A New Era in the UFC?

Vinny here, doing another article since it's been like 2 months since I did a personal one, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on this. So, with the recent LHW championship fight showing Jon Jones dominance over Shogun Rua (breaks my heart, I still love Shogun though), that makes it 4/7 UFC champions being a wrestler based fighter (you could argue with 5 being Cruz having a very underrated wrestling game, but I will not count him). Are the days of BJJ experts being dominant in MMA over? The striker? Who knows, but I feel like the UFC has entered a new era with what I consider being the Wrestler Era. The title could be misleading however, as it is not just the wrestler, but a new age of these freak athletes (Davis, Jones, GSP, Edgar, Velasquez, many more just to name a few in the UFC). This era has some concerns though, wrestlers have a stigma for being boring fighters and I could agree with some of them *cough*Fitch*cough*, however these are the fighters being dominant, and I for one get highly annoyed when someone gets a takedown and "lays and prays". However, what works is what works and in the near future I think we're going to see true athletes perform in MMA, more complete fighters, and more exciting fights (hopefully). This era is going to be here for a while, but like with any other eras before in the UFC, they are going to be dwindled due to a rise in different strategies, fighting styles, counters to these fighter styles, etc. Here's to hoping the UFC does not continue the UFZzZzZ trend.

~ Vinny Saengsombat

UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis



Main Card:

Light Heavyweight: Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Phil Davis

Welterweight: Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson

Welterweight: Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson

Featherweight: Leonard Garcia vs. "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung

Shawn's Predictions:

Leonard Garcia vs. "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung: Jung via Decision

Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson: Sadollah via Decision

Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson: Hardy via TKO

Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Phil Davis: Davis via Decision

Vinny's Predictions:

Leonard Garcia vs. "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung: Jung via Sub

Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson: Sadollah via Decision

Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson: Hardy via KO

Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Phil Davis: Davis via Decision

UFC 128 Prediction Results

Exactly as I envisioned. Jon "Bones" Jones put on a clinic against the (now former) LHW Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by showcasing his world class striking and wrestling and finishing Shogun with strikes and knees in the 3rd round, winning the LHW Championship and becoming the youngest champion in UFC history. In the co-main event. Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland fought a somewhat close fight in which Faber used effective GnP in the 2nd round and pinpoint striking in the 3rd to take the judges nod. Also on the card, Jim Miller finished Kamal Shalorus via TKO in the 3rd round, Nate Marquardt defeated Dan Miller via unanimous decision, and Brendan Schaub knocked out Mirko Cro Cop with a vicious right hand in the 3rd.

The night started off well with the bout between Schaub and Cro Cop. The fight was fairly one-sided with it looking as if Schaub was going to take the victory until he was deducted one point for repeated shots to the back of the head. As the third round was approaching, it seemed as if it was possible we would have another fight ending in a draw, but out of the blue Cro Cop was blasted by a right that send him flying to the canvas (I would give Cro Cop the award for the most dramatic knockout falls ever. Watch his fights against Gonzaga and Mir). With that said, I think its about time for Cro Cop to hang 'em up, as I dont see him being any sort of threat to anyone in the division. On the other hand, Schaub is one that the fellow big guys should be looking out for.

As for the main event, it couldnt have happened any more perfectly. As everyone around me was convinced Shogun would win this fight, I knew Jones wouldnt dissapoint. Each round was basically a massacre, as Jones used his reach to create unorthodox and extremely effective strikes, battering Shogun until Herb Dean was forced to step in. His wrestling was also very impressive as he delivered devastating elbows and punches to render Shogun's guard useless. I do give Shogun credit though, as most wouldnt have even reached the third round. I dont know what's next for Shogun, but if Rampage defeats Matt Hamill at UFC 130, I hope the two will meet in a rematch in the future. As for now, we are in the "Bones Era." I think he will be champ for a while.

As for the points awarded for the event, I (Shawn) recieved 8 points, Joe got 7 points, and Jon and Vinny both recieved 3 points. Here are the standings as of now:



Standings:

Shawn: 26 points

Vinny: 23 points

Joe: 20 points

Jon: 14 points

...and I take the lead once again. See you all this saturday at UFN: Seattle (Nogueira vs. Davis)

SL

UFC 128 Predictions

We will only be doing quick write-ups because Jon's computer is fucking retarded and deleted all my shit.

Main Card:

Light Heavyweight Championship: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (c) vs. Jon Jones
Bantamweight: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
Middleweight: Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller
Heavyweight: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Brendan Schaub

Shawn's Predictions:
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Brendan Schaub: Schaub via TKO
Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller: Marquardt via Decision
Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus: Miller via Decision
Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland: Faber via Submission
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (c) vs. Jon Jones: Jones via TKO

Vinny's Predictions:
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Brendan Schaub: Cro Cop via KO
Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller: Marquardt via KO
Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus: Miller via Decision
Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland: Faber via Submission
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (c) vs. Jon Jones: Rua via TKO

UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann Prediction Results

Yeah, that's what Diego "The Dream" Sanchez looked like in the final round of the fight. Luckily he defeated Martin Kampmann in a razor-thin split decision in what looked to be a fight that could have easily been Kampmann's. Although Kampmann was more technical, it looked as if Diego's brawler style was used to his advantage, as he slugged his way to a win with powerful, damaging shots. As for other fights on the card, Mark Muñoz made quick work of C.B. Dollaway by defeating him with a 1st round TKO, newcomer Chris Weidman defeated UFC veteran Alessio Sakara via unanimous decision, and Brian Bowles defeated Damacio Page once again with a guillotine at the same exact time and in the same round as the first fight back in WEC (3:30 Round 1. Yes I know, pretty fucking amazing).

As for the points awarded for the event, Vinny takes the cake, almost getting a perfect event with 7 points, I (Shawn) got 5 points, and Joe and Jon both received 3 points.

Here are the official standings:



Standings:

Vinny: 20 points

Shawn: 18 points

Joe: 13 points

Jon: 11 points

...and the Asian takes the lead. See you all at 128.

SL

UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann

Main Card:

Welterweight: Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann

Middleweight: C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Muñoz

Middleweight: Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman

Bantamweight: Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page

Shawn's Predictions:
Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page: Bowles via Submission
Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman: Weidman via Decision
C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Muñoz: Muñoz via Decision
Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann: Kampmann via Decision

Vinny's Predictions:
Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page: Bowles via Submission
Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman: Weidman via TKO
C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Muñoz: Muñoz via TKO
Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann: Sanchez via Decision