MMA Ground N' Pound

WEC 47 Preview and Predictions

Tim — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:35:15 +0000

WEC 47 is taking the UFC’s old spot in Columbus, Ohio during the Arnold Sports Festival. The UFC decided to skip scheduling an event in Columbus this year, despite a string of recent successful Pay-Per-Views there, but MMA fans in the area will be excited to see a card filled with a title fight and a couple of former title holders. You can watch the event this Saturday night on Versus.

Karen Darabedyan vs. Bart Palaszewski: Darabedyan made his WEC debut at WEC 44, earning an impressive decision win over former lightweight champion Rob McCullough. In that fight, Darabedyan got the better of the striking over a pretty talented opponent and also utilized his extensive Judo background to take the fight to the ground on a few occasions. Darabedyan is 9-1 in his career and is now set to take on another WEC veteran in Palaszewski. Palaszewski won a split decision over Anthony Pettis at WEC 45 to improve his overall record to 33-13 and his WEC record to 2-2. He is mainly known as a wrestler, but has struggled with fellow wrestlers such as Ricardo Lamas. He doesn’t possess a great threat off his back, and Darabedyan should hold a significant striking advantage in the contest. One point of concern is Darabedyan’s conditioning. In the fight against McCullough, Darabedyan really slowed down at the end of the 2nd round and into the 3rd. Part of it could have been due to an adreneline dump because it was his first fight on the big stage of the WEC, but I expect him to come in better condition this time. Palaszewski is a tough opponent and should give Darabedyan a tough fight, but I expect Darabedyan to come out on top. Darabedyan via unanimous decision.

L.C. Davis vs. Deividas Taurosevicius: Davis will try to improve his record to 3-0 in the WEC against Taurosevicius in this one. Davis won a split-decision over Javier Vasquez at WEC 42, then followed up with a unanimous decision win over Diego Nunes at WEC 44. Overall Davis holds a 15-2 record. He is known primarily as a wrestler, and he’s had four consecutive fights go to a decision. His striking is still an issue, and he doesn’t really have the skillset to put away guys early. Taurosevicius is 12-3 in his MMA career, and is 2-0 in the WEC. He defeated Javier Vasquez by split-decision in his debut for the company, and recently defeated Mackens Semerzier via unanimous decision at WEC 46. In that fight, the talented Semerzier really struggled to get anything going against Taurosevicius, who displayed a pretty solid ground game and decent striking. I think that Taurosevicius is more well-rounded than Davis, who really lacks enough offense to put this fight away. Taurosevicius via unanimous decision.

Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vasquez: This could be the last gasp for Pulver, who after dropping his past four fights and six of his last seven, is in serious danger of being dropped from the company. Pulver is the former UFC lightweight champion, and boasts a career record of 22-12-1. While he was with the UFC, Pulver held significant wins over Caol Uno and B.J. Penn, but left the company in a contract dispute in 2002. He went overseas and fought for various promotions including PRIDE, but returned to the UFC in 2006. He coached the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite B.J. Penn, and was beaten by Penn on The Ultimate Finale 5. After that fight, Pulver dropped down to featherweight and entered the WEC, where he defeated Cub Swanson his first time out. However, Pulver was beaten by Urijah Faber in a title fight at WEC 34, and was then beaten by Leonard Garcia, Faber again, and most recently Josh Grispi at WEC 41. None of those last three fights even made it out of the first round. Vasquez has dropped his first two fights with the company to L.C. Davis and Deividas Taurosevicius via decision, and holds a 13-4 overall record. He generally relies on his wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu background, and his striking is average at best. If this fight was three years ago, Pulver probably takes it. However, I just can’t pick Pulver anymore until he proves he can still hang in there with WEC caliber fighters. Vasquez via TKO in the 2nd.

Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez: Torres desperately wants a rematch with Brian Bowles for the bantamweight title, but to earn that shot, he’ll have to overcome a stiff challenge from another top bantamweight in Benavidez. Up until Bowles shocked him at WEC 42, Torres was widely considered one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He had run off 17 straight victories dating back to 2004, and only two of those fights even went the distance. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Carlson Gracie Sr., and in recent years began to rely more heavily on his striking. He spent time training with Mark Dellagrotte in preparation for this fight. In his career, Torres is 37-2, with 31 of those wins coming by either TKO or submission. Benavidez is an impressive 11-1 in his MMA career, with the only loss coming to Dominick Cruz at WEC 42. He’s 3-1 in the WEC, and trains with Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male. He comes from a wrestling background but has rounded out his game a great deal since entering the WEC. However, he’s going to have a tough time in this fight. Torres is the much better striker and will have a significant reach advantage and if the fight goes to the ground, Benavidez definitely has to be aware of Torres’ superior Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I don’t think Benavidez will really feel comfortable in this fight no matter where it goes, and that’s never a good feeling for a fighter. I think Torres will come out to prove a point and show that he deserves a shot at his title. Torres via submission in the 2nd.

Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz: Bowles has had an extended layoff after breaking his hand in the upset victory over Torres at WEC 42 that won him the bantamweight title. Bowles is 8-0 in his MMA career, and has reeled off five straight wins in the WEC. He comes from a wrestling background, but as he showed in his fight with Torres, his striking has improved a great deal and he has definite knockout power to go along with his other skills. He’s in for a tough challenge in Cruz, who is 14-1 in his MMA career, and 4-1 in his WEC career with his lone loss coming to Urijah Faber at WEC 28. He’s won his last four fights via unanimous decision which shows a few things. One, he can dominate his opponents on the ground and while striking and two, he doesn’t really have finishing ability. That could come into play in this fight. Cruz relies on using his reach to control the fight on his feet, using jabs and kicks to keep his opponents at a distance. Bowles will have to get inside on Cruz to be able to utilize his power advantage. I believe the ground game is pretty equal between the two. This should be an outstanding fight, but the difference is the power that Bowles possesses. Bowles via TKO in the 3rd.

Preliminary Card Predictions:

Scott Jorgensen over Chad George via TKO in the 2nd

Chad Mendes over Erik Koch via split decision

Leonard Garcia over George Roop via TKO in the 1st

Fredson Paixao over Courtney Buck via submission in the 2nd

Danny Castillo over Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision

Ricardo Lamas over Bendy Casimir via TKO in the 1st

UFC Signs Boxing Veteran James “Lights Out” Toney

Tim — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:34:41 +0000

After weeks of calling out, following around, and stalking Dana White, heavyweight boxer James “Lights Out” Toney has agreed to a contract with the UFC. The deal is rumored to be a multi-fight contract, but if the contract is similar to others issued by the UFC, the company has the right to terminate the deal after a loss.

White has been considering signing Toney for quite some time, and Toney has pressured White to do so numerous times. Toney confronted White after UFC 107 in December as well as after UFC 108 in January. A meeting between the two in February ended without an agreement in place, with Toney having this to say afterwards:

Dana White is a straight up ho! He makes me a 5-fight offer for chump change and said I can’t box anymore if I accept it. He must have lost his damn mind. I’m the best of both worlds. Anyone in either sport that wants to come see me, we can do this.

Either White upped the offer after that meeting, or Toney decided that “chump change” was good enough. Reports indicate that Toney will be allowed to continue his boxing career along with attempting a UFC career, so perhaps that was all that Toney was seeking.

Toney is still considered a heavyweight champion in boxing, though the titles he currently holds are considered lesser titles (NABO and IBA). The 41-year old heavyweight has a career 72-6-3 record, and last defeated Matthew Greer in September. In his career, Toney has also held titles in the 160, 168 and 190lb weight classes.

White has long been a boxing fan and had kind words to say about Toney in a statement today:

A lot of pro boxers have made a lot of noise about how they would do in mixed martial arts, but nobody on the level of a James Toney has been willing to back up his talk. He’s a legend whose boxing record speaks for itself, and he’s a guy who I’ve got a lot of respect for.

White added that he didn’t have any firm plans as of yet for Toney’s first fight, though late tonight one former UFC champion said that he would like to fight Toney. On Twitter, Randy Couture had this to say:

I hope I’m the first guy they call to fight tony !

That seems like an awfully stern test for someone who really hasn’t trained MMA, but if Toney truly wants to test himself against the best, perhaps a fight with Couture makes sense.

UFC 110 Recap-Velasquez Stops Nogueira, Silva decisions Bisping

Tim — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:30:38 +0000

UFC 110 was the organization’s first event in Australia, and from the crowd reaction, it was definitely a success. It was a very entertaining night of fights, and the Australian crowd really got into the event, assuring a future venture into the region.

Cain Velasquez proved me and everyone else who doubted his power wrong by taking out one of the best heavyweights of all-time in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. From the opening bell, Velasquez was the better and faster striker. He consistently beat Nogueira to the punch, and with the success he was having on his feet, he felt no need to venture into the danger zone that is Nogueira’s guard. The end came about halfway through the first round when Velasquez connected on a right hook to the chin of Nogueira, followed by a left hook to the temple. Nogueira went down in a heap and a few follow up shots from Velasquez finished him off.

UFC president Dana White said that Velasquez is on “standby” for a title shot right now, meaning if the winner of the Frank Mir/Shane Carwin fight at UFC 111 is too injured to fight Brock Lesnar in early summer, then Velasquez would get the title shot instead. If he doesn’t fight Lesnar next, look for Velasquez to take on the winner of the Junior dos Santos/Gabriel Gonzaga matchup at UFC on Versus I, scheduled for March 21st.

In the co-main event of the evening, Wanderlei Silva got a much needed win, getting the unanimous decision nod over Michael Bisping. Bisping once again seemed hesitant to engage with the more powerful Silva, but utilized takedowns and good movement to win the first round. The second round seemed to be in Bisping’s favor as well, until Silva nearly finished him with a guillotine in the closing seconds of the round. That probably pushed the round into Silva’s column. It could be argued that the third round was going Bisping’s way too until Silva dropped him in the closing seconds. Silva could have finished the fight right there if the bell hadn’t sounded. Silva will likely take on another contender in the UFC’s middleweight division, while Bisping will face another mid-level middleweight to get back on track.

George Sotiropoulos impressed the hometown crowd as well as UFC fans from across the world with his dominating unanimous decision victory over Joe Stevenson. Throughout the fight, Sotiropoulos showed the difference between black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, as his Jiu Jitsu was clearly supperior to Stevenson’s. Sotiropoulos controlled the vast majority of the fight and showed a very solid striking game as well. At 5-0 in the UFC, Sotiropoulos will probably get a fringe title contender in the lightweight division, perhaps someone like Tyson Griffin or Sean Sherk. Stevenson, who had looked much improved since joining Greg Jackson’s camp, will go back to the drawing board in hopes of eventually getting another title shot in the lightweight division.

Ryan Bader showed continued improvement in his all-around game, getting a KO victory over Keith Jardine in the third round of their contest. Bader got the takedown in the first round, and spent a lot of time in top control, dropping punches and elbows down on Jardine. Jardine did a good job of defending takedowns in the second round, but Bader’s takedown in the closing seconds of the round probably gave the nod to Bader again. In the third, Bader got a slam on Jardine, but Jardine scrambled to his feet nicely. Bader landed a right hook that was followed by a knee and a left hook that dropped and finished Jardine. It was an impressive performance for the former Ultimate Fighter winner, and one that should earn him a shot against another fringe light heavyweight contender next. An opponent such as Thiago Silva would be a good test for Bader. Jardine’s future is much cloudier as he dropped his third straight fight. I don’t expect the UFC to release him, but he’ll definitely need a win the next time out or he’ll be in some serious danger.

In the opening fight of the PPV, Mirko Cro Cop easily dispatched of the overmatched Anthony Perosh after the doctor stopped the fight between the second and third rounds. Perosh replaced Ben Rothwell just days prior to the contest, giving him very little time to prepare. Cro Cop likely won the first round 10-8, as he battered Perosh throughout the round. In the second round, Cro Cop cut Perosh with a pretty vicious elbow. The fight was allowed to continue after the doctor looked at the cut, but after Cro Cop delivered more punishment, the fight was called off after the round. It still wasn’t a vintage Cro Cop performance, he definitely still looked slow to me, but a win is a win. Cro Cop still thinks he’s among the division’s best, but don’t expect the UFC to feed him to a top contender yet. Dana White’s post-fight comments point to a future fight against Rothwell, the man he was suppossed to fight last night.

Full Results:

Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:20
Wanderlei Silva def. Michael Bisping via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ryan Bader def. Keith Jardine via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:10
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Anthony Perosh via TKO (cut) – Round 2, 5:00

Prelims

Krzysztof Soszynski def. Stephan Bonnar via TKO (cut) – Round 3, 1:04
Chris Lytle def. Brian Foster via submission (knee-bar) – Round 1, 1:41
C.B. Dollaway def. Goran Reljic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
James Te Huna def. Igor Pokrajac via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:26

*Photo courtesy Sherdog.com

UFC 110 Preview and Predictions

Tim — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:28:07 +0000

UFC 110 is the first of many exciting UFC events that will take place between now and early summer. After injuries derailed the past two cards, UFC 110 has held up pretty well. The event marks the UFC’s first ever trip to Australia, and though there are no title fights, the main card is loaded with evenly matched fights that could determine future challengers in the heavyweight, middleweight and lightweight divisions.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh: Cro Cop’s scheduled opponent, Ben Rothwell, was forced to drop out of the contest this afternoon due to an illness he’s been battling. Perosh is taking this fight on basically two days notice. Perosh is a native Australian and has prior UFC experience, dropping back-to-back fights in 2006 to Jeff Monson and Christian Wellisch. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but his standup game is extremely limited, making this a very dangerous matchup for Perosh. Overall, Perosh is 10-5 in his career, with seven of those wins coming via submission. Cro Cop was one of the most dangerous strikers in all of MMA in the early to mid- 2000s. During that time, Cro Cop defeated the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman among many others. His career record stands at 25-7. He lost to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103 via TKO in the 3rd round, dropping his UFC record to 2-3. After the dos Santos loss, Cro Cop flirted with retirement, but decided to change up his training routine in hopes that it will get him back on track. The fight with Rothwell would have given us an indication of whether the new training was helping, but a win here over Perosh won’t really prove much. This one probably won’t last very long. Cro Cop via TKO in the 1st.

Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader: Bader, the winner of season eight of The Ultimate Fighter, will try to improve his overall record to 11-0 as he takes on Jardine. Bader comes from a wrestling background and was a two-time All American wrestler at Arizona State University. In the finale of the reality show, Bader earned a first round TKO victory over Vinny Magalhaes. He followed that victory up with wins over Carmelo Marrero and Eric Schafer. This will be by far the toughest test of his career. Jardine is coming off a 1st round TKO loss to Thiago Silva at UFC 102. The loss was Jardine’s second consecutive defeat, as he also lost to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event of UFC 96. Overall Jardine is 15-6 in his MMA career, and he sports a 6-5 record in the UFC. He’s defeated guys like Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera during his career, but has also lost fights that he should have won such as to Houston Alexander at UFC 71. The Greg Jackson trained fighter has shown a suspect chin in the past, but is also a tough matchup for anyone due to his unorthodox striking and overall skill set. Many people are giving Bader the nod here and he is the Vegas favorite as well. I think Jardine’s takedown defense is being taken for granted, and the huge leap up that Bader will face here in going from Marrero and Schafer to Jardine needs to also be taken into account. I think Jardine can keep Bader off balanced with his striking, and his takedown defense is good enough to keep him standing for much of the fight. I think a decision is likely, but I think it goes Jardine’s way. Jardine via unanimous decision.

Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos: Sotiropoulos is also taking a big step up in competition in this contest, going from bottom feeders of the lightweight division to a guy who fought for the lightweight title at UFC 80 in Joe Stevenson. Stevenson was the winner of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, but lost his first post-Ultimate Fighter fight to Josh Neer. Stevenson then went on a four-fight winning streak, earning him a shot at B.J. Penn for the lightweight title. Stevenson was completely outclassed by Penn, who won the fight via rear naked choke in the 2nd round after Penn opened a huge gash on Stevenson’s head that bled profusely. Stevenson returned to action at UFC 86, submitting Gleison Tibau in the 2nd round. However, Stevenson lost his next two fights to Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez, effectively removing him from title contention. Stevenson has rebounded with consecutive victories over Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher to improve his MMA record to 31-10 and his UFC record to 8-4. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, though he doesn’t seem to utilize it very well during his fights. He’s also a solid wrestler, but struggles with his striking from time to time. Sotiropoulos was a member of the 6th season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he lost in the semifinals to Tommy Speer. He was signed to a UFC contract and has gone 4-0 in his first four contests. His last fight was a submission victory over Jason Dent at UFC 106 in November. He’s also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and he uses it very well in the cage as he showcased in the Dent fight. He’s been working on his standup game, but it’s still a weakness of his. Stevenson doesn’t showcase a very diversified striking game either, so I’m not sure who will have the advantage standing. This fight may come down to whether or not Sotiropoulos can avoid being put on his back by Stevenson. There’s a very strong possibility that Stevenson can smother Sotiropoulos for three rounds and earn a victory. However, I think Sotiropoulos can pull off the upset. He’s fighting in his home country and will definitely have the crowd support, but also has a skill set that can cause Stevenson problems. Sotiropoulos via submission in the 2nd round.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping: Silva is in a bit of a tailspin, dropping five of his past six fights, and is 1-3 in his second stint with the UFC. He last fought at UFC 99, dropping a close decision to Rich Franklin in the main event. He also has lost fights to Rampage Jackson and Chuck Liddell since he came back to the UFC in 2007. He was one of the most dominant fighters of all-time in his prime, going 16-0 between 2000-2004. In that stretch, Silva beat Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba (three times) and Rampage Jackson (twice). In that stretch, only two fights even went the distance. Silva dropped his final two fights in the PRIDE organization in late 2006/early 2007 to Mirko Cro Cop and Dan Henderson. He’s still a ferocious striker and also is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, though he prefers to keep fights standing. He’s clearly not the same fighter that he was in his prime, but he has changed some of his training habits and vows to return to form. Bisping rebounded from his devastating knockout loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 to defeat Denis Kang via TKO at UFC 105. Bisping was the light heavyweight winner of the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, but dropped to middleweight following a split-decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 78. In his UFC career, Bisping is 8-2 with six stoppages in those eight victories. He’s mainly a striker, though he doesn’t possess a great deal of power. He utilized his footwork to keep him out of trouble, but poor footwork and a poor gameplan got him knocked out by an overhand right hand from Henderson at UFC 100. His wrestling game is improving, but I don’t think we’ll see much of it in this contest. The only way I really see Bisping winning this fight is to use his jab and footwork to keep Silva at a distance and try to score enough points to win a decision. I just have a feeling that Silva will eventually connect with a power shot that will end Bisping’s night. There is simply nothing about Bisping’s standup game that Silva fears, and he will probably come in with reckless abandon. Silva via TKO in the 2nd.

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: Depending on what happens in the Frank Mir/Shane Carwin fight at UFC 111, the winner of this heavyweight contest might get the first shot at Brock Lesnar when he makes his return this summer. Velasquez is one of the rising stars of the UFC’s heavyweight divsion. The American Kickboxing Academy product boasts a 7-0 record, and is 5-0 in his UFC career. He took on tough veteran heavyweight Ben Rothwell at UFC 104, and Velasquez earned a TKO victory in the 2nd round of a dominating performance. Velasquez comes from a wrestling background, and was an All-American at Arizona State. The trainers at AKA talk about his kickboxing prowess frequently, though from what I’ve seen of it, they are exaggerating somewhat. He simply doesn’t pack a lot of power in his punches, and against a resiliant guy like Nogueira, that could pose some major problems. He does have a very good top game, but as evidenced in his fight against Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, he is vulnerable to getting hit as he goes in for takedowns.

Nogueira is one of the best heavyweights of all-time. His list of victims in the heavyweight division is basically the who’s who of heavyweights. During his stint in PRIDE, Nogueira beat Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Ricco Rodriguez, Mirko Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett. Since entering the UFC, Nogueira has dispatched of Herring again, Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture. That’s quite an impressive list. The win over Couture at UFC 102 was important because many people (myself included) were counting him out after his subpar performance against Frank Mir at UFC 92. It was later learned that Nogueira was dealing with a variety of ailments that may have contributed to the loss. Nogueira has been though many tough fights in his career, and though he is only 33 years old, there is some fear that he’s on a steep decline in his career. However, if he fights like he did against Couture in this fight, a lot of that talk will be put on hold for awhile. In his career, Nogueira is 32-5-1 overall. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and is one of the most dangerous heavyweights of all-time with his submission game. He is also a very good boxer, and is almost miraculous when it comes to recovering from shots that would end the nights of most fighters. Much like I don’t think Wanderlei Silva will be concerned with Bisping’s power, I don’t think Silva will be too intimidated by Velasquez’s. There will probably be a moment in this fight where Nogueira is hurt from a shot from Velasquez, but I just don’t think Velasquez has the power to really put Nogueira away. If Velasquez can utilize his wrestling to keep him in top control against Nogueira, he still isn’t out of the woods. The way Nogueira strung together sweeps and submission attempts against Couture has to be in Velasquez’s mind. Velasquez is the betting favorite in this one, though I’m really not sure why. I have a tough time envisioning Velasquez winning this fight. I think a healthy Nogueira, which by all accounts he is, is dangerous from almost any position in this fight. I’m not sure if Nogueira will submit Velasquez, but I think his advantage in the striking game and his ability to sweep from the bottom will earn him the nod. Nogueira via unanimous decision.

Preliminary Card Predictions:

Brian Foster over Chris Lytle via unanimous decision

Krzysztof Soszynski over Stephan Bonnar via TKO in the 2nd

Goran Reljic over C.B. Dollaway via TKO in the 1st

James Te Huna over Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision

Demian Maia to Face Anderson Silva at UFC 112

Tim — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:15:56 +0000

According to UFC.com, Demian Maia will step in for the injured Vitor Belfort to take on Anderson Silva at UFC 112.

Maia, who won a unanimous decision over Dan Miller at UFC 109 last weekend, had been medically suspended until August 6th due to a cut he received in that fight. He could be cleared by a doctor earlier, but it is unclear whether he would be cleared to fight in April if the fight wasn’t taking place in Abu Dhabi, where there is no athletic commission..

Maia is 12-1 in his MMA career with the lone loss coming to Nate Marquardt, who KO’d Maia in the opening minute of their fight at UFC 102. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is considered one of the most dangerous Jiu Jitsu practicioners in all of MMA. Maia won his first five contests in the UFC via submission, and won the Submission of the Night award four times in those five fights.

Vitor Belfort Out of Scheduled UFC 112 Title Fight Against Silva

Tim — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:40:36 +0000

UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort was forced to take himself out of a scheduled middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 112 due to a shoulder injury. Reports indicate that Belfort tried to continue training with the injury, but that it proved to be too severe to allow him to fight.

According to UFC president Dana White, Silva is still expected to fight on the card, though it is unknown whether he will face another middleweight challenger, or if he will fight someone in the light heavyweight division.

Chael Sonnen is the next in line for a title shot after Belfort, but due to injuries he suffered in his fight with Nate Marquardt last weekend, he is suspended from contact until mid-March. With such a quick turnaround and a shorter than normal training camp, it would be foolish for Sonnen to accept the fight against one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Some have speculated that Randy Couture, fresh off his victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 109, could be someone that the UFC would ask to step up to fight Silva. I consider this prospect unlikely. Couture will likely need a little time off after putting in a full training camp for the Coleman fight, and I’m not sure if he’d be too keen on taking the trip to Abu Dhabi to fight Silva. However, I wouldn’t be surprised for Dana White to at least ask Couture if he’d be able to do it. Additionally, rumor has it that Couture is currently in talks to face Rich Franklin as the main event for UFC 115 in Vancouver.

UFC 112 is scheduled for April 10th and will take place in Abu Dhabi.

Couture dominates Coleman/Sonnen earns title shot at UFC 109

Tim — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:22:53 +0000

The Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman fight was one that fans had wanted to see for years. Perhaps the fight would have been more competitive about 10 years ago. Tonight, Coleman showed absolutely nothing as he was dominated from the opening bell by Couture.

Couture came out fast in the opening frame, tagging Coleman repeatedly with shots. Coleman looked like he really didn’t know what to do. Later in the first, Couture used some of his “dirty boxing” as he clinched with Coleman against the cage. The first round was an easy 10-9 round for Couture.

The second round began much the same, but after a clinch, Couture scored a takedown. He quickly moved to mount before Coleman gave up his back. From there, Couture applied the rear naked choke, ending Coleman’s night. Coleman’s best shots of the day came in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. As he was doing the interview with Rogan, Coleman responded to some heckling from Tito Ortiz saying, “Fuck you Tito.” Coleman clearly looks done at this point in his career, but he stated he was going to continue to fight during the interview. Who UFC president Dana White can put in there with Coleman is anyone’s guess.

Chael Sonnen dominated Nate Marquardt to earn a title shot against the winner of the Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort fight at UFC 112. Sonnen used his wrestling advantage to take Marquardt down repeatedly. Marquardt had very little to offer off his back, sans an elbow that cut Sonnen badly in the 2nd round. Marquardt finally showed a little offense in late in the 3rd round, catching Sonnen with a deep guillotine. Sonnen was able to fight it off and Marquardt was simply too gassed to hold onto the hold anymore. The fight ended with Marquardt on top, but that was his only bright moment of the night. Sonnen was very impressive, and his trash talking of Anderson Silva leading up to their fight would be very entertaining if the fight comes to fruition.

Paulo Thiago moved to 2-1 against the fight camp A.K.A., as he choked out Mike Swick in the second round. The first round was pretty even with Thiago getting the better of the striking for the most part. However, Thiago dropped Swick with a left hook early in the 2nd round and quickly applied a D’arce choke to get the victory. After already beating Swick’s teammate Josh Koscheck in Thiago’s first UFC bout, a rematch between the two could be on the horizon. Koscheck was originally slated to take on Thiago at UFC 109, but an injury forced him off the card and into a fight with Paul Daley at UFC 113.

Demian Maia showed improved striking in his unanimous decision victory over Dan Miller. Miller did a good job to avoid any precarious positions on the canvas against the BJJ wizard Maia, but was unable to control the fight with his striking. Maia recovered nicely after his opening round loss to Marquardt. Considering he dominated Sonnen, the new number one contender to the middleweight title, when they fought at UFC 95, he may be in line for a title shot in the not too distant future.

Matt Serra ended Frank Trigg’s night and possibly his career with a vicious knockout in the first round of their fight tonight. Trigg never attempted a takedown, and ended up paying for it as Serra connected with an overhand right that floored Trigg. A few more follow up shots on the canvas ended the fight. Trigg protested the stoppage (as he did in his last loss to Koscheck), but he was clearly out. Trigg should retire after consecutive first round knockouts. He can no longer be competitive at this level. I’m not sure what the next step is for Serra, but a rematch with Matt Hughes could possibly be on the UFC’s radar.

Full Results:

Randy Couture def. Mark Coleman via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:09

Chael Sonnen def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Paulo Thiago def. Mike Swick via technical submission (D’arce choke) – Round 2, 1:54

Demian Maia def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Matt Serra def. Frank Trigg via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:23

Mac Danzig def. Justin Buchholz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Melvin Guillard def. Ronys Torres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Robert Emerson def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Phil Davis def. Brian Stann via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

Chris Tuchscherer def. Tim Hague via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Joey Beltran def. Rolles Gracie via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:31

*Scores from the undercard courtesy of MMA Junkie*

Live Coverage of UFC 109

Tim — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:45:23 +0000

I’ll be live tweeting analysis and results of UFC 109 beginning with the Spike Prelims at 8pm Central. Be sure to follow us on twitter to get round-by-round coverage!

Twitter.com/mmagroundnpound

UFC 109 Preview and Predictions

Tim — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:29:24 +0000

UFC 109 has been slammed by some due to the age of the participants in the main event (91 years old combined), but the card features several important undercard matchups that will determine future title challengers in the middleweight and welterweight divisions.

Frank Trigg vs. Matt Serra: The loser of this fight could be a little light on job security. Trigg came back to the UFC after a four-year absence to face Josh Koscheck at UFC 103. Koscheck battered Trigg early and often, getting the TKO stoppage just over a minute into the first round. There were some rumors that Trigg was going to be released after that fight, but UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and Dana White decided to give Trigg another shot. Trigg was a phenominal amateur wrestler, and nearly made the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in 2000. Trigg went 2-3 in the UFC in his first run, losing to Matt Hughes twice and Georges St. Pierre. After leaving the UFC, Trigg won seven of his next nine fights to claim a top-10 welterweight ranking in some publications prior to his fight with Koscheck. The 37 year old is 19-7 overall in his career. Serra is coming off of back-to-back losses, and has only fought twice in the last two-and-a-half years since his upset victory over Georges St. Pierre to win the welterweight title in April of 2007. He lost the rematch to GSP at UFC 83 and finally fought Matt Hughes at UFC 98 where he dropped a unanimous decision. Serra is 9-6 overall in his career, and is 6-6 inside the UFC. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, though he’s never utilized those skills fully inside the Octagon. He also has good power in his punches, though he relies on his striking a little too much. Serra’s short stature makes it difficult for him when he faces larger opponents. He’ll be at a reach disadvantage against Trigg, though it won’t be as pronounced as the disadvantage he has against some bigger welterweights. This fight is a toss-up to me. I can see Trigg’s wrestling controlling the majority of the contest. With his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Serra can be dangerous from the bottom, but as I stated earlier, his submission game from the guard isn’t often utilized. In fact, the last opponent that Serra submitted was Kelly Dullanty all the way back at UFC 36. Trigg’s striking game still has holes, and Serra can exploit them if the fight remains standing. I think Serra will catch Trigg eventually, and will be able to pound out a finish. Serra via TKO in the 2nd.

Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller: Maia is going to try and get back in the UFC middleweight title hunt after his devastating opening-minute KO loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 in August. He proclaimed before that fight that he would show a better striking game than he had shown in the past, but an ill-fated jumping knee is what got him knocked out against Marquardt. Despite the striking holes in his game, Maia usually makes up for it with some of the slickest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in all of MMA. He submitted his first five opponents inside the Octagon, including guys such as Nate Quarry and Chael Sonnen. The way he flows from one submission attempt to the next is really a joy to watch. Miller also dropped his last fight, a dominating unanimous decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 98. He’s a pretty well-rounded fighter. He has a wrestling background, and usually has solid takedown defense, though he was unable to stop Sonnen’s wrestling. His striking is usually a weakness for him, but in this contest he’ll actually have the striking advantage. Miller has recently been awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but his skills on the ground are nowhere near the level of Maia’s. It’s for that reason that I believe Miller will try to keep this fight standing as much as possible. He’ll try and utilize his wrestling in reverse, stopping Maia’s takedowns to keep the fight on the feet. Even though Maia’s wrestling isn’t great, he’s also not afraid to pull guard. It’s going to be important for Miller to avoid clinching with Maia. I just don’t think Miller’s striking is dynamic enough to offset Maia’s all-world BJJ skills. Eventually, Maia will catch him and finish the fight. Maia via submission in the 2nd.

Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago: Swick’s chances for a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre evaporated when he was dominated by Dan Hardy at UFC 105. He’s stepping in for injured teammate Josh Koscheck, who was set to rematch Thiago, who defeated him at UFC 95. Prior to that loss, Swick had won four straight fights and nine out of 10 overall. One of the fighters in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Swick has an overall record of 14-3, including a 9-2 record in the UFC. He mixes in solid wrestling and takedown defense to go along with a pretty good striking game, even though he lost that battle against Hardy. Thiago has taken some tough fights since entering the UFC. He entered the Octagon for the first time at UFC 95 as a huge underdog to Josh Koscheck, but connected on a viscious uppercut that floored and finished him in the first round. He faced Koscheck and Swick’s teammate Jon Fitch at UFC 100, dropping a unanimous decision. Thiago then faced Jacob Volkmann at UFC 106 in November, defeating him by unanimous decision in an exciting fight. Thiago is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and also showed some decent wrestling in his loss to Fitch. His striking remains his weakness however. Even in the knockout win over Koscheck, he was getting tagged repeatedly before landing the knockout blow. Swick should be able to use his range to keep Thiago off-balance and should utilize his hand speed to batter Thiago when the fight is standing. Swick’s takedown defense is very underrated, and his defensive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is solid as well. I think Swick will be able to win this fight, though Thiago is certainly a threat. Swick via unanimous decision.

Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen: UFC president Dana White has stated that the winner of this fight will face the winner of the Anderson Silva/Vitor Belfort fight for the middleweight title. I found it a little puzzling, considering that Sonnen isn’t far removed from being submitted by Demian Maia in the first round of their fight back at UFC 95. However, Sonnen has strung together back-to-back wins over Jim Miller and Yushin Okami to even his UFC record back up at 3-3. Overall, Sonnen is 24-10 in his career, and of those 24 wins, 14 have been via decision. His main asset is his excellent wrestling ability. Sonnen was a national champion in collegiate wrestling, and served as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team as well. As with many of the guys at Team Quest, he’s had trouble rounding out the rest of his game however. He’s always had trouble with his submission defense, and his striking is average at best. Marquardt is coming off a knockout win over Demian Maia at UFC 102. He was rumored to face Dan Henderson for a shot at Anderson Silva before Henderson left to go to Strikeforce. Marquardt is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, has solid wrestling and takedown defense, and his striking seems to get better every time out. He’s 29-8 in his MMA career, and is an impressive 8-2 in his UFC career. He lost to Anderson Silva in his first title shot at UFC 73, but has improved greatly as a fighter since that fight. Sonnen’s only hope is to smother Marquardt for all three rounds, but with Marquardt’s solid Jiu Jitsu skills, that won’t be easy. Even though Marquardt doesn’t use his BJJ offensively very often, he does utilize it to create scrambles and to get back to his feet. Marquardt will certainly have the edge in the striking department. I think it’ll just be a matter of time until Marquardt gets the win here. Marquardt via TKO in the 2nd.

Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman: Two UFC hall-of-famers and tremendous amateur wrestlers will clash in the main event of UFC 109. Coleman won a NCAA national championship in wrestling at Ohio State and wrestled with the U.S. Olympic team in 1992 where he finished seventh. He was the first UFC heavyweight champion, winning the title by beating Dan Severn at UFC 12. However, Coleman dropped his next three fights in the UFC and left to go to PRIDE. He dropped his first fight there too, but rebounded to win his next six fights along with the PRIDE openweight Grand Prix in 2000. Coleman went on to lose fights to superstars such as Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Fedor Emelianenko before leaving the sport for three years beginning in 2006. Coleman returned to the sport and to the UFC in 2009 at UFC 93, losing to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the 3rd round via TKO. Coleman was visibly gassed as early as the first round in that fight. However, he returned to the Octagon at UFC 100, upsetting Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision. Coleman was in much better condition for that contest.

Couture was also an All-American wrestler in college, and also was a national runner-up twice. He was a U.S. Olympic wrestling team alternate three times, and was a semifinalist at the 2000 U.S. Olympic trials. He began his MMA career at UFC 13 and won his first seven fights inside the Octagon before dropping his UFC heavyweight championship to Josh Barnett at UFC 36 (Barnett tested positive for steroids after the contest). He dropped his next fight to Ricco Rodriguez for the now vacant UFC heavyweight championship before dropping down to light heavyweight. At light heavyweight, Couture won the interim light heavyweight championship by beating Chuck Liddell at UFC 43, then won the unified title by beating Tito Ortiz at UFC 44. He lost the title to Vitor Belfort due to a cut, but defeated Belfort in a rematch. Couture lost to Liddell twice in subsequent rematches before a contract dispute ended his UFC career for a year in 2006-2007. Couture made a triumphant return to the UFC by winning the heavyweight championship by defeating Tim Sylvia at UFC 68. He defended his championship by defeating Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 before losing the title to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. A loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in his next fight at UFC 102 showed Couture he needed to drop back to light heavyweight where his size wouldn’t be such a disadvantage. Couture defeated Brandon Vera in a very close fight at UFC 105.

The difference in this fight should be the evolution of the two fighters. Coleman hasn’t done much to change his game from his ground n’ pound roots. Meanwhile, Couture has incorporated an outstanding clinch game to go along with decent striking skills that compliment his outstanding wrestling. In this fight with two outstanding wrestlers, it will be Couture’s more well-rounded game along with his superior conditioning that will win him the fight. Couture via TKO in the 3rd.

Preliminary Card:

Rolles Gracie over Joey Beltran via submission in the 1st

Chris Tuchscherer over Tim Hague via unanimous decision

Brian Stann over Phil Davis via TKO in the 2nd

Phillipe Nover over Rob Emerson via unanimous decision

Ronnys Torres over Melvin Guillard by submission in the 2nd

Mac Danzig over Justin Buchholz via submission in the 1st

Strikeforce: Miami Preview and Predictions

Tim — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 05:53:25 +0000

Strikeforce: Miami should garner quite a bit of attention, though not necessarily for the right reasons. One of the best fights on the card, a welterweight showdown between Jay Hieron and Joe Riggs, isn’t even scheduled to appear on the main card. However, Strikeforce is putting fights featuring former NFL running back Herschel Walker and former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley on the main card, despite both of those fights looking like squash matches on paper. The card should definitely be interesting, though not necessarily pretty to watch.

Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs: Hieron is one of Strikeforce’s top welterweights, and a title shot is probably coming shortly for him if he can dispatch of Riggs. Hieron is on a six-fight winning streak, last beating Jesse Taylor by decision at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. He’s 18-4 in his MMA career, and had a brief run in the UFC relatively early in his career, dropping fights to Georges St. Pierre and Jonathan Goulet. He trains out of Xtreme Couture, and has a strong wrestling base to go along with decent striking skills. Riggs is also a veteran of the UFC, where he went 4-4. Overall, Riggs is 32-11 in his MMA career, with notable wins over Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle and Kendall Grove earlier in his career. He’s on a 4-fight win streak of his own, and won two fights in December in the Rage in the Cage promotion. His last Strikeforce win came over Phil Baroni at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. Riggs is a threat to Hieron here if he took Riggs too lightly. Riggs has solid knockout power and decent grappling ability. However, despite the fact that Riggs is only 27 years old, his body has taken a lot of punishment over the years. In addition to his 43 fights, Riggs has also fought recurring back issues in the past few years. I think Hieron will definitely have the edge in this fight the longer that it goes. Hieron via unanimous decision.

Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy: Kind of a tough fight to breakdown here. Walker, the former NFL running back and Heisman trophy winner, will be making his MMA debut at the age of 47. He has a background in Tae Kwon Do but just started training MMA a few months ago. However, Walker trains with the American Kickboxing Academy, one of the top gyms in the world, and the trainers there say he is a fast learner. How fast he’s picked up the skills remains to be seen, but if the weigh ins are any indication, Walker is in extrordinary physical shape. Nagy isn’t exactly a MMA veteran himself, with a pro record of 1-1. What little film there is on the guy shows a fighter with below average striking, wrestling, and Jiu Jitsu skills, which should make him the perfect matchup for Walker. Walker is the favorite, and his pure athletic talents should carry him to a victory here over a pretty bad opponent. Walker via TKO in the 2nd.

Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims: Strikeforce had a helluva time trying to find an opponent for Lashley. I won’t even get into how many possible opponents were thrown out there, but the end result is Wes Sims. Yikes. Sims got the call with about one week before the fight, and admitted he hasn’t been training. He certainly didn’t appear to be in peak physical shape at the weigh ins today. He was one of the heavyweights on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, and his first round submission loss to Justin Wren in the opening round of the competition shows where Sims is as a fighter at this point in his career. Sims is 22-12 in his career, but really hasn’t fought anyone since he was released from the UFC following three consecutive losses. His reach can give people problems, but Sims brings very little else to the table. This will be Lashley’s fifth professional fight, and sadly enough, Sims is probably the best guy he’s fought. Lashley’s last fight was a first round win over freakshow Bob Sapp. Lashley was a two-time NAIA wrestling champion before his career in the WWE began, so he does have a solid wrestling base. Lashley’s been training at American Top Team in Florida, one of the top gyms in the sport, but he splits his time between training for MMA and wrestling for TNA. Until he gives up wrestling and focuses on his MMA training full-time, he won’t become an elite fighter. However, right now he’s good enough to beat Sims. I don’t think Sims will be able to stop Lashley’s takedown attempts, and he won’t have anything to offer from the bottom position on the ground either. Part of me wants to see Sims win, just for the hilarity of the situation, but it won’t happen. Lashley via TKO in the 1st.

Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Mahoef: This fight could be the highlight of the night as it features two exciting strikers that aren’t afraid to go toe-to-toe. Lawler is a veteran of the UFC, PRIDE, the IFL, Elite XC and Strikeforce. He’s 18-5 in his career and holds notable wins over Scott Smith, Frank Trigg, Joey Villasenor, and Chris Lytle. He trains with Matt Hughes at the HIT squad, the gym that they co-own. He’s mainly a striker, though training with Hughes and other wrestlers over the years have turned him into an adequate wrestler. He’s struggled with submission defense at times during his career, but that certainly won’t be an issue against Manhoef. Manhoef is one of the most feared strikers in the sport, and has amassed a 24-6 MMA record during his career. His ground game is still very weak, and that is something Lawler will want to expose. If Lawler wants to keep this fight standing, the fight will be wildly entertaining for however long it lasts. I know Lawler’s brain will probably tell him to go for the takedown, but I have a feeling he’ll want to try and slug it out with Manhoef. It’ll be a mistake. Manhoef hasn’t had a MMA fight last past the first round since the middle of 2007, and I don’t think that’ll change tomorrow night. Manhoef via TKO in the 1st.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Marloes Coenen: Cyborg is coming off a win over Gina Carano at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. Cyborg basically overwhelmed Carano from the opening bell, and Gina had no match for Cyborg’s power. I’m not sure this fight looks a whole lot different. Cyborg is 8-1 in her MMA career, with the lone loss coming by way of submission in her first professional fight. She trains at Chute Boxe alongside mostly men, and she’s been working to improve her ground game as well. Coenen is 17-3 in her MMA career, and is 2-0 in Strikeforce. She last fought at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers where she beat Roxanne Modafferi by submission in the first round. She also has some decent striking skills, though nowhere near the power that Santos has. Her ground game is solid, but I don’t think she really has the wrestling ability to count on that as an advantage. This fight will probably stay standing, and though Coenen may have the technical advantage, all it will take is one power shot from Cyborg to change this fight. Cyborg Santos via TKO in the 2nd.

Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis: This fight will crown the first Strikeforce welterweight champion, so it’s a five-round affair. Diaz hasn’t fought since June of last year due to scheduling problems as well as his own failure to obtain a license from the state of California prior to his scheduled fight with Jay Hieron at Strikeforce: Canano vs. Cyborg. Diaz brings a very good boxing background into this fight to go along with his fantastic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills, where he is a black belt under Cesar Gracie. He’s 20-7 in his career, and is on a five-fight win streak dating back to the middle of 2008. In his career, he’s defeated Chris Lytle, Robbie Lawler, Josh Neer and Scott Smith. A submission win over Takanori Gomi in PRIDE was changed to a no-contest after Diaz tested positive for marijuana after the fight. Zaromskis has really made a name for himself in the last year after several highlight-reel knockout wins over in Japan. He’s 13-3 in his career and has won his last five fights. The level of competition he’s faced isn’t the same that Diaz has faced during his career, and that certainly is a concern here. Diaz will have a large reach advantage in this fight, and he needs to use it to keep Zaromskis off balance. He needs to be concerned with the incredible head kicks from Zaromskis as well. Diaz will definitely have the advantage on the ground, but like his brother Nate, he seems to have fallen in love with his striking more than his ground game in recent fights. Plus, Zaromskis has improved his takedown defense to at least an adequate level. Although Diaz is the more technical striker of the two, he doesn’t really have enough power to really hurt Zaromskis, while we are positive Zaromskis has enough power to hurt Diaz. I think this fight will be controlled by Diaz early, before he finally gets caught with a power shot from Zaromskis. Zaromskis via TKO in the 2nd.