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 118 is Saturday.  Let’s make some picks.

I tried to spruce these up a bit, let me know what you think…

1) Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis

How we got here:

After an impressive UFC welterweight debut against Rory Markham, Nate Diaz was ready for a bigger test and Marcus Davis is the man to give it to him.

Davis fell on hard times a few fights back, but recently returned to the win column with a victory over Jonathan ‘Glass Joe’ Goulet.  It’s now time for Marcus to try his luck against a big name opponent.

I also feel like there was some name calling that spawned this match-up, but I may just be imagining that given a Diaz is involved.

What’s at stake:

A win for Nate solidifies him as a legitimate player at 170 and may end his days at lightweight.

For Marcus, a victory puts him back in the middle of the pack where he was for the majority of 2006-2008.

The breakdown:

Despite what some are saying, I do not believe Nate holds an advantage wherever this fight goes.  Marcus is by far the superior boxer and should get the better of the stand-up, reach disadvantage notwithstanding.

On the ground, this is no contest.  While Davis has shown himself to be slippery on the canvas, he is not in Nate’s league.  Diaz’s main objective should be to shoot, trip or throw the Hand Grenade to the ground however he can.

I say:

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

2) Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda

How we got here:

Demian was originally scheduled to face Alan Belcher in the next Fight Night Main event, but injury sidelined the Mississippian.

Joe Silva did some shuffling and Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares is the Fight Night feature bout and Miranda was matched up with Maia.

What’s at stake:

Maia needs this win after getting embarrassed by Anderson Silva in the infamous UFC 112 main event.  He absolutely cannot afford to lose this fight to a relatively no-name fighter or he risks falling off the map.

Miranda on the other hand can go into this fight with nothing to lose.  Despite a UFC win and an impressive 10-1 record, very few fans know who Mario is.  He now has a chance to pull off the upset and make his presence known.

The breakdown:

Miranda has the striking edge, but Maia has shown improving hands as of late.  Enough to keep him out of trouble.

On the ground, Maia vs. Miranda is roughly equivalent to me vs. a 4-year-old.

I say:

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

3) Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard

How we got here:

This time last year Kenny Florian was getting trounced by B.J. Penn in his second lightweight title fight.  Since then, he has dominated Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi.  He is now one win away from his third shot at gold.

After his stint on TUF5, Gary Maynard has gone 7-0-1 in the UFC.  Credentials like that usually give a fighter a title shot, but lackluster decision wins have caused the Bully to take the long road to the championship and a fight against Kenny.

What’s at stake:

The next UFC lightweight title shot.

The breakdown:

Can Ken-Flo beat an elite wrestler?  The age-old question will get answered Saturday.

If Gray is smart he takes this to the ground quick and often.  Kenny’s stand-up has been on fire lately and Maynard would be smart to avoid it.

On the ground, Gray has shown the ability to stay out of subs with his smothering style.  It may not be the most exciting, but he is undefeated.  He will need to employ this to get the win – no matter how ugly it may look.

For Kenny, expect him to show the boxing which has looked so good in recent fights.  I don’t think he will be busting out those muay-thai kicks and risk getting taken to the ground.

If Maynard leaves even the slightest of openings for Kenny to score a takedown you can expect the Flo to go for it.  He has not been afraid to test his wrestling skills in the past.  Sometimes he’s successful – Guida.  And sometimes he’s not – Penn.  One thing is for sure, if Gray finds himself on the bottom at any point of this fight he is in deep, deep trouble.

I say:

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

4) Randy Couture vs. James Toney

How we got here:

A few months back, James Toney chased Dana White across the country until he got a contract.

Randy got here because he is a big name and probably one of the worst match-ups for the boxing champion.

What’s at stake:

Given how the UFC has promoted this as MMA vs. boxing, the legitimacy of the sport is somewhat on-the-line.  If the Natural gets knocked out, it fuels the fire of boxing fans who in the last 3 or 4 years have had very little to defend their dying sport with against MMA.

No pressure Randy…

The breakdown:

It doesn’t get much more academic than this:

If this fight stays standing longer than 3 minutes: Randy gets the lights turned off.
If this fight stays on the ground for longer than 3 minutes: Toney gets pounded out.

Simple.

I say:

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

Prediction: Couture, TKO, Rd. 1

5) Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn

How we got here:

Back at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, Frankie Edgar did the unthinkable when he outlasted then champion B.J. Penn to capture the UFC lightweight title.

The result was controversial so we are now running this thing back in Boston.

What’s at stake:

For B.J.: The opportunity to reclaim his place as the lightweight king.

For Frankie: The opportunity to show the world Abu Dhabi was no fluke.

For both: The UFC lightweight title.

The breakdown:

This is pretty similar to the first fight in the sense that it would appear B.J. is better in all aspects.

So how did Frankie win the first fight?

He won by sticking and moving.  He went inside and was out before B.J. could get a word in edgewise.  He mixed in some well-timed takedowns to score points and was the more aggressive fighter.  Basically, he made it appear like he was the winner and fought the perfect fight.

It will be tough to do that again.

I say:

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 will be watching this one in Baltimore with 14 of my peeps after our fantasy football draft.  Big fight atmosphere baby!

Enjoy the fights all.

Stay lucky,
Ken

Some thoughts on the big news in the world of MMA.

Props to MMAjunkie and MMAmania where I found all these stories.

1) UFC 101: Declaration card complete for Philly Aug. 8th

Main event:
UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian

Main card (Televised):
205 lbs.: Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva
185 lbs.: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
185 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

Under card (May not be broadcast):
170 lbs.: John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
170 lbs.: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
155 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson
170 lbs.: Danillo Villefort vs. Jesse Lennox
185 lbs.: Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
155 lbs.: Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley

Damn, that cards is suh-weet.  And pretty much tailored made for me.

Obviously, the main event is huge as it could not have set-up anymore nicely for Kenny.  He is coming into this fight on a huge winning streak and B.J. is coming off the worst loss of his career.  Florian couldn’t have hoped for better circumstances coming into this, so we will see if he can pull off the upset.

Anderson vs. Forrest is a great fight.  One of the world’s best vs. one of the UFC’s most popular and a ‘giant killer’ in his own right.  I can’t wait.

Then on the main card we got Amir finally making his first appearance since winning TUF7, Kendall vs. Almeida in a fight that will propel the winner back into the mix at 185 and Pellegrino vs. Neer which should be entertaining.

Even the undercard is looking nice.  It’s always good to see Tamdan McCrory, Riddle vs. Cramer will be fun and both guys have a future, and George Sotiropoulos is back after a layoff.

Great stuff and a nice “make-up card” for the East Coast after the abomination that was UFC 78.

2) Bobby Lashley fighting Bob Sapp at “Ultimate Chaos” on June 27

I was going to say Sapp hasn’t fought in well over a year and then I remembered that we last saw him fighting a grown man in an anime costume in Japan last December.  Those Japanese fans sure do love their freaskshows.  If I remember correctly, the guy in the anime costume actually had Sapp in trouble at one point.

Anyway, the Bobby Lashley bandwagon hit a pothole after his fight against Jason Guida.  He won, but people were expecting him to destroy Guida in grand fashion – not through a lackluster decision.  In any event, beating a gamer like Guida in your second pro fight is nothing to sneeze at.  Then, last Friday, Bobby squeezed the life from Mike Cook in 24 seconds and showed his freakish strength in the process.  He now stands at 3-0 for his career.

Check out the fight with Cook for yourself…  Imagine getting locked in the cage with this monster?

Still, I’m not very interested in the fight with Sapp – though, I’m sure I’ll watch the video.  Look for Bobby to win handily using his wrestling and probably finish it once Bob-O gasses.

3) Hong Man Choi vs. Jose Canseco appears to be happening

Well, HDnet is advertising it…

Wow, are you serious?  Jose must really be hard up for cash.  This is going to be an epic mauling.

4) Rampage to coach next season of TUF with winner of Evans/Machida

What the hell.  Why?  Why?  Why?

It appears that the UFC will once again put the Light-Heavyweight Title on hold in order to have a season of The Ultimate Fighter.  You would think the upcoming Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra fight would have been a reminder that these things don’t always work out as planned and can end up screwing up an entire division.

Apart from the lack of logic, I don’t see the need to bring Rampage back so soon.  He was OK in his first go-around as a coach, but he didn’t set the world on fire with his personality or anything like that.  I wonder, since he’s at Wolfslair now, does this mean he will be bringing back the same assistant coaches that Bisping currently has?

The only positive I could see from this is promoting Machida, should he beat Rashad, to the American audience.

That’s it for this edition.

Check out the UFC 100 Dream Card Contest to win an MMA prize package.

Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

After years of disliking Matt Hughes, something strange has happened over the last year – I’ve become a fan.

Matt has made a lot of moves in the past year and a half that I’ve liked.  He took a fight against GSP at UFC 79 that he wasn’t obligated to take.  He saved the cursed UFC 85 by agreeing to fight Thiago Alves on short notice in the main event.  And, after said main event, Hughes was gracious in defeat and gave the Pitbull props even though Alves failed to make weight.

Hughes has got to be considered the greatest UFC Champion ever and his overall resume is top-five of all time.  However, just like other legends of his era like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, the sun seems to be setting on his historic career.

On May 23rd, he will step into the cage against archrival Matt Serra.  The very fact that some people are calling this a competitive fight should indicate how far removed Matt is from him prime.  Three years ago, the result of this fight would never have been in question.  Today though, a Hughes victory is anything but assured.

Still, win or lose, Matt doesn’t have a ton of fights left, which he has admitted himself.  So in honor of his great career, this edition of The Judge’s Scorecard will recap the five greatest Matt Hughes victories.

5. Matt Hughes vs. Hayato Sakurai UFC 36

Result: Hughes via TKO, Rd. 4

Fresh off winning the UFC Welterweight Title for the first time, Hughes was pitted against Japanese sensation Hayato Sakurai in his first title defense.

Las Vegas had Matt as the underdog going into the fight which sounds absurd in hindsight.  People were not sold on the fashion in which he won the title and figured the import from the East was ready to score the victory over the new champ.

Things didn’t work out that way.

Hughes dominated the smaller fighter from the opening bell with an array of vicious slams which would become his trademark.  After a systematic beatdown, the country boy scored a 4th round TKO and certified himself as the top welterweight on the planet.  A position he would hold for years to come.

4. Matt Hughes vs. Georges St-Pierre UFC 50

Result: Hughes via submission, Rd. 1

With the sting of losing his title to B.J. Penn at UFC 46 still looming, Hughes was poised to regain his crown by taking on a 21-year-old French-Canadian wunderkind named Georges St-Pierre.

The former champ was handled easily for the first 4 minutes and 30 seconds of the bout by his more dynamic opponent.  As the round came to a close, however, Hughes got top position and applied a textbook armbar with just one second left in the opening frame.  With one of his patented come from behind victories, Matt was crowned the UFC Welterweight Champion for a second time.

Of course, GSP would cruise to two flawless victories over Matt in the years following this defeat…  I’m just saying is all.

3. Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton UFC 34

Result: Hughes via KO, Rd. 2

This is where it all began…

Carlos Newton had just choked out Matt’s trainer Pat Miletich and earned the UFC Welterweight Title.  Looking for revenge and a title of his own, Matt stepped into the cage against the champ.

Early in the second round, Carlos caught Hughes in a triangle choke and looked seconds away from finishing the fight.  Then, in a finish that would be replayed hundreds of times, the Miletich fighter pressed his opponent against the cage and slammed Newton down with all his strength.  The champion immediately went unconscious and the fight was stopped.

Matt sat up - not knowing what just transpired.  He would later admit that he had blacked-out from the submission attempt and the powerbomb was a last act of desperation before the lights went off.

It worked – and Hughes was now the UFC Welterweight Champion for the first time.

2. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg UFC 52

Result: Hughes via submission, Rd. 1

Immediately after being crowned champion for the second time, Hughes was slated to once again take on rival Frank Trigg.  While it wasn’t quite Matt Serra level, Trigg was doing plenty of talking before this fight and was confident he would be walking out of UFC 52 the new champion.

As things got underway neither fighter was getting the upper-hand.  Then, in a bizarre sequence, Trigg landed an unintentional low-blow that hurt Hughes.  Matt stepped back and looked for a few minutes to recover, but was greeted with a “fight on” from the ref.  Frank sensed he had the champion in trouble and went for the kill.  He mounted Hughes on the ground and began raining down punches – the end looked only seconds away.  Somehow, Matt fought his way out of it, but Trigg soon grabbed a rear naked choke and was inches from getting the submission.

Once again, Hughes escaped and reversed positions on the challenger.  He then pick up Frank like a rag-doll, ran him across the Octagon and punctuated the motion with a huge slam.  From there, he secured a rear-naked choke to retain his title - thus earning one of the gutsiest performances in UFC history.

1. Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn UFC 63

Result: Hughes via TKO, Rd. 3

At the last minute, a re-match between Hughes and Georges St-Pierre at UFC 63 turned into a re-match between Hughes and the man who took his title from him nearly three years prior – B.J. Penn.

In the opening two rounds of this epic battle, the Hawaiian dominated the champion much like their first encounter.  In the closing seconds of the second round, Penn locked in a triangle that nearly finished the fight.  Hughes persevered and we headed to a third frame.

In the third stanza, B.J. cardio deficiencies were clear as he could barely hold his hands up.  Sensing he had the challenger where he wanted him, Matt went to work by peppering Penn on the feet.  He then took the fight to the ground and got B.J. in a crucifix and landed about 30 unanswered punches to the head.  The ref was forced to step in and Matt snatched another victory from the jaws of defeat.

Afterwards, the ‘B.J. Penn Excuse Rolodex’ was bled dry.  Some fans said Hughes only won because B.J. gassed – others said it was because B.J. injured his ribs.  Whatever the reason, the fact remained that Matt had defeated his longtime nemesis in grand fashion.

His victory over Penn remains the last great performance of Hughes’ historic career.  Does he have one more left in him?  We will find out on May 23rd.

-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

I caught the latest addition of UFC Primetime and was much happier with the second installment than I was the first.

- I like the opening with B.J. Penn voicing his displeasure with how he was portrayed in the first episode. That was the last mention of the whole ‘reality TV’ angle and hopefully it is dead and buried.  No Dana in this episode was fine by me.

- Next was a sweet montage of B.J. training along with some footage of him with his family which was a nice touch.  They seem like a tight-knit group.

- GSP was great as always. I liked when they showed him joking around at the barber shop because his sense of humor is something we rarely see. I also really liked when he talked about how he was picked on as a child. It’s hard to imagine him like that, but I can see it. He comes across as a very shy guy and a bit of a dork at times. I can totally envision a scrawny, 8-year-old GSP getting taunted at school and not having the backbone to defend himself.

- The training session between GSP and the rest of Team Jackson was DY-NO-MITE. What a great camp.

- The smack-talking montage at the end was tremendous, as well. I can’t imagine a casual viewer seeing it and not being intrigued.

All in all, this was a great episode and exactly how I pictured the series being. Thumbs up. Check out the episode on UFC.com if you missed it.

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com

First off, apologies for the lack of updates this week and lack of a 411mania column.  The demands of a real job have been pressing as of late.

In any event, I managed to catch UFC Primetime Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn last night and here are some quick thoughts.

- It was basically a combination of a countdown show and an episode of UFC All Access.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as  I’m sure it will get a lot of casual viewers pumped for the fight, but it wasn’t quite the HBO 24/7 type feel we were expecting.

- GSP came across like a million bucks as the kid from humble backgrounds that struggled and got to the top through his determination.  The anecdote of him dropping out of school to take a job as a garbage man in order to pay for his martial arts lessons was killer.

- B.J.’s whole shtick about GSP becoming a quitter if you are able to hurt him was absurd.  I know he just says stuff to promote fights, but seriously, where did he come up with that bullshit?

- The ending killed it for me when Dana called a vacationing B.J. to ask if he was training properly.  the whole thing seemed so staged and forced.  I really hope they don’t make this a reoccurring thing.

Overall, it was an enjoyable 30 minutes but nothing Earth-shattering and a stupid ending.  Let’s call it a thumbs in the middle, leaning down.

I’ll be back sometime before Saturday for some UFC 93 predicitions

-Ken
http://www.IntelligentlyDefending.com