MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Thread: UFC/Strikeforce

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My opinion of Georges St-Pierre differs from yours. I disagree when you say he "lays and prays." He has tried to finish fights. Top-level talent is just that: Top-level talent. And, sometimes, top-level talent is difficult to finish. They're the best in the division for a reason. Additionally, dominating top-level talent for five rounds, in my opinion, is equally if not more impressive than finishing them in R1.

Let's take a look at his last three fights. He fought, hurt, and dominated Jake Shields with one eye. He fought, hurt, and dominated Josh Koscheck—and ruthlessly broke Koscheck's orbital socket with a jab—which still affects him to today and may prematurely end Kos' career. He fought, hurt, and dominated Dan Hardy—and would have finished if Hardy didn't harness his monk training and go all Gumby during St-Pierre's SUB attempts.

Now, I complain about fighters—but not because they're dominating everyone tossed into their path. I have nothing but respect for fighters like St-Pierre, Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva. When I complain, it's about fighters like Rob Broughton, Amir Sadollah, and Josh Koscheck. Broughton is just dreadful to watch. I can't help but hope Matt Mitrione tacks on a third straight loss to his UFC record and sends him packing. Has there been a fighter coddled by the UFC more than Sadollah? I have/had been a supporter—but it's apparent that he'll never amount to anything special at welterweight. I enjoy Koscheck's personality, but it's now obvious that he purposely uses eye pokes in fights, and that's incredibly cheap. Can't support that garbage.

But yeah, it's all good. :) No issue with differing opinions. And that photo is interesting. Gotta love Bas.
 
[quote name='shotgunshine']Great card....I was 10 of 12 on my picks. One of the ones I got wrong was Korean Zombie and Poirier...im actually happy I was wrong as I was rooting for KZ. I dont see him beating Aldo but he sure puts on great fights.[/QUOTE]
Great job, beat me out there.Went with Poirier too :( and Maldonado/Curran and Soto for my wrong picks for a 8/12.
 
[quote name='Magiblaze']Great job, beat me out there.Went with Poirier too :( and Maldonado/Curran and Soto for my wrong picks for a 8/12.[/QUOTE]

Pretty good overall...I also got Maldonado/Igor wrong.. I thought Maldonado did enough to take the first two rounds but I wouldn't say it was a robbery or anything.



I like GSP and will always be a fan but hes definitely changed into a ''safety first'' fighter. There isn't anything wrong with that...its a smart thing to do but from a fan standpoint it might not be the most exciting to watch for some. For the record, while I think hes more safe and could do more to try to finish, I think him being a boring fighter is overblown.

I know GSP had a hurt eye against Shields but that was still a dreadful performance...I think Shields is just as much to blame since hes the challenger and he was content to just go five and not try to do anything to sway the judges.

St. Pierre should have used more GNP against Hardy. Yes, the fight should've been over in the first and most other people would've tapped, but Hardy did survive and GSP just used his takedowns and great control on the ground to stop Dan from doing anything...but he barely thew any punches. I remember being very annoyed by that as I felt he could've finished him...didn't help that Condit then Lytle both finished him afterwards.

Im not really criticizing GSP as hes had some great performances as well. He showed just how effective a jab can be in MMA when he destroyed Koscheck with it. It still stuns me how underutilized that punch is in MMA. He beat the hell out of Fitch for 25 minutes and dominated BJ Penn in there second fight. I would like to see him try to finish guys as hes more then capable of doing it.

Also, I have to say I find Askren painfully boring to watch. I respect that hes dominant with his wrestling and has excellent scrambling skills but just from an excitement perspective...he and Jon Fitch put me to sleep.
 
Who do yall think takes it between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier this Saturday? Im on the fantasy page on Sherdog and I see 72% have picked Barnett, which to me seems kind of odd.


Also, is anyone in any pools on Sherdog?

Edit: I found the CAG Pool. I just joined it..hope thats ok.
 
[quote name='icp_00_111']I gotta go with the Baby Faced Assassin, he just seems to complete of a fighter for Cormier, and I am a big fan so I could be biased. :)[/QUOTE]

Dont get me wrong, I am a HUGE Barnett fan and hope he pulls it off. When I look at this fight though the things Barnett has is experience and submissions. On the feet I think Cormier has the heavier hands and better movement, which is suprising for a guy his size. Josh isn't a slouch there either but I think Cormier has the better stand up. On the ground, Josh has the better subs but its never going to go to the ground unless Cormier wants it to by taking Josh down. Also, I dont think Josh can pull a sub off his back on Cormier...I could be wrong but I dont see it happening. Unless he drops Cormier with a punch then hes not getting him down. I think this fight plays out on the feet or in the clinch where Cormier gets the better of him to take a UD or maybe a late TKO.
 
That makes sense, the reason I think Barnett wins is because Cormier has not been tested, his best win was against Bigfoot and his only major win was against Fedor and I think he only won that because of brute force. Other than Bigfoot the only other notable wins for Cormier is a dec. win over Monson. I think he will get tested in this fight more than he ever has, so if he does win ship him over to the UFC. Actually I would like whoever wins to go to the UFC but it sounds like they have to take at least one more fight before they can leave Strikeforce.
 
[quote name='Chase']My opinion of Georges St-Pierre differs from yours. I disagree when you say he "lays and prays." He has tried to finish fights. Top-level talent is just that: Top-level talent. And, sometimes, top-level talent is difficult to finish. They're the best in the division for a reason. Additionally, dominating top-level talent for five rounds, in my opinion, is equally if not more impressive than finishing them in R1.

Let's take a look at his last three fights. He fought, hurt, and dominated Jake Shields with one eye. He fought, hurt, and dominated Josh Koscheck—and ruthlessly broke Koscheck's orbital socket with a jab—which still affects him to today and may prematurely end Kos' career. He fought, hurt, and dominated Dan Hardy—and would have finished if Hardy didn't harness his monk training and go all Gumby during St-Pierre's SUB attempts.

Now, I complain about fighters—but not because they're dominating everyone tossed into their path. I have nothing but respect for fighters like St-Pierre, Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva. When I complain, it's about fighters like Rob Broughton, Amir Sadollah, and Josh Koscheck. Broughton is just dreadful to watch. I can't help but hope Matt Mitrione tacks on a third straight loss to his UFC record and sends him packing. Has there been a fighter coddled by the UFC more than Sadollah? I have/had been a supporter—but it's apparent that he'll never amount to anything special at welterweight. I enjoy Koscheck's personality, but it's now obvious that he purposely uses eye pokes in fights, and that's incredibly cheap. Can't support that garbage.

But yeah, it's all good. :) No issue with differing opinions. And that photo is interesting. Gotta love Bas.[/QUOTE]


Agreed 110% about Amir. I respect what he does, I know he's a decent fighter but he's dreadful to watch. Lopez could have KO'd him last night...

Disagree 110% about Koscheck. He's one of the biggest douchebags in MMA. Up there with both Diaz brothers. I dislike his personality (though he plays the heel role well like Chael Sonnen) but I think he's a well rounded fighter. I would pay to watch him lose or to at least see him fight in person.

While everyone will be booing Chael Sonnen at 148 at MGM Grand.....I'll be the only person in the entire arena cheering him on.
 
Gotta go with Cormier on this one, his wrestling is just too good for Barnett and he can take it wherever he goes. I think Cormier edges him out in the striking too and I don't think he'll let Josh grab ahold of him to do any submissions.
 
I've been meaning to add the CAG Pool in the OP. Thanks for the reminder, Shotgun. :) And MMA is still a young sport. If Gary Goodridge is any indication, the training and fighting can leave some deep, lasting scars after a fighter retires.

For those unaware, Goodridge was recently diagnosed with early onset CTE or 'pugilistic dementia.' I have nothing but respect for fighters, like Miguel Torres and Georges St-Pierre, who want to extend their career and avoid long-term health consequences by fighting smart.

I like Barnett—but have to go with Cormier. I see Barnett looking lost after being unable to ground Cormier. I see Cormier using his Olympic wrestling chops to keep it standing where he'll rock Barnett and score the TKO.

As for the Pick Em, I went 8 of 12. Should have been 10 of 12—but Virginia apparently has very questionable judges. Cardo Urso scored Maldonado-Pokemon and gave Pokemon the fight with an insane 30-27 scorecard. Urso also messed up the Sadollah-Lopez fight, awarding Sadollah the fight with a 29-28. I think those two fights should have gone the other way. And I'll call Maldonado's loss a robbery. While Maldonado's striking defense is basically "I have a good chin," he's the best 0-2 guy in the UFC right now.

And Calipso: I think Kos can be entertaining and a nice dude, like when he did the Q&A with Goldie, but, 60-percent of the time, I find it difficult to like him. The eye pokes have become truly ridiculous. Can't help but wonder if he's doing it more now 'cause of what St-Pierre did to his eye.
 
I've been waiting for this Barnett/Cormier fight for a long time. We'll just see if little chunkers is THAT great of a wrestler that he can hang with Barnett in the clinch and defend his takedown attempts (everyone knows what I think about that).
 
Mark Hunt out, he is going to be replaced by Lavar Johnson. It sucks because I am a Hunt fan and never seen him in such good shape, but at least it will get Johnson some more competition and if he beats Stuve maybe he can fight Carwin and see where he is in the striking dept. if anything it would be a pretty awesome fight with two big dudes who throw bombs.
 
That really sucks about Hunt being out. I was really hyped to see him go especially in the shape he was in pre-knee injury. I guess that's one of the things that sucks about MMA: the sport is so dynamic that injuries seem to happen in training alot more than other combat sports.
 
Barnett-Cormier went pretty much how I expected it to. Went 6-3 overall on my picks.


How did yall score Melendez-Thomson? I had it a draw with the first round being a 10-10, then giving Gilbert rounds 2&3, and Josh taking 4&5.
 
R1 and R2 for Melendez. R3, R4, and R5 for Thomson. Melendez's stock drops significantly after this win. I think Bendo trucks through him and finishes with a SUB. Right now, I don't know who I'd pick in Melendez-Guida 2. Guida took current UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson to a decision, beat Anthony Pettis, finished Takanori Gomi, and split with Nate Diaz. Clay Guida has far more quality wins than Gilbert Melendez. I think both guys have vastly improved since their fight fight in 2006.

I'm very happy for Daniel Cormier. I highly-recommend giving a listen to his sit-down interview with Jack on Rewind. You can just hear the emotion pouring from his soul when he discusses the death of his daughter. Just gut-wrenching.

http://www.sherdog.com/radio/Rewind-Daniel-Cormier-2024

Cormier dominated Barnett. The training he did for the Olympics has given him a crazy-strong base. I let out an "Ooh!" when he slammed Josh Barnett—and that's something I rarely do these days.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Barnett can take down anyone in MMA's HW division right now, if he gets ahold of Cormier in the clinch that little HW is going down.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']
Secondly, I don't understand why you are discounting Barnett's abilties? I'm not a big fan of the guy, but the fact is he is a beast. His clinch takedowns are second to none and from top position he can destroy practically anyone (certainly Daniel Cormier).[/QUOTE]
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Cormier didn't want to even TOUCH Monson on the ground, so if the fight hits the floor AT ALL (even if he is on top), chunky is going to get tapped quickly.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Also, Barnett is godly within the clinch and his Catch Wrestling skills are some of the best in the world and certainly the best catch wrestler in MMA...if he gets his hands on Cormier then Daniel is going for a ride and getting put on his back.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']I've been waiting for this Barnett/Cormier fight for a long time. We'll just see if little chunkers is THAT great of a wrestler that he can hang with Barnett in the clinch and defend his takedown attempts (everyone knows what I think about that).[/QUOTE]
Chunkers aint going for no ride unless he wants to :lol:.Its nice to have probably one of the most heated talked about fights on this thread over with.Cormier looked great in control the fight..Hopefully Josh gets back in the UFC after this fight but in the past sounded like he wanted to bring the belt to Japan.Was another good step up for Cormier and I think you have to give him top ten status at this point if you didn't have him as one already.

I think I have to agree with Melendez's stock taking a hit, when out there and being claimed as the #1 Lightweight or 2nd in the world and almost losing to Thomson who isn't considered even a top 14 guy just brings Melendez back down again even if they've had some close fights and will probably be remembered as their biggest rivalry.Really depends on who you gave the first round to.
 
I really think Thekrakrabbit over and underestimated Josh's and Cormier's wrestling...the quick explanation is Barnett has good wrestling and Cormier has damn near elite if not elite wrestling.

Josh is no joke and has close to 40 fights and has been in there with some top guys. For Cormier to be able to dominate him like that in only his 10th fight and hes only been fighting for three years is impressive. I remember his very first fight, where, quite frankly, he looked awful. Its crazy how much hes improved in such a short amount of time. I hope they bring him up to the UFC...its just a waste of time having him fight in Strikeforce anymore.
 
Yeah those quotes are quality. Theyre a good representation of how wild some people can be with their opinions of fighters and mma.
 
For myself, I try to keep an objective opinion about fighters. Yeah, I have favorites, but I never let it cloud my judgment. In the last year, I chose underdogs like Lauzon over Guillard, Jung over Poirier, Cormier over Bigfoot, and Siver over Sotiropoulos. Just to name a few.

In short, it comes down to watching tape and having a sharp intellect about the sport. Betting is somewhat of a hobby I picked up thanks to a few people I follow on Twitter. Fortunately, my success ratio in betting is much better than my success ratio for the Pick Em. And that's all I'll say about that topic.

Speaking of the Pick Em, I added an image link in the newly-updated OP.
 
[quote name='Chase']For myself, I try to keep an objective opinion about fighters. Yeah, I have favorites, but I never let it cloud my judgment. In the last year, I chose underdogs like Lauzon over Guillard, Jung over Poirier, Cormier over Bigfoot, and Siver over Sotiropoulos. Just to name a few.

In short, it comes down to watching tape and having a sharp intellect about the sport. Betting is somewhat of a hobby I picked up thanks to a few people I follow on Twitter. Fortunately, my success ratio in betting is much better than my success ratio for the Pick Em. And that's all I'll say about that topic.

Speaking of the Pick Em, I added an image link in the newly-updated OP.[/QUOTE]

Good picks, I picked the same. Each fighter you've picked I've either met or watched fight live. Surprised you picked Siver over The Greek Thunder. Nobody thought Siver stood a chance. I even had my doubts. Joe Lauzon (seen him train once at Kenny Florian's school) and KZ have the work ethics of racehorses.

You picking Sonnen over Silva?
 
[quote name='Chase']For myself, I try to keep an objective opinion about fighters. Yeah, I have favorites, but I never let it cloud my judgment. In the last year, I chose underdogs like Lauzon over Guillard, Jung over Poirier, Cormier over Bigfoot, and Siver over Sotiropoulos. Just to name a few.

In short, it comes down to watching tape and having a sharp intellect about the sport. Betting is somewhat of a hobby I picked up thanks to a few people I follow on Twitter. Fortunately, my success ratio in betting is much better than my success ratio for the Pick Em. And that's all I'll say about that topic.

Speaking of the Pick Em, I added an image link in the newly-updated OP.[/QUOTE]


Well said...I have my favorites for sure but I still try to be objective as possible when it comes to picks. I wanted Barnett to win..I have nothing against Cormier but i've been a fan of Josh's for a long time but outside of him landing a knockout blow(which he doesn't really have) I didn't see how he was going to win.
 
I picked Siver because I feel he's a more complete fighter. Sot is good on the ground, but I never had confidence in his hands, or striking in general. :)

And I'm undecided between Sonnen and Silva. Silva has timing and accuracy that is unrivaled in MMA. His chin is granite, and he rolls very well with punches. Most fighters become hypnotized and lose confidence when Silva ramps up his energy and drops his hands (to antagonize and bait them into making a mistake).

Sonnen has good boxing that flies under the radar of most fans. Of course, we all know his wrestling is elite. And he's exceptionally/deceitfully strong. Most of the time, his cardio is very good. My issue with Sonnen is that he's become so big (thanks to T therapy) that he had trouble cutting weight for the fight with Bisping. If he has another bad cut, Silva will hurt him and finish.

I'm with you, Shotgun. I have wanted to see Barnett establish himself amongst UFC talent for years. On one hand, Barnett testing positive for steroids after beating Couture for the belt in 2002 put the UFC in jeopardy. On the other hand, the company has been stable for years. It comes down to: Dana White holds grudges. After Mir gets smashed by Cigano, I'd looove to see Barnett-Mir.

And, just for you loyal CAG MMA gents, I'll let you know that I will be putting money on Bigfoot against Velasquez for this Saturday's card. I have done my legwork and see Bigfoot by TKO in R2. Bigfoot has been around +300. I wouldn't put him in a parlay, but straight-up? Probably up there with Chan-Sung Jung as a good underdog bet. However, this is just my honest opinion.
 
[quote name='Magiblaze']Chunkers aint going for no ride unless he wants to :lol:.Its nice to have probably one of the most heated talked about fights on this thread over with.Cormier looked great in control the fight..Hopefully Josh gets back in the UFC after this fight but in the past sounded like he wanted to bring the belt to Japan.Was another good step up for Cormier and I think you have to give him top ten status at this point if you didn't have him as one already.

I think I have to agree with Melendez's stock taking a hit, when out there and being claimed as the #1 Lightweight or 2nd in the world and almost losing to Thomson who isn't considered even a top 14 guy just brings Melendez back down again even if they've had some close fights and will probably be remembered as their biggest rivalry.Really depends on who you gave the first round to.[/QUOTE]

Nope, the fight proved nothing. I would be the first to say "wow, Cormier's TDD is SICK!" but I cannot say that after that fight. Barnett didn't attempt a single throw from the clinch and he only attempted one takedown that I can think of, a weak double leg off the cage.

I said that Barnett could take him down and everyone else said he couldn't, but nobody knows the truth because Josh didn't try any throws. The guy is a Catch Wrestling master with sick throws from the clinch but didn't try any.

Whether because of a fix, broken hand, sore leg, blind in one eye, whatever, the fact is that he didn't try any throws and thus didn't FAIL as people said he would. Unfortunately nobody wins this argument.

[quote name='shotgunshine']I really think Thekrakrabbit over and underestimated Josh's and Cormier's wrestling...the quick explanation is Barnett has good wrestling and Cormier has damn near elite if not elite wrestling.

Josh is no joke and has close to 40 fights and has been in there with some top guys. For Cormier to be able to dominate him like that in only his 10th fight and hes only been fighting for three years is impressive. I remember his very first fight, where, quite frankly, he looked awful. Its crazy how much hes improved in such a short amount of time. I hope they bring him up to the UFC...its just a waste of time having him fight in Strikeforce anymore.[/QUOTE]

I am impressed with Cormier I must say right now. He's inexperienced but clearly possesses slick and sneaky wrestling ability. His striking isn't stellar and his defense is a bit questionable but I think he can be a top guy at HW.
 
On a sidenote, I was incorrect about Barnett being able to submit Cormier off his back (came close with the Heel Hook, but alas), so I admit I was very disappointed with Barnett there.

On another sidenote, it looks like both Barnett and Cormier are going to have another fight in Strikeforce before getting moved up to the UFC or whatever fate awaits them.
 
The argument is already easily won.Its silly to say it doesn't count just because you were wrong.Just it isn't so easy against someone who is TOP NOTCH elite level wrestling.Cormier is a Olympian coming in 4th place in 2004 and named Team Captain for 2008 but unfortunately couldn't compete there due to kidney failure.Cormier's wrestling is just better then Barnett's."Chunkers" as you call him, despite being a much visibly smaller guy,his wrestling is great enough to not go to the ground if he doesn't want to against Josh, but he did anyway but only because he wanted to and he managed to beat him up there and not get submitted and controlled the fight.

8.gif

I do think Werdum would be a much harder match up for Cormier though.Style wise just seems like it would be worse for him.
 
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I agree it was impressive for Cormier to take down and survive against Barnett with relative ease (exception: Heel Hook), but Barnett did not try any clinch takedowns. That is his game, and that is what I was assuming he could take Cormier down with.

Daniel was waiting to defend a throw the whole fight anytime it hit the clinch, but Barnett never tried to throw him. The "he can, he can't" Argument is not won by anyone because of that reason, not hard to understand. If Barnett was trying to swing Cormier around in the clinch like he does to EVERYONE else but failed then I would eat my crow.

I will admit, like I said before, that Cormier surviving against Barnett on the ground for the relatively small amounts of time they were there was impressive and surprising to me though.
 
[quote name='Magiblaze']I do think Werdum would be a much harder match up for Cormier though.Style wise just seems like it would be worse for him.[/QUOTE]


Werdum-Cormier would be interesting. In general, Werdum has an efficient clinch and can hit good knees, and his strength is his BJJ. Looking over my notes. Don't know if anyone else noticed, but Werdum has a tendency to get hit, hard, by strikes while trying to pull guard. I only have notes for his fights for the last four years, but I made a note of it in most of those fights. I can see Werdum getting rocked and attempting to bait Cormier into entering his butt-scoot of doom. Cormier has a powerful base. I can't see Werdum gaining a TD unless he manages to rock Cormier.
 
One simply does not just throw Cormier to the ground from the clinch, the fact is Barnett was just unable to do so which is the reason we never saw any takedowns.Cormier's wrestling is simply better then Barnett's.You were just overrating Barnett's wrestling and underrating Cormier's.Its ok to be wrong brother, not the end of the world just because Cormier won and Barnett despite grabbing ahold of him unable to do anything with it.

Style wise from the fight with Barnett it just seems like Werdum would have a lot better luck against a guy like Cormier.Daniel has a bit of a leaning in stance leaving him open for knees a bit and Werdum has some pretty good knees himself and hes taller working better with Cormier leaning in.Hes a better submission artist then Barnett as well if he hits his back.Not saying I'd go with Werdum, or Cormier, but it seems like an interesting fight and a bit of a bad style match up for Cormier.
 
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If Cormier keeps it up and goes the the UFC when available, it would be interesting to see him fight Overeem when he gets back. Cormier looks to be shaping into a top level contender and that makes me happy with the HW division getting so much better and deeper in the last few years.
 
It's funny that anyone pays any attention to what Thekrakrabbit has to say. He's proven time and time again to have no idea what he is talking about. And not just about MMA, any and all subjects he lacks comprehension.
 
[quote name='zewone']It's funny that anyone pays any attention to what Thekrakrabbit has to say. He's proven time and time again to have no idea what he is talking about. And not just about MMA, any and all subjects he lacks comprehension.[/QUOTE]

quoted for emphasis.
 
[quote name='zewone']It's funny that anyone pays any attention to what Thekrakrabbit has to say. He's proven time and time again to have no idea what he is talking about. And not just about MMA, any and all subjects he lacks comprehension.[/QUOTE]
That's why I put him on my ignore list long ago.
 
Ok, guys, UFC 146 is a couple days away, so let's throw our predictions out there and see who ends up being the most accurate!

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
Champ Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir - Dos Santos via TKO
Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez - Velasquez via TKO
Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson - Nelson via UD
Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic - Miocic via UD
Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve - Johnson via DEATH PUNCH

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins - Brandao
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner - Barboza
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - Miller
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig - Hardy

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann - Volkmann
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira - Teixeira
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda - Brown

I guess my biggest upset fight on this card is me picking Johnson over Struve. Like everyone has been saying, including Struve, he just doesn't use his reach well and let's guys get inside on him where they end up connecting with devastating punches that put him away. Johnson, in my opinion, has the heaviest hands in all of MMA, and unless Struve can get this fight to the ground, Johnson is going to catch him and put him away very quickly.

The only prediction I'm really unsure about is the Barboza vs. Varner fight. I'm not terribly familiar with Varner, although I've seen a couple of his fights over the years. Barboza is coming into the fight undefeated and has beaten some decent fighters recently.

As for the Mayhem vs. Dollaway fight, I think Mayhem is incredibly focused and prepared for this fight. He looks to be in the best shape I can remember, and judging from what he's been saying in his interviews, he really wants to prove to everyone his last fight was not the kind of fighter he is. He has a lot to prove in this fight, and I think he beats C.B. by decision.

Aside from all that, is anyone else giddy as a school girl about this ENTIRE card? I can't remember an event that had this many great fights from top to bottom. I'm genuinely interested in every single fight, and very rarely can I say that about most cards.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1zkgHZk-CA

Did anyone catch this week's MMA Hour when Helwani interviewed Bob Sapp? I've been a longtime fan of the work Ariel has done for legit journalism in MMA, but I really thought he was out of line in this interview.

Rather than taking an objective stance, he started the interview off by verbally attacking Sapp and accusing him of throwing fights. While I definitely agree that Sapp is doing this, and he basically admitted to it, he has some legitimate wins during his MMA career and fought a classic with Big Nog back in the day.

Plus, the guy beat Ernesto Hoost twice in K1. I watched this live on Monday, and the whole thing was very awkward. It was like Ariel was trying to go from a traditional journalist to become some sort of talk show host where he grills his guests.
 
I'm excited for this card too, I have JDS via TKO, Cain via GnP, Herman was just talking bad about BJJ a few days ago so I think/hope he loses via sub, idk much about Rosario or Miocic so I can't make a decision on that one, and Johnson by decapitation. I am also rooting for Miller, he seems like a pretty good dude so hopefully he does better than against Bisping, that fight made me cringe. I think Ludwig pulls it out also, even the FX fights are great. It is a really stacked card and I can't wait!
 
I'll toss in my picks. Dos Santos is an easy choice over Mir as is Mexican Pride over Bigfoot and Fatboy Nelson will eat Herman alive. Fourth fight doesn't interest me. Lavar will knock poor Stefan's head into the 3rd row.

Brando wins easily. Not much to say about Varner. I'm pulling for Miller big time. Been a fan of his since Pride and always love his fights, but his latest fight against Bisping was an embarassment and this is do or die for him. Hardy will lose and be released.

Facebook fights don't interest me but I'll watch Kingsbury fight...

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
Champ Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir - Dos Santos
Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez - Velasquez
Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson - Nelson
Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic - Flip a coin...
Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve - Johnson

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins - Brandao
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner - Varner
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - I want miller to win badly, but I pick Dollaway
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig - Ludwig. Hardy is done in the UFC after this loss.

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann - Volkmann
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira - Kingsbury
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda - Brown
 
MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
Champ Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir - Dos Santos KO
Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez - Velasquez TKO
Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson - Nelson TKO
Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic - Miocic TKO
Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve - Johnson KO

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins - Brandao KO
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner - Barboza UD
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - Dollaway UD
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig - Hardy UD

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann - Volkmann UD
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira - Teixeira TKO
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda - Brown UD
 
MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
Champ Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir - Dos Santos KO
Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez - Velasquez TKO
Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson - Nelson TKO
Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic - Miocic UD
Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve - Struve Sub Either Struve gets KOed first or Johnson gets subbed

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins - Brandao KO
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner - Barboza UD
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - Mayhem Sub
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig - Ludwig SD

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann - Volkmann UD Tough one
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira - Teixeira TKO
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda - Brown Sub
 
Seems like a good upset pick.I'm a bit conflicted on that one too.Volkmann will probably take it to the ground and Sass is undefeated and has some great submissions and has a lot of wins via triangle.Struve and Johnson feels like it could go either way but I'd think Struve will be smart and take it to the ground where he'll own a big advantage.
 
I think volkmann controls sass. he strikes me as an intelligent fighter, I expect him to be prepared and stay out of the moment, keeping himself out of harms way.
I have elkins for the sorta upset. diego looked monsterous on the show and finale but hes had some questionable losses. He could very well smash elkins and i sort of expect him to, but I thought I might do good picking that upset.
I also picked kingsbury for reasons im not entirely sure of.

I think the miocic/sdr fight is interesting. im really curious to see where sdr is after the accident and layoff. Ive heard good stuff about his striking but the fights of his Ive seen were quick and I couldnt get a feel for it. I think if he wins its by sub. I like both guys so hopefully they put on a show.

edit - magiblaze is dead-on for the struve/johnson fight.
 
The toss up fights to me are Volkmann and Sass along with Miocic and Del Rosario.

Volkmann and Sass is an interesting fight as Volkmann likes to take you down and Sass has no problem being on his back and will be active in looking for submissions. I think there is a decent chance he catches Volkmann in something(Efrain Escudero almost finished Volkmann with a guilliotine in his last fight) but I think Volkmann knows enough to stay out of trouble and take a decision win.

I would've normally gone with Del Rosario but the long layoff I think is going to hurt him.


Unless im way off(and I have been plenty of times in the past) Glover is going to smash Kingsbury very quickly
 
Damn good debut from Glover but its basically what I expected minus the sub finish. Kingsbury really isn't that good...they need to give Glover a tougher fight next time.
 
Damn! Nice win for Sass... I Picked Volkmann but I do not like this guy at all so im kind of conflicted...he messed up my sherdog picks yet im glad he lost.
 
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