in such a stacked division. Even on Saturday, you felt that despite his winning the first two rounds it was just a matter of time until Rashad caught him.

There are a bunch of good fights out there for Griffin including the loser of Silva/Machida, Liddell or a Jardine rematch. Mark my words though - in about a year and a half, Ryan Bader’s first ‘big fight’ will be against Forrest in a bout featuring the ‘old vs. new’ generation of TUF winners - and Bader will win

Ken’s Overall Grade: C (2.18) – That’s actually not as bad as I was expecting. Of course, it’s not like there is any science to this grading.

Check back tomorrow for a new Mythbusters.

Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

What better way to cap off my day of violent illness than to have Frank Mir make me look like a complete asshole?

Props to Frank. But honestly, who in the hell saw that coming? That was total domination.

Again, I’m still fighting off the lingering effects of a nasty stomach virus so I won’t have my full post-mortem until tomorrow, but I just wanted to get this out of the way.

In the meantime, here are some quick answers to the Five Questions for UFC 92 I posed in a column last week for 411mania.com:

1. Will UFC 92 live up to the hype?

Absolutely. It was another incredible night of fights with great drama and not a boring bout in sight. In fact, between UFC 91, Fight for the Troops, The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale and UFC 92 we are in the middle of one of the best stretches in MMA history. UFC 94, you have a lot to live up to.

2) What will be the deciding factor in Griffin vs. Evans?

In the end, it was Rashad’s power. He cracked Forrest with the shot that put him on the canvas and eventually started the end of the fight by landing some brutal ground and pound.

3) How can Mir beat Nogueira?

By out-boxing the shit out of Nog despite having never shown any stand-up prowess throughout his entire career.

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m pretty bitter. And for the record, I hope Brock smashes him – though after last night I don’t think that’s as forgone a conclusion as I thought a few weeks ago.

4) Is this do-or-die for Rampage?

Not applicable. Good God that was a knockout.

5) Will C.B. Dollaway continue to climb the middleweight ladder?

He sure did and looked pretty impressive doing it I thought. No clue what was up with Massenzio’s leg.

Hope everyone enjoyed the event.  Check back tomorrow for the full UFC 92 Post-Mortem.

-Ken

http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

Let me start off by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

I have a new column up at 411mania entitled “Five Questions For UFC 92″ so check that bad boy out by clicking right here.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

Only a few days away from the UFC 92 blockbuster card so here are my picks. Be sure to check out my UFC 92 Post-Mortem after the show to see how much of a genius and/or dumbass I am.

Undercard

• Dan Evensen vs. Pat Barry: Barry, TKO, Rd. 2
• Ryo Chonan vs. Brad Blackburn: Chonan, Decision
• Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy: Hamill, TKO, Rd. 2 – probably the last fight I can hold out hope for Hamill until I give up.
• Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel: Hardonk, TKO, Rd. 1
• Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister: Okami, Decision

Cheick Kongo vs. Mostapha Al Turk

Yea, I would much rather see this fight than Okami/Lister… And yes, I realize it’s hard to sound sarcastic in print, but I assure you I’m being just that.

In any event, the only fight in the UFC that Kongo got taken to the ground on a regular basis was against Carmelo Marrero who is an excellent wrestler. I know very little about Al Turk, but from what I can see his wrestling credentials aren’t anything to speak of and I can’t imagine standing with Kongo ending well for him.

Look for Kongo to unleash some gnarly strikes and drop Mostapha in the first and follow it up with strikes on the ground.

Prediction: Kongo, TKO, Rd. 1

C.B. Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio

This is hard to admit in public, but here it goes: I, Ken Kobel, am a fan of C.B. Dollaway.

Now that that’s off my shoulders let me tell you why. He got a lot of flack on the show for being cocky, but I found it to be more confidence than anything else. I think he has all the tools to be great – his wrestling is excellent, his submission game is good and his striking is always improving. At age 25, he has yet to reach anywhere near his full potential.

And, for the record, him trying to pretend he didn’t tap at the TUF7 finale was disgraceful, but I’m letting it slide – deal.

With all this said, after doing some research on Mike Massenzio this may be a tough fight for Dollaway. Mike is another excellent wrestler whose only loss in junior college was ironically to C.B. He has a bunch of submission wins on his resume and, as we saw against Amir, Dollaway is susceptible to the armbar.

Still, I think Dollaway takes the fight in a surprisingly stand-up affair by landing the cleaner strikes. It will go to the ground a few times by Dollaway’s choosing where he will avoid submissions, but fail to do much damage.

Prediction: Dollaway, Decision

Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson

I’ve been flip-flopping on this fight and still don’t have a strong feeling – which I suppose I should be happy about.

Wanderlei is perhaps the most violent man in the history of the sport – his nickname is the Axe Murderer for Christ’s sake. He has already destroyed Rampage twice. All signs would point to him winning and solidifying his place in the title mix.

For some reason though, I feel like Jackson is going to surprise a lot of people here and not show any signs of being affected by the events of the last few months.

Decisions decisions…

Ok, in the end  Wandy beats him again. Look for the leather to fly for the first couple of minutes before Jackson gets a takedown to close the round. In the second, they will go toe-to-toe again, but this time Silva hurts him with a punch and grabs the clinch to finish him off with knees.

Prediction: Silva, TKO, Rd. 2

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir

I’ve written at length about how Mir has no chance – and I will not be backing off this claim. If you want a good synopsis of why this is going to be lop-sided you can check out my Mythbusters from last week.

Nog will open up with strikes right off the bat and continue to for the entire first round. Mir will helplessly try to take this to the ground and eventually attempt pulling guard to no avail. His will to win will be broken by the second round where Nog will continue to land strikes, eventually dropping Frank and finding a submission soon after.

Prediction: Nogueira, Submission, Rd. 2

Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans

Here is another one where I’ve gone back and forth for the last month in my head.

This is such a close fight, but a great one as well and anyone who says differently is a jackass. And yes, I got into MMA by watching TUF 1 & 2, so I am completely biased. Still though, one of these guys has consecutively beat Shogun and Rampage and the other damn near ended Liddell’s career. They fully deserve to be in this spot.

Here is how I see it going down: Forrest starts winning the stand-up which causes Rashad to try and take him to the ground. While he may score a takedown or two, they wont be with any kind of consistency (he couldn’t takedown Bisping regularly and Forrest is much bigger than the Count). Evans is going to use a lot of energy by doing this and will be gassed by the 4^th while Forrest is still fresh. From here Forrest ends up taking Rashad down and working in a submission to retain his title.

Prediction: Forrest, Submission, Rd. 4

It should be an excellent night of fights – enjoy everyone!

Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

It recently came out that Anderson Silva will put his Middleweight Title on the line against Thales Leites at UFC 97 in April. The challenger is the topic of today’s Mythbusters.

Myth: Thales Leites should not have been given a title shot because his win over Nate Marquardt at UFC 85 was bogus since the second point deduction was a bad call.

Reality: Thales Leites should not have been given a title shot because Yushin Okami deserves one more – HOWEVER, the win over Marquardt was the correct result.

Don’t get me wrong, the second point that was deducted from Marquardt was a miscue by Herb Dean, but it’s the first deduction that I’m focusing on.

Leites was looking great in the fight. He dropped Nate in the first and was controlling on the ground – it was a clear 10-9 for Thales.

Then, the 2^nd round started and Leites was knocked utterly silly with an illegal knee on the ground. You could tell as soon as it happened that he was in LaLa land with no hopes of coming back anytime soon. His performance was completely altered in that instant as he looked nothing like the fighter we saw in the 1^st round.

Personally, I think the fight should have been ended after the knee and a DQ win awarded to Leites – though, to be fair, I don’t know the exact rules when it comes to declaring DQ’s. In any event, the incident was very unfortunate, but there is no way Marquardt should have won that fight - it just wouldn’t have been right. In the end, justice was served.

In other news, it looks like a fight between Wilson Gouveia and Marquardt is in the works for UFC 95 which answers my prayers from my TUF8 Post-Mortem. I already hear people are giving my main man Wilson no chance to win, but that’s a Mythbusters for another time.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

Got a few comments over the past few weeks so let’s take a look at some:

1) In response to the TUF8 Post-Mortem, Carminooch wrote:

Have you heard anything about Efrain’s work ethic? He seems like the type of fighter who if he dedicates himself to the sport can have a career that only a handful of fighters have had.

I haven’t heard anything specific about Efrain’s training habits, but I’m sure they are excellent. Wrestlers typically are animals in the gym… Randy, Tito, Hughes, Henderson, Sherk – they’re all known as some of the hardest workers in the sport. You can’t get to the level of wrestling that Escudero has without having busted your ass from an early age – so expect praise of his work ethic to get talked about soon.

2) On the same Post-Mortem, Scoozna wrote:

I don’t know what Vinnie’s gameplan was, but it should’ve included jumping onto Bader and pulling Guard like he did to Krystof. lol. I was disappointed that it didn’t get to the ground at least once. Hopefully Vinny comes out like a madman next time.

Not only should Vinny’s gameplan included pulling guard – his gameplan should have solely been pulling guard.

I got the impression on the show that Vinny is the type of guy that wants to prove he can be a stand-up fighter. Problem is that he isn’t one and, from what I saw on the show, he isn’t going to be a striker anytime soon.

I wouldn’t worry too much though, after what happened against Bader, he will get his next fight to the ground as quickly as possible.

3) Over on my Christmas List column at 411mania.com, TD wrote:

The GSP/BJ fight is bullshit. It all favors BJ. If he wins he is a world beater. If GSP wins ehh he was supposed to. Way to defend your title all of once before crying to Dana to avenge your loss. I hope he gets stomped then loses his belt to KenFlo.

I actually wrote a column on this for MMArated.com over the summer: check that bad boy out (FYI, I have no idea why the paragraph breaks disappeared.

Anyway, in the column I basically agree with you 100%, TD. Penn has not won at 170-pounds in the UFC since 2004 – at least make him beat a contender before fighting GSP. At this point though, I’ve accepted the fight for what it is – a battle between 2 of the best in the world which can do wonders for the sport and should be a classic.

You’re right though, the one getting screwed in all this is Florian. The man has had a long, hard road back to a title shot and now that he’s ready to get it, the champion is off fighting in another weight class. On the bright side, Kenny truly looks like he is improving with every fight, so when he does get his shot, we will know that we are seeing the best Kenny Florian we have seen to date.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

I have a new column up at 411mania.com, so check out the Official Intelligently Defending Christmas list right here.

Probbaly won’t be posting much the rest of the week so see everyone Monday.

-Ken

Well, it looks like the constraints of the real world will prevent a post today, but I just wanted to let everyone know that Intelligently Defending can be found on Facebook so go ahead and add yourself as a friend if you’re so inclined.

Also, be sure to check out the official Intelligently Defending Christmas List on 411mania.com tomorrow.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

So after writing my piece on Rashad vs. Tito I decided to start a new feature - we’ll shoot for every Tuesday for this bad boy.

Here we go:

Myth:  Maybe I’m just imagining things, but it seem like there are a decent number of people on the message forums who think Mir vs. Nog at 92 is “going to be a close fight” or that “Mir has a better chance than most think.”

Reality: This will NOT be a close fight and Mir has NO chance of winning.

I don’t see why Mir is getting the title shot in the first place.  His three wins since coming back from his accident have been a decision over Dan freaking Christison in which he looked AWFUL.  I would seriously rather self-inflict five paper cuts than watch that fight again.  He then subbed Antoni Hardonk which means nothing and tapped a very green Brock Lesnar.  I’ll give him props for the Lesnar win, but I still don’t think it should have propelled him to a title shot anymore than Brock’s win over Herring should have given him one.

In any event, Nog is going to destroy him.  Antonio has a decided advantage on the feet and probably the ground too, though it’s certainly close.  Minotauro has never been stopped and Mir won’t be the man to do it – and I don’t envision Frank being able to take the decision given his penchant for gassing.

Fact is, there’s a reason why Nog has been considered the #2 heavyweight in the world for years.  Mir just isn’t in his league.

I must say though, I liked how Mir came across on TUF this season.  Sure he was arrogant, but he seemed like a pretty cool guy and a knowledgeable coach. 

And as always, if Mir proves me wrong I will take my lumps like a man – but don’t bet on it happening.

Any Mir fans want to enlighten me on why I’m wrong?

-Ken

http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

Let’s take a look at the action from The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale and see how I predicted the night.

Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

I said:

Who knows, or cares, about this fight – but, I’ll say Junie stops him early in the first with strikes after catching him on the feet.

Prediction: Browning, TKO, Rd. 1

Junie won this in the second with a submission so while I had the winner I missed the round and means of victory. Let’s keep it moderate: B (3.0)

I must say Junie looked better than I expected. He put together some nice strikes and pretty much dominated the fight. He’ll grow into a decent fighter, but I don’t expect him to be much more than career .500 in the UFC.

He apologized to Mir afterwards which was a nice move, but while we’re on the subject here is a quick rant. The precedent is now officially set for someone to act like a complete moron on the show and be better off for it. Dana can say whatever he wants, but the only reason Browning wasn’t kicked off was because he was good for ratings. Every halfway decent fighter that makes the show now has a proven formula to make a name. This is going to get real annoying, real fast. So while Junie may have been good for a ratings spike this year (which I’m actually not sure he was) – you can expect viewers to walk away in future seasons when they get sick of all the Browning clones that come down the pike.

As for Kaplan, I liked his entrance music – it was nice knowing you, buddy.

Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson

I said:

Anyway, I think Johnson takes it early this time around with some of that explosive striking of his.

Prediction: Johnson, TKO, Rd. 1

I didn’t know the round – but that KO was as explosive as it gets. How about B+ (3.3)

I think Johnson has a bright future, but I’m not ready to put him up against the upper-echelon of that division. Let’s not forget that Rich Clementi, who now fights at lightweight, worked him over and scored a submission in the second round at UFC 76.

I would really like to see Johnson given time to grow, but I have a feeling the UFC is going to hotshot him up the ranks ala Houston Alexander. Just last week I predicted Mike Swick’s next fight would be against the loser of Parisyan/Kim, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the UFC set-up an explosive Johnson/Swick battle. If that goes down, don’t blink.

Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason MacDonald

I said:

Wilson hits like a brick and has some sweet jits. I think he rattles MacDonald with a punch and follows up on the ground with a sub.

Prediction: Gouveia, Sub, Rd. 2

I was wrong about the round but Wilson did rock him and (technically) made him tap – so I’m going high: A- (3.7)

I was so disappointed with Gouveia not making weight for this fight. It just reinforces the idea that the man has a wealth of talent, but lacks the drive. We have seen him gas before and now he missed weight. I really hope he can turn the corner and dedicate himself to his full potential because he can be great in that division. He hits very hard, has awesome leg kicks and is a Black Belt in BJJ. That’s the total package.

There are about 10 billion cool match-ups in the middleweight division for Wilson. How about Gouveia/Marquardt? … FYI, I just drooled all over myself salivating about that fight possibility.

As for my main man Jason MacDonald – he’ll be back. The guy is a gamer and offers a test to anyone in the division.

TUF8 LHW Final: Vinny Magalhaes vs. Ryan Bader

I said:

Halfway through the first Bader forgets who he’s dealing with and makes the terrible decision to take Vinny down and get subbed less than a minute later.

Prediction: Magalhaes, Sub, Rd. 1

Well, you see the thing with this is… er… it’s like… Ah screw it. F (0) - this one really chaps my ass because I was money picking this card except for this mishap. Oh well.

I want to preface this statement by saying that I don’t know what its like to get hit in the side of the head by someone like Bader and hopefully I never will. With that said – it really seemed like Vinny quit as soon as he got hit. When he dropped he immediately turtled and made it clear that he did not want to continue. This could be a major problem for his career going forward. The guy is a BJJ ace, but if he can’t handle getting punched in the face, I can’t see him doing much in the sport.

Congrats Bader! The wrestling is there and will carry him through this stage of his career, but the rest will follow. We know he can hit hard and once he gets a bit more technical in his striking he will be good to go.

The UFC would be wise to bring him up very slowly. There are plenty of contenders at LHW, so let Bader develop. I doubt his next opponent will be anyone who has fought in the UFC before.

TUF8 LW Final: Efrain Escudero vs. Phillipe Nover

I said:

Here it is - my upset special…

I’m not saying the hype is undeserved on Nover – the kids a stud – but it’s a bit much when you consider how little of a chance people are giving Efrain in this fight.

• FACT: Efrain is the far superior wrestler
• FACT: Efrain has ended 9 of his 10 career fights by submission – 11 of 12 if you count the show
• FACT: Efrain fought tougher opponents on the show (Nelson, Browning vs. Kaplan, Roop)
• FACT: Efrain has fought tougher competition his whole career – don’t have time to get the exact stats, but trust me.

Don’t come crying to me when Escudero takes this via a hard fought decision where he controls the fight from the top.

Prediction: Escudero, Decision

Care to take a stab at what I’m giving myself here? You guessed it – A (4.0)

He doesn’t look like a wrestler, but Efrain will put you on your back with ease. I’ve heard the word ‘lay ‘n pray’ tossed around to describe his win which is sour grapes. Escudero had a gameplan and stuck to it. He was looking to do damage on the ground, but that’s tough to do against a BJJ Black Belt like Phillipe. Besides all that, the fight was exciting as hell.

Efrain seems like a real cool dude and you better believe he is well on his way to gaining ‘main man’ status in my book. He is going to be a great fighter. At 22-years-old he is 11-0 and a top-notch wrestler. Unlike Bader though, his BJJ is already very good. Once his hands get crisper, look out. I can’t wait to see him again.

The hype for Nover was a bit much, but the UFC still has a future star on their hands. Like Escudero, Phillipe is very young and has a world of potential.

Look for the UFC to import the next opponent of both guys. It will be another slow build. Neither has the ability to start fighting the big boys right away like Mac Danzig did.

Ken’s Overall Grade: 2.8 (B-) Friggin Bader…

Overall, a great finale to close out a solid season of TUF. I liked the coaches, liked the fighters and enjoyed the fights. My main complaints were the frat boy antics were a bit much at times and the Junie precedent is a dangerous one. Other than that though, it was enjoyable.

Props to Scoozna for the ‘Post-Mortem’ suggestion for this feature. If anyone ever has suggestions to better things around here or just wants to shoot the shit in the comments section, feel free.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com