Before we start: I love writing these, but this is a piss poor name for feature. Any ideas on a better one? And also, I just found out that I’ll be returning to my old-stomping ground of 411mania.com next week where I’ll have a new column posted every Thursday. Can’t wait!

UFC Fight For The Troops is in the books so lets see how I predicted the night and give some afterthoughts.

Unfortunately, I must admit that due to a long night at the office I only caught the last couple of fights – so everything up to Swick/Goulet will be from what I’ve read on various play-by-plays.

Here we go:

Matt Wiman vs. Jim Miller

I said:

I look for Wiman to continue his winning ways with a decision victory after a hotly contested fight to open the live broadcast.

Prediction: Wiman, Decision

Picked the wrong winner on this one, but I hear it was a decent fight and it went the distance as I predicted. Let’s go: C- (1.7)

From the sounds of it, Miller dominated this fight on the feet and the ground. He never gave Wiman a chance to get going. At 13-1 and 25-years-old, Jim looks like he is going to be a contender. I expect his next fight to be along the lines of another Wiman – maybe Mark Bocek.

Tim Credeur vs. Nate Loughran

I said:

I think Credeur will eventually work in a submission halfway through the fight.

Prediction: Credeur, Submission, Rd. 2

It wasn’t a submission, but Credeur was able to get the stoppage about halfway through. I honestly didn’t have too strong of a feeling either way, so I’m not going to go too high. Let’s say B: (3.0)

As I said earlier, I didn’t see this fight so I really can’t tell if Nate’s rib injury was directly caused by Credeur or if it was a freak thing. Still, it sounds like Tim won both rounds and was having another solid performance. That’s now two in a row since TUF7 ended and this latest one may have earned him another trip to the main card. I would say his next opponent is the loser of Saturday’s Gouveia/MacDonald showdown.

Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al-Hassan

I said:

Cantwell is very young at 22-years-old and has plenty of room to grow, but I see him winning his first UFC fight sometime in the second with a TKO after feeling Al-Hassan out for the first round.

Prediction: Cantwell, TKO, Rd. 2

Well, he didn’t fell him out and it was a submission, but I did predict a pretty easy win for Cantwell. I’ll go: B+ (3.3)

It sounds like Cantwell outclassed an overmatched opponent in this one which is fine by me. He is an up-and-coming talent and there is no reason to throw him to the lions in his first fight in the big show. Steve is a very well-rounded fighter and is going to be improving every time we see him. Don’t look for him to be fighting a big name anytime soon – the UFC will bring him up nice and slow. His next opponent will be someone along the lines of Tim Boetsch.

Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet

I said:

Goulet is a decent fighter with good wrestling, but his chin is glass and his wrestling will do him no good against the bigger Swick. Mike will get the TKO early and after two boring decision victories, he will finally “arrive” as a welterweight by scoring one of his trademark fast stoppages… This is a lock.

Prediction: Swick, TKO, Rd. 1

I won’t toot my horn too loudly since I really thought this was an easy call, but when you’re right, you’re right. Full monty here: A (4.0)

You may not believe it, but Mike Swick is now 8-1 in the UFC – that is one of the best records of anyone from the first two seasons of TUF. He has beaten some pretty good fighters too in Davis, Burkman, Loiseau and Riggs. Of course, there are no blockbuster names on that list – but still, not too shabby.

I have never been a huge fan, but even I admit he looked awesome last night. Not only was the knockout fast but his hands were lightning and his body was ripped to shreds. He may be a contender in that weight class.

His next fight will be on the main card against a big name. I’m thinking the loser of Karo/Kim at UFC 94.

Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

I said:

Still, this is Josh’s bout to lose. In recent fights he has displayed his ever-improving stand-up game, but in order to assure victory here he will need to play to his wrestling. He will make the right choice given the importance of this fight and will control Yoshida for three rounds and pick-up the much-needed win.

Prediction: Koscheck, Decision

Well, I had Koscheck winning, but I don’t think I could have been more off with how it went down. Let’s keep it moderate again: B (3.0)

Good God that was a knockout!!!

I know I’ve sucked-up to Josh enough on this blog the last few months, but one more time won’t hurt. Last night was a testament to how far he has come in his game and how well-rounded he truly is. The best part? Everyone how forgets about the Thiago Alves fight just 50 days after it happened. Way to go Kos!

While I predict that his training partner Swick will get the loser of Karo/Kim – I think Kos gets the winner.

My Overall Grade: B (3.0) – I crack 3.0 for the first time. Nice.

I just want to note how happy I was to hear Joe Rogan jump all over the terrible official during the Rees/Bruno fight. That guy had no business reffing an MMA fight and Rogan’s reaction showed why he’s the man – the guy loves MMA as a sport and wants to see it done correctly.

Check back tomorrow for my TUF8 finale predictions and some afterthoughts and a report card on Monday.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

UFC Fight For The Troops is one day away so let’s try to sort out the card… As always, be sure to check back the day after the event for my self-analysis and afterthoughts.

Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

I’ve said in the past how much respect I’ve gained for Josh Koscheck in the past few months. This is his 3^rd fight since July and, as usual, he will be taking on a very dangerous opponent.

Personally, I was surprised to see Kos still on this card after getting defeated by Thiago Alves at UFC 90 in a fight where his legs were 15 different shades of black and blue afterwards. Again, it’s just a testament to his toughness, but he better be careful because Yoshida is very capable of winning this one and extending his current win-streak to 10 fights.

Still, this is Josh’s bout to lose. In recent fights he has displayed his ever-improving stand-up game, but in order to assure victory here he will need to play to his wrestling. He will make the right choice given the importance of this fight and will control Yoshida for three rounds and pick-up the much-needed win.

Prediction: Koscheck, Decision

Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet

I knew the result of this fight as soon as it was announced and feel no different today than I did back then:

Goulet is a decent fighter with good wrestling, but his chin is glass and his wrestling will do him no good against the bigger Swick. Mike will get the TKO early and after two boring decision victories, he will finally “arrive” as a welterweight by scoring one of his trademark fast stoppages… This is a lock.

Prediction: Swick, TKO, Rd. 1

Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al-Hassan

The last WEC light-heavyweight champion, Steve Cantwell, steps up to the big-time to take on the newcomer Al-Hassan in what should be an explosive stand-up fight.

Cantwell is very young at 22-years-old and has plenty of room to grow, but I see him winning his first UFC fight sometime in the second with a TKO after feeling Al-Hassan out for the first round.

Prediction: Cantwell, TKO, Rd. 2

Tim Credeur vs. Nate Loughran

I was not at all impressed with Tim Credeur on TUF7, but I just don’t know anything about Loughran to pick him.

I think Credeur will eventually work in a submission halfway through the fight.

Prediction: Credeur, Submission, Rd. 2

Matt Wiman vs. Jim Miller

Even though Frankie Edgar was forced to withdraw from this fight about a week ago, it should still be a good one.

I’ve always been impressed with Wiman. I thought he was winning the fight with Spencer Fisher until he got stupid and left himself open for the devastating flying knee – and since his stint on TUF5 he has rolled off 4 straight wins.

Miller is on a roll himself with 7 straight victories – his last loss was, ironically, to Edgar.

I look for Wiman to continue his winning ways with a decision victory after a hotly contested fight to open the live broadcast.

Prediction: Wiman, Decision

As I’ve said before, this card doesn’t do much for me – but free fights are free fights.

Enjoy and be sure to check back on Thursday for my self-analysis and afterthoughts.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

Fight For The Troops Card.

As I’ve mentioned before, this card doesn’t do it for me. Often times though, it will be the events that you don’t expect much from that prove to be the most entertaining.

In any event, I continue to gain respect for Josh Koscheck as he is still honoring his fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida despite having just been in a war with Thiago Alves at UFC 89 where he dropped a unanimous decision. I seriously did not think Kos would be able to have this fight since he must have had to take time off after the Alves fight thanks to the brutalization of his legs. Josh is a warrior, no doubt about it.

The rest of the card shaped up as rumored. Mike Swick will fight (and knockout) Jonathan Goulet, Frankie Edgar will take on Matt Wiman is what could be a good fight, the last WEC Light-Heavyweight Champion Steve Cantwell will make his UFC debut and Tim Creuder of TUF7 fame rounds out the main card.

It’s not a glamorous card, but it’s free and for a good cause – so let’s rock.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

We got a few comments over here this week, so lets check them out:

1) In response to UFC 90 Predictions:

“Hmmmm. UFC needs some poster design help on this one. Not their strongest effort in a while. ” – Jason S.

I got to agree with you Jason – this one doesn’t compare to other recent posters like the UFC 87 one, which kicked 8 different kinds of ass:

More than the poster though, the thing I’m disappointed with is the name of the event. Silva vs. Cote? Come on, they can do better than that. It’s not like its “Couture vs. Lesnar” where the names alone sell the fight.

They should have called it ‘UFC 90: Murder’ – at least that gives a description of what’s going to happen.

2) In response to UFC 89 Thoughts:

“I agree…it was a so so night overall….nothing spectacular…

Lytle vs. Taylor was the most exciting fight of the night.

Bisping just flat out fought smart against a striker and didn’t put himself in a place to get in trouble…
Great assessment” – Jason C.

My thoughts exactly, Jason.

I love how people criticized Bisping for not standing toe-to-toe with Leben. Did they want him to play right into the hands of Leben’s only hope of winning? Give me a break.

Bisping was head-and-shoulders the better fighter as proved by the fact that Chris had no answer for his stand-up whatsoever. Leben’s face was also a mess afterwards, so this notion that Michael was running the whole fight is absurd. Maybe if your definition of running means repeatedly punching your opponent’s face while strategically avoiding getting hit – then yea, I guess he was running.

3) On Mediocore UFC Fight for the Troops card finalized.

“I think Kos is a fan fave over Alves. Kos has been insanely agressive and exciting in his last two fights. Alves doesn’t make weight, takes laxatives and should really be a middleweight. Beating “panic disorder” Karo and post-GSP Hughes does not a challenger make.

Totally agree about Edgar. This is a guy with wins over Tyson Griffin and Spencer Fisher! I’d much rather see Tom’s River Frankie da Plumbah against Joe Daddy, No Love, Guida or Diaz. Wiman vs.. Huerta seems like a much more reasonable match-up, strategically. Damn you, Joe Silva!

I believe that all problems with lightweight match-ups right now have to do with BJ Penn’s selfishness stalling the division. After winning the title, BJ doesn’t even CONSIDER defending it against Florian. I guess, in his mind, his quest for P4P supremacy is more important than the integrity of the division. I hope GSP rocks him back to Hilo.

Anyway, I’m sure these fights will be better than the awful Sanchez v. Riggs debacle. Knee to the head from the ground? No fair! And wasn’t Shonie Carter on that card? Yowza!” – Nick B.

In a perfect world, the fans would choose Kos over Alves – but, I don’t think they will tomorrow night because Alves knocks people out and Kos doesn’t (yet). On top of that, fans just can’t get past Josh’s Justin Timberlake hair-do. Personally, I don’t think it looks half-bad.

You’re definitely right about the progression of Koscheck as a fighter. His last few fights have been very exciting and he is showing more versatility each time he enters the cage. I really expect a big performance from him Saturday.

As for B.J., it’s ridiculous. He hasn’t won at welterweight in years, yet he is getting a title shot. Hopefully, after GSP dishes out an ass-kicking at UFC 94, Penn will focus on the stacked lightweight division.

————————————————————————————————–
As always, thanks to everyone who has commented… Keep ‘em coming.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

Can’t you give the troops something better than this?

Koscheck vs. Yoshida: Solid main event - no complaints. I feel for Yoshida though - the “USA, USA, USA” chants are going to be about ten billion times worse than a normal event. This will probably be the only time Kos is the fan favorite.

Swick vs. Goulet: Lame. A step-back in talent for Swick that will do nothing besides give him a nice KO for his highlight reel. Goulet has one of the worst chins in the UFC and is going down on the first shot that connects.

Edgar vs. Wiman: A decent fight, but not much to gain for Frankie. A win keeps him where he is and a loss significantly drops his stock. I would love to see Edgar finish this one.

Unless you’re a big fan of Eddie Sanchez, Dale Hartt or Johnny Rees, the rest of the fights are the typical undercard affair.

Its free so I know I shouldn’t complain, but this doesn’t compare to the recent Spike cards. Then again, sometimes those turn into the best events.

-Ken
http://www.intelligentlydefending.com