|
|
By Jason Comack  February 21, 2010, at 4:24 pm  After each major Mixed Martial Arts event, our very own matchmaker, Jason Comack, does his best Joe Silva and breaks down all the possibilities for the fighters who waged war last night in a little feature we like to call: What’s Next?
C.B Dollaway: Deciding who Dollaway’s next opponent should be really requires thinking about where C.B. stands in the UFC, He’s 4-2 in the UFC and really should be 6-0. CB’s losses to Amir Sadollah and Tom Lawlor could have easily been avoided with some, or any kind, of jiu-jitsu defense.
BJJ defense was always Dollaway’s Achilles heel and it was good to see him finally get a win over Reljic, a fighter who is proficient on the ground. CB’s a good enough wrestler to take down most opponents and his striking game is finally coming along. At age 26, it seems he might be finally putting things together and might be ready for a step up in competition.
Luckily for CB there are a ton of match-ups that make sense with fighters that are available or fighters that have fights scheduled shortly.
1) Possible, but not likely
Chris Leben and Aaron Simpson meet at UFC 114. You can eliminate these guys as:
1) UFC 114 is too far off
2) Dollaway won’t fight teammate Aaron Simpson.
Mark Munoz and Kendall Grove meet at UFC 112. The timing probably doesn’t work out for Dollaway and the winner of this fight is probably headed towards better competition.
Rousimar Palhares and Tomasz Drawl meet at UFC 111. Both are riding multiple fight win streaks a win by either in this fight would probably earn them a bigger name so I think it’s safe to cross them off the list.
2) Prospect V. Prospect
Gerald Harris and Mario Miranda meet at UFC Fight Night: Gomi vs. Florian. Harris is riding a big win streak and is 1-0 in the UFC. He’s an explosive wrestler who likes to use Rampage-eqsue slams. Miranda is a Brazilian newcomer set to make his UFC debut. He’s currently undefeated, 11-0. I like the idea of the winner of this fight fighting Dollaway as it will help separate the legitimate and fringe prospects in the middleweight division.
3) Fighting an established veteran
If the UFC wants Dollaway to fight an established fighter, and potential get a bigger name win, the winner of Alessio Sakara and James Irvin (who meet at UFC Live: Vera/Jones) or the winner of Nate Quarry and Jorge Rivera (who meet at UFC Fight Night: Gomi/Florian.) Sakara is mainly a kick-boxer who is riding a two fight win streak. Irvin is making his 185 debut after a long layoff. We last saw him getting beheaded by Anderson Silva. Quarry and Rivera are similar fighters. Both are UFC vets and have been up and down but currently ride two fight win streaks.
CB should be able to take any of these guys down at will and grind out a decision.
4) If I were Joe Silva…
Nick Catone: Catone currently doesn’t have a fight scheduled and much like Dollaway has had an up and down UFC career. He’s 2-2 in the UFC and is coming off a win over Jesse Forbes. This is interesting match-up because both fighters have similar skill sets. Both are collegiate wrestlers, with BJJ skills, whose striking games are still evolving. Stylistically it’s a fight that makes sense for both because if there wrestling cancels out it’d force them to actually stand and strike.
So there you have it. I like Dollaway/Catone personally, but I want to hear from you. Leave your opinions in the comments section.
By Anthony De Franco February 10, 2010, at 3:38 pm First things first, if you live in a warm weather climate, Fuck you. We’re buried under about 2 feet of snow here in New York. That means a long day of Modern Warfare 2 and catching up on posting.
Let’s start with a fight made between two middleweights who always put on a good show. From SB Nation:
Sources close to both camps have confirmed that a middleweight bout between Tom Lawlor and Tim Credeur has been agreed upon for May 8th, in Montreal, Canada. The event, UFC 113, is rumored to be headlined by a rematch between Lyoto Machida and Maurico Rua for the UFC light heavyweight title.
Lawlor is the closest thing that the Middleweight division has to a prospect. His last two fights have been very impressive. He guillotined C.B. Dolloway, and then lost a decision that he should have won against Aaron Simpson. He has shown massive improvement since his time on The Ultimate Fighter, and should not be taken lightly despite his goofy ways.
Credeur is the ultimate action fighter. Every fight is a good one from Tim, mostly because he’s nuts. He goes out there with reckless abandon and we all remember the “warrior” speech from his stint on TUF. Credeur is 3-1 in the UFC, with his last fight with Nate Quarry garnering fight of the night honors.
Should be a good one.
By Anthony De Franco January 31, 2010, at 5:00 pm There are a lot of people out there who are hoping that Anderson Silva moves up to light heavyweight. People want the middleweight division to be wide open once again. They want to see championship fights that aren’t decided before the fighters step into the cage.
Here’s a realization: That might not happen even if Silva does leave. Nate Marquardt could be the next dominant UFC champ.
Let’s introduce you to the man before I get into my reasoning. Nate is one of the most accomplished fighters in the middleweight division. Before coming over to the UFC, he was a three-time King of Pancrase. Since coming over, he is 8-2. He fought Silva after going 4-0 in his first four fights, meaning that he is 4-1 after his championship loss. In that one loss to Thales Leites, he was docked a point for kneeing a downed opponent in the head, and another for strikes to the back of the head. Before you think it was a dirty fight, remember that this is the same guy who chose not to strike a knocked out Demian Maia.
Marquardt’s game is a mix of many different disciplines. What really makes him special is his stand-up skill. He is a phenomenal kickboxer, as shown in his highlight reel 10-hit combo against Wilson Gouveia.
He is so technical and has such great power that he is at an advantage on his feet against anyone in the division…except for Silva.
His ground game is nothing to be messed around with either. He has 15 submission victories to his record as well. He has both wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training, and uses both of them extremely well.
Last but not least, there is his camp, which only one of the best in the world. Training at Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico brings the best out in any fighter. When you someone as great as Marquardt, it makes them truly spectacular.
No, Marquardt is not blessed with the same kind of physical gifts that Silva is. However, in the incredibly thin UFC middleweight division, there may not be anything standing between Nate and complete dominance. Look around the division: Who could really beat Nate? He’s fighting Chael Sonnen at UFC 109, and while Chael is a pest, a guy who makes anyone work for a victory, he is not going to beat Marquardt.
Further down the line, he could see Michael Bisping. The Count would want to stand with Nate, and thus be in line for another Dan Henderson-type KO. He could see Alan Belcher, who recently declared himself the greatest fighter of all time. Marquardt would end that thought quickly. Patrick Cote? Tom Lawlor? Aaron Simpson? Nope. Not close. Yushin Okami? Maybe a bit of a matchup problem, but I think it would be hard for him to get Marquardt down. Could Wanderlei Silva beat him? Maybe. It would be interesting to see the two stand and bang, but unless The Axe Murderer can turn back the clock to 2004, I don’t see him winning.
So, we are left with Nate as the unquestioned best fighter in the division. Of course, this is all contingent on Anderson Silva leaving the division.
If he does, Welcome to the Marquardt-era. That was me doing my best Joe Rogan.
By Anthony De Franco October 12, 2009, at 4:36 pm Once is a gift, or a chance to counterpromote the biggest boxing card of the year. Twice, on the other hand, is a pattern and something that UFC fans should thank the MMA gods for. UFC 104’s very potent undercard will be televised for free on SPIKE TV on October 24th. Here’s the news from MMA Weekly:
Spike TV on Monday announced that it will telecast live undercard bouts from UFC 104 on Oct. 24 at 9:00pm ET/PT from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The fights on Spike TV will include “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Ryan Bader, a rising star in the light heavyweight division, taking on Eric “Red” Schafer. The one-hour telecast will run commercial-free. The UFC 104 main card will run on pay-per-view at 10:00pm ET.
Spike TV telecast the prelims for UFC 103 on Sept. 19 drawing a robust 1.4 million viewers and placed No. 2 on cable with Men 18-34 in the timeslot.
A two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Ryan Bader, fighting out of Tempe, Ariz., is 2-0 in the UFC and a perfect 10-0 in his mixed martial arts career. The 26-year-old light heavyweight, winner of the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” earned a unanimous decision win against veteran Carmelo Marrero in April. He now faces another experienced grappler in Eric “Red” Schafer. Fighting out of Milwaukee, Wis., Schafer is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and on a four-fight win streak, with two of his three UFC wins coming via submission. His most recent victory came via TKO against Antonio Mendes at UFC 93.
Last month, we saw the lightweight winner from The Ultimate Fighter 8 Efrain Escudero. This month, we get to see the light heavyweight winner, Ryan Bader. Bader reminds me so much of Josh Koscheck that it’s scary. He’s an all-american wrestler that understands how to use his skills in the octagon. However, he needs to develop a striking game to complement the ground game that he has spent his entire life honing. Much like Koscheck, who trains at The American Kickboxing Academy in San Diego, Bader has a damn good camp in Arizona Combat Sports. ACS is home to such high level fighter as WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner, and UFC fighters C.B. Dollaway and Aaron Simpson.
As for the free fights, it’s an interesting new way to market the TUF winners. We’ve done a lot of talking on this site about what exactly it means to win the reality show at this point. No longer do these winners get to “warm up” to the Octagon by taking fights they can win. Instead, they get fights against other up and coming stars and we find out how far they are going to go very quickly. With these new fights that million of people are watching, Dana White and Joe Silva have a way to build names while testing the winners with strong opponents. After all, how many people knew Escudero’s name before 103?
UFC 104 is headline by Lyoto Machida defending the light heavyweight champion against former PRIDE GP winner Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
By Anthony De Franco August 31, 2009, at 9:50 pm Antonio Minotauro Nogueira makes Georges St. Pierre money. This is just shocking to me. I know that Nog was a huge draw in PRIDE, but I just feel like he’s been far too average since coming over to be making the kind of cash he is. Other shocking news: Jardine makes 55,000 for losing to Silva. Talk about being overpaid.
Here’s the full list from MMA Weekly:
MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS
– Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($400,000/includes win bonus of $150,000) def. Randy Couture ($250,000)
*Nogueira and Couture also earned an extra $60,000 for “UFC 102 Fight of the Night”
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
– Thiago Silva ($58,000/includes win bonus of $29,000) def. Keith Jardine ($55,000)
– Jake Rosholt ($26,000/includes win bonus of $13,000) def. Chris Leben ($30,000)
*Rosholt also earned an extra $60,000 for “UFC 102 Submission of the Night”
– Nate Marquardt ($80,000/includes win bonus of $40,000) def. Demian Maia ($28,000)
*Marquardt also earned an extra $60,000 for “UFC 102 Knockout of the Night”
– Brandon Vera ($70,000/includes win bonus of $35,000) def. Krzystzof Soszynski ($8,000)
PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS
– Aaron Simpson ($18,000/includes win bonus of $9,000) def. Ed Herman ($24,000)
– Gabriel Gonzaga ($120,000/includes win bonus of $60,000) def. Chris Tuchscherer ($10,000)
– Mike Russow ($20,000/includes win bonus of $10,000) def. Justin McCully ($15,000)
– Todd Duffee ($10,000/includes win bonus of $5,000) def. Tim Hague ($7,000)
– Mark Munoz ($24,000/includes win bonus of $12,000) def. Nick Catone ($5,000)
– Evan Dunham ($14,000/includes win bonus of $7,000) def. Marcus Aurelio ($13,000)
UFC 102 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,285,000
UFC 102 AWARD BONUSES
(as disclosed by UFC president Dana White)
Each fighter received a $60,000 bonus for the following awards.
Fight of the Night:
– Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Knockout of the Night:
– Nate Marquardt
Submission of the Night:
– Jake Rosholt
By Jason Comack August 30, 2009, at 1:56 am News from the post fight press conference:
- Dana White confirms Couture signs a new 6 fight 28 month contract.
- White said Chuck Liddell was texting him all night about fighting. “When Chuck gets done dancing he’ll come looking for me”
- White said he won’t use 5 rounds for non-title fights even though it was approved by the NSAC
Overall an eh card for me. Of course, I went home happy as a battle of two legends more then exceeded expectations.
Stock Up:
Evan Dunham – Sure, Maximus took this fight on short notice but Dunham looked good. He trains with a legit camp, X-Treme Couture, and has a good deal of potential.
Todd Duffee – Undefeated heavyweights, who are a legit 260 LBS, and train at ATT are a welcome site in the UFC. Duffee seems raw but surely an impressive performance tonight. Keep an eye on this guy.
Gabriel Gonzaga – Move over Cro Cop there’s a new head kick master in town. Look I love Gonzaga, a legit brickhouse at 6′2 250 he’s much more then just a ju-jitsu master. Think he’s a real bad match-up for Lesnar.
Aaron Simpson – It’s a shame he’s 35 because damn he looked good. The fight will go down as TKO/Injury but he whooped Herman from start to finish.
Brandon Vera – A little bit of a slow fight but Vera outclassed the bigger Soszynski. I think a match-up with Luis Cane makes sense.
Nate Marquardt – Whats not to love? He stopped Maia, who many including myself, fell in love with. I don’t want to see him fight Anderson Silva again but a match up against Dan Henderson is tantalizing.
Thiago Silva – How quickly we all forget this man is 14-1. He lost to Lyoto Machida, that’s it. He outclassed Jardine and it shouldn’t shock anyone. Not really sure what the UFC does with him however. He’s at or near the top of his weight class but can’t get a title rematch any time soon.
Antonio Nogueria – Wow. In a word wow. I’ll be honest I really thought he was done. He got KO’d for the first time against Mir who’s not a stellar striker. He looked old and slow…but that was then and this is now. Nog looked quick, showed great boxing and stellar ju-jitsu. He almost submitted Couture twice and knocked him down a ton. Nog also showed off his trademark chin. It was also revealed that Nog has a meniscus injury as well as a staph infection that put him in the hospital for a week. That would explain a lot…it’s nice to have Big Nog back in my life.
Randy Couture – What a warrior. At 46 the fact that he can hang with bigger heavyweights is remarkable. I’m not sure what’s next for the natural but I would assume a move back down to 205 is necessary. I just don’t think he can keep fighting guys 20-30 LBS heavier and expect to have a long career. Dana Whites comments at the post fight presser seem to think he’ll be moving down in weight.
Stock Down
Chris Leben – Why the UFC doesn’t just cut ties with this guy is beyond me. He’s slow, has no ground game….he’s a one trick pony.
Jake Rosholt – I’m sorry but he looked absolutely terrible. His game-plan was beyond awful and his ground game was atrocious. Against Chris Leben none the less. Ew.
|
|
Tags: 
