Past Predictions (UFC 100-102, 104-111, 113-114, UFC on VERSUS 1-2): 82-76-1
Last Card: 7-3
PRELIMS
Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman
Hallman has crazy experience, but Saunders is just plain crazy. A guy like Hallman is either going to charge forward or lay back too much. He's experienced and that means he will be able to pick apart most fighters. But who can predict Ben Saunders? In his two losses, people got lucky. Crazy + Reach = Victory number 9.
Saunders by 2nd Round TKO
Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft
Struve's reach isn't as much as you'd think it would be cracked up to be. Morecraft is not slouch either in height and his weight, record and mystery are enough to outdo Struve's hesitance.
Morecraft by Unanimous Decision
Johny Hendricks vs. Charlie Brenneman
Such an even matchup where the fighters have a combined 20-1 record. This could be a match that helps shape the future of the welterweight division long after the clog at the top straightens itself out and the mid-level guys (Hughes, Serra, etc.) finally retire. This could be the fight of the night and that is saying alot.
Hendricks by 3rd Round TKO
Tim Boestch vs. Todd Brown
Not much here, I just don't think Brown has the ability to outduel his counterpart. Sadly, Boestch needs sometone to push him.
Boestch by Unanimous Decision
Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace
This is the fight that will really show that Wallace's potential time has already passed him by. He's powerful, but Davis is closer to today's prototypical light heavyweight. He stays unbeaten.
Davis by 1st Round Submission
Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story
Quick one here again. Story lucked out against Nick Osipczak and Hazelett won't give him the time of day to sneak by.
Hazelett by 1st Round KO
MAIN CARD
Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson
All conventional wisdom says that Junior Dos Santos will knock the shit out of Big Country. He has powered his weigh through opponents and became the heavyweight division's next big thing (no easy task among the world of next big things: Lesnar, Carwin, Duffee, Velasquez). Then a funny thing happened: along came Roy Nelson, the former IFL champion, and all conventional wisdom has gone away. Conventional wisdom said that Kimbo Slice would pound this fat guys' face in. Conventional wisdom said that the younger, far more athletic Brendan Schaub would just go to town on Nelson. Conventional wisdom even said that Stefan Struve's reach was gonna be way too much. But somehow, Roy Nelson has been plowing through the UFC. I've picked against Roy...and I've been wrong...somehow. I like JDS, I really do, and I expect good things to happen in his career.
Nelson by 2nd Round KO
Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida
I hate Matt Hughes. But really, why are the experts picking him to lose. The UFC considers this guy the greatest welterweight of all-time. I rank him 2nd. Either way, Ricardo Almeida isn't in the top 15 ever, if even close to that.
Hughes by Ground and Pound in 3rd Round
Clay Guida vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
If Frankie Edgar gets back in the cage and beats BJ Penn again, then I see Penn going up to welterweight. Why is that important here? Because Clay Guida has always had a ceiling in the division. But with the likes of Diego Sanchez, Nate Diaz and perhaps Penn moving on up, Guida has the chance of a lifetime if he can win here. The man can fight with inspiration and fire that I don't know if Dos Anjos has.
Guida by Split Decision
Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
The rematch. The same result. Alves, I believe, has rushed back too much from the injuries, failed to make weight at the official weigh-ins and is just not mentally in this from what I saw at the press conference.
Fitch by 1st Round TKO
UFC Middleweight Championship
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
The consensus is that Sonnen's only hope is to take down and lay on top of Silva five times. But Sonnen has noted that he plans to swing at Silva. So here is how it really will go: Sonnen tries to swing in round one, but realizes he can't swing with The Spider. The round is close, could go either way. In round two, he goes with the lay and pray theory, takes Anderson down a minute in and lays there for the 10-9. In round three, Anderson gets restless and makes Chael look like Forrest Griffin. All that, or Anderson actually nuts up and knocks Chael out in round one. My heart and my cheers Saturday night go to Chael Sonnen, who I enjoy as a fighter and as a comedy act...but my brains stills works and so do Anderson Silva's limbs.
Silva by 3rd Round TKO to RETAIN the UFC Middleweight Championship
Showing posts with label Clay Guida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clay Guida. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
UFC on Versus Quick Picks
UFC Predictions (100-102, 104-110) 51-54-1 - last card: 6-3
Eric Schafer def. Jason Brilz
Mike Pierce def. Julio Paulino
Brendan Schaub def. Chase Gormley
John Howard def. Daniel Roberts
Duane Ludwig def. Darren Elkins
Eliot Marshall def. Vladimir Matyushenko
Clay Guida def. Shannon Gugerty
James Irvin def. Alessio Sakara
Cheick Kongo def. Paul Buentello
Junior Dos Santos def. Gabriel Gonzaga
Jon Jones def. Brandon Vera
Eric Schafer def. Jason Brilz
Mike Pierce def. Julio Paulino
Brendan Schaub def. Chase Gormley
John Howard def. Daniel Roberts
Duane Ludwig def. Darren Elkins
Eliot Marshall def. Vladimir Matyushenko
Clay Guida def. Shannon Gugerty
James Irvin def. Alessio Sakara
Cheick Kongo def. Paul Buentello
Junior Dos Santos def. Gabriel Gonzaga
Jon Jones def. Brandon Vera
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
> UFC Top Ten Fights
Tomorrow night, the UFC will finalize their 'Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights' countdown on Spike with the top 10 all time. I, for one, am currently baffled by Mike Goldberg's continuous question of what will be number one because in my mind it's a clear cut choice. But already in the countdown, there have been some I have questioned, which has motivated me to write this column on my personal favorite ten fights that I have ever seen in the UFC.
First note, these are strictly UFC fights so don't count any of the other fights I have seen in other organizations. Sorry, Urijah Faber/Mike Brown II, you would have been high on my list.
Second note, I like many started getting into the UFC with and because of The Ultimate Fighter. So, any fights that I have seen (and there are many) from pre-Ultimate Fighter days have only been seen in retrospect and not when they originally happened. The exception to that are fights from UFC 1-3, which I saw at a friend's house on VHS as a teenager. So without furthur delay, these are the Top 10 UFC fights I have ever seen:
10. Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta
- Guida and Huerta put on an all-out war, which is usual of both men's fights. Guida has done it countless times, Huerta did it with Leonard Garcia and others. An even fight is usually one that will be decided not by who catches who first, but by who makes the first mistake. That's how Huerta finished this one.
9. Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher I
- I know their second fight is universally regarded as the better because Fisher was seen more on his game. Yes, he cut a lot of weight quick in taking this fight late, but that makes it even more impressive in my mind. Stout/Fisher II was good and it was neccesary because
8. Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
- This was the last fight the UFC had and it still even made the top 15 on the UFC Ultimate 100 countdown. That's for good reason because the pace rarely let up and neither man quit even bloody and/or battered. In my opinion, heart makes good fights and few, if any, have bigger hearts than these two.
7. Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
- UFC Magazine recently referred to this Ultimate Fighter 3 middleweight title fight at "Griffin/Bonnar on the ground." And they were right. These guys went to battle for three rounds as the best two fighters on the seasons. It doesn't matter than Herman went on to flop and Grove's career has been up and down. When two guys roll around and you never know who's going to catch who in a possible fight closing submission, it's almost equally exciting as a slugfest.
6. Tito Ortiz vs. Frank Shamrock
- This was one of the first fights for both fighters to really showcase a barrage of the different techniques of MMA. It really launched Tito Ortiz as a superstar and while striking was getting more important in the sport, it was Frank Shamrock's submissions that helped keep BJJ and old school shoot fighting in the forefront too.
5. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia
- Fact is that Couture dominated this match, but that didn't make it less great. What makes it great is that, no matter his age, he didn't let up for the entire fight and didn't let five rounds faze him. This fight was one of the most important in the transition period of the UFC to mainstream.
4. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch
- Another fight where one guy (GSP) was just dominant and really showed that Fitch wasn't on his level. But in this one, unlike with Sylvia, Fitch proved that he was still a beast. When you can pretty much get your ass handed to you and still come out looking like a monster, then the fight was a classic. GSP went to town, Fitch didn't back down.
3. Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson
- The best five rounder I have ever witnessed by far. The fact that you could make an argument for Griffin, Rampage or even a draw in the decision makes that clear. Both men had scouted eachother well, no matter what excuses Rampage makes now. What stood out was who was willing to go outside of their normal gameplan the most and that was Forrest with his leg kicks. Rampage didn't adjust and Forrest took advantage and Jackson's title.
2. Jared Rollins vs. Jon 'War Machine' Koppenhaver
- Ok, so here is where I rant a little. How the hell is this #81 on the Ultimate 100 countdown? I'm sure part of it is the UFC's biased (you know that entire thing can't be fully by fan vote) because they don't exactly have a good relationship with Koppenhaver. You saw how bad they've talked about Ortiz, who they likewise aren't buddies with, even though he's one of the UFC greats. The rest of it may be the fact that fans are gonna vote for big names and be more inclined to forget about two guys who don't fight in the UFC anymore who were on the undercard of an Ultimate Fighter Finale.
These two guys were not the best fighters on the Team Hughes/Team Serra season and there is a reason that they weren't fighting for the contract. But never in a million years would you have thought that watching them. If you had watched the season's first episode to see who was competing then not tuned in again until the finale, you would have thought this was the title fight. I don't know if I have ever seen two guys who wanted to lose less. There was no way that either guy was going to tap in this one and going to the judges would have been heartbreaking if it wasn't ruled a draw. Luckily War Machine took care of that for them, but only seconds of being on the verge of losing by TKO himself. It will forever stand as one of the greatest slug fests in UFC history. And it doesn't hurt that it was a bloody, bloody affair.
1. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I
- Here's your answer Mike Goldberg...the ONLY fight that can be number one. Fight! Magazine named it such, UFC Magazine named it such, I'm naming it such and if the Ultimate 100 Countdown doesn't name it as such, then the voting UFC fans should all be stoned.
Forget that it was for the second contract ever awarded by the UFC to an Ultimate Fighter winner (most people refer to Griffin as the original Ultimate Fighter, when Diego Sanchez took home his title first that night). Forget that this show and this fight launched the UFC and MMA into the mainstream and made it acceptable by many people worldwide who had written the sport off years and years ago. Even forget that this show was the first live UFC event to ever appear on cable television.
All of that aside, take what Griffin and Bonnar did on April 9, 2005 as what it was- it was a fight. There is a line in the movie Rocky Balboa where Rocky asks "what's so crazy about standing toe to toe with someone saying 'I am'?" That is what these two did. They didn't roll around, they didn't get technical, there was Muay Thai, there was no BJJ. There was Griffin, Bonnar and flurry of fists. It was a fight in the purist, most glorious form. It changed the face of the sport and made MMA what it is that we all see today. But even without that, even if it didn't do anything to help the UFC really establish itself, the fight stands alone as THE best ever.
(honorable mention: Griffin/Bonnar II, Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn II and Nate Quarry vs. Pete Sell)
First note, these are strictly UFC fights so don't count any of the other fights I have seen in other organizations. Sorry, Urijah Faber/Mike Brown II, you would have been high on my list.
Second note, I like many started getting into the UFC with and because of The Ultimate Fighter. So, any fights that I have seen (and there are many) from pre-Ultimate Fighter days have only been seen in retrospect and not when they originally happened. The exception to that are fights from UFC 1-3, which I saw at a friend's house on VHS as a teenager. So without furthur delay, these are the Top 10 UFC fights I have ever seen:
10. Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta
- Guida and Huerta put on an all-out war, which is usual of both men's fights. Guida has done it countless times, Huerta did it with Leonard Garcia and others. An even fight is usually one that will be decided not by who catches who first, but by who makes the first mistake. That's how Huerta finished this one.
9. Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher I
- I know their second fight is universally regarded as the better because Fisher was seen more on his game. Yes, he cut a lot of weight quick in taking this fight late, but that makes it even more impressive in my mind. Stout/Fisher II was good and it was neccesary because
8. Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
- This was the last fight the UFC had and it still even made the top 15 on the UFC Ultimate 100 countdown. That's for good reason because the pace rarely let up and neither man quit even bloody and/or battered. In my opinion, heart makes good fights and few, if any, have bigger hearts than these two.
7. Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
- UFC Magazine recently referred to this Ultimate Fighter 3 middleweight title fight at "Griffin/Bonnar on the ground." And they were right. These guys went to battle for three rounds as the best two fighters on the seasons. It doesn't matter than Herman went on to flop and Grove's career has been up and down. When two guys roll around and you never know who's going to catch who in a possible fight closing submission, it's almost equally exciting as a slugfest.
6. Tito Ortiz vs. Frank Shamrock
- This was one of the first fights for both fighters to really showcase a barrage of the different techniques of MMA. It really launched Tito Ortiz as a superstar and while striking was getting more important in the sport, it was Frank Shamrock's submissions that helped keep BJJ and old school shoot fighting in the forefront too.
5. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia
- Fact is that Couture dominated this match, but that didn't make it less great. What makes it great is that, no matter his age, he didn't let up for the entire fight and didn't let five rounds faze him. This fight was one of the most important in the transition period of the UFC to mainstream.
4. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch
- Another fight where one guy (GSP) was just dominant and really showed that Fitch wasn't on his level. But in this one, unlike with Sylvia, Fitch proved that he was still a beast. When you can pretty much get your ass handed to you and still come out looking like a monster, then the fight was a classic. GSP went to town, Fitch didn't back down.
3. Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson
- The best five rounder I have ever witnessed by far. The fact that you could make an argument for Griffin, Rampage or even a draw in the decision makes that clear. Both men had scouted eachother well, no matter what excuses Rampage makes now. What stood out was who was willing to go outside of their normal gameplan the most and that was Forrest with his leg kicks. Rampage didn't adjust and Forrest took advantage and Jackson's title.
2. Jared Rollins vs. Jon 'War Machine' Koppenhaver
- Ok, so here is where I rant a little. How the hell is this #81 on the Ultimate 100 countdown? I'm sure part of it is the UFC's biased (you know that entire thing can't be fully by fan vote) because they don't exactly have a good relationship with Koppenhaver. You saw how bad they've talked about Ortiz, who they likewise aren't buddies with, even though he's one of the UFC greats. The rest of it may be the fact that fans are gonna vote for big names and be more inclined to forget about two guys who don't fight in the UFC anymore who were on the undercard of an Ultimate Fighter Finale.
These two guys were not the best fighters on the Team Hughes/Team Serra season and there is a reason that they weren't fighting for the contract. But never in a million years would you have thought that watching them. If you had watched the season's first episode to see who was competing then not tuned in again until the finale, you would have thought this was the title fight. I don't know if I have ever seen two guys who wanted to lose less. There was no way that either guy was going to tap in this one and going to the judges would have been heartbreaking if it wasn't ruled a draw. Luckily War Machine took care of that for them, but only seconds of being on the verge of losing by TKO himself. It will forever stand as one of the greatest slug fests in UFC history. And it doesn't hurt that it was a bloody, bloody affair.
1. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I
- Here's your answer Mike Goldberg...the ONLY fight that can be number one. Fight! Magazine named it such, UFC Magazine named it such, I'm naming it such and if the Ultimate 100 Countdown doesn't name it as such, then the voting UFC fans should all be stoned.
Forget that it was for the second contract ever awarded by the UFC to an Ultimate Fighter winner (most people refer to Griffin as the original Ultimate Fighter, when Diego Sanchez took home his title first that night). Forget that this show and this fight launched the UFC and MMA into the mainstream and made it acceptable by many people worldwide who had written the sport off years and years ago. Even forget that this show was the first live UFC event to ever appear on cable television.
All of that aside, take what Griffin and Bonnar did on April 9, 2005 as what it was- it was a fight. There is a line in the movie Rocky Balboa where Rocky asks "what's so crazy about standing toe to toe with someone saying 'I am'?" That is what these two did. They didn't roll around, they didn't get technical, there was Muay Thai, there was no BJJ. There was Griffin, Bonnar and flurry of fists. It was a fight in the purist, most glorious form. It changed the face of the sport and made MMA what it is that we all see today. But even without that, even if it didn't do anything to help the UFC really establish itself, the fight stands alone as THE best ever.
(honorable mention: Griffin/Bonnar II, Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn II and Nate Quarry vs. Pete Sell)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
> Diego proves himself legit
I don't care what anyone else says, including the judges in tonight's split decision...Diego Sanchez is legit.
I don't mean he was just legit tonight in his mostly one sided slugfest with Clay Guida.
I don't mean he is just legit at his semi-new home of the 155 weight class.
I mean he is legit as one of the world's best pound-for-pound fighters.
On tonight's Ultimate Finale Live, Diego opened up running through Guida like a machine. He swung and swung and swung until he busted Clay up and probably broke his nose. Then Diego delivered a vicious head kick that put Guida on his ass and forced commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg to proclaim what a "great chin" Guida had for taking that kick. Great chins are nice and all, but the only way you ever find out who has one is if they are taking shots.
Me personally, I don't know what kind of a chin Diego Sanchez had tonight. Because even when he was not controlling the fight, only in the second round, he was landing cutting elbows from the bottom that made Guida bleed like a stuck pig.
Now, Diego is likely on to challange the winner of this Fall's BJ Penn/Kenny Florian title fight and both of those guys should be worried for the Lightweight division's real top dog. Penn is solid, but aging. Florian is GREATLY improved from the guy Sanchez toppled for the original Ultimate Fighter crown. But neither is as explosive, hungry, deep and relentless as Diego Sanchez. Right now, I may only rank Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva as people who I know could beat Diego (taking into consideration they are close in weight class and/or Diego's non-fighting weight...I know he wouldn't fare well against heavyweights but only because they are so much bigger).
In the latest edition of Fight! Magazine, they have a new reader poll for the Top 10 Pound-for-Pound fighters. Next month, Diego should be on it. I question the additions to this list of Frank Mir (9) and even Fedor Emelianenko (2), the second of which doesn't even face the stiffest competition in his weight class seeing as how Affliction is weak.
He has won four straight, is 10-2 in the octogon and is now coming off two straight Fight of the Night performances. The man is legit and I feel bad for whoever has to stand in his way next.
I don't mean he was just legit tonight in his mostly one sided slugfest with Clay Guida.
I don't mean he is just legit at his semi-new home of the 155 weight class.
I mean he is legit as one of the world's best pound-for-pound fighters.
On tonight's Ultimate Finale Live, Diego opened up running through Guida like a machine. He swung and swung and swung until he busted Clay up and probably broke his nose. Then Diego delivered a vicious head kick that put Guida on his ass and forced commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg to proclaim what a "great chin" Guida had for taking that kick. Great chins are nice and all, but the only way you ever find out who has one is if they are taking shots.
Me personally, I don't know what kind of a chin Diego Sanchez had tonight. Because even when he was not controlling the fight, only in the second round, he was landing cutting elbows from the bottom that made Guida bleed like a stuck pig.
Now, Diego is likely on to challange the winner of this Fall's BJ Penn/Kenny Florian title fight and both of those guys should be worried for the Lightweight division's real top dog. Penn is solid, but aging. Florian is GREATLY improved from the guy Sanchez toppled for the original Ultimate Fighter crown. But neither is as explosive, hungry, deep and relentless as Diego Sanchez. Right now, I may only rank Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva as people who I know could beat Diego (taking into consideration they are close in weight class and/or Diego's non-fighting weight...I know he wouldn't fare well against heavyweights but only because they are so much bigger).
In the latest edition of Fight! Magazine, they have a new reader poll for the Top 10 Pound-for-Pound fighters. Next month, Diego should be on it. I question the additions to this list of Frank Mir (9) and even Fedor Emelianenko (2), the second of which doesn't even face the stiffest competition in his weight class seeing as how Affliction is weak.
He has won four straight, is 10-2 in the octogon and is now coming off two straight Fight of the Night performances. The man is legit and I feel bad for whoever has to stand in his way next.
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