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
Two good action packed episodes back to back. Ryan Bader is very strong and showed good wrestling, but was boring. He layed and prayed his way to victory. Vinny is a beast on the ground and is a dangerous fight for Bader. Vinny locked in a arm bar on Krzytof. Phillipe is awesome. He locked in a deep kimura on George Roop. Nover just outclassed Roop. Efrain didn’t look back either submitting Junie with a D’Arce choke. Junie did not take Efrain seriously. I have a feeling the antics were so he would have an excuse for a loss. Both lightweight finalists have good submissions.
At first I was mad that Dana didn’t kick Junie out. However, he was right. It was much better to see Junie loose than to be kicked off. Now he has no excuses. Congrats to those guys and to the whole cast for a good season.
The rest of the fight card should be announced soon.
Don’t forget tonight to watch WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia live on VERSUS at 8:00 P.M.
Also, following WEC 37 turn to SPIKE to watch the final two episodes of the Ultimate Fighter Season 8. There will be four fights aired, plus the potential to see Junie kicked off. The light heavyweight fights will be Ryan Bader vs. Eliot Marshall and Krzysztof Soszynski Sosynski vs. Vinny Magalhes. The lightweight scraps will be Philippe Nover vs. George Roop and Junie Briowning vs. Efrain Escudero.
Check out this preview for UFC 92 which breaks down Forrest Griffin vs. rashad Evans, Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva.
There are some great BJJ practioners out there. Many of them have chosen a career in mixed martial arts and many of them have faired very well. However, the transfer is not easy and MMA is a different baby than jiu jitsu. If you don’t believe me try taking punshed to the face while working for your submissions. Some guys have been very successful. Any time I give a list I am sure to make notable omissions. Any omissions are out of my ignorance and not simply a bad ranking. Ranking jiu jitsu practioners in MMA is difficult because of weight class divisions. However, I will rank them by overall success in MMA, potential to be a champ and jiu jitsu credentials in the MMA world.
1.Demian Maia – The UFC middleweight contender may not be the best in the world at jiu-jit-su, but he has done very well in MMA and is always a submission threat.
2.Ronaldo “Jacare” de Souza – He has done well in MMA and is a legend on the ground
3.Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – His MMA career merits him a top spot.
4.Royce Gracie
5.Ricardo Almeida
6.Rousimar Palhares
7.Jake Shields
8.Shinya Aoki
9.Vinny Magalhes – The TUF 8 cast member is a stud on the ground and as of now he is NOT better than Nogueira
10.Robert Drysdale – I was hesitant to put him on this list because he just started in MMA, but he very well may be the best BJJ practitioner in the world right now
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.
UFC 92 is already a dominant card that will put great fights on the undercard. One of those fights appears to be a light heavyweight cout between Matt Hamill and Reese Andy. Andy and Hamill are both coming off of loses to newcomers to the UFC Light Heavyweight divison in Rich Franklin and Brandon Vera.
Both of these guys are very good wrestlers and are strong guys. Matt Hamill would obvious be the favorite going into the fight, but one shouldn’t sleep on Andy. Looks to be a solid fight, but I doubt it makes the main card, which has a trio of headliners in bouts between Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir, and Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson. Wow!
Episode 3 reportedly got the lowest ratings in the show’s history. Frankly, I have enjoyed this season through 3 episodes. I think the coaches are world class and I think there are 6-8 guys that will be in the UFC long term.
The Injured:
It seems that born Karn and Brian had fractured noses and were not cleared by the Athletic comission. While some may think the UFC was unfair by asking them to leave, it was really out of their hands. This is a part of the game. I don’t blame them for making them leave, but I do hope to see Karn and Brian in the finale. Last season not many of the guys got a a chance at the finale. I think we will see more this season. In fact I hope all 16 guys + Karn and Brian get a chance at the finale. I’d love to see a Karn vs. Eliott re-match at the finale (unless Eliot makes the finals). I couldn’t help but to feel bad for Karn and Brian, I really hope they get a second chance. By the way, I think Antwain Britt should have been give a chance too, but it looks like he is fighting elsewhere. He may make it to the UFC one day anyways.
The Replacements:
The LHW replacement for Karn was the obvious choice and the best choice; Kyle Kingsbury. He deserved a chance. I always feel bad on those fight your way into the house fights for the guy that is matched against one of the top guys. Kingsbury very well could have beaten many of the other light heavyweight guys. If the UFC is going to use the fight your way into the house idea, they need to see fighters somehow so that the best guys get in the house. In other words, if you have 16 light heavyweights fighting for 8 spots, they would match the best fighter against who was considered the weakest, the second best against the second worst, etc, etc. With that said, Kingsbury was a good choice, and I think they may have come close to getting the 8 best light heavyweights in the end. The lightweight fighter remained a mystery as he was flown out. I expected Wesley Murch to come back, but he may have been injured. For some reason I thought I saw him in some group photos of the cast. I guess I was wrong. I also would have expected a guy like Joe Duarte who was a favorite to win by many bloggers. The replacement was Roli Delgado. I don’t know about that call, but we will see how he does.
The Team Selection:
The first pick went to Team Mir and he picked Krzysztof Soszynski. He looked impressive and would have to be a favorite to make it far in the show. Team Nogueira’s first LHW pick was Ryan Bader, the favorite to win the show. I think the teams were pretty even. If I was to guess i would say both teams will have 2 semi-finalists from each weight class. My earlier picks for the final for LHW are: Krzysztof Soszynski, Ryan Bader, Vinny Magalhaes, and Shane Primm (in that order). And for LW: Shane Nelson, Efrain Escudero, Phillipe Nover, and Junie Browning.
The Fight:
I liked the pick. Team Nogueira’s first pick against Team Mir’s last light heavyweight pick. Ryan Bader is a bigger version of C.B. Dolloway. The fight went as expected. It isn’t that Lawlor isn’t good, but Ryan Bader is so strong. He eventually took Lawlor down and worked a bit. Then he took him down again with authority. Finally, he postured up and KO’d Lawlor. Lawlor was out. Bader is still one of the favorites to win. He did nothing to ruin that and he could be a tough match up for a lot of guys, but I’d love to see him fight a jiu-jitsu wiz like Vinny.
The House Antics:
We know who this season’s Jesse Taylor or Chris Leben is. It is none other than Junie Allen Browning. I think Junie is talented and maybe good enough to win and compete in the UFC, but he is nuts. He needs medicated. I can’t handle him for the whole season. First, I think he likes the attention. Second, I think he is crazy. He runs his mouth way too much and he is going to get his butt beat by someone. I like UFC, and I like TUF, but I don’t like the house antics. I like the practical jokes. By the way, what a great joke that way lead by Krzysztof. It was done in fun and Bader and Primm thought it was funny too. However, I don’t like the running around like an idiot, breaking things, drinking piss, fighting in the house attitudes. I know some hate when people say this, but I will anyways: It doesn’t represent MMA well. These dudes are supposed to be adults and professionals. That leads me into this; check out the leak from Episode 4. This seems to be crazy. It shows Junie going nuts. He tries to fight Bader, Lawlor, and Krzysztof in this little segment. He looked dumb as a rock. Also, those 3 Light Heavyweights showed great restraint. Many people would have KO’d Junie right there, but they didn’t. Junie tried to pick fights the best he could, but those guys showed serious class…from what was shown. Apparently, things break loose and Dana is called in and has to chew them out. I can only imagine what antics go on next episode, but I hope the antics don’t overshadow the fights and the fighters.
Check this video out. Frank Mir is brining in some great coaches including: Dan Henderson, Demian Maia, Robert Drysdale and Greg Jackson. Nogueira also will bring in some great coaches. It looks like this season will be a great opportunity for these fighters to learn from the best. I hope they eat it up and don’t do stupid stuff to blow the chance of their lives.
So, which UFC fighters are future hall of famers? Currently, there are 5 hall of famers which include: Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Royce Gracie, and Ken Shamrock. So as you pan through current UFC fighters which guys are hall of fame calibur. Let me tell you…
1. Chuck Liddell – Despite his recent struggles in the octagon, Liddell is the face of the UFC. Not only that he has faired well in his career. He was a very feared fighter and a dominant champion. He boasts some big wins over the likes of Tito Ortiz, Babalu, Wanderlei Silva, and Randy Couture. This is a no-brainer. This is what baseball fans would call a first ballot hall of famer.
2. Matt Hughes- Hughes is called the most dominant welterweight champion of all time. He was dominant, and he may not be totally done yet. He has coaches TUF two times. He has been a force in the divison for years and held the belt it seems like forever. Another first ballot guy.
3. Tito Ortiz – Let me begin by saying I despise Tito Ortiz. I do not like him Sam I am. However, no one can deny his dominance for a time. I think he is done now, but he defended his belt a record number of times. I don’t know if he will ever make it to the UFC Hall of Fame, but he should based on his in the octagon performance and popularity. He lifted the sport when it was struggling. He should be in, but like Pete Rose there are all sorts of other factors.
4. Rich Franklin – The second best middleweight in the world. People forget how good he is because of his losses to Anderson Silva. He has been dominant otherwise. He has a phenomenal record, he has been champ, he is incredibly popular, and he keeps getting better. I love Rich Franklin and think he is surely hall of fame worthy no doubt.
5. B.J. Penn – B.J. is really a prodigy. He has been welterweight and lightweight champion. He may be both at the same time come January. He has cleaned out the lightweights and has fought the best welterweights. He is one of the most popular fighters in the world and he is growing in talent and popularity. He may not be a hall of famer today, but one more big win and he is a lock.
6. Anderson Silva – He may be the most dominant fighter ever. He is the pound for pound best in the world. He has changed the sport. He is all around talented. He can beat anyone and the scray thing is I don’t know if he will ever lose. He is in.
7. Georges St. Pierre– He is not in yet, but he will be. He has some work to do. He has to keep the belt for a while to be hall of fame in my book. He has hall of fame talent though. He has the popualrity. I have no doubts that by the time all is said and done St. Pierre will be a UFC Hall of famer.
8. Forrest Griffin – Overrated? I think so. Popular? Undeniable. Hard working? No one works harder. The reason I would give Forrest the nod is what he did in the Ultimate Fighter. He is one of the most popular UFC fighters, but mainly because he is considered the savior of the UFC. Dana White has said that the Griffin-Bonnar fight saved the UFC. Now he is a champ and is getting quite the resume with wins over Shogun and Rampage. He is still growing too as a fighter. He will be a hall of famer.
9. Evan Tanner– With his recent death I began to think about his hall of fame potential. His popularity was huge. However, Tanner had a lot of baggage outside the octagon which may have caused him to not reach his full potential in the octagon. I think he could be a hall of famer. In his prime he was beating a lot of guys. He is a former champ, which is a must. He very well could be a hall of famer if people can look past his struggles.
10. Tim Sylvia – I know, I know another guy I don’t like. Tim is very polarizing. He doesn’t have the popularity for some reason, but he was good in the UFC. He beat tons of guys. He held the title a couple times. He could be, but may not be because he is not in the best standing in the UFC now that he left for Affliction.
Other Candidates: Andrei Arlovski, Quinton Jackson, Frank Mir
Note: Many of the current UFC guys who were stars in PRIDE were left out such as Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Shogun Rua, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Who did I leave out? Weigh in below in the comments section.
We all know of the lgal battle over Randy Couture’s contract. Zuffa has apparently won that legal battle and now controls Couture’s fighting future. At 45 years old Couture cannot have much left in the tank, but it is possible despite all the back and forth legal troubles to see Randy in the UFC octagon one more time, and this may be before year’s end. Randy is still considered the UFC heavyweight champ and I do not know how a fight would be marketed or what it would entail, but another fight is possible as a means of settling with Zuffa out of court and then freeing him from his contract and enabling him to fight Fedor Emelieanenko. Here is what I have found on the issue…
Rumors are starting to swirl that former UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture could headline UFC 91 as the organization swings into Portland, OR, for the first time ever in November.Goldenboy, a respected member of the mixedmartialarts.com forum who has provided credible tips in the past, provided the info earlier this afternoon. He first broke the news of Aleksander Emelianenko failing his blood test.
Even more notably:
While Couture’s participation at UFC 91 is far from official, Eric, an amateur member of the Xtreme Couture gym where Randy trains, has confirmed that Couture is training to fight somebody in the near future.
And more…
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture could return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship by year’s end as part of an out-of-court settlement with the organization.
Multiple sources close to the fighter, speaking exclusively to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), today said that Couture is willing to fight once more for the UFC, possibly before the end of the year, as a potentia; resolution to his ongoing legal battles with the fight promotion.
However, Couture himself could not be reached for comment, and it’s unknown if the UFC is even considering the offer at this point.
According to one source, as part of Couture’s concession to return the octagon, the 45-year-old UFC hall-of-famer would want to walk away “clear and free” from the organization after the bout
The question is who will Randy fight? The situation is complicated. Randy is still the UFC heavyweight champion. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the UFC interim heavyweight champion. Nogueira is scheduled to fight Frank Mir in December as a cap to the TUF 8 season. It wouldn’t make sense for Randy to fight Nogueira, although that is the fight I have called for the whole time. I have never understood why Randy ducked Nogueira. Nogueira is by most considered the number 2 heavyweight in the world behind Fedor. Randy said he wants to fight those better than him and he wants Fedor. Why cause all this rift to get to Fedor when he should beat the number 2 first? A fight with Nogueira would complicate things now. If Couture won, what would happen to Nog’s title? If Nog won it would be ideal, but you can’t bank on that. Some have speculated it could be Brock Lesnar, who was rumored to fight Knongo at UFC 91, but that has been reported off due to a injury to Kongo. Oh boy. I have no idea what will happen now. I suspect we will find out soon.
MMAblog Prediction: Many consider Bader to the favorite going in.He surely has the wrestling skills as he is all All-American wrestler.He will be a lot like his friend and training partner, C.B. Dolloway.I think Bader could do well and should have a future in the UFC.
Links:
2.Vinicius Magalhaes
Record: 2-2
Age: 23
Trains: Team Quest (Temecula, CA)
MMAblog Prediction:
Links:
3.Krzysztof Soszynski
Record: 16-8-1
Age: 30
Trains: Team Quest (Temecula, CA)
MMAblog Prediction:
Links:
4.Eliot Marshall
Record: 5-1
Age: 27
Trains: Eastern Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Boulder, CO)
MMAblog Prediction:
Links:
5.Shane Primm
Record: 1-0
Age: 23
Trains: Team Gracie Tampa (Tampa, FL)
MMAblog Prediction:
Links:
6.Tom Lawlor
Record: 6-2
Age: 24
Trains: American Top Team (Oviedo, FL)
MMAblog Prediction:
Links:
7.Antwain Britt
Record: 4-0
Age: 28
Trains: Bombsquad MMA (Virginia Beach, VA)
MMAblog Prediction: Makes it into the house
Links:
8.Kyle Kingsbury
Record: 7-1
Age: 26
Trains: American Kickboxing Academy (Sunnyvale, CA)
MMAblog Prediction: Makes it into the house
Links:
9.Ryan Jimmo
Record: 6-1
Age: 26
Trains: Titans MMA (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
MMAblog Prediction: Doesn’t make it into the house or is tapped as a replacement
Links:
10.Lance Evans
Record: 4-2
Age: 30
Trains: TKO MMA (Niagara Falls, NY)
MMAblog Prediction: This is Rashad Evans’ brother, but I don’t think he will make it into the house.
Links:
11.Jason Guida
Record: 26-13
Age: 30
Trains: Hellhouse (Chicago, IL)
MMAblog Prediction: This is Clay Guida’s brother and the most experienced fighter on this cast, but I predict that he doesn’t make it into the house
Links:
12.Karen Grigoryan
Record: 5-0
Age: 26
Trains: RusFighters Sports Club (Russia)
MMAblog Prediction: Doesn’t make it into the house
Links:
13.Jules Bruchez
Record: 3-2
Age: 30
Trains: Ronin Dojo (Lafayette, LA)
MMAblog Prediction: Doesn’t make it into the house
Links:
14.Ryan Lopez
Record: 5-3
Age: 25
Trains: Oklahoma City, OK
MMAblog Prediction: Doesn’t make it into the house
Links:
15.Sean O’Connell
Record: 1-0
Age: 24
Trains: Salt Lake City, Utah
MMAblog Prediction: Doesn’t make it into the house
Links:
16.Eric Magee
Record: 3-1
Age: 23
Trains: South Shore Sports Fighting (Rockland, MA)
MMAblog Prediction: Doesn’t make it into the house
MMAblog Prediction: Joe Duarte very well could be the 24 year old lightweight that Dana White Previously referred to as the “next Anderson Silva”.I think Duarte could go far in this, maybe even to the finals.He has to be the favorite going into the show.I am quite sure he makes it into the house.Duarte is an Army vet who is a very big lightweight, who walks around at 200 pounds.There is some speculation that he gets injured on the show.
MMAblog Prediction: Shane Nelson is a very good prospect and we expect him also to go far in this season.He is another one of the lightweight favorite, and the fact that he trains with B.J. Penn just helps him.
MMAblog Prediction: Escudero could be a surprise here.From what I hear he has great submissions and is improving rapidly.I predict he at least makes it into the lightweight semi-finals, and very well could be in the finals.Escudero finishes fights.He is 10-0 with 9 wins by submission.
MMAblog Prediction: Browning apparently has skills.He may be the obnoxious one on this season, but appears to be able to back it up.I predict he will at least make it into the house.He boats a solid 16-1 amateur record as well.He has a solid wrestling background at Kentucky State.
MMAblog Prediction: From group pictures I have seen from the show, Murch is in them, so I would assume he makes it into the house.How much further he goes I do not know.
MMA Blog 
