Rashad Evans defeats Forrest Griffin via TKO in Round 3
Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO in round 2
Quinton Jackson defeats Wanderlei Silva via KO in Round 1
Cheick Kongo defeats Mustafa Al-Turk via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
CB Dollaway defeats Mike Massenzio via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Yushin Okami defeats Dean Lister via unanimous decision
Antoni Hardonk defeats Mike Wessel via TKO in round two
Matt Hamill defeats Reese Andy via TKO in round two
Brad Blackburn defeats Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision
Pat Barry defeats Dan Evensen via TKO in round one
Fight of the Night: Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans
Knockout of the Night: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Thoughts:
Rashad Evans in underrated. He is a great striker with great wrestling skills. He is a force to be reckoned with in the UFC. He is now the UFC light heavyweight champ and maybe the best light heavyweight in the world. He boasts wins over Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin.
Forrest Griffin will be back, but I do not know who he will face. If Shogun beats Mark Coleman there could be a re-match.
I never expected Nogueira to get beat so badly. Mir tore him a new one. Nog didn’t show up. Maybe he is past his prime. Mir looke dreally good though. Now we get the Mir vs. Lesnar re-match.
I didn’t expect Rampage to KO Wanderlei either. It looks like Rampage could get a title shot.
C.B. Dolloway looked impressive in his win over a very good Mike Massenzio. He showed good wrestling, good striking and good submission defense.
Cheick Kongo really impressed in his vicious TKO over Al-Turk
You say Yushin, I say Okami. Yushin… (Okami). Okami is deserving number one contender now that he walked through Dean Lister
Pat Barry has really good kicks and is a force in the heavyweight division
Antoni Hardonk keeps winning. He may move up some rankings
Matt Hamill really impressed and probably knocked Reese Andy out of the UFC along with Dan Evensen, Ryo Chonan and Mike Wessel
UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 is one of the best cards of the year on paper. This card features what many consider to be 3 super fights. This card is sure to draw a good crowd and good pay per view numbers. Also, this will end 2008 with a bang and the outcomes of these fights will dictate many key match-ups in 2009, including Brock Lesnar’s next opponent, possibly Anderson Silva’s next opponent at 205 lbs, and possibly the next contender at 205 lbs.
Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans
Forrest Griffin
vs.
Rashad Evans
Nickname
Sugar
1
MMA Blog Rank
6
205 Lbs.
Weight Class
205 Lbs.
16-4 (7-2 UFC)
Record
12-0-1 (7-0 UFC)
This fight will be Forrest Griffin’s first title defense and a bout between the winner of the Ultimate Fighter 1 and the winner of the Ultimate Fighter 2. Rashad is sort of a surprise number one contender here. He earned the title shot with his highlight reel KO of Chuck Liddell. Evans is an undefeated fighter with a solid wrestling pedigree and very impressive striking. Forrest Griffin is already a future UFC hall of famer and one of the biggest stars. He relishes being the undersog. He was the underdog against Shogun. He was the underdog against Rampage. Forrest works as hard as anyone in the sport. Forrest is also known for his incredible heart. This is a very interesting match up style wise for me. Forrest will stand and trade, but Rashad probably has the striking advantage (just ask Chuck Liddell and Sean Salmon). The heart and toughness advantage would go to Forrest. The wrestling advantage would go to Rashad, but the submissions advantage would go to Forrest. Forrest will also have a slight size and reach advantage over Rashad. Quite honestly I think this is a bad match up for Forrest. I look for Rashad to use his wrestling to keep the fight standing or to scramble to his feet. I also think that he may clip Forrest with a good shot. However, he better watch for those leg kicks which devastated Ramapge. Forrest would have to have the conditioning advantage. If he is smart he will want to take Rashad past round 3. Forrest is a proverbial “cardio machine”. We saw Forrest win against Shogun due to his cardio. This could be the achilles heel for Evans. I think it is highly possible he will gas and that is Forrest’s best chance at winning. Some people speculate that Rashad could be distracted due to the recent birth of a child. However, I think that Rashad’s training with the legendary Greg Jackson will more than cover that possible distraction. I expect Rashad to have a great game plan. Hidden within this fight is a match up between two great camps Evans and Team Jackson and Griffin and Xtreme Couture. Whoever has the better game plan will win. It may be scary to say, but I do not know if we have seen the best of either of these guys yet. I think rashad has more raw talent, but Forrest has the heart of a champion. With that said, I pick Rashad to win by TKO in round 3 to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
vs.
Frank Mir
Minatauro
Nickname
1
MMA Blog Rank
3
Heavyweight
Weight Class
185 Lbs.
31-4-1 (2-0 UFC)
Record
11-3 (9-3 UFC)
I am just gonna call this one the way I see it. Nogueira is a legend in the sport. He is a near consensus number 2 heavyweight in the world. He has fought the best in the world. He is nearly impossible to knockout or submit. He has the best heart in MMA. Frank Mir has had good days. He is a former UFC heavyweight champ. He has solid all around skills and good ground skills. However, I do not think Mir is near the calibur of Nogueira. The two Ultimate fighter coaches will pair off for the interim heavyweight title and a chance to fight Brock Lesnar sometime in 2009. Nogueira holds the interim title and is the first person to be PRIDE and UFC champ. This fight gained exposure through season 8 of the Ultimate Fighter. Nogueira was the clear fan favorite of the coaches. In fact, Mir may have entered the reality show as the fan favorite, but the season ended with Nogueira being by far the favorite coach and becoming endeared by fans. At the end of the season of TUF, I posted a poll on MMABlog asking about the favorite coach and 88% of the 200 people polled said Nogueira was their favorite coach over Mir. I say that to say that Nogueira will be a fan favorite in Mir’s hometown. In fact I cannot think of one area where Mir will have an advantage. I think the key is mental. Mir has not been the same since his bike wreck. I also get the sense that he is intimidated by Nogueira. Many interviews Mir speaks of Nog as his hero, as a “Frankenstein”, and as nearly impossible to beat. I think Nogueira wins by submission in round 2…maybe even round 1.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson
Wanderlei Silva
vs.
Quinton Jackson
The Axe Murderer
Nickname
Rampage
4
MMA Blog Rank
2
205 Lbs.
Weight Class
205 Lbs.
32-8-1 (2-2 UFC)
Record
28-7 (3-1 UFC)
This is the third installment of this particular fight. Two times Wanderlei Silva has destroyed Jackson. For those that have not see the previous two fights they are must sees, check them out here and here. Jackson claims to be in better shape and better prepared than he has ever been. Jackson also claims that Wanderlei is not the same guy he was in his days of dominance in PRIDE. Jackson is coming off of a defeat to Forrest Griffin, a bizzare string of events and eventual arrest, and a change in camps which saw him move to England to train at Wolfslair. Wanderlei is coming off of an impressive win over Keith Jardine at UFC 84. He looks to build on that. The winner of this fight could very well be in line for a title shot.
I do not know what makes this fight different than the previous two. I have to wonder if Wanderlei does not just have Rampage’s number. This fight will answer many questions such as: Is the difference in rules between PRIDE and UFC a big factor? Is Wanderlei past his prime? Is Rampage really better now than he was against Forrest? All I know is that Rampage better avoid the clinch and the knee of Silva. I do not see this fight going the distance. I think that we will see this also be fight of the night. I look for Wanderlei to win by TKO in round 2.
C.B. Dolloway vs. Mike Massenzio
C.B. Dolloway
vs.
Mike Massenzio
The Doberman
Nickname
27
MMA Blog Rank
28
185 Lbs.
Weight Class
185 Lbs.
7-1 (1-1 UFC)
Record
11-2 (1-0 UFC)
I am not going to defend the placement of this fight on the main card over Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister, but I will tell you this will be a good fight. These guys may not be as high up the middleweight ladder as Okami and Lister and they may not have the same name recognition, but both of these guys are solid prospects.
C.B. Dolloway burst onto the scene in the Ultimate Fighter 7. He was the heavy favorite throughout the whole season, but was upset in the semi-finals by Amir Sadollah. However, he was given a second chance following the booting of Jesse Taylor. C.B. beta Tim Credeur handily to earn a second crack at Sadollah for the TUF title. C.B. lost int he same way to Amir int he finale. However, he bounced back with a highlight reel submission of Jesse Taylor by way of peruvian necktie a submission that many consider a submission of the year candidate. C.B. is an accomplished wrestler out of Arizona State University who trains at Arizona Combat Sports with other MMA stars like TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader, WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner, and WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit.
Mike Massenzio is 1-0 in the UFC. He won is his UFC debut quickly over UFC vet Drew McFedries. He sunk in a kimura forcing McFedries to tap. Massenzio is a very good prospect who is very good on the ground. Massenzio is one of the fighters the UFC picked up from the now defunct IFL.
The question for me on this one is can C.B. avoid Massenzio’s submissions. He couldn’t avoid Amir’s. C.B. may elect to keep the fight standing if he can. He also may want to work some ground and pound. A lot of people like Mike Massenzio in this fight. However, I think C.B. is going to prove too good standing and too strong on the ground. I pick C.B. to win by unanimous decision.
Cheick Kongo vs. Mustapha Al Turk
Cheick Kongo
vs.
Mustapha Al-Turk
Nickname
5
MMA Blog Rank
12
Heavyweight
Weight Class
Heavyweight
12-4-1 (5-2 UFC)
Record
6-3 (0-0 UFC)
This fight will be the first fight to air on the main card. Cheick Kongo may be one the most inconsistent fighters in the UFC. He beats Cro Cop, but eats a loss to Heath Herring. I do think Kongo is one of the top 10-15 heavyweights out there, but he needs a big win. Kongo wants a title shot. He makes no bones about it. A win here may inch him closer, but it won’t put him next in line. He still has guys like Carwin, Gonzaga, and Couture ahead of him. However, rumor has it that a win here could garner him a fight between former UFC fighter Jeff Monson.
Al Turk is the former Cage Rage hevayweight champion. I am sure Al Turk would like to get out of here unscathed. Either way we could see Al Turk return at UFC 95 in England against new heavyweight signee Neil Grove. Al Turk seems to be a decent striker, but I do not know if he can hang with Kongo.
I pick Kongo by unanimous decision.
The Undercard:
Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister
Lister is a world calss grappler and jiu jitsu player. Okami is a top 3 middleweight in the world. Many people (including me) think Okami is deserving of a title shot. If Okami beats Lister it will be hard to withhold a title shot from him. There are two reasons Okami has not gotten that shot. First, he is not very marketable. Second, he is coming off of an injury. He would have gotten the shot over Cote, but an injury slowed Okami. Tehre are tons of people in line at 185 lbs. including Thales Leites, Nate Marquardt, Michael Bisping, and Demian Maia. I believe Lister could submit Okami, but I have to pick Okami to win this by decision.
Quick Picks:
Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy – Hamill by Unanimous Decision
Brad Blackburn vs. Ryo Chonan – Blackburn by Unanimous Decision
·Eddie Sanchez vs. Justin McCully @ UFC Fight Night 16 on December 10
·Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira @ UFC 92 on December 28 (For Interim Title)
·Cheick Kongo vs. Mustafa Al Turk @ UFC 92 on December 28
·Antoni Hardonk vs. Mark Burch @ UFC 92 on December 28
·Dan Evensen vs. Patrick Barry @ UFC 92 on December 28
·Jake O’Brien vs. Christian Wellish @ UFC 94 on January 31
Match Ups I’d Like to See:
·Heath Herring vs. Gabriel Gonzaga or Cain Velasquez
·Shane Carwin vs. Junior Dos Santos
·The loser of Mir vs. Nogueira vs. Randy Couture
Other Thoughts:
·The status of Fabricio Werdum is unknown.Rumors circulated that he was released from his UFC contract following a breakdown in contract negotiations.Then it was reported that Werdum was not leaving the UFC.If he stays he is a serious contender.I hope the UFC would consider this and want to keep him around
·The status of ProElite is uncertain, and I mention this because the UFC has the potential to sign a couple of good fighters from the EliteXC heavyweight division such as Brett Rogers and Dave Herman.It looked like Antonio Silva will head to Sengoku and Kimbo Slice, well….who cares!
·It is time for Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez to get more exposure and fight the best.They are real threats to Brock’s belt.
·A 2009 bout between Lesnar and the winner of the Mir vs. Nogueira fight is exciting
·We are hoping Randy Couture has a few fights left in the tank, and they probably will be at Heavyweight, but don’t expect him to fight no name fighters.
·Not sure where Mark Coleman fits into the heavyweight picture seeing as how he will be fighting Shogun at light heavyweight
Below I posted my heavyweight rankings. My other rankings will be posted today as well. Certainly the rankings could change a litte bit following UFC 90. I’d love to hear your debate and arguments as these rankings are somewhat subjective.
A heavyweight bout between Antoni Hardonk and Mark Burch is in the works for UFC 92. Hardonk has been an average fighter in the UFC, and has notable wins over Eddie Sanchez and Colin Robinson and has suffered losses to Frank Mir and Justin McCully. Burch is a BodogFight veteran who is heavy handed. This should be an exciting fight for the undercard.
It has been reported from a reliable source to MMAblog that a heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Hardonk is in the works. This could make for a great and exciting fight. Velasquez is the much hyped heavyweight newcomer that is coming off of a dominant perfomance and win over Jake O’Brien at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19th. Antoni Hardonk is a solid fighter who is on a two fight win streak, posting wins over Eddie Sanchez and Colin Robinson respectivley. This should be a good test for Cain and should catapolt him towards the top tier of the divison. This fight has yet to be confirmed, but looks likely.
This may at first look like a less than spectacular main event, however, I think this could be a good fight. The story behind this fight is that Matt Hughes is the most dominant welterweight ever, but many say he is on his way down. Meanwhile, Thiago Alves is on his way up. Alves is coming off of a knockout win over Karo “The Heat” Parisyan. Most people consider Alves a top ten welterweight in the world, however he was out classed and out of his league against Jon Fitch. There is no doubt that Thiago has excellent striking ability. However, I expect Matt Hughes to take Alves down and ground and pound him. I don’t expect Alves to be able to get up agaisnt the bigger Hughes. The worry for me about picking Hughes is first of all he has been busy lately with book signing and opening a new gym. That could distract him. Secondly, he is 34 and Alves is 24. Third, he wants Matt serra and could be looking straight past Alves to Serra. A win here would make Matt Hughes clearly back in line for contention of the belt and if he beats Alves and Serra, he will get another title shot even if it is against Georges St. Pierre. I believe Hughes’ experience will be a help and not a hindrance in this fight. Therefore, I pick Matt Hughes by unanimous decision following three round of slamming Alves and laying on him and elbowing him.
Brandon “The Truth” Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
This is a hard pick to make. Brandon Vera was a rapidly rising star before all the disputes with his manager. He was great in the octagon as well, however, he sropepd his last fight against Tim Sylvia. Fabricio Werdum has tons of talent too. He has beaten some good opponents. He has beaten Gonzaga twice, Aleksander Emleianenko and Alistair Overeem. Vera is a great Muay Thai fighter while Werdum is a great jiu jitsu guy. This fight could go either way. Werdum showed some great striking against Gonzaga. The bottom line is that the winner of this fight will most likely get the winner of the Mir vs. Nogueira fight late in the year. For the sake of making a pick, I will pick Brandon Vera to win by TKO in round 2.
Michael “The Count” Bisping vs. Jason “Dooms” Day
Bisping looked great at 185 in his last fight. He could content at 185. This fight will tell a lot about him as a middleweight. He destroyed Charles McCarthy. I believe Jason Day is a step up from McCarthy in talent. Jason Day is a little bit of a late replacement of the incarcerated Chris Leben. jason Day destroyed a serious contender in Alan Belcher and prior to that beat David Loiseau. That shows what Day is capable of doing in the octagon. I think this will be an exciting fight, and honestly Jason Day could take this fight, but I am going to pick Michael Bisping. He will have the home crowd, he will be ready to go. A win here means Bisping may next get a guy like Leben, Cote or Almeida next. I pick Michael Bisping by TKO in round 2.
Mike “Quick” Swick vs. Marcus Davis
When Mike Swick dropped to welterweight I thought he could be a serious contender. I still think he can be, in fact I have him as my 10th ranked UFC welterweight. However, he didn’t look good at all against Jos Burkman, in fact he very well lost that fight. Marcus Davis on the other hand has looked dominant. Mike swick will be a real test for the “Irish Hand Grenade” who is coming off of 11 straight wins. Whoever wins this fight will be in the title mix. All I have to judge by is Swick’s one performance at welterweight, so I will pick Marcus Davis to win this one in exciting fashion in round 1.
Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
What a ground game this fight could display. Thales Leites is really good, but Nate Marquardt is underrated. He realyl did well against Anderson Silva initially. Marquardt is a contender in this divison. I think that Marquardt will win this fight by submission in round 3.
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Martin Kampmann showed a lot of promise before his injury. Rivera has been an on and off again fighter who you never know how he will perform. We will see how Martin does in his return. Will he have ring rust or will he be hungry for a win? I think that training with Xtreme Couture is a huge advantage to him and that Kampmann will prove to be too much for Rivera. I believe Kampmann will win by first round submission. (Watch for this fight to creep onto the pay per view showing).
Jason Lambert vs. Luis Arthur Cane
Lambert is coming off that disappointing KO from Wilson Gouveia. Can is coming off of that DQ in UFC 79. Both guys are quality fighters, but there isn’t much room for failure in the light heavyweight divison. The loser could essentially be removed from any possibility of contention. The winner will take a step up. I believe that Luis Arthur Cane will prove to be the better striker in this one and will KO Lambert in round 2.
Matt “Handsome” Wiman vs. Thiago Tavares
Matt Wiman has done great since coming off of The Ultimate Fighter. Wiman very well could be one of the underrated lightweights. Tavares is a good fighter as well and he is favored to win this fight. Coincidently, both fighters have recently fought Michihiro Omigawa and both won by unanimous decision. The cool pick will be Tavares, therefore I will pick Matt Wiman to win this fight by unanimous decision. Whoever wins here moves into the top 20 of a stacked divison.
Eddie Sanchez vs. Antoni Hardonk
Eddie Sanchez is a late replacement for the injured Neil Wain. I don’t know how that will affect Sanchez. Hardonk has struggled in the UFC, going 2-2 and losing to Frank Mir and Justin McCully. Sanchez is 3-1 in the UFC. I expect Sanchez to move to 4-1 in the UFC. I don’t expect this fight to last long, maybe into round 2. Therefore I pick Sanchez to win by TKO in round 2.
Roan Carneiro vs. Kevin Burns
Carneiro is beatable, but I don’t know anything about Kevin Burns. I have to pick Carneiro by unanimous decision.
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Taylor has already beaten Liaudin once in his career, Taylor is exciting and if he comes out swinging I expect him to win. I think Taylor win will by first round KO.
Upset Watch: Fabricio Werdum over Brandon Vera and Jason Day over Michael Bisping
UFC 85 is a mess. First, it seems that Ryo Chonan will be replaced by Kevin Burns in his fight with Roan Carneiro
UFC newcomer Kevin “The Fire” Burns (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will likely replace Ryo Chonan (14-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 85, where he’ll meet Roan Carneiro (12-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on the night’s preliminary card.
Sources close to Burns today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the Iowa-based fighter has agreed to be a late replacement at next weekend’s pay-per-view event. The reason for Chonan’s likely departure from the card isn’t immediately known. However, if the fighter swap does take place, it would be the latest of numerous changes that have plagued the fight card since it was first announced. Chuck Liddell, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Chris Leben and James Irvin have all been scratched in recent weeks, and the televised main card has been in a constant state of flux.
Burns, who boasts solid Brazilian jiu jitsu skills, has posted stoppages in all five of his career victories — three by way of submission. Recently, he’s competed for the Victory Fighting Championships and Glory Fighting Championships organizations. In fact, earlier this month, he knocked out Bobby Voelker for the VFC interim welterweight title.
Although he’s a relative newcomer on the professional scene, Burns fought a number of times as an amateur. He is reported to have delivered UFC veteran Josh Neer the only loss of his amateur career.
I am slighlty saddened by this one as I thought it would make a good fight. I have no idea what is wrong with Chonan.
Secondly, UFC newcomcer Neil wain will be replaced by UFC vet Eddie Sanchez in his heavyweight bout with Antoni Hardonk. Honestly, I think this makes for a more interesting fight on paper.
Eddie Sanchez (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will step in to replace Neil Wain (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a UFC 85 preliminary bout with Antoni Hardonk (6-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC).
The organization updated the event’s fight card earlier today.
No reason was giving for the departure of Wain, an undefeated English fighter who recently signed a four-fight deal with the UFC.
What if UFC had a 16 man tournament. In other words a little bigegr version of what DREAM is doing with lightweights and middleweights. A tournament would doa lot of good things. It would give an underdog the chance to win and fight the top dog. You would have to have some type of ranking to do it and seed the guys like with the NCAA basketball tournament. It would ease match making. It would give exciting fights and intriguing possibilites. Can you imagine all the possible scenarios of what could happen and who could fight one another? I bet guys would fight passionatley. There would be upsets. So…I played around and came up with this…I took my 16 top guys in each class and made a bracket. The fight one winner will fight the fight 2 winner and so on…
Lightweight:
Round One Match ups:
B.J. Penn vs. Rich Clementi
Clay Guida vs. Gray Maynard
Marcus Aurelio vs. Frank Edgar
Kenny Florian vs. Manny Gamburyan
Sean Sherk vs. Spencer Fisher
Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson
Joe Lauzon vs. Tyson Griffin
Roger Huerta vs. Mac Danzig
Welterweight:
Georges St. Pierre vs. Chris Lytle
Thiago Alves vs. Mike Swick
Karo Parisyan vs. Matt Serra
Josh Koscheck vs. Ryo Chonan
Jon Fitch vs. Roan Carneiro
Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fiorvanti
Marcus Davis vs. Akihiro Gono
Matt Hughes vs. Chris Wilson
Middleweight:
Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites
Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Quarry
Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
Yushin Okami vs. Demian Maia
Rich Franklin vs. Evan Tanner
Nate Marquardt vs. Jason MacDonald
Chris Leben vs. Michael Bisping
Dan Henderson vs. Jorge Rivera
Light Heavyweight:
Quinton Jackson vs. Goran Reljic
Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Matt Hammil
Wanderlei Silva vs. Sokoudjou
Chuck Liddell vs. Houston Alexander
Keith Jardine vs. Jame Irvin
Forrest Griffin vs. Wilson Gouveia
Thiago Silva vs. Rashad Evans
Lyoto Machida vs. Stephan Bonnar
Heavyweight:
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Dan Evenson
Cheick Kongo vs. Eddie Sanchez
Heath Herring vs. Cain Velasquez
Frank Mir vs. Christian Wellish
Fabricio Werdum vs. Antoni Hardonk
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane Carwin
Brock Lesnar vs. Justin McCully
Brandon Vera vs. Neil Wain
This all could make some interesting match-ups. What you would do would be take all five divisons and make 5 fight cards with 8 fights each. You could split them up or have a “lightweight card”. 5 cards would finish round one. Then you could have two 10 fight card and that would finish round two. Then you could have another card that would do the semi-final match ups and another card for the championships. Try making an un-televised undercard out of any of these fights. That would be awesome. Of course you could put more thought into match ups and potential second and third round “dream match up” in where you placed fighters, but it is a great idea. The one flaw is that if the UFC had one card a month this tournament would take 9 months to finish and that would keep a lot of fighters from fighting in that time. I guess you could break it up and have non-tournament fights mixed in there too. Just food for thought…
Hardonk lost to a uninspired Frank Mir and Justin McCully. Robinson has been fighting very well of late. These two are virtually the same size, but I look for Robinson to pull out a win, possibly by decision.
Jorge Rivera vs. Kendall Grove
The question is was Grove’s loss to Cote a fluke or is Cote a better fighter? Grove has beaten some good fighters in the UFC and I think he is better than he showed against Cote. Rivera has been around for a while. I suppose the size will be a factor, especailly if it stays standing. I pick Kendall grove by TKO or Ref stoppage in round 1.
Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin
Perhaps Davis is the fighter who has been fighting the best in the UFC. Liaudin is not a push over, but his record is unimpressive. I look for Davis to continue to climb up the welterweight rankings and right into that top tier of fighters. A win here is a must in order to do that. I pick Marcus Davis by sumission.
Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor
I will pick Paul Taylor simpyl because of how well he fought Marcus Davis. I predict him to win by submission.
James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara
I just think Alessio Sakara was beaten too bad by Houston Alexander to win. He has lost numerous fights. I just expect the unknown James Lee to pull out a win, unless they are just handing him to Sakara to make him feel better.
Jason Lambert vs. Wilson Gouveia
Experience goes to Lambert and size goes to Gouveia. Lambert has a lot of quality wins (Terry Martin, Rob MacDonald, Babalu, and Marvin Eastman. He lost to Rashad Evans, which is a tough opponent. I think in the end Wilson Gouveia will win by ref stoppage in round 3.
Sam Stout vs. Per Eklund
I know nothing of Per Eklund. I looked up his fights and I know nothing of anyone he has fought. He appears to have a submissions game, which could be bad for Stout, but Sam Stout has more heart than most people. I am basing this on the Spencer Fisher fight basically. This could be one I am dead wrong on.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
Gonzaga got beat down by Randy Couture, but he is still a top notch heavyweight. That kick to Cro Cop still hurts to watch. He had some devestating kicks to Randy. He has a ground game, he is big, he is strong. Werdum coudl catch him, but I look for Gonzaga to win by TKO in round 2.
I expect to see new title holders in every division but one and that is the middleweight. All though Anderson could be challenged by Dan Henderson. My picks for the title holders: Nogueira, Not sure about lightheavyweight, Anderson Silva, St. Pierre, and B.J. Penn.
I expect to see a few more fighters signed to UFC contracts. Highlighting the list: Matt Lindland, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields, and some other big name surprise
I expect TUF to be a disappointment with Rampage Jackson getting a lot of camera time saying his crazy off the wall things
I expect the middleweight division to get tougher
I expect a few UFC stars to retire (Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin)
I expect Sean Sherk to get another title shot, but B.J. Penn to beat him badly
I expect the light heavyweight division to get crazier with guys like Machdia, Thiago Silva, Rashad Evans, and Shogun in the title mix.
I expect Chuck Liddell to avenge his loss to Keith Jardine by summer
I expect that Shogun is still only one fight away from a title shot, I think that my top ten in the lightheavyweight at the top ten at light heavyweight, perhaps not in that order.
I expect Dan Henderson to try Anderson Silva like he hasn’t been tried in a while
I expect Jon Fitch, Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk, Roger Huerta, Matt Lindland, and either Arlovski or Cro Cop to get a title shot.
I expect the former PRIDE guys to turn it around in the octagon
I expect another solid fight from Wanderlai Silva, can you say rematch?
I expect the Fedor vs. Randy fight to happen
I expect other organizations to become more of a competition to the UFC
I expect Dana White to say many more expletives on national television
I expect TUF alums to suceed this year even more
I expect Diego Sanchez to drop to lightweight
I expect Brock Lesnar to be a middle of the road fighter
I expect Brandon Vera to drop to lightheavyweight
I expect Bisping to cry when he gets beat in middleweight
Where do fighters rank in the UFC? I’ve seen all sorts of thoughts on rankings, so I will chime in and give my rankings, which of course are the best and most accurate. I am using a few guidelines.
This is strictly UFC, not including fighters not yet signed in UFC from Pride. For example, Fedor would be on or near the top of the Heavyweight rankings, but he is yet to sign so he is not included
This is based not on popularity or even record, but purely on who I perceive to be the best fighters
I am putting the title holders at number one in each weight class, even though they might not be the best in that class, for example, I would not have Matt Serra as the best fighter in his class, but he is the belt holder.
Some fighters are rising quickly and others are falling quickly (i.e. Tito and Cro Cop)
HEAVYWEIGHTS
1. Randy “The Natural” Couture
2. Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Cheick Kongo
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Mirko “Cro Cop”
8. Brandon Vera
9. Frank Mir
10. Jeff Monson
11. Heath Herring
12. Fabricio Werdum
13. Assuerio Silva
(Note: Fedor, Josh Barnett, and even Aleksander Emelianko may have made the list had they signed. )
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
1. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
3. Dan Henderson
4. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell
5. Wandelai Silva
6. Rashad Evans
7. Houston Alexander
8. Tito Ortiz
9. Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine
10. Forrest Griffin
11. Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira
12. Matt “The Hammer” Hamill
13. Micael Bisping
14. Ryoto Machida
15. Jason Lambert
16. Stephan Bonnar
17. Renato “Babalu” Sorbal
18. Wilson Gouveia
19. Marvin Eastman
(Note: I put Hamill above Bisping because I believe he beat Bisping in their fight. Even though Bisping got the win, Hammil looked better.)
MIDDLEWEIGHT:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Rich Franklin
3. Yushim Okami
4. Terry Martin
5. Nate Marquardt
6. Dan Henderson
7. Jason MacDonald
8. Patrick Cote
9. Kalib Starnes
10. Chris Leben
11. Martin Kampmann
12. Thales Leites
13. Ivan Salaverry
14. Nate “Rock” Quarry
15. Evan Tanner
16. Kendall Grove
17. Ed Herman
18. Travis Lutter
19. Dean Lister
20. Alessio Sakara
WELTERWEIGHT:
1. Matt Serra
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Matt Hughes
4. Diego Sanchez
5. Karo Parisyan
6. Josh Koschek
7. Jon Fitch
8. B.J. Penn
9. Marcus Davis
10. Mike Swick
11. Thiago Alves
12. Josh Burkman
13. Luigi Fioravanti
14. Nick Diaz
15. Chris Lytle
16. Edilberto “Crocota” de Oliveira
17. Jonathan Goulet
LIGHTWEIGHT:
1. Sean Sherk
2. B.J. Penn
3. Joe “Daddy” Stevenson
4. Roger Huerta
5. Kenny Florian
6. Hermes Franca
7. Nick Diaz
8. Joe Lauzon
9. Din Thomas
10. Marcus Davis
11. Clay Guida
12. Spencer Fisher
13. Frank Edgar
14. Melvin Guillard
15. Drew Fickett
16. Kurt Pellegrino
17. Terry Etim
18. Tyson Griffin
19. Marcus Aurelio
20. Sam Stout
21. Tiago Tavares
22. Nate Diaz
(Note: I listed to 22 because there are so many quality fighters and the last 12-15 of these guys are not far from one another in ranking, Some rankings have my number 19 Marcus Aurelio much higher, but come on, whose he gonna bump down?)
Let the disputing begin. I’d love to hear comments. Perhaps I left someone off included someone I shouldn’t have. Perhaps I have someone overrated or another underrated. Let me know what you think.
MMA Blog 
