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
