MMA Pool Sheets

Taking A Break...

2011-04-11T03:17:00.000-04:00

Recently, I've had a few changes in my life come up that have taken a significant portion of my time. Namely, I now work two jobs, in addition to being a full-time college student. Because of this, I can no longer devote the time needed to get pool sheets out for upcoming events. Any sheet I would create would be rushed, and of poor quality (or poorer quality, depending on your point of view). Unfortunate as it is, I just no longer have the free time to make these sheets. The timing is particularly poor, as I had looked forward to creating a sheet for the huge UFC 129 event (and had actually begun preliminary designs on it). As it stands now, I will be taking an indefinite break from this site.

I don't know what'll come up in the future, or if I will free up more time down the road, but as of right now, this blog is going on hiatus. I will still leave the site up, in hopes that some day I may return to it. From the visitor statistics this site built up, it was clear that there was a fair-sized amount of people who visited this site regularly, and I'd like to thank them for that. If I do return to making the sheets, I will keep everyone up to date on Twitter, if you follow me there. Thank you for visiting, and enjoy the fights.

UFC 128 Pool Sheet

2011-03-15T19:50:00.001-04:00

For the first time since winning the title, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua defends his UFC light heavyweight championship against rising star Jon Jones, as the UFC heads to New Jersey for UFC 128. Just in time, here is the pool sheet for the event to use at your viewing parties. Shogun won the title by defeating Lyoto Machida in a rematch at UFC 113, but has been inactive since due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Jones, on the other hand, is a replacement for original challenger Rashad Evans, who suffered an injury during training. The co-main event sees the UFC debut of former WEC star Urijah Faber, as he matches up in his second bantamweight fight against former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland. Also on the card is an intriguing heavyweight bout, which sees former Pride Openweight Grand Prix champion Mirko Cro Cop take on rising prospect, and former football player, Brendan Schaub.

This sheet is another new design. Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated. Also, if you have a preference for either this design or a previous one, please say so in the comments. As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

My predictions for the event:

UFC 127 Pool Sheet

2011-02-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

The UFC returns to Australia for the first time in little over a year, as the promotion brings UFC 127 to Sydney on February 26. Just in time, here is the pool sheet for your viewing parties this Saturday. The event features a #1 contender bout in the main event, as perennial #2 welterweight Jon Fitch takes on former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn. The winner of the bout has been promised a title shot against the winner of Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields, which is slated for Toronto at UFC 129. Also on the card is a heated middleweight bout between English star Michael Bisping and surging veteran Jorge Rivera. The bout's animosity has escalated in recent weeks due to Rivera's trash-talking online. Additionally, a lightweight matchup sees rising contender, and native Australian, George Sotiropoulos take on German kickboxer Dennis Siver.

NOTE - The Australian location for this event may be deceiving to many fans. Traditionally, in overseas cards such as the events staged in Germany or England, the event is broadcast time-delayed in North America, rather than live, due to time zone issues. However, as Australia is so far ahead in time in comparison to North America, the event is actually being held on Sunday afternoon, Australian time. This means the event will be aired live in North America at the standard 10pm Eastern time. To repeat, UFC 127 will air live at the standard time of 10pm Eastern time.

This is the first time I've used this pool sheet design. Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated. Also, if you have a preference for either this design or the old one, please say so in the comments. As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

My predictions for the event:

Strikeforce HW Grand Prix Tourney Pick 'Em Sheet

2011-02-08T13:37:00.001-05:00

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix begins this Saturday in New Jersey, as two quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for the night of fights. The main event sees former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko take on former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, while the other quarterfinal bout sees former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski take on the Pride veteran Sergei Kharitonov. The winners of these two bouts will go on to face the winners of the remaining two quarterfinal bouts, which are scheduled for April.

For this historic tournament, I have created a tourney pick 'em sheet in the vein of a March Madness NCAA college basketball tournament. For each of the quarterfinal bouts, you fill in who you predict will be the winner. Then, you fill out the rest of the bracket, in hopes of trying to pick all seven correct choices. Remember to pick carefully, as one wrong pick can destroy an entire bracket. For this sheet, you don't need to worry about picking the round each fight will end, or how, but just who will win each fight.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. If you have any questions about this sheet, or how to run a pool such as this one, don't hesitate to ask in the comments section.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

My predictions for the first event this Saturday:

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Trailers

2011-02-07T16:57:00.000-05:00

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix begins this Saturday with two quarterfinal bouts. The main event sees the man many regard as the greatest heavyweight of all time, former Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko, take on former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. The other quarterfinal sees former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski take on the experienced Sergei Kharitonov. Rounding out the card are three reserve bouts, with the winners of each being in place to fill in for an injured fighter on the main tournament bracket. Shane Del Rosario takes on Lavar Johnson, while Chad Griggs faces Gianpiero Villante and Valentijn Overeem faces Ray Sefo. Below is the official trailer for the beginning of the tournament, courtesy of Showtime Sports. I've also included the trailer created by the ever-talented NickTheFace, who always creates top-notch fight promos. See the videos below.

Also keep an eye out for the Strikeforce Grand Prix tourney pick 'em sheet, which I will have out in the next day or so.

Visit Showtime Sports and NickTheFace on YouTube.

Dana White Post-UFC 126 Interview

2011-02-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

After one of the biggest cards in UFC history, MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani caught up with Dana White to ask him about the possible Georges St-Pierre/Anderson Silva superfight, the recently-booked Shogun Rua/Jon Jones title fight, and his opinions on the rest of the UFC 126 card. White also weighs in on the futures of Yushin Okami and Rashad Evans, two fighters whose title chances may have been taken out of their hands. Watch the video below for the interview.

See the original post here at MMAFighting.com.

UFC 126 Fighter Predictions

2011-01-30T01:12:00.003-05:00

In preparation for UFC 126, which is now under a week away, I've posted a video from the official UFC Youtube channel which highlights various UFC fighters' predictions for the main event between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. The response from the fighters may surprise you, given Anderson Silva's undefeated UFC reign. Featured in the video are heavyweights Matt Mitrione, Pat Barry and Joey Beltran, featherweights Mark Hominick, George Roop and Mike Brown, and lightweight Cole Miller. Also below, I've added the trailer for UFC 126, just to heighten the anticipation for the event. Enjoy.

Also, don't forget to pick up the UFC 126 pool sheet, which you can find here.

Visit the UFC on YouTube.

UFC 126 Pool Sheet

2011-01-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

For Super Bowl weekend, the UFC brings a premiere fight card on February 5 that features a stacked lineup of fights. For the event, and your viewing parties, here is the pool sheet for UFC 126. The main event features a middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva, and challenger (and former light heavyweight champion) Vitor Belfort. The co-main event features a light heavyweight bout between former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, and former middleweight champion Rich Franklin. Additionally, a bout between rising light heavyweight phenoms sees the surging Jon Jones take on undefeated Ryan Bader.

Survivor Pick 'Em - New to this pool sheet is the Survivor Pick 'Em option. I've added this option as a sort of "side pool" that runs separately from the regular night of picks. How it works is simple: You pick one fighter who you feel is the guaranteed victory, and write his name in the bubble. If he wins, you survive until the next event, where you will pick another survivor pick. If he loses, you're eliminated. This process proceeds over multiple events until only one person in your group is left. Everyone remaining in the survivor pool will add to the pot each event, until the winner is determined and the pot is awarded. As this is a completely separate pot from the traditional pools, you can hold both separately, or at the same time. It's your choice.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

Edit: Added a printer-friendly version. Click the thumbnail below for full size:

My predictions for the event:

UFC 126 Fight Trailers

2011-01-20T10:34:00.011-05:00

UFC 126 is a little over two weeks away, and features a number of exciting and noteworthy fights on its stacked card. The main event sees middleweight champion Anderson Silva finally match up against challenger Vitor Belfort, after over a year of failed matchmaking. In the co-main event, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin takes on former middleweight champion Rich Franklin in a light heavyweight bout. Additionally, a bout between two rising light heavyweight prospects sees Jon Jones take on Ryan Bader, with the winner moving closer to becoming a title contender in the near future. Below are trailers for each of the above bouts, created by NickTheFace, the best MMA trailer man around.

Visit NickTheFace on YouTube.

UFC 125 Pool Sheet

2010-12-31T00:38:00.007-05:00

The first UFC event of 2011 is set for New Year's Day, and features a Lightweight title rematch between champion Frankie Edgar, and the only man to have ever defeated him, challenger Gray Maynard. Edgar looks to avenge his only career loss, while Maynard looks to remain undefeated and bring home the UFC Lightweight Championship. Just in time, here is the pool sheet for the event for your viewing parties.

Also on the card is a matchup between middleweights Chris Leben and Brian Stann. Stann is a former WEC light heavyweight champion, while Leben is coming off an impressive 2010, which saw him go 3-0, with 2 wins coming in the span of less than 2 weeks. Additionally, a fight between light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera sees two fighters in deseperate need of a win, which should heighten the intensity of the bout. Finally, an explosive lightweight bout sees fan-favourite Clay Guida take on powerful striker and former Pride champion Takanori Gomi.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

EDIT: Added an additional, printer-friendly version. Find it HERE.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

My predictions for the event:

UFC 124 Pool Sheet

2010-12-10T13:30:00.005-05:00

Just in time, here is the pool sheet for UFC 124, which takes place this Saturday, December 11. For the fourth time, the UFC returns to Montreal, Canada with an event that is expected to break UFC attendance records. The main event features hometown fighter and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre defending his title against fellow Ultimate Fighter coach and #1 contender Josh Koscheck. This will be St-Pierre's second time fighting in Montreal for the UFC, with the first being his TKO victory over Matt Serra at UFC 83, where GSP reclaimed his welterweight title.

Also on the card is a heavyweight bout between two of the tallest fighters in UFC history, as trash-talking internet star Sean McCorkle takes on Dutch prospect Stefan Struve. Prior to that, there is a lightweight bout that features contender Jim Miller versus rising phenom Charles Oliveira.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

UFC 123 Pool Sheet - Printer Friendly Edition

2010-11-11T05:57:00.004-05:00

In hopes of giving printers everywhere a little break, I've decided to try out a more "printer-friendly" version of my pool sheet, which will use substantially less ink, and takes far less time to download. I'll begin this little experiment with UFC 123, which features a main event of two former light heavyweight champions, as Rampage Jackson takes on Lyoto Machida. Also on the card is a rubber match between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, and former welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn.

As the event is still over a week away, if there is sufficient demand I can create a more regular, detailed pool sheet. If you would like a more traditional, ink-heavy sheet created, please say so in the comments. I don't believe this will be a regular trend in the pool sheets, so expect a more elaborate pool sheet for UFC 124 and on. Although, again, if the printer friendly sheets are received positively, I would be willing to make them for future events as well, as they take far less time.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

UFC 121 Pool Sheet

2010-10-21T03:04:00.005-04:00

With Brocktober in full swing, the UFC heads to Anaheim, California for UFC 121, which features a heavyweight championship fight between champion Brock Lesnar and undefeated challenger Cain Velasquez. And to help everyone get ready for the event, here is the pool sheet for your viewing pleasure. This one might be a little heavy on the ink in comparison to previous sheets, so give it a test print with one copy to see how it turns out for you.

Back to the fight card, the co-main event of the evening features the UFC debut of former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields, as he takes on the UFC-tested Martin Kampmann in a welterweight bout. Shields is coming off the biggest victory of his career, where he defeated legend Dan Henderson in a unanimous decision back in March. Also on the card is a matchup between former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and his former Ultimate Fighter pupil Matt Hamill.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

For those having trouble viewing the pool sheet, it is also available HERE on my TwitPic account. Hover over the image and click "View full size" for the larger view.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

UFC 120 Pool Sheet

2010-10-15T02:52:00.004-04:00

Hopefully not too late, but here is the pool sheet for UFC 120. The card takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England, and features a main event of British fan-favourite Michael Bisping versus Yoshihiro Akiyama. Also on the card is a matchup between former welterweight #1 contender Dan Hardy, and former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit.

As usual with British cards, this event is airing on tape-delay on SpikeTV in the United States, and live in various other international markets (check the event page on ufc.com for more information on that). The main card begins at 3pm eastern time, and airs via delay at 8pm on Spike. If you are holding a pool for this event, it is HIGHLY advisable that you get everyone's picks in before 3pm (unless you have more trustworthy friends than I do). The results are going to flood the net long before 8pm rolls around, so to keep the pool honest, I recommend getting everyone's picks down the night before.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

UFC 119 Pool Sheet

2010-09-22T01:50:00.004-04:00

A little later than usual, but here is the pool sheet for UFC 119. The event features a marquee heavyweight matchup between former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Pride Openweight Grand Prix champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Despite earlier reports of a serious eye injury suffered by Cro Cop during training, Filipovic has been granted medical clearance to fight and the main event will proceed as scheduled.

Also on the card is a fight between two light heavyweight contenders as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira takes on undefeated wrestler Ryan Bader. Additionally, in a rematch from the finale of the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra takes on Chris Lytle.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

UFC 118 Pool Sheet

2010-08-27T03:00:00.004-04:00

Here is the pool sheet for UFC 118, which features a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar, and challenger BJ Penn. Penn is looking to reclaim his title after relinquishing the championship to Edgar in a narrow decision loss at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Also on the card is a fight that has been dubbed as "MMA vs Boxing", as former two-division champion Randy Couture takes on current IBA heavyweight boxing champion James Toney. Additionally, Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard square off in a fight to determine the next contender for the lightweight championship, and the next opponent for the winner of Edgar vs Penn.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

Strikeforce: Houston Pool Sheet

2010-08-18T21:42:00.004-04:00

Although a bit of a short notice, here is the pool sheet for this weekend's Strikeforce: Houston event. The card features two title fights, as King Mo Lawal defends his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title against Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, while Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Tim Kennedy vie for the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight title.

As always, remember to print these sheets out under the "landscape" printer setting. For help on the rules and organization of an MMA pool, please visit my MMA Pool Rules post for more information.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. If you find any errors or omissions, please comment below so I can make any needed corrections.

UFC 117 Pool Sheet

2010-08-14T04:34:00.003-04:00

Just to get a first post out there, I figured I'd put up my pool sheet for UFC 117, which occurred about 6 days ago. This is just to give an idea of the basic design I've been using for pool sheets lately. I've gone through a few different versions, but seem to have settled on this one for the moment. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to comment below.

Click the above image for the full-sized version. Full-sized pool sheets come in at about 2200x1700, so they are rather large. Remember, if printing these out, to change your printer's orientation to "landscape". Also, I'm not sure how much ink each sheet will use, so do a test print of one copy to see how everything works out for you.

MMA Pool Rules

2010-08-14T04:32:00.002-04:00

Now, this is by no means a definite set of rules, and you're free to think of your own, but I just wanted to get a post out there with some guidelines on how a pool could be held between you and your friends. So, assuming you have a pool sheet (say one of mine to come, or one from Just Bleed), here's how you go about it:

Everyone in the pool takes a sheet and makes their picks. You make the following picks on each of the main card fights:

1. The fighter to win the fight.
2. The method with which the fight ends (TKO, submission, or decision).
3. The round the fight ends (maximum 3 for regular bouts, 5 for championship bouts)

Each correct pick is worth 1 point. Under my system, each pick is independent of the others. For example, say at UFC 117 you picked Chael Sonnen to win over Anderson Silva via decision in the fifth round. As it turned out, Anderson Silva actually won via submission in the fifth round. However, you would still get one point for picking the correct round (the fifth). You do not have to have the fighter correct to earn points in the other two categories.

Now, of the three ways a fight can end, there are obviously a few variations to each. I'll try to go over them the best I can.

(T)KO - Included in a (T)KO pick are:

TKOs, which is where the fighter is unable to intelligently defend him or herself from repeated strikes, and the referee is forced to stop the fight.
KOs, which is where the fighter is rendered unconscious due to a strike, and the referee ends the fight as protection for the fighter.
Doctor Stoppages, which is where a fighter is deemed unable to continue in a fight due to doctor's discretion (often due to a cut or eye wound).
TKOs due to injury, which is where a fighter is unable to continue competing due to a serious injury.

Submission - Included in a submission pick are:

Regular or verbal submissions, which is where the fighter signals to the referee (via either verbal request or tapping out) that he no longer wishes to continue the fight due to a submission hold applied by the other fighter.
Technical submissions, which is where the fighter is rendered unresponsive due to a submission, and the referee is forced to stop the fight. Most commonly seen when a fighter is rendered unconscious due to a choke hold, but is also applicable when a referee stops a fight due to a broken limb caused by a submission (See Tim Sylvia vs Frank Mir).
Corner stoppage, which is where the fighter's corner decides that the fighter cannot continue the fight between rounds. Also known as "throwing in the towel".

Decision - Included in a decision are:

Any fights ending in decision, which is where a fight goes the maximum allotted amount of rounds, and the fight's result is turned over to the three judges sitting cage/ringside. Regardless of the result of the decision, any pick for decision would score a point in this situation. This includes draws.

Please Note: No contests and disqualifications are not covered by (T)KO's, submissions, or decisions. Should a fight end in no contest, only the round the fight ended can earn a point. For example, if a fight was called a no contest some time in the second round, a pick for a second round end would earn a point. No other category can earn points in a no contest other than the round choice. Should the fight end in DQ, only a correct round and fighter choice can earn points.

After all is said in done, tally the points and find your winner. To keep track of your picks throughout the fights, please use the detachable fight tracker included in my pool sheets, which allow you to follow your picks throughout the night without having to constantly check the pool sheet itself.

If you have any suggestions for my rules, or comments in general, feel free to comment below.