TUF 8 Finale Predictions

Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero

These two fighters have a huge ceiling as far as talent goes.  In fact, I think either of these guys could be contenders eventually.  I would put both of them up against many UFC lightweights right now.  Escudero really impressed on the show.  I saw many people picking him to go far in forums, but I was a doubter.  In fact when he was matched against Shane Nelson I thought he was done.  When he was matched against Junie I thought he was done.  Efrain has greta wrestling and great submissions.  That tirangle choke on Nelson was sick.  We may not really know how good Efrain is because he had the tougher road to the finals.  It is really possible that he beat two of the best guys in the house.  Phillipe has to beware of Efrain’s submissions.  Dana White has been in this business a while and like him or not he knows MMA and recognizes talent.  Dana raved over Phillipe.  In fact, he says that Nover may be the most talented kids ever on The Ultimate Fighter.  That is saying something considering TUF has produced names like Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, Michael Bisping, Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, Matt Hamill, Stephan Bonnar, Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, etc.  Nover looks to have a complete skill set.  His striking and muay thai seems to be unrivaled at 155 lbs.  He showed slick submission skills.  I would not keel over with a heart attack if Efrain won, but Nover has to be the favorite and that is why I am picking Phillipe to win by submission in round 1.  However, both of these guys have bright futures in the UFC. 

Phillipe Nover		vs.	Efrain Escudero
		Nickname
	NR	MMA Blog Rank	NR
	155 Lbs.	Weight Class	155 Lbs.
	5-0-1 (0-0 UFC)	Record	10-0 (0-0 UFC)

For The Ultimate Fighter 8 Lightweight Championship

Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhes

If someone would have told me this would have beent he fight for the finals I would not have doubted it, but I would have picked Bader to dominate.  However, after the semi-finals my opinion has changed slightly.  Bader won, won easily, but did not look great in his lay n’ pray victory.  Vinny looked very good against fellow Team Quester Krzystof Sosynski.  Vinny has fantastic ground skills.  Some have said he is one of the best in the world.  I agree.  Bader could be in trouble.  Bader has a solid wrestling pedigree.  He will look to use his wrestling to keep the fight standing.  Vinny insists that he has improved his striking and will win by knockout.  I don’t see that happening.  Vinny seems timid and reluctant with striking and does not like getting hit.  Bader has KO power.  I would be shocked if Vinny’s chin is not tested.  That will be the test.  If the fight goes to the ground it gets interesting.  Can Vinny work a submission while being punched?  Can Bader avoid submissions?  I worry that this finale will end just like the finale with his teamate C.B. Dolloway.  Anyways, I pick Bader by decision, but watch out for submissions.

Ryan Bader		vs.	Vinny Magalhes
	Darth	Nickname	Pezao
	NR	MMA Blog Rank	NR
	205 Lbs.	Weight Class	205 Lbs.
	7-0 (0-0 UFC)	Record

For The Ultimate Fighter 8 Light Heavyweight Championship

Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia

This is a hard fight to pick.  MacDonald is a very good and so is Gouveia.  Wilson did well at light heavyweight, but dropped to 185 lbs following his loss to Goran Reljic.  Gouveia is a good jiu jitsu player, but MacDonal showed against Demian Maia that he has decent submission defense.  I think MacDonald is better all around.  I think MacDonald will beware of Gouviea’s submissions and will win by decision.  By the way, I am wavering on this fight prediction.

Wilson Gouveia		vs.	Jason MacDonald
		Nickname	The Athlete
	17	MMA Blog Rank	15
	185 Lbs.	Weight Class	185 Lbs.
	11-5 (5-2 UFC)	Record	21-10 (5-3 UFC)

Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

This is a re-match of an earlier fight that ended in controversy.  Burns poked Johnson numerous times in the eye and it led to Johnson falling down due to an eye poke and Burns being declared the winner by TKO.  Horrible decision.  However, the re-match should be good.  Burns is a godo fighter and he did not want the fight to end that way.  he says that he was forced to strike with an open hand because of a broken hand.  Howeverm he says it is fixed.  Johnson is looking for revenge.  We saw in the Johnson vs. Tommy Speer fight what Johnson is capable of.  Don’t look for him to walk through Burns.  Burns has solid all around.  He submitted Roan Carneiro in his UFC debut.  I still think Johnson wins this fight by TKO in round 2. 

Anthony Johnson		vs.	Kevin Burns
	Rumble	Nickname	The Fire
	NR	MMA Blog Rank	NR
	170 Lbs.	Weight Class	170 Lbs.
	5-2 (2-2 UFC)	Record	7-1 (2-0 UFC)

 Junie Allen Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

Dave Kaplan and Junie Browning are both jokes.  Frank Mir was all on the Kaplan bandwagon.  He looked terrible against Phillipe.  Was Phillipe that good or is Kaplan that bad?  We just don’t know with Junie.  Has he gotten his act together?  Is he going to be mentally prepared for this?  Physically, Junie is the better fighter.  Mentally, I don’t know.  Anyways, from what I hear Junie is sober.  Junie is training at Xtreme Couture and is living with Shwan Thompkins.  I think that has to help.  I predict that Junie comes out and impresses.  I predict that Junie wins by TKO in round 1. 

Junie Allen Browning		vs.	Dave Kaplan
		Nickname
	NR	MMA Blog Rank	NR
	155 Lbs.	Weight Class	155 Lbs.
	2-0 (0-0 UFC)	Record

 Quick Picks:

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm

Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor

George Roop vs. Shane Nelson

Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski

This Week In MMA

 ·         UFC Fight Night 16: Fight For the Troops – Wednesday, December 10^th

This event is a special bonus for fight fans.  Also, it is a stand up gesture by the UFC.  Say what you want about Dana White and the UFC, but no other fight organizations show the benevolence that the UFC does.  The goal of these fights is to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen heroes Fund.  Click here to find out more or to make donations.  Not only is it a good cause, but there are several good fights.  We will see stars such as Josh Ksocheck, Mike Swick, Matt Wiman, Jim Miller, WEC champ Steve Cantwell, and Luigi Fiorvanti.  Tune in to SPIKE on Wednesday Night to watch this event. 

o   Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

o   Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet

o   Matt Wiman vs. Jim Miller

o   Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al-Hussan

o   Liugi Fioravanti vs. Brodie Farber

o   Nate Loughran vs. Tim Credeur

o   Steve Bruno vs. Johnny Rees

o   Eddie Sanchez vs. Justin McCully

o   Ben Saunders vs. Brandon Wolff

o   Corey Hill vs. Dale Hartt

·         Adrenaline MMA 2 – Thursday, December 11

Some good fights on tap here.  The biggest enw may be the return of legend, Pat Miletich against Thomas Denny.  Also in action will be former IFL Heavyweight champ Ben Rothwell, rising Heavyweight star Mike Russow and several other notable fighters. 

o   Pat Miletich vs. Thomas Denny

o   Ben Rothwell vs. Chris Guillen

o   Mike Russow vs. Branden Bice

o   LC Davis vs. Billy Kidd

o   Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Derrick Mehmen

o   Gabe Lemley vs. Dan Loman

o   Ryan McGivern vs. Geno Roderick

o   Pat Curran vs. Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez

o   Jesse Lennox vs. Ryan Williams

·         Mixed Fighting Alliance – Saturday, December 13

This boasts a solid main event between two heavyweight legends in Monson and Rodriquez.  The big news will be the debut of WWE star Bobby Lashley.  The question will be can he do what Lesnar has done? 

o   Jeff Monson vs. Ricco Rodriquez

o   Bobby Lashley vs. Joshua Franklin

o   Ariel Grandulla vs. David Baggett

·         The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale – Saturday, December 13^th                   

I do not know of another TUF finale that I have been so excited about.  This season has all the 16 cast members fighting on this card.  Two exciting finals and two exciting bouts of non TUF cast members in Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia and a re-match between Kevin Burns and Anthony Johnson.

o   Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhes

o   Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero

o   Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia

o   Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

o   Junie Allen Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

o   Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm

o   Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez

o   Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor

o   Shane Nelson vs. George Roop

o   Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski

 

 

The TUF 8 Finale Match-Ups Are Set

 The match ups are all set for the TUF 8  Finale which airs live on Spike on December 13th.  The surprise is that all the cast members are fighting.                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Main Card:                                                                                                                                                     Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhes                                                                                                                     Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero                                                                                                               Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia                                                                                                     Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns                                                                                                                 Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

Undercard:                                                                                                                                              Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm                                                                                                           Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor
Shane Nelson vs. George Roop
Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski

MMABlog’s Welterweight MMA Rankings

Rank	Name	Organization	Next Fight
1	Georges St. Pierre	UFC	Penn (LW #1) 1/31
2	Jon Fitch	UFC
3	Jake Shields	EliteXC?
4	Josh Koscheck	UFC	Alves (#5), 9/25
5	Thiago Alves	UFC	Koscheck (#4), 9/25
6	Carlos Condit	WEC
7	Diego Sanchez	UFC
8	Karo Parisyan	UFC	1/31
9	Matt Hughes	UFC	Serra (#10) 4/?
10	Matt Serra	UFC	Hughes (#9), 4/?
11	Mike Swick	UFC	Goulet (NR) 12/10
12	Marcus Davis	UFC
13	Hayato Sakurai
14	Nick Thompson	EliteXC?
15	Brock Larson	WEC
16	Chris Lytle	UFC
17	Jay Hieron	Affliction
18	Dustin Hazelett	UFC	McCrory (NR) 11/15
19	Chris Wilson	UFC
20	Yoshiyuki Yoshida	UFC	Koscheck (#4) 12/10
21	Dan Hardy	UFC
22	Ryo Chonan	UFC	Blackburn (NR), 12/27
23	Akihiro Gono	UFC
24	Dong Hyun Kim	UFC
25	Luigi Fiorvanti	UFC	Farber (NR), 12/10

UFC Fight Night 14 Fighter Salaries

Anderson Silva: $200,000

Brandon Vera: $200,000 ($100,000 win bonus)

Frankie Edgar: $51,000 ($13,000 win bonus & $25,000 Fight of the Night Bonus)

CB Dollaway: $45,000 ($10,000 win bonus & $25,000 Submission of the Night Bonus)

Hermes Franca: $42,000 ($25,000 Fight of the Night Bonus)

Rory Markham: $37,000 ($6,000 win bonus & $25,000 Knockout of the Night Bonus)

James Irvin: $20,000

Tim Credeur: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Reese Andy $15,000
Cain Velasquez: $14,000 ($7,000 win bonus)
Jake O’Brien: $11,000

Brad Blackburn: $10,000 ($5000 win bonus)
Kevin Burns: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
Anthony Johnson: $9,000
Jesse Taylor: $8,000
Cale Yarbrough: $8,000

Nate Loughran: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)

Shannon Gugerty: $6,000 ($3,000 win bonus)

Johnny Rees: $4,000
Brodie Farber: $3,00O
James Giboo: $3,000
Dale Hartt: $3,000

 

 

My UFC Fight Night 14 Thoughts

Quick Results:

Anderson Silva defeats James Irvin by TKO at 1:01 of the first round.
Brandon Vera defeats Reese Andy by unanimous decision.
Frank Edgar defeats Hermes Franca by unanimous decision.
Cain Velasquez defeats Jake O’Brien by TKO in the first round.
Kevin Burns defeats Anthony Johnson by TKO at 3:35 of Round 3
CB Dollaway defeats Jesse Taylor by submission (choke) at 3:58 of Round 1
Tim Credeur defeats Cale Yarbrough via technical knockout in round one
Rory Markham defeats Brodie Farber via knockout (head kick) in round one
Nate Loughran defeats Johnny Rees by submission (triangle choke) at 4:21 of Round 1
Brad Blackburn defeats James Giboo by TKO (strikes) at 2:29 of Round 2
Shannon Gugerty defeats Dale Hartt by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:33 of Round 1

• Anderson Silva is awesome!  If there were ever any doubters he silenced them.  Some people thought that Anderson would have a hard time with the size, but he didn’t look like he gave up much size.  Some people thought he may not want to strike with Irvin, he did and he beat him badly.  Irvin was out of his league in this fight.  Anderson looked awesome!  Wow.  I hope he fights some more at 205 because the Cote fight isn’t what I want to see. 
• Congrats to Brandon Vera for winning one.  I think the move to 205 was good, but he did look tired.  Thats okay the weight cut is tough and many guys have a hard time with the weight cut the first time.  Mike Swick looked poor in his win in his first 170 fight, but looked better the second time.  Vera will be a force at 205 and is right in the mix. 
• Frank Edgar impressed me.  I thought Franca would win this one.  Edgar looked much better than he did against Maynard.  He dominated Franca.
• The other guy I was impressed with was Cain Velasquez.  Could it be a heavyweight star was born?  He looked awesome.  I buy the hype.  I am on the Cain train.  He could hold the title before too long.
• I hated to see the Burns/Johnson fight end the way it did.  I don’t know about the call, but whatever.  I don’t think Burns was poking on purpose, but he was warned.  Regardless of the deicsion Burns is a tough dude.  I gained tons of respect for Johnson too, he is a top notch human being.  How about him telling the crwods not to boo Burns?  He is a stand up guy.   
• C.B. Dolloway did great, he showed his talent.  He is always capable of winning.  Some of the hype surrounding him was lost due to his losses to Amir.  You can’t take anything away from Amir, but C.B. was beating him up both times they fought before he got caught.  The point is that C.B. can hang with anyone at 185.  I was also glad to see Jesse Taylor back, and hope he gets one more shot at least.  By the way, I loved that Peruvian necktie.  What a submission!
• Welcome to the UFC Rory Markham.  That KO was highlight material.  I don’t know who to give KO of the night to, but I think this was a better KO than Silva’s KO.  Ouch.
• I will be interested to see who the UFC keeps and who they cut from this card.  The guys on the chopping block:

                    – Reese Andy – Give him one more shot.  He didn’t look great, but you can’t cut a guy for losing to one of the best.

                   – Jake O’Brien – I was against him being cut the first time, and I think he deserves one more shot, but he can’t hang with the top guys in the UFC heavyweight divison. 

                   – Brodie Farber – Don’t forget he was winning the fight.  I guess close doesn’t count, but I think he is a good prospect who lost to a veteran fighter. 

                   – James Giboo – Cut him. 

                   – Cale Yarbrough – Cut him.  He can’t hack it and I never thought he could. 

                   – Johnny Rees – Give him one more fight.

                  – Dale Hartt

KO of the Night: Rory Markham

Submission of the Night: C.B. Dolloway

Fight of the Night: Frank Edgar vs. Hermes Franca (Not the most exciting, but it went long and there was action)

My UFC Fight Night 14 Predictions

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

I am looking forward to this fight.  When I make my predictions I will look at all aspects of the game and some to a decision.  Sometimes I will even pick an upset, but there are several fighters that I cannot pick against right now.  Anderson Silva is one of those guys I cannot pick against right now, the others being B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre, and Fedor Emelianenko.  I might miss a pick every now and then with that startegy, but more often than not I am right.  I know Anderson will eventually lose a fight, but I will not pick against him anytime soon.  James Irvin is good and he has knockout power.  He could KO Anderson Silva.  However, Irvin has never been a top 10 light heavyweight.  He is fighting the number one pound for pound fighter in the world.  The blogegrs and fans along with the media will try to hype this fight and give Irvin a bigger chance to win, in then end Anderson is going to beat him.  I do not know how much can be said.  I pick Anderson Silva by TKO in round 2. 

Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy

Brandon Vera beat some good guys at heavyweight, however he was small for a heavyweight.  I believe Vera can bang with anyone.  Reese Andy is not known to a lot of MMA fans, but he was a former IFL fighter who hasn’t fought in a year.  Andy has a decent record and I have heard he is pretty good, but he hasn’t beaten anyone.  Vera will be by far the best guy he has ever fought.  I believe Vera will be fast and strong at 205 and will win by KO in round 1.  Welcome to light heavyweight Brandon Vera.

Frankie Edgar vs. Hermes Franca

Both these guys are good fighters.  Edgar has climbed the ladder at 155, but dropped off a bit following his loss to Gray Maynard.  Many people are forgetting that Hermes Franca was the number one contender and fought for the title against Sean Sherk before his failed drug test.  Franca is strong and aggressive.  Bioth guys have wrestling skills.  Edgar can win, but he needs to be more aggresive.  I pick Franca to win by unanimous decision.

Jake O’Brien vs. Cain Velasquez

I am glad the UFC brough back Jake O’Brien and I hope he gets another chance after this fight.  O’Brien has done well in the UFC his only loss coming to Arlovski.  However, I think Jake O’Brien’s strength is wrestling.  Cain Velasquez will be able to neutralize that.  From what I am hearing Cain is the real deal.  I buy the hype.  People say that Cain has great Jiu Jitsu and great stand up.  People are hailing him as the future of the heavyweight divison.  I will pick Cain Velasquez to win by TKO in round 1. 

Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is looking to make an impression.  His KO of Tommy Speer in his last outing was incredible.  Kevin Burns looked good against Road Carneiro and pulled off the submission win.  I think Burns will want to take this fight down.  Johnson is big and strong and can strike with power.  I don’t see Burns being able to get the take down.  He will be forced to strike with Johnson and it won’t work well.  Anthony Johnson wins by TKO in round 3. 

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jesse Taylor

C.B. the odds on favorite to win TUF 7, but lost twice to Amir.  Jesse taylor made it to the finals before being kicked off following his drunken rampage.  This fight is interesting.  It is the TUF 7 cast off versus the guy who replaced him.  This fight is huge for both guys.  I don’t know if it is a winner go home fight, but C.B. needs a win something bad.  Jesse is big and strong and has something to prove.  C.B. is well rounded (except submission defense).  I think that Jesse is stronger and bigger, but C.B. is the better striker from what I saw on TUF. C.B. has better ground and pound, but Jesse does have good ground and pound.  They are similar in style.  They both probably are more comfortable on the ground.  I believe C.B. may stand this fight at first and see how it goes.  I think C.B. wins in round 2 by rear naked choke.

Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough

Cale showed nothing on the show.  I am bothered by this a little.  Let me vent.  I believe TUF 7 only had a few guys with real potenital and talent to make it in the UFC.  The UFC didn’t bring back many guys to the finale.  Why did they bring back Cale?  Cale is a vegetable, isn’t it?  I thought Gerald Harris is the guy that got cheated most, he deserves one shot in the UFC.  With that said, Tim is too experienced and too good for Cale.  Cale can knock him out if that stand, but Tim will take Cale down and soften him up and then submit him with a choke, in round 1.

Brodie Farber vs. Rory Markham

Brad Blackburn vs. James Giboo

Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees

Shannon Gugerty vs. Dale Hartt

Mid Year MMA Awards

Best Knockout

Honorable Mention: Luis Arthur Cane KO Jason Lambert, Shane Carwin KO Christian Wellish, Murilio Rua TKO Tony Bonello, Matt Wiman KO Thiago Tavares

5. Anthony Johnson KO Tommy Speer

4. Wilson Gouveia KO Jason Lambert

3. Brian Stann KO Doug Marshall

2. James Irvin KO Houston Alexander

1. Wanderlei Silva KO Keith Jardine

Best Submission

Honorable Mention: Antonio Nogueira submits Tim Sylvia by Guillotine, Yoshiyuki Yoshida submits Jon Koppenhaver by Anaconda choke, Nate Diaz submits Kurt Pellegrino, Cole Miller Submits Jorge Gurgel by Triangle Choke

5. Demian Mia Submits Ed Herman by Triangle Choke

4. Frank Mir Submits Brock Lesnar by Kneebar

3. Rousimar Palhares Submits Ivan Salaverry by Armbar

2. Dustin Hazelett Submits Josh Burkman by Armbar

1. Shinya Aoki Submits Katsuhiko Nagata by Aokiplata

Best Fight

Honorable Mention: Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias Calvancante, Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock

5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

4. Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver

3. Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith

2. Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin

1. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda

Best Fight Card

5. WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver

4. UFC 80: Rapid Fire

3. UFC 81: Breaking Point

2. DREAM 4

1. UFC 84: Ill Will

Upset of The Year:

Honorable Mention: Jason Day over Alan Belcher,

5. Thiago Alves over Karo Parisyan

4. Kevin Burns over Roan Carneiro

3. Fabricio Werdum over Gabriel Gonzaga

2. Josh Thomson over Gilbert Melendez

1. Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson

Fighter Of The Year:

Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Michael Bisping, Georges St. Pierre, Diego Sanchez

5. Miguel Torres

4. Forrest Griffin

3. Thiago Alves

2. Shinya Aoki

1. B.J. Penn (2 Impressive wins over Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson)

Best UFC Newcomer:

Honorable Mention: Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar

5. Rousimar Palhares

4. Dong Hyun Kim

3. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

2. Goran Reljic

1. Cain Velasquez

Worst Calls By A Ref. or Judges

5. Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson –  Not just that Forrest got the win, but that it was unanimous.  Many, including me scored the fight either a draw or to Jackson

4. Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum- Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight in round 1 when Werdum was mounted on Vera throwing down punches.  There was just 10 seconds remaining and Vera seemed to be defending himself well. 

3. Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites — Leites got the win, but lost the fight.  He lost the fight due to two points taken away from Marquardt.  One point was justified, but the other was due to elbow to the back of the ehad that wasn’t to the back of the head.  I will confess, that another point could have fairly been deducted for an illegal slam, but I hated to see Marquardt get a loss on his record that I feel he won

2. Phantom split decisions — How was Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove a split deicsion?  How was Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo a split decision?  The right person got the decision, but how was it split?

1. Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson – Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight in the 3rd round while Thompson was still standing and failed to stop it when Thompson was mounted on Kimbo raining down elbows

UFC News: Jesse Taylor vs. C.B. Dolloway at UFC Fight Night 14

The UFC has quickly put together a good card to compete with Affliction.  All last week it was rumored that Jesse Taylor would be given another chance and would fight The Ultimate Fighter 7 runner-up C.B. Dolloway on this card.  Even yours truly posted regarding this rumor (here). It looks like the fight will happen.  We all remember Jesse Taylor as the one kicked off the Ultimate Fighter after he had earned a spot in the finale or as the pants peeing drunk.  However, Jesse Taylor seems to have it together.  He has quit drinking, and he has said and done all the right things. Jesse Taylor could have cried and made a big deal out of it, but he owned up to his actions, and I respect that.  I still think removing him was the best way to handle what took place, but I am glad to see him get another chance.  This from Dana White on Yahoo! Sports:

I’ve faced a lot of challenges since we’ve had the UFC, but I have a kid (Taylor) who pissed his pants on television and now I have to turn him into a star…. Without a doubt, the kid deserves another chance. He made himself look like a fool, and he’s aware of that, but everyone deserves another opportunity and we’re going to give it to him. He acted like a moron. He’s embarrassed by it, which he should be, but what he did doesn’t amount to enough to ban him forever. Come on. He was just young and stupid, but at least he seems to have learned from what he did.”

Taylor will have his hands full against C.B. Dolloway.  This will be a tough match, and is very important for both fighters.  C.B. lost in the finale to Amir, and needs a win in the UFC.  If Jesse gets on top he could just lay there and ground and pound C.B.  Jesse is a big fella.  This should be a interesting fight anyways and I hope it makes it on the televised portion.

Here is the card as we know it today:

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy

Hermes Franca vs. Frank Edgar

Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O’Brien

Jesse Taylor vs. C.B. Dolloway

Rory Markham vs. Brodie Farber

Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

Brad Blackburn vs. James Giboo

Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees

Shannon Gugherty vs. Dale Hartt

I imagine that the battle for the fifth spot on the televised card will fall between Burns vs. Johnson, Marham vs. Farber and Taylor vs. Dolloway.  I would have to say the edge goes to Dolloway/taylor because of how familar many SPIKE viewers will be of the two fighters because of TUF.  I’d also like to see the other two fights.  Markham is aggresive, so if he finishes quickly he may get aired as is Anthony Johnson.  I’d also like to see them pick up the Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough fight that got cancelled at the TUF 7 Finale due to Credeur’s adderall.

UFC News: Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin at July 19th Event

It looks like the UFC July 19th event is shaping up, and if this airs on SPIKE, wow!  The UFC Light Heavyweight was stacked before, but today the divison got way more stacked.  It looks like it will add two more top ten guys in Brandon Vera, who is dropping down following consecutive losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum respectively.  Additionaley, middleweight champ and top pound for pound fighter Anderson Silva is making the jump up.  Both fighters will fight at the July 19th event.  Brandon Vera’a opponent is not yet known, but Anderson Silva appears to be fighting James Irvin.  I have already figured Vera and Silva into my new rankings (Silva at #4 and Vera at #8).  Those rankings come based on their body of work in other divisons and may be slighlty low based on having no fights in the divison.  Silva will fight James Irvin who is also a top 15 guy. MMArated.com reports:

The UFC will be airing a live event on Spike TV with a main event featuring a light heavyweight battle between Anderson Silva and James Irvin. The fight will mark Silva’s UFC debut at 205 lbs. We’ve also learned that a proposed rematch between Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva was also considered but eventually nixed due to the fact that the event is less than five weeks away. At this time no other matchups have been confirmed, however, recent reports have indicated that Cain Velasquez and Brandon Vera are two of the other fighters that have been approached about competing on the card.  Regardless of what happens in the Silva-Irvin bout, Silva (21-4) will not relinquish his middleweight title and will be defending it again sometime in the near future. His most recent title defense came against the aforementioned Henderson at UFC 82 in Columbus, OH

I guess Silva will still defend his belt in October against Yushin Okami, unless he vacates it and allows Okami to fight the winner of Cote/Almeida.  Wow!  Also, could you imagine if Dan Henderson fought Wanderlei on this card.  That would destroy Affliction and the might heavyweight divison would be crazy.  Dana White is a brilliant busisness man.  We will wait to hear on Vera and Velasquez’s opponents.  Stay tunes…more coming.  Tomorrow at noon the big announcement will be made, so check back, I will keep updated. 

UPDATE: It is also rumored that Frank Edgar vs. Hermes Franca will be moved up to this card. As well as Antony Johnson who recently sent TUF 6 runner up Tommy Speer packing from the UFC against Kevin Burns, who submitted Roan Carneiro at UFC 85. The card is reported to be called UFC Fight Night 14 according to MMAJunkie.  The Septmber fight night will be called UFC Fight Night 15. 

It is also being reported that the UFC re-signed Jake O’Briend, who was recently dropped following his loss to Andrei Arlovski and he will step in and fight Cain Velasquez.  This could be a good fight and is a big help to the hurting heavyweight divison.  That was the one firing I did not understand.

UFC Fight Night 14 Full Card:

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy

Frank Edgar vs. Hermes Franca

Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O’Brien

Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

My UFC 85: Bedlam Predictions

Matt Hughes vs. Thaigo “The Pitbull” Alves

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