UFC 118 is a few days away so let’s take a quick look at the prelims:

Spike TV Prelims

1) Nik Lentz vs. Andre Winner

Lentz has the wrestling advantage for sure coming out of Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Winner will be the better striker, but his problems will be keeping the fight upright.

In the end, Lentz grinds to a decision.

Prediction: Lentz, Decision

2) Gabe Reudiger vs. Joe Lauzon

I’m pumped for this one as my maaaaain man Joe Lauzon makes his return to the Octagon to take on Gabe Reudiger who hasn’t fought in the UFC in four years. Unless you count his stint on TUF5 – which I’m sure Gabe tries to forget everyday.

Joe took a beating at the hands of Sam Stout in his last fight, but I am confident he will be much better in his second bout back after a year on the shelf due to injury. Gabe has won six in a row in the minor leagues, but he will not be able to handle Joe’s grappling in this one.

Prediction: Lauzon, submission, Rd. 2

By the way, this card has four TUF5 fighters (Lauzon, Reudiger, Maynard and Diaz) and one TUF5 coach (Penn). That might be a record for a PPV– though I am too lazy to research it.

Under card

3) Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto

Osipczak – though a complete dick – isn’t half bad. He gave Matt Riddle his only loss and took the highly touted Rick Story to a split decision.

I see the Brit outclassing Soto wherever the fight goes and eventually ending things with some dynamic striking and ground ‘n pound.

Prediction: Osipczak, TKO, Rd. 2

4) Dan Miller vs. John Salter

After 3 straight victories to start his UFC career, Miller has dropped a trio of fights. This is do or die time for the Dirty Jerz native. If he losses this one, the pink slip will be waiting in the locker room.

And you know what? I think Salter has got this.

These will be two similar styles, but Salter will get the better of what turns into an ugly kickboxing match to score the decision.

Prediction: Salter, Decision

5) Amilcar Alves vs. Mike Pierce

I really don’t know a lot about either guy, but Pierce put up a helluva fight against Jon Fitch in December and then beat Julio Paulino next time out.

So I’ll go with the American to use his wrestling to win the decision. Even though I think he may be the underdog according to Vegas.

Prediction: Pierce, Decision

Check back tomorrow for some new and improved main card picks.

Stay lucky,
Ken

Going to be a bit strapped for time this week so I just wanted to throw these vids up real quick.

I had no idea they existed, but here are two videos of Frankie Edgar’s family and friends reacting to his victory over B.J. Penn a few months ago.

That’s some genuine joy right there. I can’t wait for the rematch this Saturday - picks to come later this week.

Stay lucky,
Ken

We got Episode 4 of Jersey Shore last night. Here are some thoughts.

- For the longest time, I thought Emilio Estevez was the coolest Emilio I knew. Wrong. I like the gorilla juicehead’s style. First, he tells Snooks ‘fuck you, there are naked girls here’. Then he calls her later and tells her he’s bedded some bimbo. Classic. The fact that these two broke up later over allegations that he was just using her to get on the Real World makes this all the better.

- The girls should have told Sammie about Ronnie during that first segment. They were backed into a corner and really weren’t going to get a better opportunity to spill the beans. And, to be honest, at this point I wouldn’t have blamed them. As much as I like Ron-Ron he is putting everyone else in a horrible position with his antics.

- JWOWW telling off Emilio was sexy. “You’re a loser with no job” — great stuff.

- Listen here JWOWW, I love ya baby - but don’t get mad at Angelina for not telling Sam when you couldn’t do it either. There was a lot of trying to push the burden of confession on Angelina this episode and, as much as I hate that girl, it shouldn’t have been put on her. Jenni and Nicole – if Sammi is your friend then telling her what was happening is your responsibility. Testify, Ken.

- Situation looks like he cooks a mean meal. I’d like to sample chicken cutlet night. Seriously though, Ronnie, it’s a family dinner - put a shirt on, bro.

- Really not sure what the point of the Truth or Dare type game was. The girls dress sexy and then they go around the room and answer personal question… What the hell? Spin the Bottle or 7 Minutes in Heaven would have been much more entertaining.

- Quote(s) of the episode:

1) “I’m eating chocolate chip cookies every night, dog.” - Situation explaining that Ronnie needs to choose Sam or creeping - and adding that he is doing quite well for himself with the female gender at the moment.

2) “I hate tests. That’s why I didn’t go to college.” – Ronnie’s response to Sammi about her ‘test’. Good for him – we aren’t mind-readers, ladies.

3) Everything said by Pauly and Vinny at the gelato shop. That was comedic gold. Vinny has been absolutely on point with his zings this season. I’d say he is making a big push to get a role on Situation and Pauly D’s inevitable spin-off.

- Girls don’t fart - that was just reality TV editing.

- There was another extended club scene with Ronnie and Sam fighting, making up and Ronnie getting hammered. I was on the can when this was going on so I don’t really know the details, but I imagine it went similar to the other 3,231 Ronnie and Sam club scenes this season. Just a guess.

- So they get back from the club and Ron-Ron is obliterated and Sammi is taking care of him (which is nice of her). How can JWOWW and Snooki go “I’m done Sam, no more of this” as if they are washing their hands of the situation when they didn’t even tell her what was going down. It would be one thing if they told her everything with Ronnie and then said “ok, now we’re not putting up with this anymore” but instead they skated around the topic and dropped ambiguous hints. Man up, bitches.

- So to make themselves feel better, JWOWW and Snooki write an anonymous, horribly misspelled letter. That is just about the worst possible solution those two idiots could have come up with. Most of all though, it’s cowardly — even by my standards

Alright, having a full freaking episode devoted to Ronnie and Sam is inexcusable. They better make up with it next week which looks to have potential as Sammi discovers the letter and MVP tries to hide groups of girls throughout the house.

Stay lucky,
Ken

Kind of a quiet day over here so I figured I would post two cool pics I’ve seen recently.

I found this first one on a Giants message board:

What a man that, Eli. And Y.A. Tittle too.

There will be plenty more G-Men coverage here in the coming weeks.

The second one was found by my main man O-Town. No idea where he found it, but its pretty hilarious.

To be fair to those guys, if Eva Longoria is within 100 yards of me I’m doing the same thing.

WEC 50 is tonight, but I honestly don’t know enough about the card to give much insight. I’ll be watching though - so I’ll throw out some thoughts tomorrow.

Stay lucky,
Ken

The main card for UFC 121 has been announced and it’s a doozy.

Let’s take a look:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010
Location: Honda Center in Anaheim, California

265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
205 lbs.: Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz
265 lbs.: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brendan Schaub
170 lbs.: Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields
170 lbs.: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago

Brock vs. Cain is huge. I was one of the first people on the Velasquez bandwagon when he arrived and it’s been a joy to watch him develop these last two and a half years. He started as a mammoth wrestler and has grown into a mammoth wrestler with serious ground ‘n pound and improving strikes. On the other hand, I love Brock too and want him to develop a great legacy in the sport – so I will officially be torn on this one. I probably wont know who I want until the bell sounds.

Tell you one thing, I like Velasquez’s chances. I think his boxing, though not as powerful, is more technical than Carwin’s. If he can stuff a takedown or two from Lesnar he can catch the champ with a punch and then probably learn from Shane’s mistake and meticulously work for a finish - instead of unloading wild punches and gassing… Wait, I mean, unloading wild punches and getting Lactic Acidosis. My mistake.

Of course, Brock is going to have twenty pounds on him so stuffing a takedown will be easier said than done – but we’ll see.

Tito vs. Hamill will mark the first time a TUF coach has fought one of his own fighters. I have no clue how this is going to go. Ortiz’s stand-up is probably more technical than Matt’s, but Matt’s is more powerful – ugliness notwithstanding. I don’t see Hamill wanting to take this to the ground and I don’t think Tito will get the big fella down – so I’d say we’re in for an entertaining 15-minute train wreck.

I realize Gabriel just got knocked on his ass by Junior two Saints, but I still think this may be too big a step up for Schaub. Still, Brendan has been knocking kids out and when your chin is as glass as Napao’s has been lately you always have to be cautious. A win for Schaub propels him to the next level and a win for Gabe gives him some momentum after a crushing defeat.

The UFC Welcome Committee President, Martin Kampmann, will introduce the company’s new prize-possession Jake Shields to the Octagon. I know it’s hard to bet against Jake after that dominating performance over Dan Henderson, but don’t sleep on Marty. If Shields doesn’t bring his ‘A’ game he’s walking out with the loser’s share.

Diego vs. Paulo will send one man back to relevancy and one man into deep, deep trouble. Personally, I think Paulo has been overrated from the start and Sanchez will show some new life now that he’s back with Greg Jackson – but we’ll have to wait and see.

Overall, this looks great on paper. The queso dip and wings will be flowing at my place come the 23rd of October.

Stay lucky.
Ken

I’d say it’s pretty ironic that Carwin would be the one to get tied to steroids when it is always Brock who gets guff for them despite no proof. Then again, false accusations against the champ make sense since he is a no-good pro-wrestling low-life - while Shane is a hard-working everyman and hero to all. Ha.

I’ll let the process play itself out before I pass judgment on Shane, but I will say this, thank God Lesnar won that fight on July 3rd. It would have been terrible for the sport to have Carwin win the title and then have his name tied to performance enhancers. Unfortunately, we live in a society where you’re guilty until proven innocent and this would not be the kind of publicity that Dana and the boys need for their heavyweight champion.

And that’s all I got to say about that…

Stay lucky,
Ken

Let’s see what was going down on the thrid episode of the season.

- That was some solid fallout from the ‘Slap Heard ‘Round the Shore’. I grossly underestimated how drunk Angelina was – she had no concept of reality. Kudos to JWOWW for not teeing off on a person in that state.

- So it’s the first day of work at the gelato shop. Wonderful. Vinny seems like a solid worker. If I owned a business like that I could see myself hiring him – but that’s it. The girls would be disqualified because they are helpless and lazy. Situation wouldn’t take it seriously. Ronnie would get ‘roid rage and attack a customer. And I could never hire a guy with a blowout - so as much as I like Pauly he’s out too.

- By the way, I would pay large sums of money to attend a Guadagnino family reunion and see some of Vinny’s ‘old school Italian relatives’ in their natural environment.

- Quote of the episode: “unfortunately your fun conflicts with our fun” - Pauly to Angelina as she is trying to apologize for going psycho the night before. I can’t say how impressed I was with how Pauly handled this situation. Never once did he fly off the handle and, in the end, he calmly accepts the apology but says it’s too late to reconcile any sort of friendship. This guy is cool as ice.

- As a brother of someone with a peanut allergy I would like to point out how dangerous it is to give these unmotivated morons a job at an ice cream shop. Every time ice cream is served the scoop used needs to be washed and sterilized to prevent any peanut residue from sticking. Failure to do this could cause the peanuts to find their way into the ice cream of an allergic person with catastrophic results. Just sayin’.

- The Situation’s pow-wow with the rest of the house to talk about Angelina was a nice gesture. Of course, the actual reason he did it was to pawn her off onto the girls so she would get off MVP’s back. Still, he showed initiative. He was also right about Angelina not being able to ‘do GTL with the guys’. After all, as Snooki pointed out, Angelina is a ‘pale rat’ which would defeat the purpose of the ‘T’.

- JWOWW’s club attire: I guess ‘the girls’ needed to breath after wearing the gelato shop uniform. I’m not complaining. I’m in love with her.

- So Snooki is the bigger guidette and squashes the beef with Angelina. This was the wrong move. Angelina is the most worthless human on TV and this truce will only be temporary I can assure you. If you ask me, Snooks and JWOWW should have led a full-on psychological assault on Angelina until she finally broke down and left the house – again. I’m talking Nair in her shampoo level sadistic. Mean Girls type shit.

- I’ve never seen so many people wearing sunglasses in dark dance clubs before in my life. Then again, I’ve never been in a dance club.

- Snooki stuck her orange nose were it didn’t belong when she confronted Ron in the club about his creepin. Snooki is also a female. Coincidence?

- ‘Wanna f*ck?’ Got to love that Snooki she sure wasn’t subtle about her intentions with the Vin-man — I like that in a woman. What’s the percentage of women Vinny would have said ‘no’ to at that point? 0.7%? 0.3%?

- Final verdict on if Snooki and Vinny smushed – no. There’s no way Vinny got the Italian sausage to cook in his condition.

- I was busy drinking bleach and banging my head on the counter while Sammi and Ronnie worked their shift at the gelato shop. It looked riveting. Please don’t fill me in.

- The definition of grenade has changed from the first season to the current. In the first season it meant a girl who – excuse my French - was a cock-block. This season it means any ugly girl. Make up your minds, boys.

(Edit: My main man Matty C. has pointed out that I was incorrect and the original definition of a grenade was an ugly girl who your friend hooks up with so that you can hook up with her better looking friend. Good looks, Matt.)

- You know the guys are famous and pulling all kinds of tail in Miami because the ‘ugly girls’ they took home are better looking than anything the Seaside hot tub saw. So many STD’s floating around in that thing after their session.

- Snooki and Situation - the gelato shop Dream Team.

- A word on the Vampires Suck movie that played ten billion times throughout the episode. It looks like possibly the worst movie ever made. Yet, I remember voluntarily going to a bunch of movies of the same ilk when I was 15… 15-year-old Ken was a dumbass.

- A word on the Piranha movie that played ten billion times throughout the episode. Can’t… freaking… wait… Apparently, 25-year-old Ken is a dumbass too.

- OK, we’re currently at commercial while I write this. Ronnie is contemplating his next move. Should he go out or stay in? Please go out Ronnie! Do it. Do it.

- Score!!!! This is the new Ron-Ron, Sammi. Get used to it toots. Or stay in bed and be a martyr. Either way, I don’t care.

This was an absolutely riveting episode. One of the all-time greats I would say.

Next week brings an anonymous letter (how else would those skanks do it?) and shit hits the fan with Sammi and Ron. Bring it on!

Stay lucky,
Ken

I’d like to preface this by saying that I am an alpha male who oozes machismo and would kick the ass of anyone reading this.  And since I’m hiding behind a keyboard, I’d say there ain’t much you can do to dispute this… How you like dem apples, tough guy?

With that said, I’ll be damned if this video didn’t bring a tear to even the manliest beefcakes such as myself.

USA! USA! USA!

Jersey Shore thoughts tomorrow.

GTL! GTL! GTL!

Stay lucky,
Ken

Y’all,

Check out the brand-spanking new Intelligently Defending Facebook page and click ‘Like’ to get updates.

You can also check us out on that Twitter jive right here.

Let’s do a Judge’s Scorecard on this fine Hump Day.

There been a lot of talk about UFC 117 being the event of the year. Is that actually the case?

Let’s take a look as we rank the top five UFC events of the year thus far.

1) UFC 116 - Jul 3, 2010

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin was just as dramatic and, in my opinion, much more exciting than Silva/Sonnen.

The rest of the card wasn’t star-studded, but produced some amazing fights. Most notably, TUF1 alums picking up huge wins when Chris Leben submitted Yoshihiro Akiyama with 30 seconds left and when Stephan Bonnar went to war - and knocked out -Krzysztof Soszynski.

2) UFC 117 – August 7, 2010

The main event will go down in history as the night Anderson Silva was taking to the brink by Chael Sonnen and pulled a miracle triangle to retain his title.

The rest of the card had some big names with Jon Fitch steamrolling Thiago Alves in their rematch, Matt Hughes showing he’s not done yet and Junior dos Santos earning a title shot.

3) UFC Live 1 – March 21, 2010

The UFC’s first effort on Versus was a homerun with two of their best up-and-comers – Jon Jones and Junior dos Santos – dominating in their biggest tests to date.

The entire night will go down as one of the most violent in history with knockouts, submission and Brandon Vera’s broken face.

4) UFC 110 – February 21, 2010

The UFC took a trip down under and put on a very good card that saw Cain Velasquez knock-out the legend Big Nog to earn a title shot.

In other action, Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping put on a show and George Sotiropoulos and Ryan Bader had breakout fights against established vets Joe Stevenson and Keith Jardine, respectively.

5) UFC 114 – May 29, 2010

While Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson may not have lived up to the hype, it was still great to finally see these two square-off.

Other fights saw Jon Hathaway announce his presence with a win over Diego Sanchez and Jason Brilz and Mike Russow shock the world – yet, Jason gets robbed.

Til next time.

Stay lucky,
Ken