MMA Slice

The Spectacular Spider

Last week Anderson Silva stepped into the octagon to face former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. Many considered this his most formidable opponent since Dan Henderson. However, Anderson Silva thought otherwise. In interviews he was asked if he thought Belfort was the best striker he's ever faced, and he responded with "no."

He showed us on the night of the fight why he thought this. The fight started off slow, with neither man looking to engage early. The two combatants squared off for almost a full round, measuring each other up and throwing feints to read the other's reactions. Belfort landed a few good shots and even scored a take down on The Spider. He could not do anything with it, as Silva quickly sprung back up to his feet.

A few moments after that, the kick that everyone will remember and talk about for a good while happened. Anderson Silva did a front kick to Vitor's face. Belfort obviously thought the kick was coming to the body, and the foot smashed directly on to his chin. The former light-heavyweight champion crumpled to the floor like a deck of cards. Anderson walked over top of him and landed some precise powerful blows that put The Phenom out for good.

The arena was deafening as everyone in the Mandalay Bay was on their feet cheering on Anderson Silva. He proved that he's one of the best fighters to ever enter the octagon last week, and he will continue to do so as long as he's fighting.

Fight for the Troops 2

Fight For the Troops 2 tonight will be headlined by Melvin Guillard and Evan Dunham. This will prove to be an interesting bout as it's a pivotal match-up for both fighters. For Guillard, it means that his camp change was a good thing for him. Evan Dunham is one of the most hyped up up-and-comers in the UFC, a victory over him would solidify Guillard as a true contender.

For Evan Dunham, a victory over a solid opponent in the always dangerous Guillard, will prove that he has what it takes to defeat fighters of all sorts of styles. Dunham enters the bout with a blemish short of being undefeated--one loss to Sean Sherk, who is a former champion in the divsion. He's the favorite, and with good reason. The kid has great grappling abilities, and he can stand long enough with anyone to turn it into a grappling match. He's not completely lost in the stand up, but for tonight he should be looking to take it to the ground as quickly as possible. His opponent tonight has a reputation for being a powerful striker, and as it is MMA, anything can happen. Barring something crazy happens, Dunham should take the victory to a decision by using his superior grappling abilities.

Also featured on the card are Pat "HD" Barry, Joey "The Mexecutioner" Beltran, Matt Mitrione, Tim Hague, and Cole Miller.

Who Will Rise Again?

Both of the main event fighters tonight are returning to the octagon coming off of a loss. Rampage Jackson dropped a decision loss to "Sugar" Rashad Evans, and Lyoto Machida was brutally KO'd in the first round of his re-match with current light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. This always makes for an interesting match-up, because it'll show who truly wants the fight more. Rampage was on the verge of getting a title shot when he returned in May, and Lyoto Machida was defending his title for the second time when he squared off with Rua earlier that month.

They're both going to go out there to prove that they're not quite done yet despite pivotal losses in their careers. This match-up is going to propel one fighter back into relevance and downward spiral the other into the mid-tier of the rankings. Lyoto Machida is motivated to climb back to a title shot to dethrone the only man to have beat him in his career; Mauricio Rua. Rampage is looking to get his title back and just flat out enjoys fighting.

Each fighter brings something different to offer. Machida is more of a graceful, tactician who capitalizes on his opponent's mistakes. He loves to come in and attack, and then spring out of the pocket to avoid taking much damage. On the other hand, Quinton Jackson usually mixes things up. He goes out there to throw his heavy hands and take people's head's off.

They're both technical in their own regard, Rampage is great inside of the pocket, has good boxing defense and his head movement is pretty good too. He also likes to find openings when his opponent goes into "brawl mode" to clean their clock.

Machida likes to pick the range so that he can play his mind games and setup his shots. He's also got great take down defense, and what little he has shown in his fights of his clinch is also pretty effective. He has almost a perfect style to defeat Rampage Jackson, and it'll be fun to see how it plays out.

The winner will be the one who gets the other to fight their fight, and essentially out of their comfort zone. If Jackson can turn it into a slug fest and force Machida to exchange without giving him a chance to regroup, I can see the victory going to him. However, if Machida chooses the range and pace of the fight, and keeps Rampage at bay from landing those bombs, Rampage will lose another decision tonight.

One of the most interesting aspect of the main event tonight will be seeing how Lyoto comes back from his first loss. Especially given that his first loss was so quick and in brutal fashion to a guy who he had a largely contested decision win over. Will Machida have some doubts in his mind tonight, knowing that he can very well be KO'd, and add to that that Rampage Jackson is one of the hardest hitters in the division.

My prediction is that The Dragon will rise again tonight, and give Rampage his second loss since coming back to the UFC.

Key to Victory (Part 2): Cain Velasquez

Eight victories and zero losses, NCAA division 1 wrestler, and only 28 years old, Cain Velasquez will enter the octagon tonight as the challenger looking to dethrone Brock Lesnar as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the UFC.

If you have seen him fight before, you know that Cain Velasquez has one of the fastest paces in the division. He is a constant non-stop attacker who keeps moving forward. Even through adversity he doesn't relent. This was most apparent in his bout at UFC 99 against Cheick Kongo. Kongo dropped him and rattled him abit at the beginning of each round, but Velasquez managed to stay calm and knew what he had to do in order to secure a victory. Immediately after his senses were jumbled, he would charge forward on Kongo and take him to the ground. In his 8 fights, that was the only time Cain had ever been seen in trouble. Up until then, he had absolutely ran through his opponents. His most recent performance was also an impressive first round KO over legendary Antonio Minotauro Nogueira.

Tonight he will need to dictate the pace right away. Come into the fight using his speed and footwork to create angles and make it difficult for Lesnar to measure up a take down. He cannot stand in front of the behemoth and expect a victory. He needs to go in and out of the pocket, getting his shots in and avoiding Lesnar's power punches that will be coming at him.

This might sound crazy, but I expect Velasquez to shoot in for some take downs at some point. Maybe not use all of his strength and energy to complete it, seeing as how Lesnar is a big powerful wrestler himself, but to keep him guessing. Is Cain feinting to throw a punch, or is he trying to catch him off guard and get a take down? Is he going for a body shot or is he going to quickly dip down low, then come back up with an overhand? Will he shoot for a double leg or is he trying to bait Brock to drop his hands so he can get a clear punch on his chin? That's is how I expect Cain to fight tonight, to utilize his speed and movement to keep Lesnar uncomfortable.

Velasquez is a total-package when it comes to a mixed martial artist. He can strike, he has great wrestling, he has great movement, a lot of heart, and most of all he's hungry. Tonight he needs to bring his entire game together to defeat the reigning champion. He needs to dictate the pace early and not let Brock get off on him. Drive forward, forward, and mix up his game to keep Lesnar on his toes. If he finds himself on his back, he shouldn't panic, it's a 5 round fight and he can give up a round or 2, so long as he doesn't get finished or start to take too much damage.

In all of his interviews, Velasquez seems to be prepared for everything. He acknowledges that he realizes this fight will most likely go everywhere in the fight game. It'll be interesting to see how his Jiu Jitsu coach has trained him to deal with Lesnar being on top should he find himself in that position. I suspect that Cain and co. will have some surprises for Lesnar tonight, much like they did against Nogueira back in February.

Don't miss it tonight when these heavyweights collide, Brock Lesnar defends his title against the undefeated challenger Cain Velasquez! Tonight at 10PM, only on pay-per-view. Enjoy the show fight fans!

Key to Victory (Part 1): Brock Lesnar

Tomorrow night, when the octagon door closes, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will put his title on the line against the undefeated challenger Cain Velasquez. It's going to be a collision of strength and size versus mobility and technique. Brute force and might will be going head to head with persistence and aggression to see who reigns supreme as the heavyweight champion.

Brock Lesnar will have to close the distance of Cain Velasquez early. He's going to have to pour on the take down attempts from the get-go. If the word from Velasquez's camp is true, then his cardio is really extraordinary. Lesnar's is undoubtedly in tip-top shape, but the hype about Cain's endurance and relentless pace should give Lesnar a sense of urgency. As mentioned, the heavyweight champion better be looking to begin his onslaught and try to take out the challenger as quick as possible.

He does not want to stand-up with Velasquez, that much is known about his game-plan at the very least. Even if Cain does not possess the power that his previous opponent Shane Carwin did, the stand-up is the most disadvantageous dimension of the fight for Lesnar. He's going to have to not be afraid of getting hit in the face and rush for the take down. Get that gap closed so that Velasquez doesn't have enough time to find his range, or to implement his foot movement. Even if Velasquez stops his take down, he should quickly go for another shot. Allow no breathing room, because the position Velasquez mostly does not want to find himself is underneath him.

If Lesnar manages to take it to the ground, the first thing he should do is secure positions. He should not worry about throwing strikes until he feels Cain is trapped. Giving Cain holes (as he did to Heath Herring) could prove detrimental. I suspect Cain will slip and squirm out from underneath Lesnar if he does not follow this gameplan and instead looks to tee-off right away. Lesnar was able to realize this in his fight against Frank Mir, so I see no reason it should be any different in this fight. However, he'll be dealing with an opponent who is going to be much more relentless to get the fight standing, so his patience will be tested.

If Lesnar cannot secure a take down early on, he could always clinch with Velasquez. In fact, I would give the clinch as Lesnar's biggest advantage. He threw some sick knees on Randy Couture from the clinch, and I really see this as being the one area where he can overpower Velasquez. He could pin him against the cage, and work from there. Throwing some dirty boxing strikes while holding him against the cage. Lesnar should use anything he can to try and neutralize the stand-up, and clinching him until the round is over could play a big part in the game-plan. If Lesnar wins...I expect it to be from the clinch. Whether it's a big strike that knocks Velasquez down and then he ground and pounds him or whether it's a clean KO from the position, I see a Lesnar victory coming from the clinch.

That is how the heavyweight champion will have to fight in order to retain. Work for the take downs and not let Cain get off first. Keep him pressured and avoid the stand-up. Turn it into an all out grappling match-up so that Lesnar can utilize his massive frame, his weight advantage, and strength. If he gets him to the ground, he'll have to look to smother Cain and be methodical about securing advantageous positions to work his strikes.

Diaz vs. Noons 2

Or perhaps a more fitting name for this event would be, "Diaz vs. Noons 1 1/2", considering how early the first one was stopped. For those of you who did not see their first scrap, it was ended by the doctor due to a cut above Diaz's eye. The cut was huge and gushing blood all over his eyes, so it wasn't a controversial stoppage or anything of that sort. The only controversy was that these two fighters had barely gotten started before it was over.

The first five minutes of the first fight had all of the signs of a war in the making. Neither fighter was completely outclassing the other, and in they both had their moments in the fight. Noons won that round, I would say, edging Diaz out a bit by knocking him down with a punch. However, Diaz did land a few solid shots on Noons.

One thing I immediately thought after watching the fight, was how much KJ Noons has improved since that bout. His hands look more crisp and his defense is much tighter than it was in 2007. Diaz is going to have a hard time peppering Noons tonight, so I suspect his gameplan will be based around relentless take downs.

It should be a good show tonight. The first one had fireworks in the first 5 minutes, and the two fighters were just getting really comfortable fighting one another before the unfortunate cut. The cut came as a result of Noons kneeing Diaz in the face as he shot in for a take down. We should expect Noons to be timing the take downs and looking for a similar counter tonight. Hopefully, though, this one does not get stopped due to a cut. Hopefully the fighters get to put on a 3-round war or someone is stopped in spectacular fashion.

UFC 119: Main Event Prediction

Well, it's finally September 25th. There was some serious drama surrounding this event, first starting when Minotauro pulled out due to surgery. Then, UFC replaced him with CroCop, and then CroCop had an accident in sparring. For a few days, it was unsure whethere Mirko would be cleared to fight by the doctors. Luckily, both a doctor in Croatia and in Indianapolis gave him the go-ahead, and so tonight we're going to witness another classic "Pride" vs. "UFC" fight.

CroCop was one of the top dogs in the Japanese organization, whereas here in the States Mir was one of the big names. Just like Rampage vs. Liddell or Couture vs. Nogueira, once again we're treated to a clash of old Pride superstar vs. UFC superstar.

The fight is a toss-up. Frank Mir comes in with very fragile plans, although sometimes they work out beautifully (I.E. Kongo fight), but other times they end in a rough manner (I.E. Lesnar rematch). It's really his fight to lose tonight. CroCop hasn't looked as sharp or as threatening as he had before. Some of his aura of being a KO machine is gone. Though, he's still a very game opponent and will have the upper-hand in the striking aspect of the match.

Mir should be able to handle CroCop's stand up at this point, at least enough to setup a clinch or a take down. If he comes out looking to KO him, he might be in over his head and get picked apart. CroCop definitely still has the edge in the striking department, so Mir can't get too comfortable striking with him.

Many people seem to be writing off Mirko's defensive BJJ, stating that once in hits the ground, it's prett much over. CroCop has only been submitted one time, and that was by Minotauro, one of the most successful heavyweight BJJ practitioners ever. It IS in the realm of possibilities that Mir wins via submission, however, I don't expect it to come easy for him as some people are suggesting. I think CroCop is competent enough on the ground to be able to survive against Mir. I'll go out on a limb and say that I even expect CroCop to be able to pop right back to his feet.

Mir's fights usually don't go to decision, but I'm going to predict this one does. I think CroCop will be defensive enough on the ground to not get caught in a lock, and I think Mir's stand-up is good enough to be able to hang with him up until an opportunity to grapple arises. The fight in my mind is really a toss up, it depends on whose night it is to shine.

My prediction is Frank Mir by unanimous decision, due to being more aggressive and pressing the action and also scoring points on take downs.

The Great Escape

Well, last night's UFC Fight Night brought some controversy into the MMA community. Rousimar Palhares took on Nate "The Great" Marquardt in a match-up that was bound to shoot one of them up the ranks in the middleweight division.

Nate knew what he had to do in order to win this fight. He was ready for Palhare's shots, and sprawled almost immediately. He did a good job keeping him at bay and controlling the distance. The fight ended up on the ground, and Marquardt was ballsy enough to test his BJJ blackbelt against another deocarated BJJ blackbelt, attempting to do a modified triangle choke from the bottom. Rousimar escaped it and was never really in trouble of being locked in it, but it sure did look quite impressive.

Eventually, Palhares went for a heel hook, which seems to be his go-to move in his last 2 fights. As mentioned earlier, Nate knew exactly what he had to do to win this fight. He quickly scrambled out of the submission before it could be forcibly applied, turned around, and as Palhares signaled to someone (I'm think it was his corner), Marquardt cracked him with a hard right. The punch caught Palhares way off guard, and Marquardt immediately started teeing off on him. Herb Dean was forced to stop the fight.

Palhares had looked away from Marquardt and signaled to someone outside the cage that his opponent was greased up. The referee and the commission both checked Nate Marquardt after the fight, and found no traces of grease on his legs. It would make sense for Marqaurdt to have greased, seeing as how Palhare's last fights ended, but ultimately the allegations were debunked.

It was a pretty good fight, a re-match could definitely be argued. Seeing as how he was caught off guard by the punch that rocked him, a re-match down the line would be interesting. Neither man was totally dominating the fight, there was a lot of back and forth action.

Either way, Nate's climbing the ladder up the division. There's talks of him facing Wanderlei for contention (or maybe if Marquardt beats him he'll get a shot, and Silva would have to win 1 more if he were to come out victorious.)

Hopefully these greasing accusations don't follow Marquardt's career, especially since Palhare's camp came out to apologize for making the mistake of thinking it was grease on his legs. Apparently, Marquardt had just worked up a nice sweat in his warm-ups, which is a very legitimate strategy.

Jardine Headlines Shark Fights

Tomorrow night's Shark Fights 13 event brings a number of ex-UFC fighters to Texas. Head-ling the event is Keith Jardine (15-8), who will be taking on Trevor Prangley (22-6). This should be an interesting bout for both men, with its own significance to each of the fighters. For Jardine, it means a win and one step closer to getting back into the UFC roster. For Prangley, it means a win over a popular fighter in the MMA world.

Keith Jardine really needs this win if he wants to make a come back to the big show. He had lost 4 straight in a row and then won a split decision against Brandon Vera. If anything, the UFC brass was nice in keeping him around as long as they did.

Trevor Prangley's record suggests that he is not an elite fighter, he has plenty of losses. However, Keith Jardine is notoriously inconsistent, so I would not count out Prangley or place any amount of money on Jardine. With a fighter like him, one never knows what will happen.

One thing you can count on when the Dean of Mean is in the octagon, is that he's going to bring it. He's going to try and make this fight a slug fest for as long as he can. I don't know much about Prangley, but I know that Jardine loves putting on exciting shows. Whether he loses or wins, he always comes out guns blazing. The chances of someone getting KO'd for this fight are high, as the chances always are when he fights. Usually it's Jardine who gets KO'd...But not always, he's put some of his own beat downs on people (Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin).

On the undercard, two former UFC fighters are pitted against each other. Houston Alexander (10-6) will square off with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (9-6). This should also be a bout with fireworks. Houston Alexander is way in over his head in this fight, as Soko is a very tough and game opponent up until his conditioning can keep up. He holds notable wins over Little Nogueira and Ricardo Arona back in his Pride days. He's much like Jardine, a guy who will always bring it on fight night. This bout should be interesting, but I see Houston getting put away very early into the fight. The man just does not have a good chin or striking defense.

Paul Daley (24-9) will also be fighting in what is his second match after being cut from UFC. He is set to face Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal (20-5).

Shark Fights should be a good show tomorrow night. Lots of names people will recognize, and perhaps names that they will remember if they win over the former UFC fighters.

Frankie Edgar Has The Answer

Last night's first UFC PPV in Boston proved to be a decent night of fights. The night was capped off with lightweight champion Frankie Edgar taking on challenger BJ Penn. This fight was very reminiscent of their first bout, with BJ Penn only looking for a KO and not doing much else.

Edgar kept jumping in and out of the pocket, winning nearly every exchange and leaving Penn dumbfounded over the difference in speed. It was really apparent a few rounds into the fight that The Prodigy had no idea how to handle someone who is faster than him. Usually the speed advantage goes to him, but this was not the case with the champion.

Another surprising aspect of the fight was at how many times and how effortless (it looked effortless, anyway) Edgar took Penn down. When he was on top, he neutralized his Jiu Jitsu, using his "wrestler's" control to keep Penn from pulling off a slick submission. Frankie was landing some nice, clean shots on him from the top, and working to pass his guard. It really seemed like he was looking for the finish, but Penn's Jiu Jitsu kept him at bay.

Pretty much, Frankie Edgar was all over the former champion, hitting him with some stiff jabs, hooks, uppercuts, and knees. His cardio was also through the roof, he kept the same exact pace in the 5th round as he had in the 1st. While Penn was noticeably getting more sluggish with each minute. This spelled trouble for him, as Edgar was attacking from every angle and every which way.

Frankie pulled out a unanimous decision and beat BJ Penn for the second time in a row. And to think...That Frankie Edgar was the underdog in BOTH of their bouts.

In the co-main event of the evening, long-time decorated boxing champion James "Lights Out" Toney took on the veteran Randy "The Natural Couture". This fight was marketed as UFC vs. Boxing, and the result could not have been more satisfying for the brand. The fight was up on the feet for all of 20 seconds, then Randy shot in for a single and Toney's strongest suit was neutralized. Right away the MMAist got the full mount and started dropping fists to Toeny's face.

Couture lead the fight towards the cage, trapping Toney's head against it and just unleashing punches. James Toney placed his hands in perfect position for an arm triangle and Couture took it. Although, the angle was quite odd, and Randy seemed to be using more force than technique to try and choke him out.

Eventually, he let go of the choke and started punching him some more, then locked it in with Toney flat on his back and the tap came quickly after. Even after the tap, he was still dizzy and almost half asleep when getting up to his feet.

The fight went as many expected, and Toney had as much of a chance as many expected. It was nothing remarkable, seeing as how once it hit the ground the fight was over for the boxer. Royce showed that in UFC 1, that boxing as a discipline itself is not ideal for fighting. Now Randy Couture proved that that is still true at UFC 118 and onwards.

CroCop Steps Up To the Plate

A few days ago, it was reported that Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira pulled out of his re-match against Frank Mir in September due to sustained injuries in training. Reports are now saying that he needs knee surgery and hip surgery. It's unfortunate, as both Mir and Nogueira were looking forward to this re-match, to settle it once and for all. It might still happen down the road, but we'll just have to wait a little bit longer. A speedy recovery is wished to Nogueira, and hopefully we see him back in action soon.

However, a new opponent needed to be found for the former heavyweight champion to square off against in September. Mirko CroCop stepped up to headline alongside Frank Mir. The two will meet at UFC 119 in September (still). It's a really interesting fight, and pivotal to both of their careers. CroCop is coming off of a great submission victory over up-and-comer Pat Barry, whereas Mir is coming off of a KO loss to Shane Carwin.

A win over Mir for CroCop would prove he still has fights left in him, and that he's not "over-the-hill". Mir is still a very dangerous fighter for a lot of fighters in the division, so CroCop beating him convincingly would catapult him to the top.

A win for Mir over CroCop would put another veteran of the sport under his belt and instill some confidence into him. Even though he hasn't looked like he had in Pride, CroCop is also a very dangerous opponent. Frank Mir doesn't have the best striking, so he's going to have to watch really tighten up his game for this fight.

I think it's a win-able fight for both of them. If CroCop can keep it standing and pick Mir apart, and eventually land a flush shot, he could take the W home. If Mir can turn it into a grappling match, he'll have a clear advantage. On the other hand, if CroCop fears Mir's take downs as much as Kongo did, maybe Mir's slightly above average striking game will catch him off guard. It's going to be an interesting fight for sure. September can't come soon enough!

Couture Captures the Victory by Triangle Choke

The son of MMA hall of famer, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, made his pro MMA debut last night on Strikeforce Challengers. He took on Lucas Stark who is also a new comer to Strikeforce.

The fight was pretty exciting. They had a few exchanges and then some grappling which lead to Ryan Couture winning. Lucas Stark hit Couture with an awesome fireman's carry, but in doing so he left his neck exposed and Couture got a picture-perfect triangle. Lucas quickly tapped.

It was a really slick BJJ move, and it's interesting to see how he contrasts from his dad. Seeing as how his dad comes from a strong wrestling base, Randy hardly ever gets put on his back. The fight was really short, only got to a minute and five seconds before Stark tapped. I can't wait to see Ryan in the octagon again soon.

Chael Gets Caught in the Spider's Web

Chael Sonnen was just a little over a minute from making UFC history on Saturday night. He had put an absolute beating on the reigning champion for four rounds and some change. He managed to drop Anderson with his striking at one point, but mostly his offense consisted of ground and pound. He hit him with elbows, fists to the face, fists to the body, shoulder punches, and just absolutely put a clinic on him.

Anderson also landed some good shots in the stand-up, he made Sonnen wobble and shoot for a take down a few times. He even had some pretty good elbows from the bottom, which caused Chael to bleed as he usually does. However, if you're an Anderson fan, it was probably disheartening to see him getting pulverized for 23 minutes. The guy has one of the toughest chins and can take some serious punishment, all credit goes to him for coming out that 5th round and slapping on that triangle with an arm bar. His opponent was almost out of the submission too, and actually escaped the triangle, but left his arm hanging out there for the arm bar. It was a good come back, with a good main event to top off what was an absolutely stunning MMA event.

Another impressive win that night came from Matt Hughes. It seemed as though the fight was going to go the distance, and it would be a pitter-patter close decision. Almeida was actually landing a few more effect strikes, a nice counter to an inside leg kick from Hughes, and then he had a nice little flurry a little bit after. Hughes eventually landed a nasty left hook that wobbled Almeida and dropped him. Almeida made the mistake of trying to wrestle with Hughes while rocked and got his neck squeezed until he passed out.

Matt Hughes shows that despite his age, he's still in the game. He proved why he's one of the best and a UFC hall of famer with a great power-choke victory over a decorated grappler.

There's a Strikeforce Challengers event this Friday, I'll be back after the event to write about it. Enjoy the fights!

"Let Me Retire This Guy!

The event has already started, but Chael Sonnen still has roughly 3 hours until he has to go out there and back up all of the smack he's talked. In the past months, Anderson Silva has acted like it hasn't affected him, but it quickly became apparent that Sonnen DID get under Anderson's skin at the pre-fight press conference. At the stare down, when the fighters were supposed to face the press for pictures, Anderson refused and instead opted to breathe down Chael's neck. Then again, at the weigh-ins, Silva refused to look at Chael in the face when they got up close.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of performance Anderson puts on tonight. He might clown around like he has in the past against Maia and Leites, or we might see Anderson actually press forward, looking to hurt Sonnen badly. If we see him come out aggressive, I think Sonnen's chances increase significantly.

Sonnen's going to look to take The Spider down right away, I wouldn't be surprised if he shoots in right away. If he even decides to stand up with him for more than a few short seconds to set up a take down, it's going to be a fast night for him. His best bet is for Anderson to take the initiative, seeing as how he's a counter-puncher, that means he would be out of his element. At the same time, it'd make stopping Chael's take down attempts a lot harder.

The way I see it playing out is that Anderson might get take down a few times in the first round (or maybe just once, depending on how active Chael is) and then in the second round The Spider will TKO him.

I don't see this fight being very competitive, but I could be wrong, so we'll find out in a few short hours.

Fireballs, Stuffings, and Bones.

Perhaps I got caught up in the hype, but the main event last night did not go the way I expected it at all. Of course, I was one of the very few who didn't see the match playing out the way it did, and with good reason I was in the small percentile.

The first thing I noticed when watching the fight, was that Jon Jones came out with an Anderson Silva-esque stance. The second most noticeable thing was that Jon Jones just LOOKED faster than Vladimir before the fight even started. I was thinking to myself, "Oh jeez...The speed advantage Jones has is going to be enormous." As the fight began to play out, it was quickly apparent that my surmise was correct. Jones caught Matyushenko while he was firing off a punch and took him down in one of the most impressive take downs I have ever witnessed. After it hit the ground, it was all she wrote.

The one hole in Jones game is his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He's not very good at passing the guard. I was actually extremely surprised at how long Matyushenko was able to hold him in half guard. However, he's a young kid and there's plenty of room for him to grow. I'm sure he'll get this aspect of his game refined soon enough, and then the light-heavyweight division will be sweating bullets!

Jon Jones got a TKO victory over Matyushenko after doing a reverse crucifix (Roy Nelson/Matt Hughes style) and raining down about 6 or 7 hard, fast elbows in a matter of seconds. Herb Dean pulled him off and saved the long-time vet from taking any unnecessary punishment. What an impressive victory for Jon Jones. Some people say the sky is the limit for him, but I say Jon Jones is building a spacecraft and will be waving at all of us from the moon.

In the co-main event of the evening, Yushin Okam took on Mark Munoz. This was kind of a squash match, as Mark Munoz has been TKO'd by a decent fighter in impressive fashion just 2 fights ago. Okami pretty much spent the whole night stuffing Munoz and punishing him with punches while in the over/under position. Although not an exciting match-up, it really showed how hard it is for Okami to be controlled, seeing as how Munoz is a decorated wrestler. They both dropped one another with a punch, but overall it was Yushin Okami who got the better of the exchanges and had more effect grappling. Okami won via split decision.

If there is anyway an MMA promotion would want their aired event to be kicked off, it would be with a brutal KO. Takanori Gomi vs. Tyson Griffin had just that. In judt 1-minute, Gomi scored one of the most vicious knock outs of the year. The punch came with such torque and bad intentions. Gomi threw that punch looking to send Tyson Griffin's head into the third row. If you have not seen it, I suggest looking for it somewhere on the internet, it's everywhere by now. Gomi is back, and I for one, am excited to see him deliver more KO's like the one he did last night.

UFC on Versus 2 was a great show. All four fights on the main card hard their moments, with the obvious highlights being Jones' dominating victory and Gomi's insane and quick knock out. It definitely made up for UFC on Versus 1, which to me was quite a disappointment.

What an appetizer to get us ready for Saturday night!

Bones vs The Janitor on Versus

Tomorrow night is the second UFC on Versus event. It's being held in the San Diego Sports Arena. The event is headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones taking on Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko. If you have never seen "Bones" fight, then you're missing out on some great MMA action.

The kid is only 23 years old and holds wins over the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Jake O'brien, and most recently Brandon Vera. I suspect that is the match that most casual fans have seen of his or have heard about. Jones took Vera down and started working some vicious ground and pound on Vera, until he landed an elbow that broke Vera's orbital bone. His win over Bonnar was a one-sided beat down, and even though he lost his fight against Hamill (due to a DQ) his performance in that fight was phenomenal. He took down Hamill, mounted him right away, and started dropping some vicious elbows. Unfortunately, they illegal 6 to 12 elbows and Jones suffered his first career loss.

Tomorrow night should be interesting and answer a lot of questions about the up-and-coming young lion in Jon Jones. The hype for this kid is insane, people are already calling him a future champion. I tend to agree for the most part, he really does show signs of great success and I predict his career in the near-future will be full of fights with the elites at 205 (Shogun, Machida, Rampage, Lil Nog, etc.).

Jon Jones vs. Valdimir is going to be fun to watch just in the sense that such a young fighter is taking on such a seasoned vet like Matyushenko. If "Bones" rises to the occasion, and manages to dish out a beating like he has to all of his previous opponents to such a tough, respected competitor tomorrow night, then the hype for him will be through the roof.

If you're an MMA fan, you can't miss this event! Many of the other match-ups are also intriguing, should be a night of fire works.

Phil Baroni Ran 3 Miles and Gassed.

Yep, report are in, Phily Baroni ran 3 miles on a treadmill for his training camp and gassed. He said he won't be recovered by the time his fight rolls around on August 28th. Just kidding. He injured his collarbone. I was trying to make light of the bad news and picking on Baroni's awful cardio. I hope his fans can forgive me.

In other news, Thiago Silva has also pulled out of UFC 117. To replace him will be Todd Brown. He's set to fight Tim Boetsche August 7th. Silva said he's had back problems since his fight Rashad Evans, and was side lined with injuries. It's too bad he pulled out, UFC 117 could have used some of the excitement his style is sure to bring.

Best of luck to both fighters in recovering!

The Dragon Returns

Lyoto Machida is officially scheduled to fight Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 122 in Germany. He's returning back to the octagon since suffering his first loss in May to the hands of the current light heavy weight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The interesting thing is, that Rampage Jackson is also coming off of a loss. However, unlike Lyoto, Rampage is not a stranger to losing.

It's going to be intriguing to see how Machida comes back mentally after losing for the first time, and in such quick, brutal fashion. If he comes back mentally composed, I think he can take an easy unanimous decision in the fight. However, if he looks shook and gun shy as some fighters do when they get KO'd for the first time, I can see Rampage pulling the upset. Although he didn't look all that good in his bout against, he still posses some scary power in his hands. he fight will probably look similar to Ortiz/Machida, with Quinton getting frustrated at not being able to keep up with his speed. I'll post my prediction of the fight as the time draws near, because right now I'm a bit torn, but leaning towards Machida taking it easily.

Shields Joins the UFC Roster

Jake Shields has signed to the UFC. It had been pretty much known for a while that he would, and that he was in negotiations with them, but today it was known that he's 1 step from being an official member of the roster. Jake Shields had an appearance during the Aldo vs. Faber WEC PPV back in April. He was seen sitting next to a grinning Dana White, which was an obvious shot at Strikeforce. Coincidentally, this was one week after Shield's final match on his contract with the promotion. The fight happened to be the biggest fight of his career, as he got a dominating win over former UFC and Pride superstar Dan Henderson. Shields is going to be fighting at 170 in the UFC, which is actually quite bothersome.

It seems as if Anderson Silva continues to be protected and fed guys tailor made for him. Shields would easily beat Anderson Silva, his wrestling is much better and his BJJ is too, the ground is Silva's major hole in his game. Instead, another contender for GSP's title has been added. Oh well, UFC is a business and they need to have a guy who they can argue is the pound-for-pound king since they don't have the real one (Fedor Emelianenko). We'll see how Shields career plays out and what he brings to the table against GSP.

Minotauro Gets a Chance at Revenge

It's been announced that at UFC 119 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is scheduled to face Frank Mir. Two former UFC heavyweight champions will be butting heads once again. In their first bout back in UFC 92, it was all Frank Mir. He was lighting up Nogueira on the feet and even managed to work some ground and pound before getting the KO in the second round. Mir was the first man to ever stop the legendary Nogueira.

And that's what makes the fight so interesting, seeing as how both men are not particularly fond of one another. Mir said in an interview a while back that he kickboxed with Minotauro and "made him look silly", amongst other things that rubbed the Brazilian heavyweight the wrong way. What kind of approach will Nogueira look for in this fight? Seeing as how he didn't find success in his boxing against him the first time, and also how Cain Velasquez managed to KO him in the first round, will we see him tap into his BJJ roots?

This seems like a do or die type of fight for both men. Both of their careers seem a little subpar recently, and both are coming in with a loss. For Big Nog, it means he gets to shut the skeptics up, prove he's still in the game, and that he's not too old to still be a competitor. For Frank, it means that he gets to prove that the first time was not a fluke and that his head is back where it belongs.

We'll find out in September if Mir proves that the first time was not due to an outside factor (staph) or if Nogueira can avenge his first stoppage loss against and climb the ranks.

The giants collide at UFC 116

Tonight, the UFC's biggest heavyweights step into the cage to decide who is the #1 heavyweight in the organization. Shane Carwin will step into the octagon with a record of 12-0. Brock Lesnar will step in with wins over Frank Mir and Randy Couture. One of the interesting things will be how the long lay off of Lesnar's will affect his performance tonight.

He hasn't seen fight action since his impressive win over Mir at UFC 100 last July. He also happens to be stepping up to fight the biggest, strongest, and heavy handed fighter he has ever faced in his short career. Lesnar himself is a big athletic guy himself, though.

The way I see the fight going when these two giants get locked up inside the cage to square off is with Lesnar immediately shooting for a take down. Expect Lesnar to score maybe one or two take downs, but also expect Carwin to get up right away. In the Couture fight, Randy was able to pop right back up from underneath Lesnar. As shown in the Gonzaga fight, Carwin is no slouch when it comes to getting out of from underneath his opponent, even WHILE rocked he was able to get out of the position. Just as in the Couture fight, their wrestling will be negated and Brock will be worried about expending all of his energy trying to take him down, and will be forced to work some stand up.

That's where Shane wants the fight. Although they both have rudimentary striking, I give the edge to Carwin because the man has sledge hammers for fists. I can see Lesnar getting a few good shots in, but Carwin has shown that he can walk through punches. Which is saying a lot, considering he fights in a division where your opponent usually packs 220+lbs behind their punches, and any flush shot can knock you senseless. Carwin will trade taking some punches to land the one big shot, as is his bread and butter, and then knock Lesnar out.

This fight won't make it out of the first round. But it will be exciting for as long as it lasts. This is the heavyweight fight that will shake the world, don't miss it!

What's next for The Last Emperor?

After the shocking upset this Saturday, what could be in store for Fedor Emelianenko? Certainly, there are plenty of viable options. He could rematch Bret Rogers (who is coming off of a loss also), perhaps a rematch against the only man to give him a loss (Fabricio Werdum), or taking on another contender in the mix like Antonio Silva. Let's take a closer look at where his career could take him after this milestone.

The least likely thing to happen would be a rematch against Rogers, though it could still be possible. There haven't been talks of it or anything, but maybe Strikeforce would surprise us by pitting them together again. This could either kill or help Strikeforce either way, as one of the concerns is whether or not Fedor will re-sign with them. Fedor beating him again would mean he leaves sinking one of their biggest draws even further, but Rogers beating him would mean that they could call him a contender once again. However, as I said, this is the least likely match up. It's too risky for them to do this, no matter how entertaining their bout back in December was.

A rematch would Fabricio Werdum would not be out of this realm. Both Fedor and Werdum would accept and fight. However, on Strikeforce's end, they might not be as anxious about the match up just yet. If they were to have Werdum face Overeem as was originally planned, and then have Fedor fight another contender to get back on track, they could set up the winner of Werdum/Overeem to face Fedor.

Some of you may not know, but Strikeforce was talking about Overeem/Fedor being their first step into pay-per-view...Now, can you imagine a Fedor vs. Werdum 2 on pay-per-view? Fans would be clamoring to see if Emelianenko could avenge his only loss and others would tune it to see if Werdum could pull off the seemingly impossible for a second time. Overeem vs. Fedor would sell itself, given that they are arguably the best 2 heavyweights outside of the UFC.

A possible match up for Fedor would be fighting someone like Antonio Silva. Winning that fight, Strikeforce could say that he's back on track and ready to begin a new winning streak. Apart from that, Emelianenko's contract would be up, thus they could use the rematch with Werdum as a means to renegotiate his contract. This way he can't just blast Fabricio Werdum's head off and walk away avenged, leaving Strikeforce with a messy title picture.

It'll be interesting to see where The Last Emperor's career is headed after his first loss.

The greatest upset in the sport of MMA.

Last night Fabricio Werdum pulled off what many, many people would not have predicted. He defeated the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Fedor Emelianenko in the first round. The win was officially ruled as a triangle choke with an armbar. Watching it however, it was clear it was the armbar that caused Fedor to tap.

The fight started off with a quick exchange, in which Fedor dropped Werdum. Fedor then proceeded to (stupidly, in hindsight) follow him to the ground, looking for the kill. Werdum got him in the triangle choke with an arm inside, and started applying pressure. Emelianenko tried to fight it off for some time, but Werdum proved why he's a black belt in BJJ and the tap came shortly after.

I think everyone had imagined Emelianenko losing before, but I don't think anyone guessed a first round loss. Most people probably imagined him losing a decision in a close war, or getting "caught" by a powerful striker. Werdum came out of the left field, with no one giving him a chance and upset The Last Emperor. Somehow, this submission shook the MMA world and will be something to talk about for years to come.

Fedor Emelianenko is still the most accomplished fighter in MMA history. He holds wins over Mark Coleman (twice), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Heath Herring, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Mirko CroCop, and many others great fighters are in his resume. Werdum did his thing and submitted him, though. Congratulations to Fabricio Werdum.

On the other side of the coin, Cung Le smashed Scott Smith in the rematch. Their original bout was one of the biggest comebacks in 2009. Cung Le came out and pretty much dominated as was expected. Scott Smith landed some good shots here and there, and did a good job hanging in there. Cung Le finished him by KO, knocking him down after a thunderous body kick to the body. Smith folded over near the cage and Le started pummeling away.

It'll be interesting to see what Strikeforce sets up now that Fedor lost. They were mostly banking on Fedor winning over Werdum to work out Alistair Overeem vs. Fedor Emelianenko, but now that he lost there's a bit of a predicament. Perhaps they'll setup a rematch between Emelianenko and Werdum, seeing as how Werdum asked for it in the post-fight interview. If that does happen, I think we'll see the Last Emperor come in with a more careful game plan and get the win everyone expected him to get last night.

The TUF 11 Winner is Crowned

Well, this weekend was an eventful one for MMA fans. There was the TUF 11 Finale on Saturday, and then on Sunday WEC 49. Both events were very enjoyable, and if you missed out on them, you missed out on some great fight action.

The weekend started with The Ultimate Fighter season 11's finale. Where we saw Court McGee take on Kris McCray in the main event to determine the winner of the season. I don't watch the show, so I didn't know much about these two guys coming in to the event. They both came out very aggressive, exchanging blows for a few seconds. However, it was Court McGee who got the better of the first round. He seemed more intent on mixing it up, pushing McCray into the fence and working some knees and dirty boxing, taking him down multiple times and delivering some ground and pound.

In the second round, Court McGee looked awesome. He took Kris McCray down and mounted him early on. From then on, it was all him. He worked some ground and pound from the position, then when he lost it he took him down once again, got his back and sunk in a rear naked choke. Kris McCray tapped, and Court McGee was crowned The Ultimate Fighter of season 11. It was a good fight, although McGee dominated the entire fight except for bits and pieces of the stand up. He's an interesting prospect, hopefully he keeps showing these kinds of performances and adds some excitement to the middleweight talent pool.

In the co-main event of the evening, Matt Hamill took on Keith Jardine. This fight was an absolutely battle, with both men giving it their all and swinging at each other looking to knock the other one out. Keith Jardine suffered a nasty cut, that added to the emotions of this war. Matt Hamill defeated Keith Jardine by majority decision. In all reality, it could have gone either way and it's sad that there had to be a loser. They both really did give it their all and left everything in the cage. Luckily, the UFC brass hasn't decided to cut Jardine, so we'll be treated to more of the wars from him.

The main event for WEC this weekend was an interesting battle. Both Shalorus and Varner went toe-to-toe with one another. Throwing bombs and landing heavily. Both guys hurt one another through out the fight badly. Kamal landed 3 accidental groin hits on Varner, which resulted in a point deduction. The fight was judged ad a draw, which stirred some controversy. Many people feel like that Varner should have won, especially with the point deduction, and that another point should have been deducted for the 3rd groin strike after the original deduction.

All-in-all, this weekend provided MMA fans with some great action. All sorts of aspects of MMA were displayed. Coming this weekend Strikeforce will be hosting Fedor vs. Werdum, in which is expected to be a very entertaining bout.

Slice taking on Pudzilla?

Talk about a money-maker match up. Two huge names in their respective worlds (Kimbo being a huge MMA star and Pudzianowski being a huge World's Strongest-man competition). KSW employees would be seeing a huge paycheck if this fight could go down. I'm not really sure it would be the most technical fight, both are very green to MMA and both are pretty old to be just starting a career in an ever-evolving sport like mixed-martial arts.

Either way, it would be an interesting and entertaining match up. Kimbo would probably head hunt, and Pudzianowski will look to work the legs or a take down. It's important to point out that Kimbo would be at a serious weight advantage. Pudzianowski fought at 275 or around there in his latest bout against Sylvia. Where as Kimbo had cut to 215 to fight Houston and came in at just about 230.

Neither one has a gas tank, so in actuality, it wouldn't be that exciting of a fight unless there was a stoppage early on. I can see casual fans eating up this type of fight up, but as for the hardcore fans...Well, they might just tune it out of the intrigue of seeing a "freak-show" fight.

Hopefully the fight doesn't drag out to all 3 rounds, or we'll be hearing a lot of boos! Either way, if the fight is being talked about around this time, it should be confirmed and contracted and officially announced in a few weeks or so. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled to see if this match is made.

The IceMan Goes Down Swinging

UFC 115 is over and the event turned out to be one of the most satisfying pay-per-views this year. It was filled with cuts, submissions, ground and pound, stand-up exchanges, grappling, and knockouts. With the exciting event came the end of (hopefully) Chuck Liddell's amazing MMA career.

Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin

The fight opened up with both men meeting in the middle of the octagon. The interesting thing to see was that Chuck Liddell was mixing up his game a little bit more than usual. He even managed to break one of Rich's arms with a blocked body kick. He got one take down, but hardly did anything with it. Franklin got back to his feet easily, and they continued trading. Throughout the course of the fight, Rich kept landing the same overhand right on Chuck. Showing that the Iceman's reflexes were still not there, despite coming in phenomenal shape. It's notable to mention that Liddell was controlling the pace of the fight for the majority of it. Towards the end, when he thought Rich was hurt, he started attacking relentlessly (and all of the punches from the flurry missed). That resulted in leaving himself open and Rich landing the punch that put him down and out.

Hopefully, this is the end of Chuck Liddell's career. He can't keep fighting and taking this type of abuse. In his prime he was one of the most exciting and talented (and still is talented) fighters the octagon has ever seen. He has an amazing resume and some of the most memorable fights in the game. It would be absolutely devastating to see him continuing to get put out like he did last night because he doesn't want to hang up the gloves. MMA has past him by, it's time for him to retire and live the rest of his life knowing he's one of the reasons MMA is where it is today. Nobody wants to remember Chuck Liddell as the man who was the victim of many highlight reel KO's.

Mirko CroCop vs. Pat Barry

Who would have thought that a fight billed as a striking war would end on the ground? As a matter of fact, who would have guessed Mirko CroCop would get submission of the night? CroCop and Pat Barry went out and immediately started exchanging strikes. In the first round Barry dropped CroCop with a right, then did it AGAIN later that round. Admittedly, I counted CroCop out after he got dropped, as he had shown in his last few fights that once he gets hurt he starts to back pedal. However, as Mirko was said he was going to do, he shut the critics up. In the second round, CroCop came out guns blazing. He started unloading on Barry, even throwing out some flashy side kicks and an axe kick. All of the momentum went to be on his side and he even managed to secure a take down on Barry. Barry seemed to have ran out of gas by the middle of the second round, and in the third round the effects of it were apparent when the fight hit the ground. CroCop took his back, sunk in the choke, and got the submission.

There's talks of CroCop retiring, which would be a shame since he looked spectacular against a promising up-and-comer. Hopefully he decides to fight at least one more time and comes out looking like this. I'd be interested in a rematch with Cheick Kongo. Those two could make another war like the first time.

Martin Kampmann vs. Paulo Thiago

Kampmann did an incredible job controlling the stand up of the fight. It was clear he was a better, more technical striker. His punches were sharp and crisp, where as Thiago was looking to Brawl. He did land a few haymakers here and there, but overall, Kampmann lit him up for three rounds. The skill-level in the stand up was distinctly imbalanced, but even the grappling Kampmann was winning. Which was surprising to me, I thought Thiago's BJJ would have gotten him a slick sub or at least be able to steal a round with a sweep and maintaining top position. However, Kampmann also neutralized Thiago's BJJ, kept top control and pretty much shut down any attempts of submissions. He won by unanimous decision in what was a pretty good fight.

Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel

Rothwell came in with a different game plan, one that got him the win. Instead of brawling as he usually does, he came in to take Yvel down and ground and pound him. Yvel came in to brawl, but was holding his own for 2 rounds on the ground. There was a significant size and weight advantage for Rothwell, but even so, Yvel was able to sweep him. He worked some ground and pound and when the fight was standing Gilbert was pressing the action. Both seemed to wind down in the third, and Rothwell stuffed a take down from Yvel and managed to remain on top and pass the guard. He also got a unanimous decision. The fight was really good with two warriors leaving it all in the cage.

Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald

A second controversial stoppage of the night. Rory MacDonald was pressing Condit for most of the fight, scoring take downs and beating him up in the stand up. However, Condit was also stealing some moments from Rory, pushing him off when he was on his back, landing a few good punches here and there.

The third round was a different story. Most of the round Carlos Condit spent on top of MacDonald, raining down with elbows and punches. It was essentially 5 minutes of him just pounding on MacDonald's face. He was taking some nasty elbows and just getting brutally beat down. The referee stopped it with 10 seconds on the clock. Many people disagree with the stoppage, but some argue that the stoppage was just because Condit would have lost a decision due to MMA scoring. Some feel like he would have been robbed the decision, and after a dominating round like the one he had, the fight shouldn't have gone to Rory MacDonald. The fight was a war of will, it was fast paced with tons of action happening. They got rewarded the fight of the night bonus.

All in all, UFC 115 was one of the most pleasing MMA events of the years. Lots of good fights, plenty of surprises and upsets, some exciting ground work, and the works. The rest of this week is stacked with tons of MMA events. MMA fans will be in for a treat if these coming up events live up to this Saturday's card.

Liddell vs. Franklin

Tomorrow night, Chuck Liddell returns to the octagon once again. Liddell has been out of action since losing his last fight to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 by TKO. When The Iceman returns, across from him will be Rich "Ace" Franklin in what will be a collision of MMA legends and a great treat for fans of the sport.

If you're a long time follower of the sport, then you'll know Chuck Liddell is a former light-heavyweight champion with wins over the likes of Tito Ortiz (twice), Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Randy Couture (twice), and Jeremy Horn. Rich Ace Franklin is the former middleweight champion, with wins over Ken Shamrock, David "The Crow" Loiseau, Evan Tanner (twice), and Nate Quarry. It's too bad this fight couldn't have happened back in 2005, when these two were kings of their divisions.

Either way, the bout should be an exciting one with these two just standing up and trading blows. Don't be surprised if either one goes for a take down here or there to keep themselves up on the score cards, though. These two have a style that match up perfectly, Rich Franklin isn't one to be shy from pulling the trigger, and Liddell can be both a counter punch or hunt his opponent, so it'll be intriguing to see how these two match up.

Prediction:

Chuck's reflexes, speed, power and accuracy have all dwindled over the years. His chin also hasn't been holding up the best either, not that he has a glass jaw (he took quite a few hard shots from Wanderlei Silva, who still hits very hard) but it's taken a lot of abuse over the years, and it's starting to catch up to him.

I expect Rich Franklin to dictate the pace of the fight early into the fight using his speed advantage. Liddell will probably come at him hard in the beginning, but will start fighting Ace's game when he gets tagged a few times. Then Rich will stay mostly on the outside, throw some leg kicks to slow him down, picking shots to rattle him up and keep him at bay. Honestly, I expect Chuck to get dropped at least once in this fight.

Liddell on the other hand, will probably look for the one-hit KO punch as usual. As long as Franklin can avoid that, which I don't see him to have too much trouble doing, he should be able to get the decision. I don't see either man finishing the other, they're both coming off of TKO losses and long lay offs, so they'll settle with just winning on points, but still anticipate fireworks through out the fight.

Rich Franklin should be able to get a comfortable win over Liddell. He has a solid chin, he's smart and calculated, hits pretty hard, has decent wrestling, good BJJ, and is overall a good, well-rounded fighter. The only advantages Chuck seems to have over him is the one-punch KO power and a stronger wrestling base, but I don't expect wrestling to be a factor. Unless Liddell decides to surprise us all and turn this into a wrestling match, but it's more likely that Chuck Liddell sticks to what he's been doing over the years.

So, that's my final prediction on the main event at UFC 115, Rich "Ace" Franklin via decision.

Other Predictions:
Loiseau over Miranda
Danzig over Wiman
Griffin over Dunham
MacDonald over Condit
Yvel over Rothwell
Thiago over Kampmann
Barry over CroCop

Hype or Die: Pat Barry

Many MMA casual fans may not be familiar with the name Pat Barry, but the UFC brass has chosen him to co-main event this Saturday’s event alongside MMA legend Mirko CroCop. For the 30 year-old Patrick Barry, this is his first main card fight on a UFC pay-per-view. Barry's bump into the spotlight comes with good reason, though.

His main asset and his bread-and-butter is his striking. He has some vicious kicks that he used to chop down Dan Evensen in his UFC debut. The fight was ruled a TKO because Evensen could not stand up to continue to fight. He lost his next fight against Tim Hague, but that was more because Pat Barry started to over-commit. He thought he had Tim hurt more than he actually did. Got taken down and guillotine choked and thus suffered his first MMA loss. I would be completely astonished to see Barry lose a fight due to a mistake like that again.

It’s also notable to mention that he has a kickboxing career, in which he went 18-6-1. That’s a pretty impressive credential to have as an MMA fighter. He’s shown he’s confident in the pocket and isn’t afraid to exchange and let his kicks and punches go. Even when his opponent starts to threaten with takedowns, he doesn’t seem to worry or fear being taken to the ground. Of course, his next opponent is CroCop, so it’s safe to say he won’t have to worry about that at all.

Pat Barry is a tenacious young fighter with lots of heart and a strong mind, which is probably where he got the nickname "Hype or Die" from. He showed in the Hardonk fight that even when faced with adversity--two consecutive eye pokes in this case--his will still isn’t broken. He’s a level-headed guy that manages to keep his composure even in situations where the momentum is swinging the other way. He’s very quick, powerful, technical, accurate, and just a handful for anyone who would try to stand up with him. He put together a masterful combination to drop Antoni Hardonk the first time, hitting him with a 1-2 combination and finished off with a low kick. His combos usually consist of strikes from various levels and angles, he’s simply awesome to watch.

Win/lose/or draw on Saturday, anyone watching the pay-per-view will remember Pat Barry. I predict his fight with CroCop to be EXTREMELY entertaining, satisfying those who are yearning for a bar burner. Both of these guys will put on a memorable and co-main event worthy show for us to jump out of our seats over. I expect multiple “OH MY GOD! DID YOU SEE THAT?” moments to happen in this strike fest. Fighting CroCop is a great step in Pat Barry’s young career, and could very well be his first major stepping stone to UFC stardom.