UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 Picks
January 31, 2009
Under Card
170lbs.- Matt Arroyo 3-2-0 vs. Dan Cramer 0-0-0
Arroyo by submission in round 1. Armbar. Arroyo has a solid ground game and Cramer doesn’t have any professional MMA fights. Not much more to say.
205lbs.- Jake O’Brien 10-2-0 vs. Christian Wellisch 9-3-0
O’Brien by decision. Even though O’Brien will be lighter after making the cut from Heavyweight, He’ll do what he always does. He’ll use his superior wrestling, take Wellisch down and lay on him for 3 rounds.
170lbs.- Chris Wilson 13-4-1 vs. John Howard 10-4-0
Wilson by decision. Wilson is a strong wrestler who trains with Team Quest here in Portland. I have to cheer for the hometown guy.
155lbs.- Manny Gamburyan 10-4-0 vs. Thiago Tavares 17-3-0
Gamburyan by decision. I would rather see Tavares win, but I think Gamburyian will pull an O’Brien. He’ll use his strength, pull him down and grind it out.
170lbs.- John Fitch 21-3-0 vs. Akihiro Gono 28-13-7
Fitch by submission in round 3. Rear naked choke. It’s John Fitch. He’s too good to be on the undercard.
Main Card
155lbs.- Nate Diaz 10-2-0 vs. Clay Guida 24-6-0
Diaz by submission in round 3. Triangle choke. This will be the fight of the night. Guida always gets fight of the night. His cardio is excellent. Diaz is tough and has an awkward but effective style.
170lbs.- Karo Parysian 26-5-0 vs. Dong Hyun Kim 11-0-1
Kim by decision. I’d love to see Parysian win, but it’s just a matter of who has looked good lately. Both have great judo.
205lbs.- Stephan Bonner 14-4-0 vs. Jon Jones 7-0-0
Bonner by TKO round 2.
205lbs.- Lyoto Machida 13-0-0 vs. Thiago Silva 13-0-0
Machida TKO round 3.
Main Event
170lbs.- Georges St. Pierre 17-2-0 vs. BJ Penn 13-4-1
Penn TKO round 3. This is a huge fight. A very tough one to pick. I keep going back and forth in my head, and I’ll probably change my mind 3 or 4 more times before the fight takes place. I’ll take the ballsier pick and take BJ. GSP will probably win, though. My official pick is BJ.
Fight of the night goes to Diaz vs. Guida
Knock-out of the night goes to Machida
Submission of the night goes to Arroyo
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Clearing a few things up.
I need to fix a few things I've posted about.
I said that Jay Hieron would wrestle his opponent and lay on him. Hieron is more of a striker. I think I confused him with another IFL fighter. Sorry.
I'm still not a fan of Jamie Varner, but I was a little hard on him. I still think he acted a bit at the end his fight with Donald Cerone. After hearing an interview with him, Varner is a little beat up. He broke a hand and a foot. He may need surgery on his eye. Varner is still a good fighter, I hope he makes a quick recovery, and I'd love to see him fight Cerone again.
There.
I said that Jay Hieron would wrestle his opponent and lay on him. Hieron is more of a striker. I think I confused him with another IFL fighter. Sorry.
I'm still not a fan of Jamie Varner, but I was a little hard on him. I still think he acted a bit at the end his fight with Donald Cerone. After hearing an interview with him, Varner is a little beat up. He broke a hand and a foot. He may need surgery on his eye. Varner is still a good fighter, I hope he makes a quick recovery, and I'd love to see him fight Cerone again.
There.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
WEC:Varner vs. Cerone results
WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerone
January 25, 2009
Under Card
135lbs- Charlie Valencia vs. Seth Dikun
Valkencia by unanimous decision.
I picked this one. I like Valencia. Glad to hear he won.
170lbs- Blas Avena vs. Jesse Lennox
Lennox KO in round 2.
I missed this one.
135lbs- Scott Jorgensen vs. Frank Gomez
Jorgensen by submission, round one, guillotine.
I missed this one. I don’t mind, though. Jorgensen is from Boise, Idaho. I lived there for a few years, and it’s home in a lot of ways. I’m excited to see a guy from Boise fighting in the WEC.
145lbs- Dominic Cruz vs. Ian McCall
Cruz by unanimous decision.
I picked this one. 1 bonus point for the decision.
170lbs- Edgar Garcia vs. Hiromitsu Miura
Garcia KO round 1.
I missed this one.
155lbs- Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Njokuani
Henderson by submission in round 2. Guillotine.
I missed this one.
Main Card
145lbs- Rolando Perez vs. Jose Aldo
Aldo KO in the 1st.
I picked this one. It was a huge knee to the head! Aldo immediately ran out of the cage and into the crowd to celebrate. Could there be big things in store for this fighter? 1 bonus point for picking the round.
170lbs- Danny Villafort vs. Mike Campbell
Villafort TKO round 1.
I picked this one. Villafort just did it a round earlier than I picked. When I saw Campbell walking out with Mark Dellagrotti in his corner, I thought I made the wrong pick. Then when I found out Villafort is with American Top Team, I said “Nevermind”. ATT for days!!! Campbell came out strong and I thought he was going to get the KO. Not the case Villafort is tough and his Jiu Jitsu is excellent. Villafort cussed on live tv: “I’m not here to fuck around.”. Gotta give him credit for the cajones, too. 1 bonus point for the KO pick.
Co-Main Event
145lbs- Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
Faber by submission in the 1st, guillotine.
I picked this one. I’m not surprised. I just feel bad for Jens. Faber is an incredible, and is the definition of the creative fighter. He caught Jens with a serious left to the ribs, and Pulver couldn’t recover quick enough. 1 bonus point for the finish.
Main Event
WEC Lightweight Title Fight
155lbs- Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerone
Varner by split decision.
I missed this one. Varner is such a shill. He pulled this crap in his fight against Rob McCullough. He gets an unintentional foul and he eats it all up. Varner was dominating the fight. He was taking down Cowboy just about any time he wanted. In the 5th round, Cerone delivered a knee to Varner’s head while Varner was still on his knees, which is illegal. I don’t think Cerone was completely intentional about it, just an instinct in a desperate situation. Varner hammed it up. Dude, you need to work on your acting chops. So, Varner couldn’t continue, but strangely, what should have been a disqualification against Cerone, the fight still went to the judges for a decision. Sorry, I don’t get it. Anyway, I tried to like Varner, but I just don’t. Hopefully this will lead to a re-match and Cerone will come in a little more prepared and lay Varner out cold with a sweet Muay Thai knee.
I picked 5 out of 10 fights. My average continues to get worse. 4 bonus points.
3 events so far.
21 out of 31 fights. That is 67.7%. 13 bonus points total. There is room for a lot of improvement. Time to start watching some tape!
Penn vs St. Pierre next week!
January 25, 2009
Under Card
135lbs- Charlie Valencia vs. Seth Dikun
Valkencia by unanimous decision.
I picked this one. I like Valencia. Glad to hear he won.
170lbs- Blas Avena vs. Jesse Lennox
Lennox KO in round 2.
I missed this one.
135lbs- Scott Jorgensen vs. Frank Gomez
Jorgensen by submission, round one, guillotine.
I missed this one. I don’t mind, though. Jorgensen is from Boise, Idaho. I lived there for a few years, and it’s home in a lot of ways. I’m excited to see a guy from Boise fighting in the WEC.
145lbs- Dominic Cruz vs. Ian McCall
Cruz by unanimous decision.
I picked this one. 1 bonus point for the decision.
170lbs- Edgar Garcia vs. Hiromitsu Miura
Garcia KO round 1.
I missed this one.
155lbs- Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Njokuani
Henderson by submission in round 2. Guillotine.
I missed this one.
Main Card
145lbs- Rolando Perez vs. Jose Aldo
Aldo KO in the 1st.
I picked this one. It was a huge knee to the head! Aldo immediately ran out of the cage and into the crowd to celebrate. Could there be big things in store for this fighter? 1 bonus point for picking the round.
170lbs- Danny Villafort vs. Mike Campbell
Villafort TKO round 1.
I picked this one. Villafort just did it a round earlier than I picked. When I saw Campbell walking out with Mark Dellagrotti in his corner, I thought I made the wrong pick. Then when I found out Villafort is with American Top Team, I said “Nevermind”. ATT for days!!! Campbell came out strong and I thought he was going to get the KO. Not the case Villafort is tough and his Jiu Jitsu is excellent. Villafort cussed on live tv: “I’m not here to fuck around.”. Gotta give him credit for the cajones, too. 1 bonus point for the KO pick.
Co-Main Event
145lbs- Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
Faber by submission in the 1st, guillotine.
I picked this one. I’m not surprised. I just feel bad for Jens. Faber is an incredible, and is the definition of the creative fighter. He caught Jens with a serious left to the ribs, and Pulver couldn’t recover quick enough. 1 bonus point for the finish.
Main Event
WEC Lightweight Title Fight
155lbs- Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerone
Varner by split decision.
I missed this one. Varner is such a shill. He pulled this crap in his fight against Rob McCullough. He gets an unintentional foul and he eats it all up. Varner was dominating the fight. He was taking down Cowboy just about any time he wanted. In the 5th round, Cerone delivered a knee to Varner’s head while Varner was still on his knees, which is illegal. I don’t think Cerone was completely intentional about it, just an instinct in a desperate situation. Varner hammed it up. Dude, you need to work on your acting chops. So, Varner couldn’t continue, but strangely, what should have been a disqualification against Cerone, the fight still went to the judges for a decision. Sorry, I don’t get it. Anyway, I tried to like Varner, but I just don’t. Hopefully this will lead to a re-match and Cerone will come in a little more prepared and lay Varner out cold with a sweet Muay Thai knee.
I picked 5 out of 10 fights. My average continues to get worse. 4 bonus points.
3 events so far.
21 out of 31 fights. That is 67.7%. 13 bonus points total. There is room for a lot of improvement. Time to start watching some tape!
Penn vs St. Pierre next week!
WEC:Varner vs. Cerone picks
WEC: Varner vs. Cerone picks
January 25, 2009
Under Card
135lbs- Charlie Valencia 9-5-0 vs. Seth Dikun 6-2-0
Valencia TKO round 1.
170lbs- Blas Avena 6-2-0 vs. Jesse Lennox 13-1-0
Avena TKO round 1.
135lbs- Scott Jorgensen 5-2-0 vs. Frank Gomez 6-0-0
Gomez TKO round 2.
145lbs- Dominic Cruz 11-1-0 vs. Ian McCall 6-1-0
Cruz by decision.
170lbs- Edgar Garcia 6-0-0 vs. Hiromitsu Miura 9-5-0
Miura by submission in the 3rd. Miura did well against the champ, Carlos Condit.
155lbs- Ben Henderson 7-1-0 vs. Anthony Njokuani 10-1-0
Njokuani by submission in round 2.
Main Card
145lbs- Jose Aldo 12-1-0 vs. Rolando Perez 4-1-1
Aldo by submission in the 1st.
170lbs- Danny Villafort 8-2-0 vs. Mike Campbell 6-0-0
Villafort KO round 2.
Co-Main Event
145lbs- Urijah Faber 21-2-0 vs. Jens Pulver 22-10-0
Faber by submission in the 2nd. As much as I love Jens, I don’t think this fight should be happening, and I don’t think it’s the fight people really want to see. It’s just 2 of the biggest names in the WEC fighting for the 2nd time in under a year. I do not think it will be the battle that it was the 1st time. Jens isn’t the world-beater he used to be, and Faber has a statement to make after losing his title to Mike Thomas Brown last fall. Urijah will get down to business and finish it this time. He’ll be fighting for the title again by summer.
Main Event
WEC Lightweight Title Fight
155lbs- Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerone
Cerone TKO in the 4th round. I don’t think very many people realize how big this fight should be. These guys match up very, very well. The only reason I pick Cowboy is because I like him better. If Varner is smart, he’ll take it to the ground from the start. Cerone will have the reach advantage and he is very good on his feet. He trains at Greg Jackson’s gym with GSP. Varner is great wrestler with experience boxing. He trains with a highly underrated gym in Arizona that has produced a lot of quality new fighters like TUF winner Ryan Bader and TUF runner-up (from the previous season) CB Dolloway. This fight will be a good one, but I don't think it will go all 5 rounds. Definitely one to see on Versus. Go to a friend’s house if you don’t have cable!
January 25, 2009
Under Card
135lbs- Charlie Valencia 9-5-0 vs. Seth Dikun 6-2-0
Valencia TKO round 1.
170lbs- Blas Avena 6-2-0 vs. Jesse Lennox 13-1-0
Avena TKO round 1.
135lbs- Scott Jorgensen 5-2-0 vs. Frank Gomez 6-0-0
Gomez TKO round 2.
145lbs- Dominic Cruz 11-1-0 vs. Ian McCall 6-1-0
Cruz by decision.
170lbs- Edgar Garcia 6-0-0 vs. Hiromitsu Miura 9-5-0
Miura by submission in the 3rd. Miura did well against the champ, Carlos Condit.
155lbs- Ben Henderson 7-1-0 vs. Anthony Njokuani 10-1-0
Njokuani by submission in round 2.
Main Card
145lbs- Jose Aldo 12-1-0 vs. Rolando Perez 4-1-1
Aldo by submission in the 1st.
170lbs- Danny Villafort 8-2-0 vs. Mike Campbell 6-0-0
Villafort KO round 2.
Co-Main Event
145lbs- Urijah Faber 21-2-0 vs. Jens Pulver 22-10-0
Faber by submission in the 2nd. As much as I love Jens, I don’t think this fight should be happening, and I don’t think it’s the fight people really want to see. It’s just 2 of the biggest names in the WEC fighting for the 2nd time in under a year. I do not think it will be the battle that it was the 1st time. Jens isn’t the world-beater he used to be, and Faber has a statement to make after losing his title to Mike Thomas Brown last fall. Urijah will get down to business and finish it this time. He’ll be fighting for the title again by summer.
Main Event
WEC Lightweight Title Fight
155lbs- Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerone
Cerone TKO in the 4th round. I don’t think very many people realize how big this fight should be. These guys match up very, very well. The only reason I pick Cowboy is because I like him better. If Varner is smart, he’ll take it to the ground from the start. Cerone will have the reach advantage and he is very good on his feet. He trains at Greg Jackson’s gym with GSP. Varner is great wrestler with experience boxing. He trains with a highly underrated gym in Arizona that has produced a lot of quality new fighters like TUF winner Ryan Bader and TUF runner-up (from the previous season) CB Dolloway. This fight will be a good one, but I don't think it will go all 5 rounds. Definitely one to see on Versus. Go to a friend’s house if you don’t have cable!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Affliction:Day of Reckoning Results
This blog was made possible with a little help from sherdog.com. Just giving credit where credit’s due.
So, I had a little trouble getting the pay-per-view. I ordered it then it didn’t come on. I waited a bit, but nothing. Finally, I called. They better not charge me for it twice. Anyway, I missed the Lauzon/Green fight, and from what I read, all I missed were 3 kicks to Dan’s nuts.
Under Card
170lbs- Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight
Cooper KO in 2nd.
I missed that one
145lbs- Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte
Rios decision.
I missed this one, too.
145lbs- Bao Quach vs. L.C. Davis
Davis decision.
I got this one, spot on. 1 bonus point.
170lbs- Jay Hieron vs. Jason High
Hieron TKO round one.
I got this one, but I can’t believe Hieron ended it in the first. He is known for laying on his opponents for the decision.
205lbs- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Nogueira KO in 2nd.
I missed this one. I’m bummed. Nothing against Little Nog, I just really like Matyushenko and was hoping the UFC was going to pump out the money to bring him into their 205 division. Oh well. The Janitor is back to mopping up smaller messes.
Main card
155lbs- Dan Lauzon vs. Bobby Green
Lauzon by submission in round 1; rear-naked choke.
I got this one. After getting kicked in the balls 3 different times “the Upgrade” sinked the choke in. 2 bonus points for me for calling the finish, and the rnc submission. I missed the round, though. I didn’t give Dan enough credit. Now can we get some real competition for this kid?
Heavyweight- Paul Buentello vs. Kirill Sidellnikov
Buentello wins in the 3rd round by doctor’s stoppage.
I picked this one. Buentello killed “Little Fedor” the whole fight with rock-solid jabs. Got to give it to Sidellnikov for being tough, though. A little more experience will do him some good.
205lbs- Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Renato Sobral
Sobral by submission in the 2nd.
I called this one. I think Sokoudjou really just needs to go back to the drawing board. He’s got the physical tools, the skills, and the perfect training camp. (Plus Hendo in his corner). He just needs to take a little time to rework his game mentally, come up with a new plan, and hone it. He did so well in Pride. Now he’s lost some big fights. Machida, Cane, and now Sobral aren’t bad opponents to lose to, though. He’s young…so Tito was there for color commentary. He called out Babalu to his face during the post-fight interview…hilarious. Who here thinks that fight will actually happen? If this fight eventually does take place, I pick Babalu now. 1 bonus point for the finish.
185lbs- Matt Lindland vs. Vitor Belfort
Belfort KO in round 1.
I missed this one. The knock out wasn’t all that brutal. Lindland just looked old. It took a while for “The Law” to recover, and he didn’t look good. The man has always looked awkward, but I think he should hang it up if he doesn’t shape up. His gait made him look almost as old as Mark Coleman did last weekend. Good for Vitor. I just don’t expect him to start taking out too many middleweights, though.
Heavyweight- Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel
Barnett by verbal tap due to strikes in the 3rd round.
I picked this one. Barnett gave Yvel a beating. I think everyone was expecting it to end sooner, though. It looks like Barnett gets the next title shot.
Main Event
Fedor Emilianenko vs. Andre Arlovski
Emilianenko KO round 1.
I picked this one. Wow! Fedor is the greatest MMA fighter there has ever been! No disrespect to Anderson Silva, but the Russian continues to pull off these incredibly amazing performances. I got to give it to Arlovski, though. He was winning the 1st round. He appeared to be frustrating Fedor with his striking and his reach advantage. Andre kicked him into a corner, then jumped to deliver what looked like it would be a very painful flying knee. Next thing I saw was Arlovski hitting the canvas. I didn’t see the punch! I kept calling for a replay just so I could see it! It was so fast! (I'm a dork). Emilianenko was just waiting for the right moment. How many times has done it like this? The man is brilliant…and so stoic. He’s always very expressionless. Everyone loses eventually, but I don’t think it will be his buddy Josh Barnett that beats Fedor Emilianenko, nor the UFC Heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar. Dana White had to have been watching tonight.
There were 11 fights, I picked 7 right. Not bad, but not as good as last Saturday. 4 bonus points
Totals for the 2 events I picked this year so far:
16 out of 21 fights.
76%=C+ average
9 bonus points
The WEC card is tomorrow, so a new blog should be up very soon with more picks. Varner vs. Cerone should be a good fight. I need to deliberate with myself over that one…
So, I had a little trouble getting the pay-per-view. I ordered it then it didn’t come on. I waited a bit, but nothing. Finally, I called. They better not charge me for it twice. Anyway, I missed the Lauzon/Green fight, and from what I read, all I missed were 3 kicks to Dan’s nuts.
Under Card
170lbs- Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight
Cooper KO in 2nd.
I missed that one
145lbs- Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte
Rios decision.
I missed this one, too.
145lbs- Bao Quach vs. L.C. Davis
Davis decision.
I got this one, spot on. 1 bonus point.
170lbs- Jay Hieron vs. Jason High
Hieron TKO round one.
I got this one, but I can’t believe Hieron ended it in the first. He is known for laying on his opponents for the decision.
205lbs- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Nogueira KO in 2nd.
I missed this one. I’m bummed. Nothing against Little Nog, I just really like Matyushenko and was hoping the UFC was going to pump out the money to bring him into their 205 division. Oh well. The Janitor is back to mopping up smaller messes.
Main card
155lbs- Dan Lauzon vs. Bobby Green
Lauzon by submission in round 1; rear-naked choke.
I got this one. After getting kicked in the balls 3 different times “the Upgrade” sinked the choke in. 2 bonus points for me for calling the finish, and the rnc submission. I missed the round, though. I didn’t give Dan enough credit. Now can we get some real competition for this kid?
Heavyweight- Paul Buentello vs. Kirill Sidellnikov
Buentello wins in the 3rd round by doctor’s stoppage.
I picked this one. Buentello killed “Little Fedor” the whole fight with rock-solid jabs. Got to give it to Sidellnikov for being tough, though. A little more experience will do him some good.
205lbs- Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Renato Sobral
Sobral by submission in the 2nd.
I called this one. I think Sokoudjou really just needs to go back to the drawing board. He’s got the physical tools, the skills, and the perfect training camp. (Plus Hendo in his corner). He just needs to take a little time to rework his game mentally, come up with a new plan, and hone it. He did so well in Pride. Now he’s lost some big fights. Machida, Cane, and now Sobral aren’t bad opponents to lose to, though. He’s young…so Tito was there for color commentary. He called out Babalu to his face during the post-fight interview…hilarious. Who here thinks that fight will actually happen? If this fight eventually does take place, I pick Babalu now. 1 bonus point for the finish.
185lbs- Matt Lindland vs. Vitor Belfort
Belfort KO in round 1.
I missed this one. The knock out wasn’t all that brutal. Lindland just looked old. It took a while for “The Law” to recover, and he didn’t look good. The man has always looked awkward, but I think he should hang it up if he doesn’t shape up. His gait made him look almost as old as Mark Coleman did last weekend. Good for Vitor. I just don’t expect him to start taking out too many middleweights, though.
Heavyweight- Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel
Barnett by verbal tap due to strikes in the 3rd round.
I picked this one. Barnett gave Yvel a beating. I think everyone was expecting it to end sooner, though. It looks like Barnett gets the next title shot.
Main Event
Fedor Emilianenko vs. Andre Arlovski
Emilianenko KO round 1.
I picked this one. Wow! Fedor is the greatest MMA fighter there has ever been! No disrespect to Anderson Silva, but the Russian continues to pull off these incredibly amazing performances. I got to give it to Arlovski, though. He was winning the 1st round. He appeared to be frustrating Fedor with his striking and his reach advantage. Andre kicked him into a corner, then jumped to deliver what looked like it would be a very painful flying knee. Next thing I saw was Arlovski hitting the canvas. I didn’t see the punch! I kept calling for a replay just so I could see it! It was so fast! (I'm a dork). Emilianenko was just waiting for the right moment. How many times has done it like this? The man is brilliant…and so stoic. He’s always very expressionless. Everyone loses eventually, but I don’t think it will be his buddy Josh Barnett that beats Fedor Emilianenko, nor the UFC Heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar. Dana White had to have been watching tonight.
There were 11 fights, I picked 7 right. Not bad, but not as good as last Saturday. 4 bonus points
Totals for the 2 events I picked this year so far:
16 out of 21 fights.
76%=C+ average
9 bonus points
The WEC card is tomorrow, so a new blog should be up very soon with more picks. Varner vs. Cerone should be a good fight. I need to deliberate with myself over that one…
Friday, January 23, 2009
Affliction:Day of Reckoning Picks
Affliction:Day of Reckoning
Saturday January 24, 2009
This is Affliction’s 2nd event. Not sure if they can keep it up, because it sure seems expensive. I’ll keep buying the pay-per-views as long as they keep putting together cards like this. It’s almost a who’s who of mma fighters not in the UFC. Not that many of them mean all too much, other than the potential for a great night of fights.
Undercard
170lbs- Brett Cooper 7-4-0 vs. Patrick Speight 7-1-0
I’ll go with Speight, only because he looks tougher. I know nothing about these fighters. TKO late in the 1st.
145lbs- Albert Rios 10-3-0 vs. Antonio Duarte 10-1-0
Duarte TKO round 1. Just a guess.
145lbs- Bao Quach 15-8-1 vs. L.C. Davis 10-1-0
Davis by decision.
170lbs- Jay Hieron 16-4-0 vs. Jason High 6-0-0
Hieron by decision.
205lbs- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 14-3-0 vs. Vladimir Matyushenko 21-3-0
Matyushenko by decision. I really wish this was on the main card. Both fighters are top quality and the “Janitor” is even ranked in Sherdog.com’s Light Heavyweight top ten. Vladimir has already beaten little Nog once already.
Main card
155lbs- Dan Lauzon 11-2-0 vs. Bobby Green 7-1-0
Lauzon by submission in the 2nd. My guess is rear-naked choke. I wish Horodecki wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I was looking forward to him matching up with Lauzon. Kudos to Green for stepping up at the last minute.
Heavyweight- Paul Buentello 26-10-0 vs. Kirill Sidellnikov 4-2-0
Buentello KO in 1st.
205lbs- Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 30-7-0 vs. Renato Sobral 5-3-0
Sobral by submission in the 3rd. Sokoudjou is a tough fighter but has been a little down on his luck as of late. Babalu Sobral has more experience. Frankly speaking, I think Babalu is a badass. Let’s hope Sokoudjou hasn’t said anything about Babalu’s mom.
185lbs- Matt Linland 21-5-0 vs. Vitor Belfort 17-8-0
Linland by Decision, because he’s Matt Linland.
Heavyweight- Josh Barnett 22-5-0 vs. Gilbert Yvel 35-12-1
Barnett by submission in the 2nd. Yvel isn’t near the caliber as Barnett. The match-making here could be better. It’s good to see Barnett fight, though.
Main Event
Fedor Emilianenko 28-1-0 vs. Andre Arlovski 14-5-0
Fedor by submission in the second round. Arlovski has looked real good his last few fights. Fedor is the greatest, though. Fedor did have his first loss ever in Combat Sambo last year, though. It’s not the same as MMA, but it’s proven that he can be beat. Arlovski stands a chance, but I don’t think he’ll have enough for the victory. Fedor is amazing and just too damn good. He’s the greatest. I probably wouldn’t be getting the Pay-Per-View if it wasn’t for this fight. It should be a good one.
Saturday January 24, 2009
This is Affliction’s 2nd event. Not sure if they can keep it up, because it sure seems expensive. I’ll keep buying the pay-per-views as long as they keep putting together cards like this. It’s almost a who’s who of mma fighters not in the UFC. Not that many of them mean all too much, other than the potential for a great night of fights.
Undercard
170lbs- Brett Cooper 7-4-0 vs. Patrick Speight 7-1-0
I’ll go with Speight, only because he looks tougher. I know nothing about these fighters. TKO late in the 1st.
145lbs- Albert Rios 10-3-0 vs. Antonio Duarte 10-1-0
Duarte TKO round 1. Just a guess.
145lbs- Bao Quach 15-8-1 vs. L.C. Davis 10-1-0
Davis by decision.
170lbs- Jay Hieron 16-4-0 vs. Jason High 6-0-0
Hieron by decision.
205lbs- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 14-3-0 vs. Vladimir Matyushenko 21-3-0
Matyushenko by decision. I really wish this was on the main card. Both fighters are top quality and the “Janitor” is even ranked in Sherdog.com’s Light Heavyweight top ten. Vladimir has already beaten little Nog once already.
Main card
155lbs- Dan Lauzon 11-2-0 vs. Bobby Green 7-1-0
Lauzon by submission in the 2nd. My guess is rear-naked choke. I wish Horodecki wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I was looking forward to him matching up with Lauzon. Kudos to Green for stepping up at the last minute.
Heavyweight- Paul Buentello 26-10-0 vs. Kirill Sidellnikov 4-2-0
Buentello KO in 1st.
205lbs- Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 30-7-0 vs. Renato Sobral 5-3-0
Sobral by submission in the 3rd. Sokoudjou is a tough fighter but has been a little down on his luck as of late. Babalu Sobral has more experience. Frankly speaking, I think Babalu is a badass. Let’s hope Sokoudjou hasn’t said anything about Babalu’s mom.
185lbs- Matt Linland 21-5-0 vs. Vitor Belfort 17-8-0
Linland by Decision, because he’s Matt Linland.
Heavyweight- Josh Barnett 22-5-0 vs. Gilbert Yvel 35-12-1
Barnett by submission in the 2nd. Yvel isn’t near the caliber as Barnett. The match-making here could be better. It’s good to see Barnett fight, though.
Main Event
Fedor Emilianenko 28-1-0 vs. Andre Arlovski 14-5-0
Fedor by submission in the second round. Arlovski has looked real good his last few fights. Fedor is the greatest, though. Fedor did have his first loss ever in Combat Sambo last year, though. It’s not the same as MMA, but it’s proven that he can be beat. Arlovski stands a chance, but I don’t think he’ll have enough for the victory. Fedor is amazing and just too damn good. He’s the greatest. I probably wouldn’t be getting the Pay-Per-View if it wasn’t for this fight. It should be a good one.
Monday, January 19, 2009
So, I swiped the fight results for UFC 93 from Bloodyelbow.com. (Giving credit where credit’s due). I had class Saturday afternoon, but with a little foresight, KY and I subscribed to DVR earlier in the week. That being said, I didn’t get around to watching the fights until around 7pm, when the ppvs usually air. I have to say that the fights were just mediocre. I know the card wasn’t stacked or anything, and that a lot of folks said that it wasn’t going to be worth buying. I still had hopes for it and thought that it may prove to answer some questions in an interesting fashion. Not the case. This is a fight card I wish I would have caught at a sports bar.
Dennis Siver d. Nate Mohr via TKO (Spinning Back Kick and Punches) Round 3 3:27***
I picked this one right. Siver got the knockout of the night. 1 bonus point for the TKO.
Tomasz Drwal d. Ivan Serati via TKO (Punches) Round 1 2:02
I got this one right, too. 1 bonus point for TKO and 1 for picking round 1.
Eric Schafer d. Antonio Mendes via TKO (Punches) Round 1 3:35
Another one I got right. No bonus. I picked it would be a decision.
Martin Kampmann d. Alexandre Barros via TKO (Punches) Round 2 3:07
I picked this right. 1 bonus for TKO.
John Hathaway d. Tom Egan via TKO (Elbows) Round 1 4:36
I picked this one. No bonus, though.
Marcus Davis d. Chris Lytle via Split Decision*
Predictably, this happened as I predicted (and anyone who has any familiarity with these fighters.) Since the fight didn’t hit the ground, according to them, neither are pussies. I knew I should have picked it for fight of the night. 1 bonus point for decision.
Alan Belcher d. Denis Kang via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Round 2 4:36**
I lost on this one. Kang was completely dominating the fight up until he got caught, and Belcher just got lucky. I guess it takes some skill to find those opportunities, though. I’ll give him credit for finding a way to win while not bring much to the fight. I was kind of hoping Kang would live up to the hype. He’s a great fighter, but we will see if he can shake off his rocky recent past. As for Belcher, he wants to be considered elite. He still has some proving to do. He did pull off the submission of the night.
Rousimar Palhares d. Jeremy Horn via Decision (Unanimous)
I picked this one. Palhares has looked better, but apparently he broke his hand in the 1st round. I’ll give him that. Horn doesn’t look like he wants to fight anymore. Time to hang it up, Gumby. No bonus.
Mauricio Rua d. Mark Coleman via TKO (Punches) Round 3 4:36*
I picked this one. What a sloppy fight it was. Coleman fought like the 44 year old he is, and Shogun fought like the 44 year old Coleman is, too. The Hammer tripped taking his shoes off before entering the cage. He then gave Stitch the cutman a hug. How embarrassing. He definitely wasn’t there physically, and by looking at his expression, mentally gone too. I don’t know what Rua’s problem was. He should have knocked Coleman out early in the 1st. Somehow , this fight got a co-fight of the night bonus. Must have been out of pity. Hey, Mark. If you’re planning on fighting again, don’t. I was scared for you. No bonus.
Dan Henderson d. Rich Franklin via Decision (Split)
So, my guy Dan won! It was pretty close, though. Sorry about the accidental head-butt and eye-poke, Rich. Not much to say about it. Dan gets to coach the next season of TUF. No bonus.
* Fight(s) of the Night $40,000 Davis vs Lytle; Rua vs Coleman
** Submission of the Night $40,000 Alan Belcher
*** Knockout of the Night $40,000 Denis Siver
I picked 9 out of 10 fights. 5 bonus points. Not bad.
The Affliction card is Saturday. There are quite a few good match-ups. I’m looking forward to that. Sunday is the WEC card. Then the next Saturday is the big one. BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre!
Dennis Siver d. Nate Mohr via TKO (Spinning Back Kick and Punches) Round 3 3:27***
I picked this one right. Siver got the knockout of the night. 1 bonus point for the TKO.
Tomasz Drwal d. Ivan Serati via TKO (Punches) Round 1 2:02
I got this one right, too. 1 bonus point for TKO and 1 for picking round 1.
Eric Schafer d. Antonio Mendes via TKO (Punches) Round 1 3:35
Another one I got right. No bonus. I picked it would be a decision.
Martin Kampmann d. Alexandre Barros via TKO (Punches) Round 2 3:07
I picked this right. 1 bonus for TKO.
John Hathaway d. Tom Egan via TKO (Elbows) Round 1 4:36
I picked this one. No bonus, though.
Marcus Davis d. Chris Lytle via Split Decision*
Predictably, this happened as I predicted (and anyone who has any familiarity with these fighters.) Since the fight didn’t hit the ground, according to them, neither are pussies. I knew I should have picked it for fight of the night. 1 bonus point for decision.
Alan Belcher d. Denis Kang via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Round 2 4:36**
I lost on this one. Kang was completely dominating the fight up until he got caught, and Belcher just got lucky. I guess it takes some skill to find those opportunities, though. I’ll give him credit for finding a way to win while not bring much to the fight. I was kind of hoping Kang would live up to the hype. He’s a great fighter, but we will see if he can shake off his rocky recent past. As for Belcher, he wants to be considered elite. He still has some proving to do. He did pull off the submission of the night.
Rousimar Palhares d. Jeremy Horn via Decision (Unanimous)
I picked this one. Palhares has looked better, but apparently he broke his hand in the 1st round. I’ll give him that. Horn doesn’t look like he wants to fight anymore. Time to hang it up, Gumby. No bonus.
Mauricio Rua d. Mark Coleman via TKO (Punches) Round 3 4:36*
I picked this one. What a sloppy fight it was. Coleman fought like the 44 year old he is, and Shogun fought like the 44 year old Coleman is, too. The Hammer tripped taking his shoes off before entering the cage. He then gave Stitch the cutman a hug. How embarrassing. He definitely wasn’t there physically, and by looking at his expression, mentally gone too. I don’t know what Rua’s problem was. He should have knocked Coleman out early in the 1st. Somehow , this fight got a co-fight of the night bonus. Must have been out of pity. Hey, Mark. If you’re planning on fighting again, don’t. I was scared for you. No bonus.
Dan Henderson d. Rich Franklin via Decision (Split)
So, my guy Dan won! It was pretty close, though. Sorry about the accidental head-butt and eye-poke, Rich. Not much to say about it. Dan gets to coach the next season of TUF. No bonus.
* Fight(s) of the Night $40,000 Davis vs Lytle; Rua vs Coleman
** Submission of the Night $40,000 Alan Belcher
*** Knockout of the Night $40,000 Denis Siver
I picked 9 out of 10 fights. 5 bonus points. Not bad.
The Affliction card is Saturday. There are quite a few good match-ups. I’m looking forward to that. Sunday is the WEC card. Then the next Saturday is the big one. BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
UFC 93 Picks
I thought I would keep track of my fight picks this year. Posting them here will keep me honest.
UFC 93 Dublin, Ireland
January 17, 2009
Undercard
Honestly, I’m not familiar with most of the fighters on this undercard (and I’m too lazy to look them up), so most of my picks are merely guesses. I think that a lot of these guys are probably from the UK or Ireland.
155 lbs.- Dennis Siver 12-6-0 vs. Nate Mohr 8-5-0
I’m picking Siver TKO in round 2. I know nothing about these fighters and the only reason I pick Siver is that he has a few more fights and a better record. It’s just a guess, and I’ll be lucky if I’m right.
170 lbs.- Tom Egan 4-0-0 vs. John Hathaway 10-0-0
Hathaway sub. In round 3. Another guess for the same reason as the previous pick. Even though both fighters are undefeated, Hathaway has more fights.
205 lbs.- Tomasz Drwal 14-2-0 vs. Ivan Serati 10-2-0
Drwal KO in 1st. Drwal wins because of more fights. KO because Serati’s face looks beat-up.
205 lbs.-Eric Schafer 12-3-2 vs. Antonio Mendes 14-3-0
Ok, I know who these guys are. Eric Shafer by decision. Shafer beat up Houston “The Assassin” Alexander in his last fight. Both Mendes and Alexander were ko’d severely by Thiago Silva. I pick Shafer because he won his last fight decisively, and he hasn’t lost to Thiago Silva (though he probably would).
170 lbs.- Martin Kampmann 13-2-0 vs. Alexandre Barros 13-5-0
Kampmann TKO in round 1. Kampman is a badass. This is his first fight at welterweight after seeing quite a bit of success at middleweight. He probably would still be up at 185 if he hadn’t been the victim of a 1st round knockout in his last fight at the hands of serious middleweight contender Nathan Marquart, (which is nothing to be all that ashamed of). Up until his bout with Marquart, the native Dane was on a respectable 9 fight streak, 8 of which were finishes. Kampmann has his own serious knockout power, and even though I know nothing about Barros, I think a large 170 lb. Kampmann will be starting a strong run with this fight for a shot at the welterweight belt in a deep division.
Main Card
170 lbs.- Marcus Davis 20-5-0 vs. Chris Lytle 36-16-4
Davis by decision. I’m taking no risks when I predict that these two will stand and bang and will get the fight of the night if the main event doesn’t. No surprises here. Both gatekeepers have ground skills but prefer to keep it to crowd-pleasing fisticuffs. The fight will probably be exciting but kind of boring at the same time, only because I’m pretty sure of what will happen. Why not get the fight of the night bonus? They both will most likely never get a title shot, but know how to put on a fight people like to watch. Even though Lytle is very solid, Davis is more explosive and that will impress the judges. Besides the “Irish Hand-grenade”, erm, “Celtic Warrior” is more popular in on the Isles.
185 lbs.- Jeremy Horn 88-18-5 vs. Rousimar Palhares 17-2-0
Palhares submission in round 2. This fight will most likely be a strategic grappling match. No disrespect to Horn. I mean, he had a hundred fights before he turned 30. That deserves all kinds of respect…but his time is done and Palhares has just begun. Horn hasn’t looked good in a long time and the young Palhares has amazing Jiu-Jitsu. He sub’ed verteran fighter Ivan Salaverry easily early in the 1st round at UFC 84. Salaverry retired directly afterward. Palhares’ nickname should be changed to “The Retirer”, because I have a feeling Horn will be done after this one and go on to a decent career coaching, or at the most fighting on small shows against Dean Lister. I don’t think the UFC will give him another fight.
185 lbs.- Alan Belcher 12-4-0 vs. Denis Kang 31-10-1
Kang TKO in the 3rd. I’ve never seen Kang fight, but I’ve heard a lot of hype. This is his UFC coming-out party after years of fighting in places like Japan and Korea. Belcher is no joke, though. This may be the wildcard fight of the night. There’s no telling. From what I hear, Kang is incredible but has lost a couple recent ones that he really shouldn’t have. Belcher is coming off a split-decision battle with Ed Herman. (I thought Herman won, but I’m from Portland.) The talk is that the plan is to build Kang up for a title shot against the one and only, number one pound-for-pound, UFC Middleweight Champ Anderson “The Spider” Silva, who is utterly indestructible. Silva has cleaned out the division and has no one left to fight who’s worth a darn that he hasn’t already beaten. To keep the champ entertained, the company has to bring fresh blood with a reputation in, otherwise he’ll demand to move up to Light Heavyweight and take that division over, too. But this is about Belcher and Kang. I’m going with Kang based on hype. I’m hoping for a good fight.
The Co-Main Event
205 lbs.- Mark Coleman 15-8-0 vs. Mauricio Rua 16-3-0
Rua sub 1st. I just don’t know about this one. It’s a big money fight. Coleman is a hall-of-famer and a legend, but kind of old. “Shogun” Rua could become one of the greatest of all time, but has had some serious injuries. There’s bad blood between the two… I just don’t know.
The Main Event
205 lbs.- Rich Franklin 26-3-0 vs. Dan Henderson 23-7-0
Henderson TKO in the 3rd round, ground and pound. Before I start, I have to make something clear. I love Dan Henderson. It’s a complete man-crush. I want to be him in so many ways. Ok, that’s out of the way. This is a fight that many fans of the sport have wanted for a long time. It’s inevitable, and if it weren’t for the fact that they both peaked while fighting for separate promotions, I would wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner. This is a high-quality fight between two men who know the sport. Anderson Silva is the only reason neither one of these fighters are the Middleweight champ. There’s Silva then these two guys, then everyone else in the division. I won’t go into the decorations both men have held or their accomplishments outside of MMA. Supposedly, the winner will coach the U.S. team against popular middleweight Michael Bisping and the UK team for the next installment of the “Ultimate Fighter” reality show. (Bisping might as well dig his grave if the plan is to fight either of these guys.) Franklin vs. Henderson is a tough fight to pick. This will be the Fight of the Night. They are so evenly matched… Franklin may show more finesse on the feet, but Hendo has extremely heavy hands. Franklin has great Jiu-Jitsu, but Henderson is a world-class wrestler. Both are intelligent fighters, Franklin may be a little more so. I think think the difference in this fight will be natural toughness, which has to go to Dan. He has a solid chin that has been tested by the very best. He’s never been knocked out. Franklin on the other hand, has been knocked out twice, albeit by Silva. Even though Franklin is a little bigger, I think Henderson will eventually take Rich down and pound him out. He will then go on to Coach on the “Ultimate Fighter”, destroy Bisping, and then probably lose to Anderson Silva again. If nothing else, how can you not love a man who comes out to fight to Red Rider.
Fight of the Night-Franklin vs. Henderson
Knock Out of the Night-Denis Kang
Submission of the Night-Rousimar Palhares
So how this works is sometime after the event I’ll get around to figuring out my average of win picks. I will give myself a bonus point for every finish I call and every round I call. I will also give myself a bonus point if I get the Fight, Knock Out, or Submission of the Night right. I’ll post my score after I tally it all up. The goal is to see how well I’ve done at the end of the year. Once I’ve posted my picks, they’re set and I can’t change them, unless a fight gets cancelled for some reason. Check out sherdog.com for more in case you're interested. That's where I go.
UFC 93 Dublin, Ireland
January 17, 2009
Undercard
Honestly, I’m not familiar with most of the fighters on this undercard (and I’m too lazy to look them up), so most of my picks are merely guesses. I think that a lot of these guys are probably from the UK or Ireland.
155 lbs.- Dennis Siver 12-6-0 vs. Nate Mohr 8-5-0
I’m picking Siver TKO in round 2. I know nothing about these fighters and the only reason I pick Siver is that he has a few more fights and a better record. It’s just a guess, and I’ll be lucky if I’m right.
170 lbs.- Tom Egan 4-0-0 vs. John Hathaway 10-0-0
Hathaway sub. In round 3. Another guess for the same reason as the previous pick. Even though both fighters are undefeated, Hathaway has more fights.
205 lbs.- Tomasz Drwal 14-2-0 vs. Ivan Serati 10-2-0
Drwal KO in 1st. Drwal wins because of more fights. KO because Serati’s face looks beat-up.
205 lbs.-Eric Schafer 12-3-2 vs. Antonio Mendes 14-3-0
Ok, I know who these guys are. Eric Shafer by decision. Shafer beat up Houston “The Assassin” Alexander in his last fight. Both Mendes and Alexander were ko’d severely by Thiago Silva. I pick Shafer because he won his last fight decisively, and he hasn’t lost to Thiago Silva (though he probably would).
170 lbs.- Martin Kampmann 13-2-0 vs. Alexandre Barros 13-5-0
Kampmann TKO in round 1. Kampman is a badass. This is his first fight at welterweight after seeing quite a bit of success at middleweight. He probably would still be up at 185 if he hadn’t been the victim of a 1st round knockout in his last fight at the hands of serious middleweight contender Nathan Marquart, (which is nothing to be all that ashamed of). Up until his bout with Marquart, the native Dane was on a respectable 9 fight streak, 8 of which were finishes. Kampmann has his own serious knockout power, and even though I know nothing about Barros, I think a large 170 lb. Kampmann will be starting a strong run with this fight for a shot at the welterweight belt in a deep division.
Main Card
170 lbs.- Marcus Davis 20-5-0 vs. Chris Lytle 36-16-4
Davis by decision. I’m taking no risks when I predict that these two will stand and bang and will get the fight of the night if the main event doesn’t. No surprises here. Both gatekeepers have ground skills but prefer to keep it to crowd-pleasing fisticuffs. The fight will probably be exciting but kind of boring at the same time, only because I’m pretty sure of what will happen. Why not get the fight of the night bonus? They both will most likely never get a title shot, but know how to put on a fight people like to watch. Even though Lytle is very solid, Davis is more explosive and that will impress the judges. Besides the “Irish Hand-grenade”, erm, “Celtic Warrior” is more popular in on the Isles.
185 lbs.- Jeremy Horn 88-18-5 vs. Rousimar Palhares 17-2-0
Palhares submission in round 2. This fight will most likely be a strategic grappling match. No disrespect to Horn. I mean, he had a hundred fights before he turned 30. That deserves all kinds of respect…but his time is done and Palhares has just begun. Horn hasn’t looked good in a long time and the young Palhares has amazing Jiu-Jitsu. He sub’ed verteran fighter Ivan Salaverry easily early in the 1st round at UFC 84. Salaverry retired directly afterward. Palhares’ nickname should be changed to “The Retirer”, because I have a feeling Horn will be done after this one and go on to a decent career coaching, or at the most fighting on small shows against Dean Lister. I don’t think the UFC will give him another fight.
185 lbs.- Alan Belcher 12-4-0 vs. Denis Kang 31-10-1
Kang TKO in the 3rd. I’ve never seen Kang fight, but I’ve heard a lot of hype. This is his UFC coming-out party after years of fighting in places like Japan and Korea. Belcher is no joke, though. This may be the wildcard fight of the night. There’s no telling. From what I hear, Kang is incredible but has lost a couple recent ones that he really shouldn’t have. Belcher is coming off a split-decision battle with Ed Herman. (I thought Herman won, but I’m from Portland.) The talk is that the plan is to build Kang up for a title shot against the one and only, number one pound-for-pound, UFC Middleweight Champ Anderson “The Spider” Silva, who is utterly indestructible. Silva has cleaned out the division and has no one left to fight who’s worth a darn that he hasn’t already beaten. To keep the champ entertained, the company has to bring fresh blood with a reputation in, otherwise he’ll demand to move up to Light Heavyweight and take that division over, too. But this is about Belcher and Kang. I’m going with Kang based on hype. I’m hoping for a good fight.
The Co-Main Event
205 lbs.- Mark Coleman 15-8-0 vs. Mauricio Rua 16-3-0
Rua sub 1st. I just don’t know about this one. It’s a big money fight. Coleman is a hall-of-famer and a legend, but kind of old. “Shogun” Rua could become one of the greatest of all time, but has had some serious injuries. There’s bad blood between the two… I just don’t know.
The Main Event
205 lbs.- Rich Franklin 26-3-0 vs. Dan Henderson 23-7-0
Henderson TKO in the 3rd round, ground and pound. Before I start, I have to make something clear. I love Dan Henderson. It’s a complete man-crush. I want to be him in so many ways. Ok, that’s out of the way. This is a fight that many fans of the sport have wanted for a long time. It’s inevitable, and if it weren’t for the fact that they both peaked while fighting for separate promotions, I would wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner. This is a high-quality fight between two men who know the sport. Anderson Silva is the only reason neither one of these fighters are the Middleweight champ. There’s Silva then these two guys, then everyone else in the division. I won’t go into the decorations both men have held or their accomplishments outside of MMA. Supposedly, the winner will coach the U.S. team against popular middleweight Michael Bisping and the UK team for the next installment of the “Ultimate Fighter” reality show. (Bisping might as well dig his grave if the plan is to fight either of these guys.) Franklin vs. Henderson is a tough fight to pick. This will be the Fight of the Night. They are so evenly matched… Franklin may show more finesse on the feet, but Hendo has extremely heavy hands. Franklin has great Jiu-Jitsu, but Henderson is a world-class wrestler. Both are intelligent fighters, Franklin may be a little more so. I think think the difference in this fight will be natural toughness, which has to go to Dan. He has a solid chin that has been tested by the very best. He’s never been knocked out. Franklin on the other hand, has been knocked out twice, albeit by Silva. Even though Franklin is a little bigger, I think Henderson will eventually take Rich down and pound him out. He will then go on to Coach on the “Ultimate Fighter”, destroy Bisping, and then probably lose to Anderson Silva again. If nothing else, how can you not love a man who comes out to fight to Red Rider.
Fight of the Night-Franklin vs. Henderson
Knock Out of the Night-Denis Kang
Submission of the Night-Rousimar Palhares
So how this works is sometime after the event I’ll get around to figuring out my average of win picks. I will give myself a bonus point for every finish I call and every round I call. I will also give myself a bonus point if I get the Fight, Knock Out, or Submission of the Night right. I’ll post my score after I tally it all up. The goal is to see how well I’ve done at the end of the year. Once I’ve posted my picks, they’re set and I can’t change them, unless a fight gets cancelled for some reason. Check out sherdog.com for more in case you're interested. That's where I go.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
...And Justice For All Revisited
When people talk about what is important, it is general like family, work, and health come up. So when I say that Metallica is important to me, others would probably think that I’m being trivial. What I mean by importance here is how our interests help define who we are, at least to ourselves, especially in our impressionable adolescent years.
Metallica was the first band I really became emotionally invested in, to the extent that I had actual dreams about how then bass player Jason Newsted became sick and they needed someone to fill in for one show. So they’d meet up with me and ride to the gig in my parents Aerostar mini-van. The funny thing is in real life don’t know how to play, nor ever have known how to play the bass. But I guess that’s how dreams work. In mine, I winged it just fine at the concert.
My cousin was the first person to tell me about Metallica. (My cousins, my older brother, and I used to stage our own Van Halen concerts to a 1984 tape in our grandparents’ basement.) It was riding with my brother and his buddy to school or someplace that I first heard the band, though. I was 12 and it was Master of Puppets.
By the time I was , let’s say… 13, my kid friends and I were all about …And Justice For All. I would stay the night over at a friend’s house and we’d listen to the album in the dark. When the tape reached “To Live Is To Die”, we’d recite the monologue along with the song. “When a man lies, he murders a part of the world…” Sounds corny, but it wasn’t to us back then.
After the release of Death Magnetic, the claims are that this new album is a return to form and what would have been a natural progression after …And Justice. I still haven’t given Death Magnetic an honest listen yet. I’ve only heard short clips. Like a lot of fans, Metallica haven’t really done anything I consider relevant since the Black Album. I’m skeptical of these claims and the clips I’ve heard haven’t helped cure my doubts. What the hype has done, though, is re-open the casket that my interest for the band had been buried in for a few years. As catchy as Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are, Justice has always been my favorite Metallica album. My tape version of this album is long gone, but fortunately I had the foresight to pick up a used copy on cd a while back, just in case.
When …And Justice For All came out, it received a lot of criticism for being overambitious. It was definitely musically, and thematically the most complex work Metallica had done. The nine lengthy tracks have enough material and riffage, with all the different time signatures and changes, that each could probably be broken into three separate songs of their own. As for content, anyone who has heard the album will tell you that it is a highly political one, tackling issues such as the shortcomings of government and its justice system, and the poor treatment of war veterans fighting unnecessary wars.
When I tell people that Justice is my favorite Metallica album, they tend to say something like, “How can it be your favorite? There’s no bass on it!” It’s obviously true that there isn’t any bass in the mix. I think I read an interview somewhere that then new bass player Jason Newsted (who had big shoes to fill after the death of the former bassist Cliff Burton), had very little say in the writing and production of the album. James, Lars, and Kirk just made sure their stuff stood out more in the mix, I guess. I say “So what!” Not playing down the role of the bass in heavy metal, but the album sounds great to me without it. I find the immediacy of the lo-fi production adds more to message the band tried to get across, and fits in with some of the current trends in production going on now.
This is starting to get long and I haven’t even talked about the individual songs. There will definitely have to be a re-revisited review in the future. I imagine if anyone actually reads this, the chance is that they are familiar with …And Justice For All. If it has been a while since you heard it last, then give it another spin for old-times sake. Cheers.
Metallica was the first band I really became emotionally invested in, to the extent that I had actual dreams about how then bass player Jason Newsted became sick and they needed someone to fill in for one show. So they’d meet up with me and ride to the gig in my parents Aerostar mini-van. The funny thing is in real life don’t know how to play, nor ever have known how to play the bass. But I guess that’s how dreams work. In mine, I winged it just fine at the concert.
My cousin was the first person to tell me about Metallica. (My cousins, my older brother, and I used to stage our own Van Halen concerts to a 1984 tape in our grandparents’ basement.) It was riding with my brother and his buddy to school or someplace that I first heard the band, though. I was 12 and it was Master of Puppets.
By the time I was , let’s say… 13, my kid friends and I were all about …And Justice For All. I would stay the night over at a friend’s house and we’d listen to the album in the dark. When the tape reached “To Live Is To Die”, we’d recite the monologue along with the song. “When a man lies, he murders a part of the world…” Sounds corny, but it wasn’t to us back then.
After the release of Death Magnetic, the claims are that this new album is a return to form and what would have been a natural progression after …And Justice. I still haven’t given Death Magnetic an honest listen yet. I’ve only heard short clips. Like a lot of fans, Metallica haven’t really done anything I consider relevant since the Black Album. I’m skeptical of these claims and the clips I’ve heard haven’t helped cure my doubts. What the hype has done, though, is re-open the casket that my interest for the band had been buried in for a few years. As catchy as Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are, Justice has always been my favorite Metallica album. My tape version of this album is long gone, but fortunately I had the foresight to pick up a used copy on cd a while back, just in case.
When …And Justice For All came out, it received a lot of criticism for being overambitious. It was definitely musically, and thematically the most complex work Metallica had done. The nine lengthy tracks have enough material and riffage, with all the different time signatures and changes, that each could probably be broken into three separate songs of their own. As for content, anyone who has heard the album will tell you that it is a highly political one, tackling issues such as the shortcomings of government and its justice system, and the poor treatment of war veterans fighting unnecessary wars.
When I tell people that Justice is my favorite Metallica album, they tend to say something like, “How can it be your favorite? There’s no bass on it!” It’s obviously true that there isn’t any bass in the mix. I think I read an interview somewhere that then new bass player Jason Newsted (who had big shoes to fill after the death of the former bassist Cliff Burton), had very little say in the writing and production of the album. James, Lars, and Kirk just made sure their stuff stood out more in the mix, I guess. I say “So what!” Not playing down the role of the bass in heavy metal, but the album sounds great to me without it. I find the immediacy of the lo-fi production adds more to message the band tried to get across, and fits in with some of the current trends in production going on now.
This is starting to get long and I haven’t even talked about the individual songs. There will definitely have to be a re-revisited review in the future. I imagine if anyone actually reads this, the chance is that they are familiar with …And Justice For All. If it has been a while since you heard it last, then give it another spin for old-times sake. Cheers.
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