Intellectual Poison

Not much chit-chat for now, here are my picks for tonight's UFC 110 fights.

Big Nog over Cain
Silva over Bisping
Sotiropolous over Stevenson
Bader over Jardine
Cro Cop over Perosh
Soszynski over Bonnar
Lytle over Foster
Reljic over Dollaway
Pokrajac over Te Huna

Not taking too many risks with picks tonight. Maybe taking Silva over Bisping is a risky call since Silva's lost three of his last four. But I think Silva's going to be just too damned much for the mouthy Brit.

Fight of the Night will likely be Lytle and Foster but might end up being Cain and Big Nog.
Submission of the Night will likely be Sotiropolous and Stevenson.
Knockout of the Night will be Silva and Bisping.

Either way, it should be a pretty decent night of fights. I'm most looking forward to Bader/Jardine, Lytle/Foster and Silva/Bisping with Big Nog/Cain a close fourth.

Labels: mma, prediction, predictions, UFC

Yessirreebob, it is that time again. Another weekend of UFC mixed martial arts awesomeness on tap for tomorrow night and then, hoodoggy!, the Super Bowl on Sunday. Add in a holiday for me on Monday and this is already shaping up to be a pretty darned good weekend!

But, as is my custom, I am posting my predictions for tomorrow night's fights (nicknamed the Geezers at Ceaser's given the age of the main event fighters, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman).

Couture vs. Coleman
Prediction: Couture by TKO in the 3rd.

Marquardt vs. Sonnen
Prediction: Marquardt by KO in the 1st.

Swick vs. Thiago
Prediction: Swick by TKO in the 2nd.
This fight is my early favorite for fight of the night.

Maia vs. Miller
Prediction: Maia by Submission in 1st.

Serra vs. Trigg
Prediction: Serra by Submission in the 3rd.
I hope Serra kicks his ass kicked but I don't see it happening.

Danzig vs. Buchholz
Prediction: Buchholz by Unanimous Decision.

Guillard vs. Torres
Prediction: Torres by TKO in the 2nd.

Nover vs. Emerson
Prediction: Nover by Submission in the 3rd.

Stann vs. Davis
Prediction: Davis by Unanimous Decision.

Hague vs. Tuchscherer
Prediction: Hague by KO in th 1st.

Gracie vs. Beltran
Prediction: TKO by Gracie in the 3rd.

Fight of the Night: Swick vs. Thiago.
Submission of the Night: Demian Maia.
Knockout of the Night: Nate Marquardt.

There now, that wasn't so hard. By the way these are the same picks I submitted in the UFC Fantasy game. I've been hovering just outside the top 100 out of around 20,000 players and expect this time I'll break into the double digits.

Update: So how'd I do? Not so well given the several upsets on fight night. But let's take a look at the scorecard.

Looks like I pulled an unimpressive 4-11 on the night. With Sonnen kicking Marquardt's ass, Thiago choking out Swick and Nover dropping his fight by decision, I got soundly thrashed. Oh well, lucky I didn't have money on the line. I will be better next time!

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

Some good fights coming up in the next couple of days with the WEC fights tonight and then a UFC Fight Night on Monday.

Not too much time to put too much into this one since we're supposed to be getting ready to go check out the Cyclocross races in Aptos.

Here we go.
Maynard over Diaz
Escudero over Dunham
Lawlor over Simpson
Sadollah over Blackburn
Leben over Silva (looking forward to seeing Leben back in action)
Lennox over Story
Tavares over Lentz
MacDonald over Guymon
Bradley over Dos Anjos (love the square hair, Raf)
Harris over Salter
Forbes over Catone

Fight of the Night to Maynard vs Diaz
Submission of the Night to Sadollah
Knockout of the Night to Lawlor

Check back to see how my calls go.

Labels: mma, prediction, predictions, UFC

Time to put my money where my mouth is, make my UFC 107 predictions public and see how I do after tonight's outstanding fight card is run.

Televised Bouts
BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez
Prediction: Penn
Reason: Sanchez is an animal and comes with a furious power but Penn is the kingpin in the lightweight division. I think this is going to be a great fight but I'm going with the champ.

Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo
Prediction: Mir
Reason: Kongo is pissed off at remarks Mir's said recently, he's going to come with some anger. But I think the basic fact is that Mir's jits is far better than Kongo's jits defense. I see a choke out or arm bar in this one.

Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce
Prediction: Fitch
Reason: Don't know Pierce but I do know Fitch and he is one of the toughest sumbitches in the fight game. He brings his A-game each time he fights and his A-game is pretty damned good.

Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
Prediction: Florian
Reason: I like Guida, everybody likes Guida but Florian is the better fighter. Period. Aside from Penn above, I think Florian is the class of the weight class.

Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve
Prediction: Struve

Preliminary Bouts
Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
Prediction: Gouveia

Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson
Prediction: Nelson

Johny Hendricks vs. Ricardo Funch
Prediction: Hendricks

Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares
Prediction: Palhares

DeMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
Prediction: Garcia

Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant
Prediction: Burns

Update: I went 7-11 on my picks this time around and scored 173 points in the UFC Fantasy picks which was good enough for 112th place out of more than 20,000. Not too bad. And the fights were very, very good action almost all the way through the night. I wonder how Diego Sanchez's face is feeling today because looking at it post fight made me cringe.

Labels: mma, prediction, predictions, UFC

Another week, another UFC fight night. Tonight's fights feature one helluva a good car even without Brock Lesnar defending his belt against Shane Carwin. Now Brock Lesnar's fighting future is in jeopardy as he fights an intestinal disorder.

So here we go. Reasons given where I feel like it.

Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
Prediction: Forrest by TKO
Reason: Call it ring rust, call it age catching up, I just don't think Tito's got "it" anymore where Forrest has been fighting some of the best fighters in the game. Besides, I think Tito's an asshole and don't want him to win.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs. Josh "Kos" Koscheck
Prediction: Johnson by TKO
Reason: This fight could go either way as both are dynamic, strong, fast and powerful. But I think Rumble is going to out dynamic Kos. Should be a very, very fast and balls out fight.

Luis Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Prediction: Cane by TKO
Reason: Cane is a scary sumbitch. Nogueira is no pushover but Cane's star is going up and I think he's going to use a TKO win over Nogueira to push his name into the title contention ring.

Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah
Prediction: Sadollah by Submission
Reason: I make no bones about the fact I think Baroni is a clown. Yes, he's a decorated fighter and all but his flash and posturing is writing checks I don't think his skills are capable of cashing anymore. I think Amir is looking to get back on the winning streak and should pull it out tonight.

Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann
Prediction: Thiago by TKO
Reason: Thiago is fast and dangerous and he looks meaner than a rattlesnake. I don't know Volkmann at all but I'm going to go with the known here.

Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders
Prediction: Davis by TKO
Reason: This is the hardest fight of the night for me to pick. I really like both fighters quite alot. Marcus Davis is an outstanding striker and Ben Saunders has great skills as well as alot of charisma. I'd just as soon neither of them lose but I'm going to go with experience over youth in this one and take Davis.

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
Prediction: Grove by Decision
Reason: Grove is rising but Rosholt is going to be a very tough test for him. Another fight that could go either way.

Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson
Prediction: Larson by TKO

Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno
Prediction: Uno by Decision

George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent
Prediction: Sotiropolous by TKO

New feature of my predictions, I'm going to try and call the three awards as well.
Fight of the Night - Johnson vs. Koscheck
Knockout of the Night - Thiago over Volkman
Submmission of the Night - Sadollah over Baroni

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

Quick and ugly, here we go.

Couture over Vera, Swick over Hardy, Kang over Bisping, Brown over Wilkes, Pearson over Riley, Taylor over Hathaway, Etim over Gugerty, Osipczak over Riddle, Kelly over Silver, Gustafsson over Hamman, Winner over Delgado.

On the Bisping fight, I just want to see him lose some more. He's a douchebag, I like it when douchebags lose. And I like it when good guys like Randy Couture keep defying his age and win. That said, I see Vera making this a very, very tough fight.

And there are going to be some wicked fireworks in the Swick/Hardy fight. Both guys are fast with power. It might be over very quickly or it might become a slugfest battle royale.

Looking forward to chilling with some pals and watching the action later tonight and am trying not to see the spoilers!

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

I'm looking forward to this Saturday's UFC 104 tilt. Some great fights are on tap with Lyoto Machida leading the pack with a very tough opponent in Mauricio Rua. There are also some very interesting stylistic clash matches on tap as well (Bader vs. Schafer leaping out as one). There are also four fighters with perfect undefeated records putting them on the line (Machida, Velasquez, Bader and Gormley). Plus, as if you needed more awesome to seal the deal, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is on the card and he's one of the most dynamic, fast and rising fighters in the game today. It should be an outstanding night of fights. Below are my predictions for how the night will shape up.

Because I'm running late, I'm posting what I've got for picks without reasons in the last few fights.

Summary: Machida, Cain, Neer, Fisher, Johnson, Hardonk, Sonnen, Rivera, Bader and Al-Hassan.

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Prediction: Machida by TKO in Round 3
Reason: Machida is crafty, intelligent, strong and knows when to strike. He has thus far been uncrackable by any opponent. Rua is a great fighter but I don't think he's going to be the one to figure out how to take out Machida.

Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell
Prediction: Velasquez by Unanimous Decision
Reason: A fight of big, big boys. One a wrestling phenom who's newer to the MMA scene in Velasquez and one a seasoned vet with a load of experience and alot of hunger.

Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
Prediction: Neer by TKO in Round 2
Reason: Every fight I've seen of Josh Neer he's shown he's tough as nails and can never be counted out of any fight. I don't know Tibau too well but I'm going with Neer.

Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher
Prediction: Fisher by TKO in Round 3
Reason: Wow, this should be a great fight really. I'm not a big Joe Stevenson fan and I am a Spencer Fisher fan but both are good fighters and this should be a pretty dynamic fight.

Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Prediction: Anthony Johnson by TKO in Round 1
Reason: Johnson is one of the most exciting new fighters in the game

Preliminary Bouts:
Antoni Hardonk vs. Pat Barry
Prediction: Hardonk

Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
Prediction: Sonnen by submission (rear naked choke) in Round 2

Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons
Prediction: Rivera by Unanimous Decision

Ryan Bader vs. Eric "Red" Schafer
Prediction: Bader by TKO in Round 2

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan
Prediction: Al-Hassan by TKO in Round 1

Update: I went 6 for 10 on my predictions which isn't too bad. There's an awful lot of controversy about Machida's win but these are the kinds of things that can happen if a fight is allowed to go to the judge's decision. I haven't seen it so I can't say one way or the other but many people who's opinions I respect and trust have said that Rua got robbed. But Dana White has already announced that there will be a rematch which should be epic!

Labels: predictions, UFC

Just finished doing my UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship fantasy picks for tonight's event.

Short Summary: Franklin, Dos Santos, Kampmann, Kos, Griffin, Miller, Drwal, Miller, Oliveira, Story, Brilz, Matyushenko, dos Anjos.

Rich “Ace” Franklin vs. Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort
Prediction: Franklin by TKO in Round 2

Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
Prediction: Dos Santos by TKO in Round 2

Martin “Hitman” Kampmann vs. Paul “Semtex” Daley
Prediction: Kampmann by TKO in Round 3

Josh “Kos” Koscheck vs. Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg
Prediction: Kos by Unanimous Decision

Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin
Prediction: Griffin by Unanimous Decision

Efrain “Hecho en Mexico” Escudero vs. Cole “Magrino” Miller
Prediction: Miller by Submission in Round 2

Tomasz “The Gorilla” Drwal vs. Drew “The Massacre” McFedries
Prediction: Drwal by TKO in Round 1

Jim Miller vs. Steve Lopez
Prediction: Miller by Submission in Round 2

Rafaello “Tractor” Oliveira vs. Nick “The Carnie” Lentz
Prediction: Oliveira by Submission in Round 3

Brian Foster vs. Rick Story
Prediction: Story by Unanimous Decision

Eliot “The Fire” Marshall vs. Jason Brilz
Prediction: Brilz by TKO in Round 2

Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac
Prediction: Matyushenko by Unanimous Decision

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rob “The Saint” Emerson
Prediction: Dos Anjos by TKO in Round 3

Update: I did pretty well in the fantasy league this time around scoring 172 points which was good for number 113 out of 18000 and change. And I picked 8 for 13 which is a bit above my average of just over 50%. It was a good night of fights too though there were a couple of questionable early stoppages.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Prediction: Florian by TKO in Rd. 4
Reason: While I have great respect for BJ Penn and his natural talent, I think Kenny Florian is hungrier and has aggressively worked on every aspect of his game. Florian is the more complete fighter right now.

205 lbs.: Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva
Prediction: Silva by Submission in Rd. 3
Reason: We all know why Forrest is being pitched against Silva. Forrest is going to fight him unlike Silva's last two opponents who wouldn't engage. Forrest is game and he works very, very hard to get in great shape but I think he's going to be over matched by an extremely talented striker in Silva. At least this fight won't be boring like Silva's last two.

170 lbs.: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Prediction: Sadollah by Submission in Round 2
Reason: I don't know much about Hendricks but I do know a little about Amir Sadollah. He's a very tough, very game and very wily fighter who finds a way to win. He may be rusty but, if he can last through the first round, I expect he'll slip in a nice arm bar or guillotine choke for the win.

185 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Prediction: Almeida by TKO Rd. 3
Reason: Just taking the bookie's line on this one. I like Kendall and think he might end up pulling this out but the odds-makers are all pushing Almeida here and they usually know quite alot that I don't know.

155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer
Prediction: Neer by Unanimous Decision
Reason: Josh Neer is a tough sumbitch, he's also experienced and unflappable. I don't give him too much of an edge over Pellegrino but I do give him an edge and think he'll pull out the win.

170 lbs.: John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
Prediction: McCrory by Submission in Round 3
Reason: I like Tamdan, he reminds me alot of my cousin, Eli. He's a tough kid with excellent ground skills.

170 lbs.: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
Prediction: Riddle by TKO Rd. 2
Reason: Matt Riddle has the size and skill to be a really good fighter. If he's been applying himself, I think the combo of his talent and youth are going to put Dan Cramer on his back.

155 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop
Prediction: Sotiropoulos by Unanimous Decision
Reason: I'm not a fan of Sotiropoulos and I do rather like Roop. But every fight of Sotiropoulos I've seen, he's shown a very cagey and skilled fight game. Roop is tough and has a big heart but Sotiropoulos has the edge in skill.

170 lbs.: Danillo Villefort vs. Jesse Lennox
Prediction: Villefort by Unanimous Decision
Reason: Don't really know either fighter here so I'm taking the bookie's insights and putting them to work for me.

185 lbs.: Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
Prediction: Leites by TKO Rd. 2
Reason: The oddsmakers are strongly in Leites' camp on this matchup. They have been known to be wrong but its hard to refute where they think this fight will go.

155 lbs.: Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Prediction: Nelson by TKO Rd. 2
Reason: I've flipped on this one, I had been taking Riley but I now think Nelson is going to work it and beat him. We'll see what happens on Saturday.

So there we go. The short version is Florian, Silva, Sadollah, Almeida, Neer, McCrory, Riddle, Sotiropoulos, Villefort, Leites and Nelson. Eleven picks, let's see how it rolls!

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

This is a compilation of all my UFC predictions so far. I've no idea how good or bad I've done yet so it'll be interesting to see. I used the Wikipedia UFC list of events to check my cards.

UFC 100: 5 for 8
TUF 9 Finale: 5 for 8
UFC 99: 4 for 6
UFC 98: 5 for 8 (the Wilson/Larson fight didn't happen, Chris Larson was replaced by Mike Pyle at the last minute)
UFC 97: 5 for 8 (hmm, I'm seeing a pattern)
UFC Fight Night Condit vs. Kampmann: 4 for 5
UFC 95: 5 for 6
UFC 94: 5 for 9
UFC 93: Missed it entirely, woops.
UFC 92: 3 for 6
TUF 8 Finale: 4 for 10 (ouch)
UFC 91: 3 for 5
UFC 90: Missed it.
UFC 89: 3 for 5

That's all I've got so far.

The tally comes to a decent 51 for 84 or about 5 right for every 8 picks (see the pattern?). I need to start making my predictions based less on sentiment and more on the actual fight. I took Mir this last weekend because I think Brock Lesnar is a giant douchebag. Still, if I'd been putting money on my picks, I'd be up by a good bit by now.

The best part is that there are some good cards coming up soon, BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian is in early August and then Couture vs. Nogueira in late August.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

Time for some predictions for the upcoming mega night of MMA fights at UFC 100. The short version: Mir, GSP, Hendo, Fitch, Bonnar, Jones, Miller, Dollaway. Picking eight fights. We'll see how I do next Sunday.

Brock Lesnar (c) (3-1) vs Frank Mir (12-3) - UFC Heavyweight Championship
Result: Mir by submission in Round 2
Reason: I expect this fight will be explosive as Lesnar's gotten exponentially better with each fight in the UFC. But I don't think he's even close to Mir's jiu jitsu and that'll be the difference. But then, Lesnar could also just overwhelm Mir with his hamhock sized fists and knock him out. It'll be a good fight either way but I'm pulling for Mir.

Georges St-Pierre (c) (18-2) vs Thiago Alves (16-3) - UFC Welterweight Championship
Result: St.-Pierre by TKO in Round 2
Reason: When Georges was still coming up he didn't have a strong mental game which is why he lost to both Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Now he's very strong mentally and is one of the best fighters on the planet along with being an elite natural athlete.

Dan Henderson (24-7) vs Michael Bisping (17-1)
Result: Henderson by submission in Round 3
Reason: I'll be honest, I think Michael Bisping is a class-A douchenozzle. He's brash, arrogant and a jackass. I want Dan Henderson to pound his annoying ass into a bloody mess. Now, don't get me wrong, I think Bisping is a very talented and motivated fighter.

Jon Fitch (18-3-0-1) vs Paulo Thiago (11-0)
Result: Fitch by
Reason: I like Jon Fitch, I like his heart, I like his attitude and I like his toughness. He lost an incredibly hard fought battle to GSP. I don't know as much about Paulo Thiago but he's got a great record so he could stay perfect and beat Fitch but I'm going with the Fitch nonetheless.

Stephan Bonnar (11-5) vs Mark Coleman (15-9)
Result: Bonnar by TKO in Round 3
Reason: If Bonnar can survive the first couple of rounds, he should have the conditioning edge in the third round and be able to tee up and knock Coleman out of the fight.

Jon Jones (8-0) vs Jake O'Brien (11-2)
Result: Jones by TKO in Round 2
Reason: Hard to go against a guy rolling with an undefeated record. O'Brien no tomato can but I think Jones is going to take it to him.

Mac Danzig (19-6-1) vs Jim Miller (13-2)
Result: Miller by TKO in Round 1
Reason: Sorry Mac, you're about to be overwhelmed by a faster, stronger and just as talented fighter.

CB Dollaway (9-2) vs Tom Lawlor (5-1-1)
Result: Dollaway by submission in Round 2
Reason: I hope CB's been putting his off time to good use and improving the rest of his fight game. He's already a great wrestler but he should be able to develop into a great striker as well and with that wrestling strength he should be able to knock opponents out, eventually. For now, I think he'll rely on his strength and that's wrestling and making people say Uncle.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

Time to ake some predictions for this Saturday's TUF Finale. If you just want the short answers, here are my picks: Sanchez, Pearson, Johnson, Diaz, Lytle, Tibau, Dent, Osipczak.

Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez
Result: Sanchez by Unanimous Decision
Reason: I dig Clay Guida, I dig his energy, his enthusiasm for kicking ass and, yes, his wild head of hair thrashing all over the place. But I think he's just going to get out fought by Diego, who puts so much intensity into his fights that he could almost shoot laser beams from his eyes.

Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner ("TUF" lightweight finale)
Result: Pearson by TKO in Round 3
Reason: I'll admit that I don't know too much about Andre, he was one of the quieter Brits on the show. I just think Ross Pearson is a tough, strong and full of heart little fighter who wants to win more than anything.

DaMarques Johnson vs. James Wilks ("TUF" welterweight finale)
Result: Johnson by TKO in Round 2
Reason: Wilks barely beat Frank Lester for the second time. That was Lester's 4th fight in 34 days. And Demarques is a superior fighter in every way. Demarques also has made no bones about disliking Wilks.

Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson
Result: Diaz by Submission in Round 2
Reason: This may be blasphemy to say but I think MMA and the UFC have passed Joe Stevenson by. I've seen his last few fights and his game hasn't improved, his fighting hasn't changed. He's predictable and static. Besides, only a fool ever bets against one of the Diaz brothers, a fool who wants to get his ass kicked.

Kevin Burns vs. Chris Lytle
Result: Lytle by TKO in Round 3
Reason: This should, by all accounts, be a great fight. Both fighters like to bang, both fighters are tough as nails and this will likely win Fight of the Night honors. That said, I think Lytle's further along in the evolution of his fighting and will win it in the end.

Melvin Guillard vs. Gleison Tibau
Result: Tibau by Submission in Round 1
Reason: Guillard is a punk headcase. He doesn't have the mental capacity to compete in the UFC. He's a talented fighter to be sure but he's also an idiotic punk.

Jason Dent vs. Cameron Dollar
Result: Dent by Submission in Round 2
Reason: While I think Cameron Dollar has the skills to be a fighter, I just don't think he's got the heart to be one. Jason Dent is a smart fighter, using as much as he needs to win and not overtaxing himself beyond that. I expect he'll use his skills to get Dollar down and then catch him in an armbar to end it.

Frank lester vs. Nick Osipczak
Result: Osipczak by TKO in Round 2
Reason: Osipczak gave Demarques all he could handle in a three round war. While I like Frank Lester and give him major props for toughness, he's going to be outclassed by a much crisper fighter in Osipczak.

Update: Went five for eight on my predictions which isn't too bad but it could have been better. The fights were very good all the way around. My only wish is that Spike would have started showing the fights earlier and that people didn't post so many spoilers to Twitter.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

With another UFC event just around the bend it is time to put some predictions down on this weekend's UFC action. I've chosen six fights I feel I can make a reasonably informed prediction about.

Rich Franklin (24-4) vs Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1)
Prediction: Franklin by KO in Round 2
Reason: Against anyone not named Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin is a monster. Wanderlei is a legend but he's not Anderson.

Cain Velasquez (5-0) vs. Cheick Kongo (14-4-1)
Prediction: Velasquez by TKO in Round 1
Reason: I like Cheick Kongo quite alot but Cain Velasquez is one of the next big things in the heavyweight division. He's hyper aggressive and very, very strong. I think he's going to overwhelm Kongo.

Mike Swick (13-2) vs. Ben Saunders (7-0-2)
Prediction: Saunders by TKO in Round 2
Reason: I know Mike Swick is a very good fighter but Ben Saunders' star is rising, he's gotten better in each of this fights, he is a disciple of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do style of reactive fighting and, sorry Mike, but that's cool. I expect an explosive fight and it could go either way but I'm taking Saunders. And only partially because I went to high school with another Ben Saunders.

Marcus Davis (16-4) vs. Dan Hardy (21–6)
Prediction: Davis by KO in Round 2
Reason: Dan Hardy's been talking trash and Marcus Davis is not someone you want pissed off at you. I expect Marcus Davis to tear into Hardy like a hungry pit bull and knock him out.

Spencer Fisher (22-4) vs. Caol Uno (25-11-4)
Prediction: Fisher by TKO in Round 3
Reason: Uno is highly experienced and highly regarded in the sport of MMA. But I think Spencer has his fight game on these days, he comes into fights in perfect condition, his hand speed is blazingly quick and he's got a knock you out instinct. Uno might end up upsetting him but I think Fisher will take the fight to him, take him out of his game and drop him.

Mustapha Al-Turk (6-4) vs. Mirko "Cro-cop" Filipovic (24-6-2)
Prediction: Cro-cop by KO in Round 1
Reason: A healthy Cro-cop with a chip on his shoulder is a damned scary thing. He's got something to prove and wants to erase that ugly, ugly KO by Gonzaga that knocked him down like a rag doll.

So there ya go. I've got Franklin, Velasquez, Saunders, Davis, Fisher and Filipovic. Who have you got?

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

Another big night of UFC action is coming up on Saturday the 23rd. This event will be UFC 98 featuring a championship battle between Light Heavyweight Champ Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida, both fighters are undefeated in mixed martial arts competition (18-0-1 for Evans and 14-0 for Machida). Their styles are contrasting but both are superb fighters and this fight should be awesome. Hard as it may to believe, I'm looking more forward to the Hughes/Serra match on the undercard. And I'm hopeful that Matt Serra gets the sound ass-kicking he so richly deserves.

Anyway, without further ado, here are my predictions/wishes for the night's fights.

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida
Prediction: Machida by KO in Round 2
Reason: I have the greatest respect for Rashad Evans, he's a star, he's a champion and a superb fighter. But Lyoto Machida is very hard to train for, he's elusive, he's technically precise and can hit like a sledgehammer. Either way, this is going to be a fantastic battle.

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Prediction: Hughes by annihilation (KO) in Round 3
Reason: I dislike both Matts here but my dislike for Matt Serra is about fifty times more than for Hughes (who's main fault is his preachyness).

Dan Miller vs. Chael Sonnen
Prediction: Sonnen by submission in Round 1
Reason: Chael Sonnen's jui-jitsu game is very, very solid. Miller's a good fighter but I don't think the caliber of his ground game is up to Sonnen's. If the fight stays on its feet then Miller is likely to win but if it goes to the ground then Sonnen should be able to end it pretty quickly.

Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Prediction: Sherk by KO in Round 2
Reason: Frankie Edgar's a good fighter but I think Sean Sherk is stronger and will overwhelm Edgar.

Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Prediction: Nover by TKO in Round 2
Reason: Nover's first impression on the MMA fans was fainting during the first show of The Ultimate Fighter season 8. He's since redeemed himself with some great fights showing a highly aggressive style, great power and a strong desire to finish his opponents. I don't know too much about Bradley but I think Nover's going to swarm him and knock him out.

Chris Wilson vs. Brock Larson
Prediction: Wilson by Submission in Round 2
Reason: Chris Wilson and his family were just robbed at gunpoint in Brazil. He and his family survived. No offense to Brock Larson but I'm pulling for the guy.

Drew McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam
Prediction: Foupa-Pokam by TKO in Round 1
Reason: Every fight of McFedries I've seen he either annihilates the other guy or he gets annihilated. Makes for a good fight but not a really smart career strategy.

David Kaplan vs. George Roop
Prediction: Roop by Submission in Round 3
Reason: Dave Kaplan came off as a goof on the Ultimate Fighter, a drunk goof who thought he could take anyone's punch. He was proven wrong, getting knocked out in the bathroom of the house and then getting his ass kicked by Junie "White Trash and Proud of It" Browning. George Roop comes off as much more mature, much more dedicated to the sport and I don't think he's going to get away from his game plan.

Andre Gusmao vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Prediction: Sosznski by TKO in Round 2
Reason: I don't know Gusmao, he's relatively inexperienced with a 5-1 record. I do know Krzysztof is a tough bastard with good striking and surprisingly good jui jitsu. I'm going with what I know and taking Krzysztof.

And there we go. Quick rundown is: Machida, Hughes, Sonnen, Sherk, Nover, Wilson, Foupa-Pokam, Roop and then Sosznski. That's nine called results, more than my usual predictions. Check back in on Sunday to see how I did and post your own predictions in the comments.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

The card for UFC 97 is stacked! Anytime a card includes Anderson Silva AND Chuck Liddell, you can pretty much guarantee that I'm there. Here's the way I see most of the fights going down.

These aren't all the fights but they are the fights I feel like I can make some kind of prediction on the outcome. I went 4-5 at the last UFC event so maybe I'm starting to get on a roll.

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1)
Prediction: Silva by KO in Round 1
Reason: Silva's last "win" against Patrick Cote has been mocked, his performance derided. I believe Anderson Silva wants to silence his critics and stand alone as the best fighter in the world. He can do that by knocking Leites out in convincing fashion.

Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio Rua (17-3)
Prediction: Liddell by, wait for it, KO in Round 2
Reason: The Iceman knows how important this fight is, I think he's going to demonstrate more of his skills aside from his scary striking and, when the moment is right, is going to knock Rua out cold. At least I hope so.

Cheick Kongo (13-4-1) vs. Antoni Hardonk (8–4)
Prediction: Kongo by TKO in Round 2
Reason: Hardonk is excellent at the submission game but he takes a beating getting there. Kongo can dish out a serious beating in a short period of time.

Luis Cane (9-1) vs. Steve Cantwell (7-1)
Prediction: Cane by TKO in Round 2
Reason: I don't know Cantwell or Cane too well but I've done a little reading and the odds makers are going with Cane so that makes sense to me.

Eliot Marshall (6-1) vs. Vinny Magalhaes (6-4)
Prediction: Marshall by TKO strikes in Round 2
Reason: Since these two are both jiu-jitsu stars, this might turn into a war on the feet. In which case, the edge goes to Marshall as he's got the reach and Magalhaes doesn't particularly enjoy getting punched in the face since he's so purty.

Jason MacDonald (21-11) vs. Nate Quarry (10-3)
Prediction: Quarry by TKO in Round 1
Reason: I like both these fighters but think Nate Quarry's got a better game including some really devastating striking.

David Loiseau (18-8) vs. Ed Herman (14-7)
Prediction: Loiseau by Submission in Round 3
Reason: Both are fighting to stay in the UFC. I just see Loiseau wanting it more. Plus, I tend to think Ed Herman's a douchebag.

Matt Wiman (10-4) vs. Sam Stout (13-5-1)
Prediction: Wiman by unanimous decision
Reason: This fight could go either way, Stout is better on his feet but Wiman's a pretty game fighter and is better on the ground. I think Wiman may have the overall edge and squeak out a victory.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

Tonight's Ultimate Fight Night 18 has some very good and interesting matchups lined up. As has become my custom, I've come up with my predictions for the event. MMAMania has their predictions as well, pretty close to mine but a few differences to make it interesting.

Carlos Condit (22-4) vs. Martin Kampmann (14-2)
Prediction: Kampmann by TKO Round 1
Reason: No real reason, this fight could go either way. I just like Kampmann even if his picture reminds me of an old roommate of mine who turned into a skuzball.

Gleison Tibau (16-6) vs. Jeremy Stephens (14-4)
Prediction: Stephens by TKO Round 2
Reason: Stephens is a wild handful for anyone, he's about as hungry and aggressive a fighter as I've ever seen. He has the capacity to just overwhelm his opponents.

Ryan Bader (8-0) vs. Carmelo Marrero (10-2)
Prediction: Bader by unanimous decision
Reason: I doubt Bader will repeat his knockout performance from his last fight but its hard to go against someone with an 8-0 record even if I tend to think his fighting style is less than enthralling.

Junie Browning (3-0) vs. Cole Miller (14-3)
Prediction: Miller by KO Round 1
Reason: Less a prediction and more of a wish. Junie Browning represents what's wrong with MMA, he's a selfish drama queen and seeing him get his ass handed to him would make me smile. Plus, Cole Miller looks like a good pal of mine and I just like his style.

Tyson Griffin (12-2) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (11-3)
Prediction: Griffin by TKO Round 2
Reason: Griffin was a top contender not too long ago, he should be hungry to get back into the spotlight. I don't know too much about dos Anjos so I'm going with the more known quantity and calling it for Griffin.

Check back after the event to see what my scorecard looks like or leave a comment about why I'm completely wrong about my predictions.

[Update: Not bad, I went 4 for 5 on my predictions and nailed Bader's decision. I got Miller's first round win over Junie too. It was a pretty good night of fights overall.]

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

With UFC 95 coming up (Feb-21-2009 9pm ET/PT on Spike TV), I thought it was time to put my prediction stake in the ground again and see if I can improve my numbers, I'm currently running at just over 50% right calls and very, very few bullseyes (that's calling the round and way the fight ends).

Main event:
Diego Sanchez (19-2) vs. Joe Stevenson (29-9)
Prediction: Sanchez by TKO in Round 2.
Reason: Sanchez is dropping down to 155 for the first time. He was an animal at 170 who overwhelmed many of his opponents with his intensity and relentless attack. I expect he'll be even more dominant at 155. And, honestly, I've not been much impressed with Joe Stevenson in his last several fights.

Undercard:
Dan Hardy (20–6) vs. Rory Markham (16-4)
Prediction: Hardy by unanimous decision
Reason: This is a tough call, I'm not overly familiar with either fighter.

Nate Marquardt (27-8-2) vs. Wilson Gouveia (12-5)
Prediction: Marquardt by TKO in Round 1

Demian Maia (9-0) vs. Chael Sonnen (21-9-1)
Prediction: Maia by submission in Round 2

Josh Koscheck (12-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (7-0)
Prediction: Koscheck by TKO in Round 2

Paul Kelly (8-1) Vs. Troy Mandaloniz (3-1)
Prediction: Kelly by TKO in Round 1
Reason: Kelly's a beast who brings a full head of steam into the octagon. I just get the sense that he's going to overwhelm Mandaloniz.

One of these days, I'll have to compile all of my predictions and get a real scorecard pulled together.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC

What an interesting night of fights. No knockouts until the second to last fight of the night when Lyoto Machida silenced his critics with a big, big time knockout of Thiago Silva with one second left in the first round.

And then Georges St. Pierre dominated BJ Penn for four straight rounds until his team threw in the towel. GSP was bigger, faster, stronger and just too much for BJ to handle.

There was, this morning, some controversy from the BJ camp. Call it VaselineGate if you like but it wouldn't have changed the outcome either way.

So, how'd I do on my predictions?
Results courtesy of MMAMania. Click the link for round by round breakdowns of the action.
Georges St. Pierre defeats BJ Penn via technical knockout (doctor stoppage) at the end of round four
Lyoto Machida defeats Thiago Silva via knockout (punch) at 4:59 of round one
Jon Jones defeats Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision
Clay Guida defeats Nate Diaz via split decision
Karo Parisyan defeats Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim via split decision
Jon Fitch defeats Akihiro Gono via unanimous decision
Thiago Tavares defeats Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision
John Howard defeats Chris Wilson via split decision
Jake O’Brien defeats Christian Wellisch via split decision
Daniel Cramer defeats Matt “No Regard” Arroyo via split decision

I pulled a mediocre 5 for 9 on my predictions but did land the big ones with Machida and GSP.

Labels: mma, predictions, UFC