Matching up the UFC versus Bellator

Earlier this week, Bleacher Report put out a story of “dream” match ups between Bellator and the UFC. Let me say two things. First of all, it was not a really deep story at all. Two, can you really have a dream match up at all with a company (Bellator) where Joey Beltran is challenging for the company’s Light Heavyweight title and there will soon be a show headlined by a Tito Ortiz/Stephan Bonnar fight?

And the biggest “dream” with Bellator fighters is seeing Eddie Alvarez against UFC lightweights and that is already coming to fruition.

But it did enough to prompt me to think, if I could make any fights with Bellator guys against UFC guys, what would they be? They many not be super fights or dream fights, but fights I would like to see none-the-less. And I will point out, with the exception of one; you will not see UFC champions on this fake card despite almost every Bellator champion being listed. Why? Because Bellator champions can’t hang with UFC Champions. Period.

THE UNDERCARD

Middleweight

Thales Leites versus Kendall Grove

I will admit, this one is a little personal due to my fandom of Kendall Grove and firm belief that he should have another shot in the UFC. Since he left the UFC, he’s been up and down just like he was in the UFC, but has also beaten a few guys currently under UFC contract (i.e. Derek Brunson and Joe Riggs). Leites is a rising fighter again in the UFC and as I see Grove as an 11-15 ranked UFC fighter if he was there (probably never better and never worse), it would be a good match up for them both.

Winner: Kendall Grove by Unanimous Decision

Welterweight

Kelvin Gastelum versus Na Shon Burrell

Burrell is coming off a nasty loss, but this is a match up that would be interesting for him. Gastelum is the Burrell opposite. He is the clean cut, quiet predator and Burrell is the loud, anti-authority type. But they would wage an epic war no matter where the fight took place.

Winner: Kelvin Gastelum by 2^nd Round Submission

Featherweight

Conor McGregor versus Bubba Jenkins

What we have yet to see is how a wrestler could slow down the unorthodox style of McGregor. If anyone could throw a wrench into McGregor’s hype train, it is a talent like Jenkins. This could possibly be the fight of the night if this card was real. Striker versus wrestler, yes. But they can both do each thing well too.

Winner: Conor McGregor by Split Decision

Featherweight

Cub Swanson versus Daniel Strauss

Bleacher Report matched Swanson up with Curran for brawl purposes, but I think that Strauss brought out the best in Curran when it comes to going wild. This is an all out slugfest…while it lasts…which won’t be long.

Winner: Daniel Strauss by 1^st Round TKO

Heavyweight

Alistair Overeem versus Bobby Lashley

Look, I get trying to build Lashley up when it comes to promotional purposes. But really, the guy isn’t that good. Throw him in there with another hulking heavyweight and see where he falls. My guess is, if it is anyone any good on the other side, he falls right in the center of the cage very early. Lashley’s best bet would come against a clearly aging and diminishing Overeem. But still, Alistair has a highly sophisticated skill set compared to the pro wrestler and would finish him brutally, even if Lashley’s wrestling prowess can help him survive the opening frame.

Winner: Alistair Overeem by 2^nd Round KO

Featherweight

Frankie Edgar versus Patricio Pitbull

Bellator’s top division is clearly with the featherweights. Sadly for them I don’t think that their champion is the best in the division. I don’t want power on power here, I want mad scrambles. Edgar and Patricio are both highly skilled at getting out of the way. Edgar is so quick on his feet and light and hard to catch up to. He also has lightning fast take downs, but Patricio is so fast, could Edgar catch him?

Winner: Frankie Edgar by Split Decision (but, we all know his luck with these, don’t we?)

THE MAIN CARD

Featherweight

Chad Mendes versus Pat Curran

Pure wrestler versus striker here. Curran is as dangerous as any featherweight that Bellator has but Mendes has only gotten better with time. This would be an intense scramble of a fight.

Winner: Chad Mendes by Unanimous Decision

Lightweight

Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Michael Chandler

Chandler is one of my favorite Bellator fighters to watch because he fights like he is Tom Hardy’s character from Warrior. He is a beast who I would never want to stand and trade with. Khabib has done so, so well but is still such a wild card on how he will match up with the true elite. Chandler, like Alvarez, would be a top 5 lightweight in the UFC, but wouldn’t be able to beat the top few guys. Question is, is Khabib really as high quality of a guy overall as his current UFC ranking suggests?

Winner: Michael Chandler by 3^rd round TKO

Welterweight

Hector Lombard versus Paul Daley

Daley is another guy who deserves another UFC shot (sorry Dana). Yeah, he made a bad decision, but you brought Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, etc., etc. Daley would be a heavy hitter throw right into the fire that is the welterweight division. And this showdown would be a slugfest the likes of Daley-Diaz.

Winner: Paul Daley by 2^nd Round TKO

Light Heavyweight

Rashad Evans versus Emanual Newton

This is virtually the same guy fighting himself. A few years back, this is a no-brainer for Evans. He was the better wrestler and the better heavy handed striker, but he has fallen off to the point of almost being Newton’s equal. Then again, Newton may think that wins over King Mo are worth more than they really are and not realize that Evans isn’t just another by the book overhyped Bellator guy.

Winner: Evans by Unanimous Decision

Welterweight

Carlos Condit versus Douglas Lima

The one fight I agree with Bellator on. Lima is a hard nose striker, I would love to see him face Nick or Nate Diaz as well. But with the flux in their weight classes and careers, Condit is the next best thing. The two would wage war and throw enough crazy stuff at each other that it would keep the two of them and all of us guessing along the way. The problem, as Bleacher Report pointed out, is that Lima just isn’t long enough (though I will point out that he has had no problem with long reach from someone like Ben Saunders, which is 6.5 inches longer than Lima).

Winner: Carlos Condit by 2^nd Round KO

THE MAIN EVENT

Bantamweight

TJ Dillashaw versus Joe Warren

That is right, a UFC champion. Why? Because this is the only match up where a Bellator guy has any relevant skill set that could counter the UFC champion in that weight class. Warren is a world class grappler and his wrestling is miles ahead of Dillashaw’s no matter how good Dillashaw’s wrestling is. But what Dillashaw has shown lately, especially against Mike Easton, Renan Barao and Joe Soto, he doesn’t need to lean on his wrestling skills. Warren would take Dillashaw down early and often. But TJ weathers storms and then knocks out the storm maker. It is what he does.

Winner: TJ Dillashaw by 5^th round TKO

Top 12 Sports moments that were crucial to me in 2013

The Top 12 Sports Moments of 2013 that were crucial to me. Let's face facts that there were tons of great moments all over sports in 2013, but this list is just selfish. The top 12 things in sports (or the seedy underbelly of kinda-sports) that made my year. Maybe they made it bad, maybe they made it good...but at least they made it.

12. A abrupt halt of the Anderson Silva express

I have never been a fan of Anderson Silva's. I had no expectation however that he was going to get beat, ever. That all changed when Chris Weidman shocked the world by punching right into Anderson's playtime hour in July. When you see arguably the greatest ever look human, it is shocking. When you see what happened to end the year, it is heart wrenching. I have never been a fan of Anderson Silva, but when he snapped his leg at UFC 168 in the Weidman rematch, it was hard to stomach. Not just the gruesome nature of the injury, but to see this great quite possible end his career that way, not of his own accord. The Silva express sputtered out in 2013. I was happy to see him lose a fight, I was sad to see him quite possibly lose it all

11. Big Papi says 'F' the FCC

In the wake of the Boston Marathon devastation, the city of Boston needed a voice, someone to wake them up. That was David Ortiz. In the pregame speech before the Red Sox first post-attack game, Papi declared “this is our fucking city” and with it, a new meaning to 'Boston Strong' was born and the unity of the city would carry the team forward for the rest of 2013.

10. Super Bowl Power Outage

Who forgot to pay the electric bill? That was what we all thought when the Super Bowl shutdown while the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers started the calendar year with an epic clash. It was a great game, which helped, but the oddness of banks and banks of lights going off without reason made this a night to remember. Conspiracy theories lit up and people ran their mouths about the NFL trying to help the Niners. Whatever it was, whoever's fault it was, it was fun as a spectator and made the game that much more memorable.

9. Battier cashes in...again

Because of there are “big three” groups, why not use it to your advantage. As an anti-Lebron James kind of guy, I try to take good things out of Miami Heat titles. I like Dwayne Wade and Mario Chalmers, even Chris Anderson...but the best thing is that Duke's Shane Battier gets rings too. He is the first Duke player to ever win multiple NBA Titles and has cashed in on the Heat big three's decision to play together. Even better, Battier has been a catalyst in those NBA Finals appearances, including this year going 6-for-8 from three point range in the decisive game 7. You are welcome Miami.

8. Mention on the Tommy Toe Hold show

One thing I have certainly become a fan of in 2013 is the Tommy Toe Hold show, a (sometimes) weekly MMA based cartoon comedy. In July, for the 50th edition of “Tommy's Sack,” Tommy let the fans decide what would be on the show. I jumped on the chance and what came out was Vitor Belfort on an octopus and Michael Bisping on raptor....jousting. Yes, jousting. As Tommy said, “Dan Vance trumped all.” and “...yep, that just happened.”

7. Bringing back In All Directions

I started In All Directions in March of 2008 with a blog about Brett Favre. Nobody read it. Literally, nobody. I looked yesterday, it has zero reads. After getting away from it for a long stretch, I decided to bring it back this year mostly so I could ramble some about sports. And while some articles have done better than others (471 reads of my top 5 songs to pump you up), it is nice that people actually take the time to read my half random, half consistent blog. It has been great to have it back.

6. The Return of Da Spyder

In the great landscape of mixed martial arts, Kendall Grove may not be as relevant as I would like him to be. The winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 3 had an up and down UFC career, then an up and down independent promotion career before signing with Bellator. For me as a MMA fan, nothing is better than watching Michael Bisping, Kendall Grove or War Machine fight. So when Kendall signed with Bellator, I was hyped. When Kendall appeared on my television screen on Spike TV once more and declared “guess who's back motherfuckers,” I was hooked again. He delivered that night, taking out Joe Vedepo and leaving me hoping that Da Spyder has one last strong run in him, perhaps toward a Bellator Middleweight title or a UFC return some day.

5. Rajon Rondo tears ACL

We all knew the end of an era was looming in Boston. Ray Allen bolted for Miami because he's a douche and then Doc Rivers was clearly headed out. The only hope Celtics fans held onto was that maybe, just maybe we could have one last run at a title before the ship sank. That all ended when Rajon Rondo tore his ACL and the top youthful talent and by far the best point guard in the organization went out with an injury he has yet to return from. This was a memorable moment but for all of the wrong reasons and it pointed to the end of Boston's return to contender glory.

4. UFC turns 20

I remember being in middle school and watching VHS tapes of UFC in my friend Alex Schultz' basement. That was my introduction to the UFC: Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn. This year, they celebrated a milestone by turning 20. It was cool to watch all of the videos and documentary style stuff reliving those year as I vaguely remember the early years and have been a big fan ever since The Ultimate Fighter (the original) lured me in. The celebration finished with another arguably greatest fighter of all time, Georges St. Pierre, retaining his welterweight title in what may very well be his last fight in the Octagon.

3. Boston trades Pierce and Garnett

When Rondo went down, the pieces started to fall. But on Draft night, I felt sick to my stomach as the NBA experts discussed a trade talk that would send Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn. Forget that we would be getting back crap like Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries (who recently almost shot at his own basket like this is rec. league) and also giving up Jason Terry....the thought of seeing either Garnett, or especially Pierce, in any other jersey, was sickening. The trade killed not only the Boston contender era, it was one of those times when you have to ask if anything is sacred anymore. Paul Pierce was the Boston Celtics. For his entire career, he was the centerpiece. It would be like Larry Bird not wearing Boston green. It was like those times that Karl Malone played for the Lakers or Patrick Ewing was a Seattle Supersonic. And it was sickening.

2. Duke signs Okafor and Jones

Duke should win one or two of the next three national titles. I know this to be fact. Will they? Who knows. Should they? Clearly. The signing of Jahlil Okafor (he just dropped 40 in a game) and Tyus Jones made next year's freshman class probably the best ever signed by Duke. Knowing that the two of them, along with Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow replace middle of the road Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton, never-to-be the same again Andre Dawkins and a former walk on who's name has too many consonants, it huge. Bring in four guys who can start right away to replace your bench? Yes please. The signing of this pair may go down as the most significant thing in the history of Duke basketball. Which is great, as long as you are a Duke fan.

1. Boston Red Sox win the World Series

Through all of the struggles in Boston after the marathon bombings and after the tribulations Boston had gone through in prior seasons, the return to glory was a great one. Dominance was key and pulling out big win after big win against Detroit in the ALCS and then the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. It was a perfect exclamation point on an era that saw them end the biggest drought in the history of ever with 3 titles in 10 years. And it was an even better exclamation for the city of Boston after 2013. It also was sadly a poignant end for the Boston strong trio of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury with free agency pending and Ellsbury ultimately deciding he wanted to be a communist. But Yankee sucktasm aside, it was a big and fitting ending for the beard squad and a huge part of what made 2013 so memorable to me in sports.

>UFC 106 Predictions

UFC Predictions (100-102, 104-105): 20-35 - last card: 6-5

Preliminary Card Bouts
Brock Larson def. Brian Foster
3rd Round Submission

Caol Uno def. Fabricio Camoes
2nd Round TKO

George Sotiropoulos def. Jason Dent
1st Round KO

Spike TV Preliminary Bouts
Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis
2nd Round Referee Stoppage (strikes)

Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt
2nd Round Submission

Main Card Card Bouts
Amir Sadollah (170) vs. Phil Baroni (170)
-Baroni needs to prove why he should still be doing this for a living and Amir needs simply to shake off his loss at UFC 101. The stoppage was more than questionable and I don't think the UFC's resident funny man needs to prove anything at this point. If his mind frame is in the right place and not back in the summer, then Sadollah should be too young and spry for Baroni to handle. Sadly, that is a big 'if' at this point in Amir's career.
Sadollah by Unanimous Decision

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Luis Cane (205)
-The long awaited debut of 'Little Nog' won't be so eventful and with all respects to Luis Cane, it shouldn't take long. This is almost going to be the worst fight on the main card.
Nogueira by 3rd Round TKO

Paulo Thiago (169) vs. Jacob Volkmann (170)
-There is a reason this wasn't on the main card until 24 hours prior to the event. Also a reason that Da Spyder/Rosholt or Hand Grenade/Saunders should have been moved up to the main card. Might be a blood bath.
Thiago by 1st Round KO

Josh Koscheck (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (170)
-I am impressed by Johnson's ability to get down to 170 after missing weight for his VERY recent last fight. That shows that he was invested in this match, where the winner can also lay some claim to the next shot at GSP. In fact, the winner facing Dan Hardy and the loser facing Mike Swick should be in the works no matter what in my opinion. Let me say, I dislike no fighter much more than Koscheck, but he is always much improved over his previous match. But he also fights too often out of emotion and can't afford to get caught. If he does, recent off a win or not, Johnson will knock him out with one punch (damn I want to see that). Koscheck's best bet is to go old school, boring, wrestler Josh Koscheck. If he stands and exchanges, it may become my favorite moment in UFC in 2009 with him out staring up at the lights.
Johnson by 2nd Rounds KO

Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Tito Ortiz (204)
-If the Vera/Couture match last week had question marks, then this fight is the definition of the form of punctuation. Nobody knows if Forrest will ever be the same again, but like last week with Bisping, until he shows otherwise, there is no reason to believe that his loss to Anderson Silva has ruined the former light heavyweight champ. And Tito, is he the same? Is he better? Has it been too long? The only thing I really know is that when you fight with emotion, you might get caught....so what happens when they both do? This is going to be a slugfest of (hopefully) epic, history making moments. Neither will leave a damn thing in the cage. So what wins out: Revenge or Retribution? Love both of these guys, but I think the fans will always love one as he continues a solid career and the other will make another legit run at the division's shiny gold belt...
Ortiz by Unanimous Decision

> UFC 101 Predictions

How does the UFC follow up "the greatest card in the company's history"? Well, they have set the bar pretty high with UFC 101: Declaration. My UFC 100 predictions weren't so spot on (sorry, Michael Bisping) and even if these are equally as wrong...at least I am pretty sure this will be one hell of an event. Last time out I was 4-7 with my picks with two being spot on (unanimous decisions for Jim Miller and Georges St. Pierre).

>PRELIM FIGHTS
Jesse Lennox Vs. Danillo Villefort
Should be a strong welterweight fight with WEC guys making their UFC debuts. Considering the pace that is natural in WEC, I (like most people) expect a slugfest here.
-Villefort by TKO in Round 1

George Sotiropoulos Vs. George Roop
A lot of former TUF competitors on the card tonight, including three winners on the main card. In this match of of TUF 6 and TUF 8 fighters, I'm going to take the old Team Serra favorite just because he has so many more tools than Roop at this point even though I think Roop will enjoy more longterm success.
-Sotiropoulos by TKO in Round 2

Matthew Riddle Vs. Dan Cramer
These two guys both need the win and will want it since the loss will be a first for either of them in their short careers. Experience has most giving the edge to Riddle, but for some reason I just have never been able to see him as a serious fight. Cramer WILL make the most of this chance while Riddle only 'might.'
-Cramer by Unanimous Decision

Thales Leites Vs. Alessio Sakara
Quick and to the point: Sakara is boring.
-Leites by KO in Round 1

Tamdan McCrory Vs. John Howard
Howard must be six shades of stupid to accept a fight with a guy who is NINE inches taller and likely in his last welterweight fight before moving up to middleweight. No slugfest, just a smashfest. With the reach advantage huge here, it's hard to not expect a KO, McCrory likes his ground game and I don't think it will take him long to stop Howard.
-McCrory by submission in Round 1

Shane Nelson Vs. Aaron Riley
Because of the ending of their previous fight, I would assume there is no lack of dislike between these two here and that may be the difference. At the end of the day, Nelson seems like the more poised person and fighter who can't put all other things aside and just fight.
-Nelson by submission in Round 3

>MAIN CARD
Josh Neer Vs. Kurt Pellegrino
This is an interesting fight in the fact that both men have so much to win and also so much to lose in this fight. Neer however is just more talented on the ground and if this one goes there, he's top dog. But Kurt won't be so easy to be taken down, even if Neer is a bit bigger.
-Neer by submission in Round 2

Kendall Grove Vs. Ricardo Almeida
No secret to anyone I talk MMA with, I am a huge Kendall Grove fan. That said, this opinion (kind of unlike my UFC 100 predict of Michael Bisping) has nothing to do with that fandom. Many people have analyzed this fight as what Grove has to do either on the ground or to avoid getting hit hard in his sometimes questionable chin. But nobody is analyzing it how it should be: what is Almeida going to do to outwork Kendall Grove? Grove is an amazing striker who uses his intense reach to his advantage especially with high kicks and cutting knees out of his clinch. On the ground, he's long and flexible and hard to submit. All of that aside, Grove is right up there as one of the best workers in the fight game period. Alemeida just does not have enough for the old Kendall Grove (c. 2006) and he sure as hell doesn't have anything for the guy who's last fight ended in a highlight reel knockout. It may not be dominant for Kendall like his last two fights, but he doesn't need to be.
-Grove by Unanimous Decision

Amir Sadollah Vs. Johny Hendricks
Sadallah has a habit of facing guys calmly even though that guy talks way too much...and then submitting them (see CB Dollaway and...well, CB Dollaway again). Amir has been waiting a long time for a true, non-TUF, UFC debut and I'm going against the grain in the thought that Hendricks will frustrate and finish Amir. Mostly because I just don't see Sadollah getting frustrated ever. Hendricks is underestimating him.
-Sadollah by submission in Round 2

Anderson Silva Vs. Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin likes getting hit and hitting back...Anderson Silva will hit him. It's widely believed that it will take a miracle upset for anyone in the UFC to beat Anderson Silva...Forrest Griffin loves being a miracle upset. What does this mean? Hell if I know because this is a toss up. If Silva needs a highly contested wake up fight, he's got the right guy. No matter what, this won't go anywhere near a decision.
-Silva by TKO in Round 2

BJ Penn Vs. Kenny Florian
We might as well call this Penn/Florian I because I see this becoming a staple over the next several years. Fact is with the recent influx of Affliction heavyweight fighters, the lightweight division may be the UFC's weakest. So, other than Diego Sanchez, I don't see any other real possible challengers arise for the winner of this fight for a while. While that's nice and I see the third fight being the rubber match in the long run if it goes that route, nothing changes that Kenny Florian has worked too hard to get here. I believe that BJ Penn woke up after the GSP fight and isn't just resting on his laurels now, but I still think that KenFlo has put more effort, more passion and more drive into this run. This is so so so far from the Season One TUF runner-up Kenny Florian, it's unbelievable. You want BJ's belt? You get BJ's belt.
-Florian by submission in Round 4 to become the new UFC Lightweight Champion