UFC 118 is in the books; let’s see how the fights went down and how my picks went.

Note: The grades are based on how well I picked the fight and NOT on how good the fight was.

1) Nate Diaz defeats Marcus Davis via submission, Rd. 3

I said:

Davis will get the better of the stand-up, but it will not be enough to put the Stockton native away.  As we get a little later into the fight, young Diaz will finally secure a takedown and work towards a submission win.

Prediction: Diaz, Submission, Rd. 2

Nate actually got the better of Marcus on the feet thanks to his reach.  Other than that though, I was pretty damn close outside of the round.  Let’s keep it high.  Grade: B+

Nate looked sensational here taking the fight right to Marcus and using some patented Diaz-brothers striking in the process.  Once he got things to the ground, it was academic as he locked in the choke.  Davis was game, but he was no match for the Stockton native who appears to really be coming into his own these days.  All he needs to do is to improve his wrestling and he could be a real player.

Next for Davis:  I’ve always been a fan of the Hand Grenade and I hope he gets one more shot inside the Octagon.  How about a fight with Matt Brown?  Loser leaves town.

Next for Diaz:  The biggest question here is will Nate stay at welterweight or move back down to lightweight.  If he stays, I wouldn’t mind seeing him try to avenge his brother’s loss to Diego Sanchez.  If he goes back down, I think a fight with my main man Joe Lauzon (who looked awesome Saturday) could be a main event for a Fight Night – maybe even the next TUF finale.

2) Gray Maynard defeats Kenny Florian via decision

I said:

Do you really need to ask?

Kenny has more ways to win this fight, is always improving and, oh yea, it’s in Beantown baby.  Beantown!

I think Maynard finds taking down Kenny is no easy task and after a few unsuccessful he is forced to stand and trade.  Kenny gets comfortable and in the second round starts to open up.  He clips the Bully and then gets the big guy down ala the Guida fight.  From there, he works for mount and pounds his way to a win and another title shot.

Prediction: Florian, TKO, Rd. 2

Damn.  Grade: F

Given my love for Kenny Florian and the role he’s played in my passion for the sport, this one was tough to watch.  Maynard came and did exactly what he needed to do – all the props in the world to him.  Kenny had no answer for Gray’s wrestling and it’s going to be a long way back to the top of the ladder.

Next for Florian:  Kenny is no spring chicken and if he ever wants to get another title shot he will have to go on a run starting right now.  I imagine he jumps right back into a fight against a top guy next time out.  The winner of Sherk/Dunham wouldn’t be bad.

Next for Maynard: A well-deserved lightweight title shot and rematch with Frankie Edgar.

3) Demian Maia defeats Mario Miranda via decision

I said:

Maia is going to waste little time taking this to the ground.  Once there, it’s sayonara as Demian reminds us what he is all about.

Prediction: Maia, Submission, Rd. 1

Maia did everything but finish the fight.  While I was wrong that this would be quick, it still was complete domination.  So I’ll call it decent.  Grade: B

Demian put on a clinic in this one, unfortunately, he really could have used a finish to cement his status as being back.  It seemed like he was tapping people with ease back when he first arrived in the UFC.  Of course, to be fair, Miranda’s ground game is better than he was getting credit for – including from yours truly.

Next for Miranda: A prelim fight - perhaps against Tim Creuder.

Next for Maia: I think a fight with the Chris Leben would make sense for both guys.  It’s a classic striker vs. grappler match-up and whichever guy wins will most likely be in the top-5 contenders in the middleweight division.

4) Randy Couture defeats James Toney via submission Rd. 1

I said:

Toney is on his back within the first 30 seconds and it’s over soon after.

Prediction: Couture, TKO, Rd. 1

I actually had the means of victory wrong so let’s call it right below perfect.  Grade: A-

(Not that I’m tooting my own horn – after all, Stevie Wonder saw this coming.  By the way, why can’t Stevie Wonder see his friends?

Because he’s married…  Thank you, thank you – try the veal.)

This whole thing was absurd.  Only thing I can really say is the low single-leg was pretty cool.  Also, Dana can no longer claim he never puts on freak show fights.  Double negative, whatevs I do what I want.

Next for Toney: Maybe a fight in Strikeforce against Brett Rogers.

Next for Couture:  This is a tough call.  I know there is a lot of talk of returning to light-heavyweight and fights with the winner of Machida/Rampage or Anderson Silva but I’d like to see him stay at heavyweight and fight the winner of Mir/Cro-Cop.

5) Frankie Edgar defeats B.J. Penn via decision

I said:

While it will be tough to do it again – do it again he will.

Call this a gut instinct, but I think an even better Frankie Edgar comes in for this fight and this time wins things outright with no controversy.  I expect much of the same with Frankie moving in and out of range, scoring a few takedowns and being able to do more damage on both fronts this time around.

Someone call up the Situation, Snooki, JWOWW and the rest of the gang down at Seaside because Frankie is having his victory party at Karma - with Pauly D. on the 1’s and 2’s.

Prediction: Edgar, Decision

I don’t usually toot my own horn – but, toot! toot!  You don’t hit the nail on the head on an upset call much harder than that.  Grade: A

We saw the end of an era Saturday as the little guy from Toms River took it to the once invincible Hawaiian warrior.  Frankie won in every aspect and I was particularly impressed with the amount of shots he landed on the feet and significant damage he did on the ground.  B.J. was a broken man by the third.  The win was picture perfect.

Next for Penn: A lot of soul-searching.  In the end, I think he makes a cameo in the welterweight division – maybe against Jon Fitch – but after mixed results announces his retirement from the sport.

Next for Frankie: A tangle with a Bully by the bike racks after school.

Going to be a busy one, but I’ll try to get a few more updates in before the week is over.

Stay lucky,
Ken

UFC 117 is in the books and if you missed it then you messed up, brah.  This night will live on as one of the most memorable in UFC history.

Let’s look back and see how I did with my picks and offer some thoughts…

Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen via submission Rd. 5

I said:

Anderson’s elite
Chael is bozo maximus
Chael’s nose gets C-shaped

Prediction: Silva, TKO, Rd. 1

I typically don’t go lower than a ‘B’ if I pick the correct fighter, but I couldn’t have been more wrong on this one – outside of picking the winner.

Grade: C+

I had some crow heating up in the oven going in to the final round of this one – but then, Anderson pulled out the triangle from God knows where.

So did Chael lose the fight?  Or did Anderson win it?

I’m going with the latter.  To take a demoralizing beating like that for 23 minutes and find a way to pull out a submission win shows the heart of a champion.  Still, it also showed an enormous whole in Anderson’s game.  Luckily for him, Chael is likely the top wrestler in that division and he won’t be facing another fighter with that kind of skill again.  Well, that is until a certain French-Canadian decides he wants Silva’s belt.

As for Chael, tough break buddy.  Next time, learn to defend a triangle before you compare a Nogueira Black-Belt to a Happy Meal toy.  Jackass.

Next for Silva:  I’m assuming Vitor even though I don’t think he deserves a shot yet.

Next for Sonnen: I think Chris Leben would make a lot of sense.  If Sonnen wins he gets right back on track.  If Leben wins, he possibly gets a title shot.  Can’t believe I just typed that.

Jon Fitch def. Thiago Alves via decision

I said:

These two battled once
Different story this time
Alves cleans Jon’s clock

Prediction: Alves, TKO, Rd. 2

Good call, Ken.

Grade: F

Going into this fight I was squarely behind Jonny boy since Thiago once again failed to make weight.  His next fight better be at 185.

As for this fight, it is getting harder and harder to support Fitch.  He is a top-ten p4p talent, but man is he ever boring.  This fight looked no different than any of his last four.  It was a dominant wrestling performance, but not much else.  The way he wins kind of reminds me of the New England Patriots before they got Randy Moss.  Totally sound.  No holes in their game.  But, boring as hell.

Next for Fitch:  I can’t imagine Dana pulls the trigger on a rematch with GSP after this performance.  If Koscheck beats Georges (which he won’t) I can see a battle of AKA teammates.  If not, who knows.

Next for Alves: A move to middleweight and a battle with the loser of Bisping/Akiyama.

Clay Guida def. Rafael dos Anjos via submission, Rd. 3

I said:

This one should be good
Ugliest fighters alive
Clays gas tank too much

Prediction: Guida, Decision

Not bad.  I knew it would take a long time and got a little lucky that Clay broke Rafael’s jaw.  I’ll go a little high.

Grade: A-

It looked like Guida was headed to a decision loss, but as expected; he got stronger as the fight went on.  The finish was a little awkward, but seeing the replay of the punch that caused the injury brought it all together.

Next for Guida:  Clay now has a nice two fight win streak – how about a showdown with Takanori Gomi to bring one man into title contention?

Next for dos Anjos: I’d like to see him take on the winner of the Lauzon/Reudiger fight later this month.

Matt Hughes def. Ricardo Almeida via submission Rd. 1

I said:

Old dog meets ‘Big Dog’
Matt goes old-school with takedowns
Top control for win

Prediction: Hughes, Decision

It was a quick submission and not a decision – but I knew it would be a dominant win for Hughes.

Grade: B

The old man isn’t quite done yet is he?  He may never be a champion again, but Matt is still a dangerous fight for anyone.  I just hope and pray that he gets off this ‘I only want to fight legends’ attitude and decides to test his skill against some of the young bucks.

Next for Hughes: It looks like he will be taking some time off, but once he’s back I wouldn’t mind seeing him take on the winner of Kampmann/Shields.  One thing is for sure, I can do without Hallman/Hughes 3.

Next for Almeida: A fight with Paulo Thiago would get one man back on track and one man fighting for his UFC life.

Junior dos Santos def. Roy Nelson via decision.

I said:

Big chance for Nelson
Junior looks untouchable
But Roy shocks the world

Prediction: Nelson, Submission, Rd. 2

This pick was certainly dumb as hell.

Grade: F

Nelson can take a punch – I’ll give him that – but, he was just outclassed on every level.  I’m not sure why I doubt dos Santos every time he fights, but it is high-time I stopped doing that.  The guy is a beast and at age 25 he has a long career of knocking people out ahead of him.

With that said, I still need to see what he does against a top-level wrestler as his ground game still has yet to be tested.  Which leads nicely into the next paragraph…

Next for dos Santos: The winner of Lesnar/Velasquez.  I wanted and wrestler and I’m gonna get one.  Let’s see what the kids got.

Next for Nelson: This loss won’t hurt too badly.  He got beat-up by one of the best and he showed he is tough as nails.  This will go nicely with his fat-guy image.  Who doesn’t like a tough fat-guy? How about a fight with our old friend Cheick Kongo?

That’s a pretty putrid GPA I had for this one and since I’m short on time I’m not even going to bother calculating.  Let’s just say I sucked, but the card was great - and leave it at that.

I’m also going to skip the prelims so I don’t have to re-live the fact that Dustin got stomped.

Such is life.

Stay lucky,
Ken

The Man is keeping me down this week so updates will be quick and dirty, but here are some thoughts on UFC on Versus 2.

- The Fireball Kid is back baby!!!

Well, maybe he is.

That was vintage Gomi and talks of the death of his career now look premature.  I think training in the States paid off and hopefully he can recapture the magic he had just a few years ago.

As for Tyson, that’s now two losses in a row and the first time he’s been finished in his career.  He is now firmly in the middle-of-the-pack at lightweight and he will need to go on a big streak before he gains contender status again.

Also, in my eyes that stoppage was justified.

Next for Gomi: How about the winner of Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos?
Next for Griffin: I have a feeling he gets a lay-up fight against someone not currently on the UFC roster on a PPV prelim.

- Ellenberger gives Howard a boo-boo

As we watched this one unfold, my buddy pointed out that Ellenberger made Howard’s eye look like a certain member of the female anatomy.  He pretty much hit the nail on the head with that observation.

Jake is now officially relevant in the welterweight division as he notches his second straight win inside the Octagon.  As for Howard, this one shouldn’t hurt him too badly.

I don’t think they should bother with a rematch for this one – let’s just let both guys move on.

Next for Ellenberger: My man Matt Riddle looked great on Sunday.  How about we match these two up on a Fight Night main card?
Next for Howard: Let’s take the guy Riddle was smashing – DaMarques Johnson on a prelim.

- Okami outpoints Munoz

My main man Yushin Okami did pretty much exactly what I said he would as he stuffed the takedowns of Mark Munoz and consistently battered him with strikes.  He even survived a bit of a scare in the second when the Philippine Wrecking Machine dropped the Japan native with a left hook.

In typical Okami fashion, this wasn’t the most exciting fight – but, it was dominant and propels him back to contender status while Munoz still can’t get over the hump to the next level.

(Interesting observation:  Munoz, a former National Champ, couldn’t take Okami down while Sonnen took Yushin down with ease.  Hmm, maybe this fight Saturday is closer than I think…  On second though, nah.)

Next for Okami: I’d like to see him take on the winner of Marquardt/Palhares which takes place in September.
Next for Munoz: This is a tough call - maybe Gerald Harris.

- That Jones kid has a future

I don’t really know what to say about Bonesy that hasn’t been said (serves me right for posting on Tuesday, I guess.)

I started watching MMA during TUF1 – yea I admit it – and I have never seen someone who appears to do things with such ease.  Jon is an absolute natural.  I like the fact that the UFC has brought him along slowly – but now its time to pull the trigger and see what he does against the big dogs.

Next for Jones:  It depends on how high they want to shoot him. To the top level with the winner of Rampage/Machida?  Or just below the elite with the winner of Bader/Lil Nog?  When all is said and done, I think Rich Franklin makes the most sense.  The ultimate Grizzled Vet vs. Young Upstart showdown – that’s my kind of fight.
Next for Vladimir:  Does anyone really care?

PPV picks later this week.  Maybe some Gmen football talk too.

Stay lucky,
Ken

UFC 116 is in the books so let’s grade my predictions and give some thoughts…

1) Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar def. Shane Carwin via submission, Rd. 2

I said…

In the end, Lesnar wears Shane down for the first few rounds and then ends things with a ground ‘n pound TKO late.

Prediction: Lesnar, TKO, Rd. 4

Well, Brock did wear him down – expect it was due to Carwin banging his gloves off the champs head 60 times in round 1 and not superior wrestling from the champ. Still, I had the winner right so I’ll give myself a decent grade. Grade: B+ (3.3)

This main event was, in a word, epic. No other way to describe it.

The big fight atmosphere was in the air and the story unfolded perfectly. Carwin starts out with a barrage. The ref is seconds away from stopping it, but somehow Brock survives and proves to everyone that he 1) can take a beating and 2) will not fold in the face of adversity. Second round starts and Lesnar gets the takedown on an exhausted Shane. He gets the mount and goes for a choke (which caused me to stand and shout ‘what the f*ck are you doing?!?!’). Seconds later, he would make me look foolish by securing a submission win. Unreal.

Kudos to Carwin for laying it on Brock. Kudos to Rosenthal for not stopping it. And kudos to Lesnar for showing the heart of a champion and solidifying himself as a legitimate mainstream UFC star.

Next for Lesnar: We already know this one – my maaaaaiiiinnn man, Cain Velasquez. I heard this can be as early as September – let’s do it. I’m going to be torn on this one. I like Cain more, but I really want to see Brock start a big legacy. One thing is for sure, Cain has a shot in this one.

Next for Carwin: How about the loser of Nelson vs. Dos Santos? I realty don’t see a need to drop Shane too far down the ladder. After all, 4 out of 5 refs would have stopped that fight and we’d be talking about Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin.

2) Chris Leben def. Yoshihiro Akiyama via submission, Rd. 3

I said…

After a feeling out process early, Akiyama takes the first round with his top control. However, just like in the Simpson fight, Leben comes back in the second with a knockout.

Prediction: Leben, KO, Rd. 2

I didn’t have the round or means of victory (seriously, who had Leben winning by submission?!?!) - but I knew Leben was pulling this one out and Akiyama did win the early fight as I thought he would. I’m going pretty high here. Grade: A- (3.7)

Another unbelievable fight with these two leaving it all in the cage. There were a number of times that I thought each guy was one or two swings from putting the other away, but credit to them both for showing great toughness.

As I expected, Akiyama is not all he’s cracked up to be. It wasn’t a bad showing, but if he was as good as people say he should have had no problems with the Crippler. He looked pretty small in there – a drop to welterweight may do him some good. I also wonder if the ladies know about Sexyama’s disappointing gas tank.

As for Chris, what can you say? On two weeks rest he stepped into one of the biggest fights of his career and delivered in vintage fashion. Tough as nails, heavy-handed, underrated off his back and a nutjob on the mic – Leben used all of these traits on Saturday night and I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Say what you will about the man, but The Crippler has brass ones. He’s also been around the block and looks to be at his highest level ever after looking washed-up not that long ago.

Next for Leben: He’s earned himself a legit contender. I know he wants Wandy, but I don’t see it happening for some reason. I think the winner of Okami/Munoz could be the better fit.

Next for Akiyama: As I said, I think he could use a drop in weight, but I think he’ll fight once more at middleweight before doing so. He needs a win in a bad way, but I don’t see him getting a lay-up. How about Aaron Simpson in a battle of the recent Crippler victims?

3) Stephan Bonnar def. Krzsyztof Soszynski via TKO, Rd. 2

I said…

I don’t see this going much differently than the first time around. Krzysztof will get the better on the feet and Bonnar doesn’t have what it takes to get it to the ground.

It will be a sad day for Bonnar as he drops his fourth in a row. One has to wonder if the UFC would ever cut him.

Prediction: Soszynski, Decision

It actually looked like my prediction was going to be true until Stephan drilled that knee so I won’t go with an F. Still, got to go pretty low here. Grade: D+ (1.3)

While I cracked a smile for Leben, I was grinning ear-to-ear for Stephan Bonnar. He needed a win in the worst way and you could tell how happy he was to finally get his hand raised after nearly three years.

This was another sweet fight on a night that was full of them. I thought K-Sos had Bonnar at one point, but as we’ve seen in the past, putting away the Psycho is easier said than done.

Next for Bonnar: The win was a great one, but Stephan has a while to go before being relevant again in the light-heavyweight division. Still, it’s a start. Now may be a good time to re-book the Matt Hamill fight that was cancelled due to injury.

Next for Soszynski: A tough loss for Krzsyztof, but he’ll get another crack in the UFC. How about a fight with Seth Petruzelli – loser leaves town.

4) Chris Lytle def Matt Brown via submission, Rd. 2

I said…

I think these two will give us a show on the feet, but Lytle will win every exchange in route to a decision victory.

Prediction: Lytle, Decision

I wasn’t right on the means of victory or the round, but I knew who was taking this one. Let’s keep it moderate. Grade: B (3.0)

What can you say about ‘Lights Out’? He will stand with you. He will grapple with you. He brings it every single time he fights. And he hasn’t been knocked out or submitted in 51 pro-fights. Oh yea, and in his spare time he fights fires. Chris Lytle – a man’s man.

This was another entertaining scrap. Neither of these guys are going to contend any time soon, but I wouldn’t mind seeing either one again in the near future.

Next for Lytle: I’d like to see John Hathaway tangle with the old vet. I think Lytle would take him to the woodshed.

Next for Brown: How about Rory MacDonald?

5) George Sotiropoulos def. Kurt Pellegrino, decision

I said:

I expect this one to play out much like the Stevenson fight with George getting the better of the stand-up causing Kurt to take this one to the ground. As soon as this happens you can expect George to once again make a fellow black belt look like an amateur. He will sweep Pellegrino from the bottom and work his way to a submission win.

Prediction: Sotiropoulos, Submission, Rd. 2

I didn’t have the final result, but I had the winner and most everything else. I’ll go somewhat high. Grade: B+ (3.3)

Another fight – another decisive win for Georgey boy.

Much like I thought would happen, George caught him in the stand-up and Pellegrino was never the same. Sotiropoulos won on the feet and the ground. Outside the last ten seconds – which gave me a heart attack – it was a very lop-sided affair.

Give the Saucy Aussie a contender – he is ready!!!

Next for Sotiropoulos: There are a ton of potential fights: Sherk, loser of Kenny/Maynard, Dunham… But, when all is said and done, I think we get George vs. Jim Miller.

Next for Pellegrino: Batman will ‘return’ (see what I did there). I’d say for his next outing we get Kurt vs. Mark Bocek.

6) Prelims

I said:

- Brendan Shaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer:
Shaub, TKO, Rd. 1 - I like this Shaub cat.

- Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero:
Petruzelli, TKO, Rd. 2 – Seth shows good hand improvement here.

- Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic:
Reljic, TKO, Rd. 2 – Kendall’s pink slip is waiting for him in the locker room.

- Gerald Harris vs. Dave Branch:
Harris, TKO, Rd. 2 – Don’t look now, but Harris has a nice three fight win streak.

- Daniel Roberts vs. Forrest Petz:
Roberts, Decision – Petz is back, how about that?

- John Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola:
Vemola, TKO, Rd 2 – I got a feeling Vemola is a bad man.

Hmm, I went 3-for-6 on winners, but had two fights perfect. Eh, let’s call it in the middle. Grade: B (3.0)

Things we learned on the prelims:

- Shaub looks legit.

- Romero is a tough dude.

- Reljic is not as good as advertised. (Or maybe he just never recovered from that back injury)

- Gerald Harris needs a step-up in competition.

Overall:

Ken’s GPA: C+ (2.93) Damn, that Bonnar fight killed me.

This was a tremendous night of fights. I really hope a lot of casual fans turned in to see Brock and saw the rest of this card. We had knockouts, submissions and more drama than I’ve seen in a long time. Best PPV of the year so far.

-Ken

Edit: I just want to point out that the use of the word “Post-Mortem” and the “what’s next for (insert fighter)” feature pre-dates the column Sherdog now puts out. I’m certainly not saying they stole my idea or anything like that — but, I do want to make sure that everyone knows that I’m not ripping them off.

Let’s see how Fight Night 19 turned out. As always, the grades are based on how I predicted things, not the quality of the fight.

Nate Diaz defeats Melvin Guillard via guillotine in the second.

I said:

It’s going to be tough for Guillard to knockout Nate, which is his only chance to win this fight. As soon as it hits the ground, even with Melvin on top, it’s over. Look for Diaz to get it to the ground midway through the first and lock in the sub.

Prediction: Diaz, Sub, Rd. 1

It wasn’t the correct round and Melvin did a little better on the ground than I thought he would by getting back to his feet in the first round. Still, it was tough to KO Diaz as I predicted – Gulliard rocked him in the first and couldn’t finish – and Nate ended with a sub. So, I’m going high on this.

Ken’s Grade: A- (3.7)

A really fun fight while it lasted. I was very impressed with Melvin in the first. He was playing it smart with his combos and getting to his feet as soon as he would hit the ground. He even had a nice throw towards the end of the round.

In classic Nate fashion, he started slow and ended with a sub. He really needed the win because dropping three in a row would have been rough. That guillotine was as slick as it gets – I don’t know if Guillard was trying a rope-a-dope or something with his shot, but it backfired bit time.

- Melvin’s next fight should be: Chris Lytle on a PPV prelim. That could be a great one.

- Nate’s next fight should be: The loser of Franca/Griffin at 103. He either gets to squash his beef with Tyson or try to avenge an early career loss to Hermes.

Gray Maynard defeats Roger Huerta via split decision

I said:

Maynard will consistently take this to the mat and smother Huerta for 15 minutes. He will work in a decent amount of ground n’ pound, but it won’t be enough to finish the tough-as-nails Matador.

Prediction: Maynard, Decision

I had the result correct, but Maynard really didn’t work in his wrestling until the last frame. I won’t go full monty because of this.

Ken’s Grade: A- (3.7)

How in God’s name did Huerta not tap?!?!?!! That was tough to watch.

I’ve never been a big fan of Huerta, but I ended up cheering for him last night. He showed a lot of heart and looked crisp in his stand-up. If this is his last UFC fight, it wasn’t a bad one to go out on, even if he lost.

I was also impressed with Maynard. He showed solid stand-up and when he finally worked in his wrestling, he was dominant. I also like the submission attempt as it showed he is, in fact, trying to finish fights despite was detractors say.

- Roger’s next fight should be: Jim Miller – though, I fear Huerta’s next payday is in a low-budget - and likely awful - movie.

- Gray’s next fight should be: Sean Sherk – a win there and its hard to argue against Maynard as being the number 1 contender.

Carlos Condit defeats Jake Ellenberger via split decision

I said:

Anyway, Carlos dominates this one with a well-rounded game and finishes with a sub in the second.

Prediction: Condit, Sub, Rd. 2

I had the winner, but not the means of victory. Jake also put up much tougher a fight than I expected. Let’s keep it moderate.

Ken’s grade: B (3.0)

Just like the judges, most people are split on how they scored this fight. The difference in opinions stems from the close second round in which Ellenberger had top position for the first three minutes with Carlos making a comeback in the last two.

Personally, I think Condit clearly took the round. He had a tight Kimura which was the most significant damage of the round, had mount twice, landed the more significant ground and poind, and even when he was on the bottom he scored more strikes than Jake did.

The only thing I can see an argument for would be a 28-28 draw with Ellenberger being given a 10-8 first round. He had Carlos dropped and in a fetal position twice. I don’t know how Condit was able to fight out of it.

In any event, Carlos showed he was the more well-rounded fighter and I’m glad he got the win.

- Jake’s next fight should be: Mike Pyle. The good showing definitely earned Ellenberger another fight in the UFC.

- Carlos next fight should be: The winner of Johnson/Yoshida at 104.

Nate Quarry defeats Tim Credeur via unanimous decision

I said:

I think he’s (Timmy) is in over his head here, though. Quarry is coming off a big win over Jason MacDonald. Look for the heavy-handed Nate to land midway through the second and end things.

Prediction: Quarry, TKO, Rd. 2

I had the winner, but not the means of victory. Quarry did tag him a few times, though. Let’s keep it in the middle.

Ken’s grade: B (3.0)

An sweet fight to start the night between two grizzled-vets.

I was surprised with the combos that Tim was able to land on. He looked pretty good, but still left his chin open and Quarry took advantage twice. The two knockdowns by Nate were what really decided the fight.

I’ll tell you one thing; Tim did more for his name value with this loss and post-fight speech than he has done in his previous three wins.

- Tim’s next fight should be: Kendall Grove – feels like an intriguing fight for some reason.

- Nate’s next fight should be: C.B. Dollaway – I get the feeling this bout gets made.

Ken’s GPA: B+ (3.35) – a solid effort.

Overall, an awesome free night of fights. Between last night and UFC 102, we are officially on a hot streak of great cards.

Here’s hoping it continues into Saturday. Check back for picks tomorrow.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

So here is the story…

About a month ago I started project managing the new season of Entourage at work and it consumed my life.  So, during that time, there weren’t any new posts - which is f’ing disgraceful given the fact that it was UFC 100 time and I also had the UFC 100 Dream Card Contest going on.

Speaking of the contest, thank you to everyone who submitted an entry.  The winner has been notified and will be receiving their prizes shortly.

I’m going to ease back into regularly scheduled posting and just give some quick thoughts on the mammoth UFC 100 card from last Saturday…

- I gave Belcher the fight with Akiyama, but I can’t say the decision was robbery.  My scorecard had rounds round 1 and 3 for Alan and round 2 for Yoshihiro.  It was razor thin though and could have gone either way.

- Overall, I wasn’t all that impressed by Akiyama – other than his entrance which kicked ass, as always.  I’m not sure if he took Belcher lightly or what, but he took a beating in this fight.  Perhaps I’m just underestimating Alan Belcher, who is getting a well-deserved reputation for coming to fight every time he enters the octagon.

- A solid win for Fitch as per usual.  It must be terrible having to fight after the main event.  The only other time I remember that happening was UFC 73 when Kenny Florian vs. Alvin Robinson took place after Silva/Marquardt.  That was the same night Kenny said he wanted to beat everyone until there was no doubt who the #1 contender was.  Funny how that turned out…

- Anyway, back to Fitch.  He is in such a weird spot because he can beat anyone in that division except the champ.  It’s like Rich Franklin at MW a few years ago.  For now, he has to hope this talk of GSP moving to 185 is true.  Until then, I expect a Fitch vs. Matt Hughes showdown.

- Henderson vs. Bisping was brutal.  From the start it was clear the Count was outmatched.  As old as Hendo is, he still seems to be at the same level he always was.  The knockout was brutal and brings me to my next point…

- I have no respect for “class act” Dan Henderson after what he did Saturday.  “I’ve been doing this a long time and I know when someone is out.  I knew he was out, that last shot was to shut him up.”  What a terrible, terrible thing to do to someone.  You can say ‘it was legal because the ref hadn’t stopped it yet’ all you want and you would be correct.  It may not have neen against the rules of MMA, but it was certainly against the rules of human decency.  To do that to another fighter who is going out there trying to feed his family is despicable – I don’t care how much trash Bisping talked.  I was terrified to see Bisping lying there unconscious as the replay of a flying forearm that could have been avoided got shown over and over again.  It stunk when Lawler did it to Trigg in Hawaii a few years ago – and it stinks now.

- GSP is the best fighter on the planet.  I become more confident in making this statement with each fight that passes.  His ability to control where the bout goes is uncanny.  That was a complete blowout of the supposed #2 fighter in the division.  There is really nothing left for him at 170.  Swick is solid, but stands no chance.  I guess it couldn’t hurt to have GSP fight him just to make sure there is no doubt.  Of course, Swick has to get by my main man Marty Kampmann first.

- I’m not a big Alves fan but he was game on Saturday.  Despite not having GSP in any trouble, at any point in the fight, he was a worthy adversary.  Kudos…

- That was an epic beat down that Brock laid upon Mir.  Frank’s face looked like raw hamburger meat afterwards.  I’m not sure if there is anything keeping Lesnar from doing that to the entire division.  Carwin is the only one I can see matching up well with him, but I don’t think he has the necessary speed or wrestling ability to win.  If Shane gets by Cain, we will see what happens.

- As for Brock’s post-fight comments, I could have done without them.  However, this article from MMAmania defending the champ made some really good points and I highly recommend it.

- At 41-years-old, Sable is every bit the babe that she was in her wrestling days.

That’s it for today.  Keep checking back for regularly scheduled posts.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

You know how we do over here…

UFC 97 is in the books so let’s analyze how things went and take a look at my picks to see if I’m a genius or a dumbass.

The Undercard:

I said:

• Matt Wiman def. Sam Stout, decision - Stout goes to 2-5 in his last UFC for the foreseeable future.
• TJ Grant def. Ryo Chonan, decision – This is more a knock on Ryo than an endorsement for Grant – who I know nothing about, other than he’s beaten a few UFC alums.
• Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden, decision – Man, I hope we get to see this one.  Got to go with Mark - dude is a gamer.
• David Loiseau def. Ed Herman, TKO, Rd. 2 – Welcome back, Crow.  Adios, Ed.
• Jason MacDonald def. Nate Quarry, submission, Rd. 2 – Another fight I would love to see broadcast.  The Athlete adds another win over Team Quest.
• Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam, TKO, Rd. 1 – Kang gets on the winning track in the UFC after stumbling against Belcher.
• Vinicius Magalhaes def. Eliot Marshall, submission, Rd. 1 – This ones interesting.  I want Marshall but my gut says Vinny’s grappling takes it.

Let’s see, I only had 3 of 7 correct – but I had the Grant upset which was the biggest of the night.  Let’s go C+ (2.3).

Main Card:

Steve Cantwell vs. Luiz Cane

I said:

Unfortunately for Cantwell, he won’t be getting that win.  Cane is better in all aspects of the game and will overwhelm from the start.  He will soften Cantwell up with strikes in the first and finish in the second by dropping Steve on the feet and following up with a TKO on the ground.

Prediction: Cane, TKO, Rd. 2

I had the winner and was pretty accurate about him overwhelming Cantwell – but the finish was off.  Call it B+ (3.3).

This was a solid opener.  Luiz looked great in the first by continuing to land from the outside.  His combos were fast and powerful.  To Steve’s credit, he made it interesting in the second by taking the round and landing some nice shots of his own.  In the end, Luiz just outclassed him on the feet taking the third round and the fight.  It was a good showing for both men though.

Banha looks like he is ready to be a player in the light-heavyweight division.  He is an exciting fighter and has shown a style that should play well in the stand-up oriented 205lb division.  His next opponent will likely be against a pretty big name.  I smell a showdown with Keith Jardine.

As I said, Cantwell didn’t come off looking bad in this fight.  He is only 22 and has plenty of room to grow.  His next fight will be on the prelims against a lower second-tier/high third-tier fighter.  A bout with the victorious Eliot Marshall would be a good one.

Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk

I said:

Anyway, Hardonk’s stand-up is pretty good, but he’s going to get mauled.  Cheick will have a very nice outing by showing some well-rounded striking.  We’re talking kicks, punches, clinch-work – all that good stuff.  Eventually, the genetic monster drops Antoni and finishes with a TKO.

Prediction: Kongo, TKO, Rd. 2

It was more ground ‘n pound rather than stand-up that did Hardonk in, but I was pretty spot-on with everything else.  I’m going full monty – A (4.0).

As expected, Kongo took care of business.  He never let Hardonk get going and displayed what looks to be an ever-improving top game.

He creeps a bit closer to a title-shot, but his current win streak lacks a marquee victory.  A fight with Shane Carwin would give the winner some added credibility and perhaps decide the next #1 contender after Frank and Brock battle in July.

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann

I said:

Look for Stann to come out like a ball of fire, but be unable to connect as Krzysztof refuses to brawl and picks his spots.  Eventually, at the will of Soszynski, it goes to the ground and the TUF8 alum will sink in a submission.

Prediction: Soszynski, submission, Rd. 2

I was off on the round – but the rest looks good.  I’m going high: A- (3.7)

That kimura was DY-NO-MITE.  I loved how Krzysztof let it go the first time around, got a better position and sunk it in the second time.  Great stuff.

Soszynski will never be a title contender, but he is a solid veteran and should have a nice future as a middle of the pack gatekeeper in the light-heavyweight division.  For his next fight, I expect him to wind up on a Fight Night main card against a UFC newcomer.

As for Stann, he was a great story in the WEC, but it is going to be tough for him to do much in the UFC given his lack of a ground game.  Still, I would love to see him mix it up with Houston Alexander.  That would be explosive.

Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua

I said:

Coming into this fight it appears the excuses for Shogun are done with and this will be the real indicator of where he is.  In the end, I say the true Rua shines through.  He will be patient and not chase the Iceman.  Once he gets the clinch midway through the first he will start unleashing like he did in Pride and it will be the beginning of the end.

Prediction: Rua, TKO, Rd. 1

Bonus prediction: Liddell announces retirement in Octagon afterwards… and then returns less than a year later.  Can a brotha get a Vegas line on that?

There was no clinch, but I had the round and means of victory.  Plus, it wasn’t a popular pick – so I’m going all the way: A (4.0).

I also smelled that Bonus Prediction coming as well – but it didn’t quite make it.

Shogun is back, baby!  Or so I hope.

Rua looked great in this fight.  He appeared in shape, was quick on his feet and showed his power.  We still don’t know how his conditioning is because this one was over quick.  If he fights like he did Saturday though, he won’t be going into the later rounds all that often.

Mauricio cements himself into the thick of things at 205lbs with the win.  The problem is that it seems that most of the upper echelon names in the division already have something on their plates.  Shogun will most likely see himself battling the loser of the Evans/Machida title fight coming up at 98.

As one career resurrects, another ends.

Dana says Liddell is never going to fight again in the UFC and I would have to agree.  There aren’t really any fights left for him.  No one is calling for Chuck/Randy 4 and there’s no need to have him fight an up-and-comer.

I’ve never been a big fan of Chuck, but I really felt for him Saturday as he stood there dejected.  He was a huge figure for the sport to have during the first few years of the MMA expansion and it now looks like the tank is empty.  By September, they will likely be inducting him and Hughes into the UFC Hall of Fame – the most illegitimate hall of fame in history.

Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites

I said:

I’ll keep it short: Anderson is pissed off about looking like a chump against Cote.  He is out for blood.  There won’t be any dancing or other such nonsense like last time - just a straight-up beatdown.

And for the five of you out there who say Leites can give him problems with his BJJ, let me remind you that Thales failed to submit Pete Sell.  Yea, you may want to re-think your stance.

Prediction: Silva, TKO, Rd. 1

I usually never go below a B if I picked the winner - but I can’t, in good conscious, go that high in this one.  I never saw this coming – what a disgrace.  Call it C+ (2.3).

Let’s play the blame game and ask: who was responsible for this monstrosity?

Thales came prepared for a grappling match, not an MMA contest.  As the challenger, it is your job to take the champions belt.  Instead of doing this, Leites preferred to flop to the ground every time there was anything close to engagement from Anderson.  If your game plan is to get a fight to the ground you sure as hell better score some takedowns and not rely solely on dropping to the canvas and hoping your opponent accepts the invitation to your guard.  Some of those were ridiculous; Silva missed a punch by a good two feet in the 4th round and Thales flew to his back.  Just awful.

As for Anderson, he doesn’t get a pass in my book.  I understand he’s a counter-striker, but at some point he needs to apply the pressure.  I don’t blame him at all for not following Leites to the ground, but on the feet, he could have done more.  Though, I do give him credit for busting out the first dead-leg I’ve seen utilized since the 6th grade.

In the end, let’s call it 70% Leites’ fault and 30%  Silva’s.

I imagine Dana punishes Thales by sending him to the prelims.  Hopefully, he won’t be dropped from the UFC altogether – which wouldn’t surprise me.

Anderson is still champ and Dana is still touting him as the world’s best.  As always, I believe the title of “world’s best fighter” belongs to a certain French-Canadian who was at the Bell Centre Saturday - looking dapper as always.  And 21,000 chanting Canucks seemed to agree with me.

Anyway, this is now two bad outings for Silva.  The man needs a challenge.  Cote and Leites are not in his league and his apathy conveyed this.  Why he didn’t convey this by brutalizing them, instead of refusing to fight them, is beyond me.  Dana needs to find a test for him in order to gauge where his heads at.

Ken’s GPA: B (3.26) – A generous professor would round that up to 3.3 and a B+, but we’re hard-asses here at Intelligently Defending.

Let’s see how Nick did:

Nick said:

Undercard:
Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Eliot Marshall - Marshall, TKO, round 2
Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang - Kang KO, round 1
Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry - MacDonald, sub round 2
Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau - Louiseau UD
David Bielkheden vs. Mark Bocek - Bocek UD
Ryo Chonan vs. T.J. Grant - Chonan UD
Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman - Wiman SD

Main Card:
Middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites - Silva by tons of strikes Rnd 2
Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – Rua by KO Rnd 2
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann – Stann by U Decision
Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk – Hardonk by Ugly Split Decision
Luis Cane vs. Steve Cantwell – I predict a war. Cane by TKO round 2

He had 6 of 12 winners, but none of the picks were fully correct.  He was also fooled by Anderson just like me, though he did have Rua stopping Chuck.  Let’s be generous and go B- (2.3).

Overall, a decent card that gets a thumbs down thanks to the horrid main event.

Just how bad was the main event?  Find out tomorrow when I rank the 5 worst UFC main events of the Zuffa era.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

UFC 95 is in the books.  Let’s take a look at how smart/stupid I am and also give some thoughts.

The Undercard:

I said:

Paul Kelly vs. Troy Mandaloniz:
Prediction: Kelly, TKO, Rd. 2 – Kelly is going to eat him on the ground.

Per Eklund vs. Evan Dunham:
Prediction: Eklund, Decision – why not?

Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Neil Grove:
Prediction: Grove, TKO, Rd. 2 – I have no idea and I don’t want to type the other guy’s last name again.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Sefan Struve:
Prediction: Dos Santos, TKO, Rd. 1 – Have I ever mentioned how I predicted Dos Santos knocking out Werdum?

Terry Etim vs. Brian Cobb:
Prediction: Etim, Submission, Rd. 2 – I’m using the “British fighter set-up for a win on his home turf” logic on this one.

I had Kelly winning, but didn’t have it going to a decision.

Way off on Per Eklund and Grove.

Right on the money with Dos Santos.  The dude has hands.

Had Etim and the round, but not the means of victory.  Etim looked great, by the way.

Overall, I was hit or miss, but I hit more than missed.  Let’s go above average.  Grade: B+ (3.3)

The Main Card

Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago

I said:

I feel a stand-up battle in this one. People say Josh may take it to the ground because he doesn’t want to trade with an unknown fighter, but I say he keeps it standing because he doesn’t want to test the submission skills of an unknown fighter. Look for Josh to control things on the feet and eventually catch Paulo with a big punch. From there, he goes to the ground and finishes with ground and pound.

Prediction: Koscheck, TKO, Rd. 2

I’m pretty pissed at myself for not smelling one of my patented “trap-fight upsets.”  Oh well.  Grade: F (0.0)

Dammit, Josh.  That’s not what you needed.  He was throwing some real bombs and it was a matter of time before he connected.  Too bad Thiago connected first (with the only good punch he threw the entire fight.)  Next time out, Kos will go back to his wrestling and get a win.  His stand-up is ten times better than it used to be, but it still has holes as evident on Saturday.

He will stay on the main card for his next bout.  I would like to see Karo fight Fitch, but Karo/Koscheck would work too.  Parisyan is getting a beatdown either way - that’s all that really matters.

Welome to the UFC Paulo Thiago.  I don’t really know what to make of that debut.  His stand-up looked horrible and then he ends it with a knockout – go figure.  This guy is all about submissions so I’m interested to see what he’s got on the ground.  Unfortunately, he will get booted to the prelims for his next fight and I smell Akihiro Gono in his future.

And for the record, I thought the stoppage was a tad too early, but I will never knock a ref for doing that.  Their job is harder than I could ever imagine and all they do is get criticized. Talk about thankless work.

Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen

I said:

This will be Sonnen’s only chance – he needs to use his superior wrestling to keep it standing and wear Demian out. It won’t happen. Maia will find a way to bring Chael down, even if it means pulling the former WEC champion on top of him. From there its academic as one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world seals the victory with a submission.

Prediction: Maia, Submission, Rd. 1

I was spot on here. Grade: A (4.0)

How long is it going to take before someone gets on top of Maia and just stands up? Seriously, what was Sonnen doing? I know it wasn’t what caused the end of the fight, but still, he was playing around too much on the ground – there were a few different times when his move should have been to back off and get to his feet and instead he sat around in an open guard.

As I said, it wasn’t what ended the fight. Maia’s takedown, which kicked 20 different kinds of ass, was what did it. As a fan that has always been partial to watching great BJJ, it is a treat every time I get to see this guy fight. That was another beautiful submission.

I’ll have more on these guy’s next opponents in a bit.

Nathan Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia

I said:

In any case, Wilson’s tank won’t be an issue Saturday. He will be ready to roll and I see him scoring the mild upset. Marquardt will look for the takedown early, but not get it. Wilson will chop away at his legs and eventually slow Marquardt’s relentless onslaught. From there Nate will be a sitting duck for one of the bricks Gouveia carries around with him. Wilson catches him and The Great is out cold.

Prediction: Gouveia, TKO, Rd. 2

I’m looking for any kind of credit to give myself on this one, but can’t find it. Grade: F (0.0)

A great performance by Nate. Wilson really had nothing for him outside of a guillotine attempt and a few hard punches that he was never able to follow up on. Marquardt dominated every aspect and finally ended with some moves straight out of Mortal Kombat. Kudos, sir.

So Nate says he is ready for, and deserves, another title shot. In the words of Judas Priest “you got another thing coming.” He has gone 3-1 since losing to Silva, but needs another big win to earn a shot. The solution is to put him against Maia with the winner earning a chance at the gold.

Of course, you still have the winner of Bisping/Henderson likely gaining a crack at the champ too. Plus, there is always my main man Yushin Okami who I fear is getting lost in the shuffle. Needless to say, there is no shortage of people to get added to the Anderson Silva highlight reel – some for their second time.

As for Sonnen, the UFC will pull the old winner vs. winner/loser vs. loser and put him up against Gouveia in what would be a pretty good fight.

Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham

I said:

Look for Hardy to be the more technical of the two and pick Markham apart and eventually drop him with strikes in the second.

Did you smell my conviction in that pick?

Prediction: Hardy, TKO, Rd. 2

I had the winner and means of victory. Wrong round, though. Let’s keep it moderate since I really didn’t have strong feeling either way. Grade: B+ (3.3)

Terrible mohawk aside, I like Hardy. I don’t know why exactly, just seems like a cool guy. I don’t think he’s particularly good or anything, but he has the right attitude. He also hits pretty hard, apparently.

It looks like with the help of some friendly trash-talking he has set himself up for a showdown with Marcus Davis. Marcus can’t be happy about this since the guy has been itching to get a crack at a top welterweight. If this fight does go down I cant see it being too competitive. If he is smart, Marcus will take it to the ground and easily submit Dan, who is just a Blue Belt. On the feet, Davis would still win – but it wouldn’t be as easy.

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson

I said:

Sanchez will come out like a mad-man, as always, and apply the early pressure. He gets the better of the stand-up with his reach advantage and eventually scores the takedown. He won’t finish it in the first, but Stevenson will be hurt. When the second starts, Nightmare gets the early takedown and eventually pounds out the win.

Prediction: Sanchez, TKO, Rd. 2

I had the winner, but gave Diego a little too much credit. We’ll stay moderate. Grade: B (3.0)

I hear a lot of people calling this fight boring, but I thought it was a decent scrap. The second round, in particular, had some good action.

Diego just outclassed him, though he didn’t look spectacular doing it. I hope it was because of the weight cut because I was really looking forward to a re-energized Nightmare at lightweight. He didn’t look “bad” on Saturday by any means, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for.

For his next fight, Sanchez can take on anyone in the lightweight division and have it be a fresh match-up - so take your pick. I wouldn’t mind seeing him fight Josh Neer. That could headline a Fight Night easy.

Welcome to the Gate Joe - keep it well.

I touched on this in my last Reader Response post and Rogan talked about it during the fight – Joe still fights the same way he did on TUF2. Given how long he has been around, you got to figure he is as good as he will ever be – and that is a solid lightweight who will never be champion.

His role as a gatekeeper will be an upper-echelon one. If you want a title shot, you got to go through Daddy. Unlike a guy like Clementi, who was a gatekeeper for the up-and-comers.

Before he assumes this role, Joe will get a nice rebound fight. It will probably be an import fighter that Joe will welcome to the UFC on a prelim.

Ken’s GPA: C (2.22) That’s actually not as bad as I expected.

Overall, a super-fun show. Some sweet KO’s, some slick submissions and one awesome fight (Marquardt/Gouveia). You really cant ask for more on a free show. Plus, we saw like 9 fights – that’s unprecedented.

A great effort from all involved.

Anyone else have some thoughts?

-Ken
http//:www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

UFC Fight Night 17: Lauzon vs. Stephens is in the books so let’s take a look at how the night, and my predictions, went.

The Undercard:

I said:

Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle: Riddle, decision. Got to love the Riddle – I’m banking on some nice progression to his game.

Nick Catone vs. Derek Downey: Catone, decision. No freaking clue.

Gleison Tibau vs. Rich Clementi: Clementi, decision. Here we go, Rich.

Matt Grice vs. Matt Veach: Veach, Submission, Rd. 2. Not positive, but Veach may be the first fighter from Matt Hughes’s HIT Squad in the UFC since Tommy Spear.

Dan Miller vs. Jake Rosholt: Rosholt, TKO, Rd. 2. Rosholt’s a beast – keep an eye on him.

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson: Pellegrino, Sub, Rd. 1. Emerson is perhaps my least favorite fighter in MMA – and it doesn’t help his cause that he’s fighting a guy I like. Let’s go Kurt.

I was dead-on with Riddle. I will probably be paying the $2 to order that fight on UFC On-Demand because word is he looked great.

I had Catone winning, but was off on how it would go down. Ditto for Veach.

I was way off on both Clementi/Tibau and Miller/Rosholt.

And I had Pellegrino/Emerson correct with the winner and means of victory.

Overall, not a bad showing – but not spectacular. Let’s keep it moderate. Grade: B (3.0)

Luigi Fioravanti vs. Anthony Johnson

I said:

Unlike most of his fights, Luigi will be the smaller man here. He doesn’t want to stand with Johnson, but he’ll be forced to since “Rumble” has both a wrestling and reach advantage. It’s going to be another addition to the Johnson highlight reel as he catches Luigi late in the second with strikes to drop him for the win.

Prediction: Johnson, TKO, Rd. 2

It was late in the first not the second, but I was pretty damn accurate otherwise. Grade: A- (3.7)

Johnson still looks green at times, but man, he’s impressive. The power is obviously there to go along with his great wrestling that, to this point, has been used as a defense mechanism. He is a super-explosive athlete and at age 24 the sky is the limit.

I don’t think the UFC is ready to put him against the elite just yet – which is smart. His next fight will be a guy with some name value in the middle of the pack. Matt Brown is coming to mind for some reason. Lytle wouldn’t be bad either and would give Anthony a pretty good test.

Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer

I said:

Anyway, this should be good. Both are well-rounded with a ton of fights and are desperate for a win. Danzig gets it after a stand-up fight by securing the takedown and working in a submission in the 2^nd.

Prediction: Danzig, Sud, Rd.2

I had the round and means of victory correct – which, of course, means jack squat because I picked the wrong guy. Still, I had the “this should be good” part right. Grade: C- (1.7)

This was a fun fight with both guys connecting on some strikes and having some spirited tussles on the ground. In the end, Neer was just slicker with that triangle – don’t really know what else to say.

I tell you, Neer really rubs me the wrong way. I’ve never liked him and this fight helped me realize why. His taunting and other shenanigans were annoying as hell. He’s not bad though, I’ll give him that. His striking looked good and ground and pound was vicious - he also ended with a submission which drives home just how well-rounded his skills are.

Fighting Nate Diaz and Danzig in back-to-back fights gives Josh some name recognition and the victory Saturday was pretty huge. He will get a main card fight in his next bout. I could see him being matched-up with Clay Guida.

Mac, Mac, Mac. That’s a 1-2 record now since winning TUF6. He hasn’t looked good for a guy who many had high expectations for after winning the show. There isn’t anything wrong with losing to Guida and Neer, but you got to figure Danzig is as good as he’s going to get. The guy has been around a long time and I don’t see him improving much more from this point on, so if he can’t beat those two there isn’t much hope for him against the division’s elite.

In any case, for his next fight I expect him to be on a PPV prelim against an opponent he can’t possibly lose to. It will probably be an imported fighter that we haven’t seen before. A TUF winner has never dropped three UFC fights in a row – Mac is dangerously close to being the first.

Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic

I said:

As for this fight, there is no reason to believe that it won’t be a severe mauling of Mr. Stojnic. Cain has said that he may want to test his stand-up against the kickboxer, but smarter heads will prevail. Stojnic goes on his back early in this one and get pounded out in epic fashion.

Prediction: Velasquez, TKO, Rd. 1

It was a beatdown and I had the correct means of victory, but the round was off and I didn’t envision Cain standing that long. Can’t go too high. Grade. B+ (3.3)

I guess Cain really did want to test the waters standing with a good striker and he passed with flying colors. Of course, this all depends on finding out just how good of a striker Stojnic really is – which probably won’t happen since I imagine he gets shown the door after this mauling. Where was I? Oh right, Cain’s stand-up. It looked great. He was hitting solid punches, mixing it up with knees from the clinch and even threw a high-kick or two. When his chance came, he took the fight to the ground and pounded out a victory. It was another great performance by a guy who seems to be picking up the MMA game with ease.

That now makes five career fights for Velasquez which is still such a small amount. I think the UFC can go either way right now. They may give him one more baby fight to let him score another win. Or they could let him test the waters against a veteran like Heath Herring – which would be another win anyway. Right now, I would bank on the former happening.

Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens

Look for a stand-up exchange in the beginning with Joe unsuccessfully working for a takedown. In the second, he finally gets to the ground and goes to work. He rains down punches and eventually passes guard where he gets a submission.

Prediction: Lauzon, Sub, Rd. 2

Nicely done, Ken. A Full Monty to close out the card. Grade: A (4.0)

This was another good fight that came down to Joe being the far superior grappler. Stephens had me worried for a bit because he was punching Lauzon hard as hell on the ground. Joe stayed cool under fire though and eventually scored the submission. My favorite part was his transitions on the canvas. His final mount was lightning fast.

Lauzon continues to roll and has now won two in a row since his setback against Kenny Florian. There are a ton of great fights for his next bout: Diaz, Guida, Neer, Danzig, Pellegrino, Franca – the list is endless. I’m interested to see what route the UFC takes.

Ken’s GPA: 3.14 (B) Not bad at all.

Overall, this was a fun card that showcased a bunch of future stars and two of my favorite fighters won impressively. I can’t complain.

Anyone else have thoughts on the night?

-Ken
http//:www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

The rigors of the real world caused me to miss out on giving picks for this one – so this isn’t a true Post-Mortem. Instead, it’s just some thoughts on the show. Hopefully, regular posting will resume in the next week or so.

In any event, let’s take a look at the mammoth UFC 94 card.

Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida

This was a dynamite way to start the show as you knew these guys were going to produce – which is exactly what they did.

In the end, Clay’s wrestling was just too good as he bullied the younger Diaz for the first 2 rounds. Nate had his chance in the 3^rd when he started to land a really nice flurry that had Clay backtracking. You got the feeling that the combo was just one or two more punches away from putting Guida in some serious trouble, but in the end the he couldn’t quite finish it.

Still, it was a good effort from Diaz and not a bad way to suffer his first UFC loss. There is nothing wrong with losing to Clay and I don’t expect his stock to drop too much after this fight. His next bout should be against a decent opponent. I could see it being Thiago Tavares, who beat Manny Gamburyan Saturday in prelim action.

After some mishaps and tough luck, Clay Guida has finally done it – he has put together back-to-back wins over solid competition in the UFC. Beating Mac Danzig and Diaz is nothing to sneeze at – they are both former TUF champions and highly-touted prospects.

Guida is finally a bona-fide contender and it will be interesting to see who he fights next. Frankie Edgar and Sean Sherk would both make great opponents but they don’t fight each other until May which is a long way off. A rematch with Tyson Griffin, pending the result of Tyson’s fight with Rafael dos Anjos, would work since Griffin decision over Guida was controversial – and by controversial, I mean robbery. In the end though, I smell a Clay vs. Spencer Fisher showdown. Just a hunch.

By the way… who else noticed Clay popping off some mighty burps between rounds.  Did we really need another reason to compare him to a caveman?  What a guy.

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Karo Parisyan

This fight started out as an entertaining scrap, but got slow towards the end. The story of was simple: Kim dominated first round, Karo came back to take the second and neither really did anything in the 3^rd. Karo eeked out a narrow decision which I agreed with – though, neither should be happy with that performance in the last round.

So Karo is back – lovely. Whatever. If that performance was any indication of what’s to come, he won’t be moving passed mid-card level anytime soon. His judo is nasty, I’ll give him that – but, his striking is average, BJJ is nothing special, gas tank is awful and he’s finished one fight since 2003.

Karo will be back on the main card in his next outing and will be matched up against a decent name. Please God, let it be Jon Fitch. This fight has been in the makings for a awhile now, but circumstance has intervened. With both men scoring victories on Saturday, now is the time. It would make a very good Fight Night main event or just some extra spice to a PPV. It would also give us the opportunity to see Parisyan get worked – which is always nice.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones

A star is born as Jon Jones displays well-rounded skills that are light-years ahead of his 21 years on Earth. The throws, the strikes, the wrestling – it was all great. Sure, he was getting tired at the end, but that can be improved – and he didn’t finish Bonnar, but no one does. A great effort from the young guy.

There is no Earthly reason for the UFC to try to bring Jones up too fast, which I’m sure they realize. He has plenty of time to find his way in the stacked light-heavyweight division. I suspect his next opponent will be a middle-of-the-road fighter who was victorious in his last bout. Someone like Thomasz Drwal will do.

As for Stephan, I felt bad for the guy. A series of setbacks and injuries have caused him to never reach the superstar status it looked like he would have after TUF1. Still, Dana loves him for what he has done for the UFC, which means Bonnar will always have a home. Besides that, he has a solid career in MMA journalism going and will always be a good fight for anyone at 205-pounds.

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva

Apparently, Thiago was not ready for this challenge – which I probably should have realized before the fight. Machida was so impressive as he effortlessly toyed with the young Brazilian. It was a dominating performance that probably turned Lyoto’s whole career around – from a popularity standpoint, at least. In a span of ten seconds he went from a so-called “defensive fighter” who doesn’t finish, to scoring a devastating KO and having the fans cheer wildly when he asked them if he deserved a title shot. Great stuff. Give the man his belt.

Thiago will be back. He is a good fighter, but ran into a monster on Saturday. If Brandon Vera beats Mike Patt at UFC 96 – which is anything but certain these days – a fight between Silva and ‘The Truth’ would do nicely.

Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn

Disclaimer: the words ‘grease,’ Vaseline’ and ‘Phil Nurse’ will appear nowhere in these paragraphs because I don’t have time to waste on such utter horseshit.

I make no bones about the fact that GSP is my favorite MMA fighter and, behind the New York Giants, my #2 rooting interest in all of sports. It’s to the point where if my man-crush on Georges grows any bigger, I may start questioning my sexuality. I was on egg shells in the weeks leading up to this fight because I knew a dominant win could cement St. Pierre as the greatest welterweight of all time. As always, he didn’t disappoint.

The performance was awe-inspiring. Every conceivable aspect of the fight was dominated by GSP. We hardly ever see someone pass Penn’s guard, and GSP did it multiple times like it was nothing. The ground n’ pound to end the 4^th was devastating. After all the talk from Penn about how GSP was soft, it was B.J. that had to quit. Poetic justice, my friends.

Georges current win streak is the stuff of legends. Since being upset by Matt Serra, he has gone on to defeat Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Serra, Jon Fitch and now B.J. Penn. Each victory has been nothing short of flawless and I will go on record as saying GSP is the best fighter on the planet.

… Listen for the bell, Alves. It tolls for thee.

The other side of the octagon told a different story Saturday. As B.J. sat in his corner after his brother called the fight, I almost felt bad for him… Almost.

The loss will be a devastating one for the Lightweight Champion and, to be honest, I think it will be awhile before we see him again. I hope he eventually does make his way back though, because my main man Kenny Florian has worked hard to earn a title shot and I want KenFlo to go up against the best – which B.J. still is at 155.

Overall, a historic night of fights that ends the UFC’s amazing run of UFC 91, UFC 92 and UFC 94 in a span of three months. Not bad at all.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com