Land Down Under: UFC 127 Prediction Results

Mediocre night for all of us point wise, but overall the event was somewhat decent. I am glad I didn't pay for it though. Anyways, to the results we go.

Kyle Noke submitted fellow TUF 11 Chris Camozzi with a rear naked choke in the 1st, UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole pulled out an upset over Chris Lytle via unanimous decision, Dennis Siver also pulled an upset over the hometown hero George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision, Michael Bisping defeated Jorge Rivera via TKO in the 2nd, and B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch fought to a majority draw.

This night was quite a surprise for some MMA fans, as the Australia native George Sotiropoulos was defeated for the first time in his UFC career. If I was Australian and I had spent 200 bucks on ticket to see the only somewhat successful Australian MMA athlete get his ass kicked for 15 minutes I would be fuckin' pissed. No doubt you would have seen me on the jumbo-tron in between fights throwing my 5 dollar beer and some dudes face and getting the fuck out of there real quick (probably not actually). "Sot" was forced to stand and trade with the German kickboxer Dennis Siver and we all know that the Aussie wanted this one on the ground. Siver's superior striking and excellent takedown defense led to his victory. It was a sad night for many Australians. Whatever, they'll live.

Another surprise was to see veteran and UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole defeat Chris Lytle. If I had to I would have had no problem betting 50 bucks on Lytle, and once again, I would have ended up 50 bucks poorer. Ebersole basically out grappled Lytle the whole fight. Even though Lytle attempted many more submissions, Ebersole controlled most of the fight and this led to his decision victory.

...and then there was the draw. How upsetting is it to hear Bruce Buffer say the words "This fight is a draw." It's pretty damn miserable if you asked me. Although draws can be dreadful, this one might have been well deserved. The reason I say might is because I don't really remember most of the fight. Here are the reasons: 1. I was about 6 deep, and 2. It's hard (for me at least) to remember the fight after a close decision is called. From what I can remember, Penn won Round 1, Round 2 might have been close and Round 3 was all Fitch, possibly being a 10-8 round. But whatever, I could be completely wrong. The judges were inconsistent as always. I'm hoping the two have a rematch in the near future.

As for how we all did point-wise, Vinny takes the event with 3 points, Joe and I (Shawn) had 2 points, and Jon gets a whopping 0 points (don't worry we still love you Jon). The official standings are as follows:

Standings:

Shawn: 13 points

Vinny: 13 points

Joe: 10 points

Jon: 8 points

Be sure to watch UFC Live on Versus 3 this Thursday. Peace out.
SL

UFC 127 Predictions

Main Card:

Welterweight: B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch

Middleweight: Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera

Lightweight: George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver

Welterweight: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole

Middleweight: Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi

Shawn's Predictions:
Kyle Noke vs Chris Camozzi: Noke via Decision
Both of these fighters are from season 11 of TUF and are looking to show they are worthy to stay in the UFC. Noke really relies on his ground game and Camozzi will probably try to take him down and use his wrestling to wear Noke out. Neither of the men are really known for their stand-up, so this one will probably be on the ground for the majority. This fight is pretty much a toss-up. It could go either way, but I think Noke's experience will give him the upper-hand and eventually leading to the judges giving the Aussie a close decision victory.

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole: Lytle via Submission
A veteran in the sport, Ebersole (who is filling in for injured Carlos Condit) is looking to make an impact in the UFC's welterweight division. Lytle is known for barely ever being finished. He has lost by "TKO" twice though because of doctor stoppage. Other than that, hes never been submitted or knocked out. That being said, this gives Lytle a huge advantage. Odds are that the only way Ebersole takes the win is if he uses his wrestling to grind Lytle to a awfully boring decision victory. Other than that, I don't think he has a chance. I believe Lytle will showcase his great boxing at first, but if he gets taken down, he will use his great Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to lock on a sub. Most of Ebersole's loses are via sub, so that's gonna make a difference in this fight. Expect Lytle to get taken down, but persevere and lock on a deadly submission out of nowhere, forcing the veteran Ebersole to tap.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver: Sotiropoulos via Submission
These guys have very different styles. Siver's strong point is on the feet, and Sotiropoulos' is on the ground. Each fighter will try to work each aspects of the game to their advantage. I guarantee we will see Siver throw his infamous spinning-back kick, and George will try to counter that by using close range effective strikes to get Siver in the clinch. Up close, Siver's kicks wont be as effective, so the Aussie will try to close the distance and take this one to the ground. Siver has said that he will try to submit Sotiropoulos, which I think is very bold. If he feels comfortable going to the ground with George, he is in for a world of hurt. Siver's only chance of taking this fight is landing big on the feet, knocking Sot down and pounding him to a stoppage victory, but I believe his odds are slim, as Sot is still very effective on the feet. Expect the Aussie to close the distance, take Siver down, and bring the german kickboxer into his world (Australia that is), finishing the fight with a submission.

Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera: Bisping via Decision
So much hype has been built up for this fight because these guys absolutely hate each other. If these guys fight like they talk, then were in for a great fight. Both guys are willing to stand and bang in this fight but they both have different styles. While Rivera has a war-like, aggressive slugger style, Bisping is more technical and uses more angles/footwork. If Bisping can use that to his advantage, this is his fight to win. I also think Bisping will try and take Rivera down and work some ground and pound to try and get a stoppage victory. I think Rivera's chance to win this is if he turns this fight into a slug-fest and catches Bisping with his powerful right. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if Rivera pulled this one off, because he has some heavy fuckin' hands (and the fact I don't really like Bisping and wanna see someone knock his lights out again, preferably a Bostonian). Anyways, as much as I like Rivera's aggressive style, I don't see him doing anything but catching Bisping with a huge right. Other than that, I don't think he has a chance. Expect "The Count" to showcase his superior stand-up by using head movement and footwork to out-point Rivera in a close decision.

B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch: Fitch via Decision
This fight is supposedly going to determine the #1 contender for GSP's Welterweight title. That being said, there is a lot of pressure on both of these guys. Penn will be trying to prove he's still worthy of a title and that his career is nowhere close to over, while Fitch will try to finally prove that he is worth of the title after 5 consecutive wins in the UFC, and that fact that he can actually finish an opponent. Clearly, Fitch's main plan in this fight is to use his wrestling to take Penn down. Looking back on his two fights with Frankie Edgar, we are now aware that wrestling is potentially one of Penn's main weaknesses. Fitch will definitely try to exploit this. On the other hand, I believe B.J. will try to keep the fight standing, using superior boxing to pick apart Fitch and potentially land big on the feet. Although Fitch is looking to takedown Penn, he should be aware of Penn's extremely dangerous guard. The main factor in this fight will be size. Fitch is too big, and once he takes down B.J. consistently, "The Prodigy" will be tired and Fitch will be too much for him to handle. Look for Fitch to cautiously close the distance against the Hawaiian, and take him down to score points. Don't expect anything different from Jon Fitch in this one, as he will once again walk away with a well-earned decision victory.

UFC: Recent Injuries/Withdrawals

Starting at UFC 127 which is happening this saturday, every single event up until UFC 130 has been plagued with unfornate injuries. My question is, what the fuck is this shit? I know the UFC has no control, but tons of interesting fights with tons of potential have been switched around because some dipshit went too hard in training. It's making me become less interested in the cards. I'm not a fighter so I'm not one to talk, but what can fighters do to prevent these constant injuries?

Here are all the injuries/withdrawals that have happened so far leading up to UFC 130:

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch:
- Carlos Condit was forced to withdraw out of his welterweight fight with Chris Lytle because of a knee injury while training. Condit has been replaced with veteran Brian Ebersole.

UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann:
- Maiquel Falcão pulled out of his fight with Alessio Sakara because of injury, and was replaced by Rafael Natal. Then, Natal pulled out because of a knee injury. Natal will be replaced by UFC newcomer Chris Weidman.
- The same happened to Matt Brown with his opponents Mark Scanlon and Matt Riddle. It is unlikely that Brown will still be fighting at this event.
- Rousimar Palhares was expected to fight Alexandre Ferreira, but Ferreira was dismissed from Chute Boxe due to a "lack of commitment", and then announced he has no desire to fight after he had lossed family and friends in Brazilian floods. He will now be replaced by Dave Branch.
- Johnny Hendricks was expected to face Paulo Thiago, but Thiago withdrew from the fight with an elbow injury.

UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones:
- Light Heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was expected to face Rashad Evans for the title, but Evans withdrew from the fight with a knee injury. The title shot will now be given to Jon "Bones" Jones.

UFC Fight Night: Seattle:
- Tito Ortiz was forced to withdraw from his right against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira because of a severe cut on his forehead. Ortiz is being replaced with Phil Davis.

UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields:
- Matt Hamill was supposed to fight Phil Davis, but then withdrew for unknown reasons. He will now be fighting Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 130. Davis was supposed to fight Jason Brilz, but was then announced as the replacement for Tito Ortiz at UFC Fight Night: Seattle (see above). Brilz will now fight Vladimir Matyushenko.

UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard 3:
- It was rumored that Thiago Silva had been forced out of his bout with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson because of a possible failed drug test. Rampage will now fight Matt Hamill (see above).

Now thats what I call a shit load of injuries. Hopefully nothing else changes because I'm still really looking forward to these fights. I pray that this isnt a common trend for UFC events to come.

SL

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva

The debut of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Should be interesting. Unfortunately due to time constraints, we wont be able to count these predictions for points. Just doing these predictions for the hell of it.

Main Card:

Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva

Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal: Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Heavyweight Grand Prix Reserve: Shane Del Rosario vs. Lavar Johnson

Heavyweight Grand Prix Reserve: Chad Griggs vs. Gianpiero Villante

Heavyweight Grand Prix Reserve: Valentijn Overeem vs. Ray Sefo

Shawn's Predictions:

Valentijn Overeem vs. Ray Sefo: Overeem via Submission

Chad Griggs vs. Gianpiero Villante: Griggs via Decision

Shane Del Rosario vs. Lavar Johnson: Del Rosario via TKO

Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov: Kharitonov via KO

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva: Emelianenko via TKO



Snapkick Saturday: UFC 126 Prediction Results

The kick heard around the world. A sad, sad moment for all of us Vitor Belfort fans out there, as he dropped limp to the canvas and continued to get hammered with punches by Anderson Silva, as he retained his Middleweight Championship by defeating the Phenom via KO. As for the rest of the main card, Forrest Griffin out-struck Rich Franklin to take a unanimous decision win, Jon Jones submitted Ryan Bader with a guillotine, Jake Ellenberger barely defeated Carlos Eduardo Rocha via split decision, and Miguel Torres showed his striking ability to defeat Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision.

The highlight of the night for most people was Anderson Silva's snapkick straight to Vitor's mouth, which was plastered all over ESPN and other sports shows (like they actually give a fuck about MMA.) Dont get me wrong, the kick was nothing but incredible and Anderson Silva right now is without a doubt the best fighter in the world, but I'm a little fed up with his cockiness and wanted to see Vitor smack some sense into him.

My favorite part of the night was Jon "Bones" Jones victory over Ryan Bader. I have been a fan of this guy since he almost killed Matt Hamill and Brandon Vera, and knew he had the utmost potential to do well in this sport. After the fight, the Light Heavyweight Champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua made a guest appearance in the octagon. It was announced that #1 contender Rashad Evans had blown out his knee and would not heal in time for their match at UFC 128 in March. It was then announced that Jon Jones would fill in for his training partner Rashad to face the champ. I dont know if I'm riding the hype train too hard, but I am so happy for this guy and I think he has a good chance of beating Shogun.

As for the points awarded after the event, Jon had 2 points, Joe had 4 points, and Vinny and I (Shawn) had 5 points each.

Here are the overall standings:

Standings:

Shawn: 11 points

Vinny: 10 points

Jon: 8 points

Joe: 8 points

...and I take the lead. See you all at UFC 127.

SL

UFC 126 Predictions

Main Card:

Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (c) vs. Vitor Belfort

Light Heavyweight: Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin

Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader

Welterweight: Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Bantamweight: Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos

Shawn's Predictions:

Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos: Torres via Submission

Both fighters are trying to stay relevant in the bantamweight division. If Banuelos uses his boxing and wrestling together to get inside of Torres' reach and take him down, then he has a shot to take this fight to where he will be best. Having one of the best records in MMA just about a year ago, Miguel Torres is still on a mission to prove himself as one of the best in the world. I believe Banuelos will get some takedowns, but Torres' guard is pretty dangerous. I think Torres will either nail Banuelos with some hard shots en route to a TKO or he will work many submission attempts and eventually work one in while on his back. I'll go with Torres via Sub because of his history of such victories.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: Ellenberger via TKO

Rocha is undefeated with 8 of his 9 wins coming by submission. This being said, Rocha is clearly very dangerous on the ground. Ellenberger is very experienced and I think he will be very aware of Rocha's ground game. I believe Ellenberger will try and keep this standing for the majority of the fight, hitting Rocha with some really hard shots that will potentially rock him. He might use his wrestling, but he has to be very careful of Rocha's guard. Expect Ellenberger to blast Rocha with strikes until he falls for a TKO victory.

Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader: Jones via TKO

This fight will determine a new contender for the LHW title. Both fighters are on a path of destruction, and are determined to prove they are worthy of their recent praise. I'm not going to lie, but I am on the Jones' hype train. Both are great wrestlers and both are great strikers, but to keep this one short and sweet, Jones is quicker and more explosive than Bader. From what I've seen, Bader has been a little sloppy as of late, with his sub-par unanimous decision victory over "Little Nog". Jones on the other hand, has dominated every opponent he has faced, with his recent his choice of weapon being his elbows. I don't think this will be as easy for Jones as his other opponents, but the fight will end the same. I believe "Bones" will pick his spots on the feet with unorthodox angles which will lead to takedowns. Expect Jones to advance to top position, finishing the fight with strikes of some sort.

Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin: Franklin via Decision
After once being title holders, both men are trying to climb their way back to the top of their division. Both Griffin and Franklin are known for being decently well-rounded fighters, without being spectacular at any certain skill. I believe the majority of this fight will be standing, with both fighters trying to throw combinations on the feet to score points. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Forrest Griffin has a greater reach than Franklin, and will try to use that to his advantage. This fight is pretty much a tossup and I wont be surprised at all if Griffin wins by over-sizing Rich, but I expect Franklin to use his angles to outsmart Griffin on the feet and score points that way. I cant imagine either fighter being finished in this fight, so I'd bet it goes to the judges scorecards. Not sure how close it will be, but I'll go with Franklin by decision.

Anderson Silva (c) vs. Vitor Belfort: Silva via TKO
This is probably Anderson Silva's toughest fight yet. For once, many people think Silva's opponent, Vitor Belfort, will take the victory. Let me tell you now, I will not be the least bit surprised if Belfort takes this fight. He has speedy, powerful hands, and if we see the old Belfort, Silva could have a big problem on his hands. If Belfort is smart, I think he will try to take this fight to the ground and do exactly what Chael Sonnen did. Belfort has good enough BJJ to defend a sub from Silva, and he has very powerful hands to hurt the champ while hes on his back. If Belfort wins, I expect a Sonnen-like decision or a TKO from him. The problem with this is, I have trouble seeing Silva losing. I expect Silva to do as he always does and outstrike/outsmart his opponent on the feet with his fast strikes and unbelievable counter-punching. I don't think it will be easy for Belfort to get Silva down either, as Silva is known for his takedown defense, and the fact that Belfort doesn't really have a wrestling-pedigree. I see Silva possibly having some trouble in the beginning, but eventually blasting Belfort with strikes and finishing him sometime after the first round.

Vinny's Predictions:

Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos: Torres via Submission
Not gonna bullshit you, I don't really know much about these two aside from I know that Torres was once a great fighter, I'll take Shawn's word on it.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: Ellenberger via Dec
Not much is known for me about Rocha, from what Shawn says he seems to be a person who orients himself with the submission game, Ellenberger has a very effective wrestling game and I feel he will use it to neutralize Rocha's sub game with his stifling yet damaging wrestling.

Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader: Bader via KO
Bader is coming off as a huge underdog versus Jones. Both are undefeated (Jones has a "loss" but everyone knows that does not count) and are hungry for title contention. Jon Jones at this point looks invincible, and Bader is coming off a hard earned decision against Lil Nog, but I feel Bader will take this because of two things. One, Bader has the credentials (Voted All American I believe twice, and was ranked top 5 in the country at one point) to negate Jon Jones wrestling. Two, although not a superior striker (rather sloppy throwing haymakers) I have this weird feeling Bader will expose and solve Jones' unorthodox striking and connect, hard. We know he has knockout power, and it will be shown this fight. We don't know how Jones' chin is, but it will be tested.

Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin: Griffin via Decision
Both are tough fighters, coming off wins but Griffin has not fought in a year. I feel Griffin will mix it up with his strikes and takedowns, a perfected gameplan like against Rampage and will create another one against Franklin and pull out the dec win.

Anderson Silva (c) vs. Vitor Belfort: Belfort via TKO
This is Anderson's true test of versing an effective striker in the UFC (I don't count his past opponents as effective). Belfort's hands are one the best in the MW, and he hits like a heavyweight. We've seen Silva get stumbled by Sonnen, this will be exposed to a greater degree with Belfort and he will pull out the TKO


Also on another note, can't wait to see Kid fight!

Tim Sylvia Is A Slob



Tim Sylvia, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, the 6 foot 8, 310 pound monster is shown above getting the piss beat out of him by Abe Wagner. That's right, I said it, Abe Fucking Wagner. You're probably thinking "Who the fuck is Abe Wagner?" My point exactly. Abe Wagner is a former TUF 10 contestant who was eliminated in the first episode of the season.

He is known for being one of the most bloodied fighters ever, as he was pounded with elbows by Jon Madsen and thereby receiving a vagina-like cut on his forehead (as shown below).

Just 32 seconds into the premier round, Sylvia was battered and stopped due to strikes by the underdog Wagner. This is starting to say something about Sylvia's career. During Sylvia's earlier days in the UFC, he looked dominant, fit, and young. Now, his age is catching up to him, he looks fat, old, and he's just plain sloppy. Especially after being knocked out in only 9 seconds by former pro boxer Ray Mercer. He is now known for hopping around small promotions and defeating no-name, washed up stiffs. He's only 34, which isn't even that old, but although he's won 4 of his last 5 fights, I believe Tim Sylvia's career is on a steep decline as of late. Is Tim Sylvia wasting his time? What does it say about him that hes not fighting top competition? Let the man fight if he wants, but I don't think he's building a better resume by knocking out a former "World's Strongest Man". Its very difficult to take the guy serious anymore. With that being said, go ahead Timmy, keep fighting nobodies and keep winning, but unfortunately it seems as if your going nowhere fast. 

SL