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By Jason Comack  February 21, 2010, at 12:55 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?
Chris Lytle: Lytle is a much better fighter then he shows in the ring. He’s content with banging out KO’s, fights and submissions of the night and banking the extra cash. Lytle is a much crisper boxer then we’ve seen as of late but the truth is his giant hay-maker of doom punches have put money in his wallet so he’s unlikely to stop them. Against Brian Foster we were reminded that Lytle does in fact have a submission game as he won with a devastating knee bar.
Lytle has settled nicely into the gate keeper role. He’s a guy you can put either on the under-card or a Spike TV Prelim/Fight Night and know your going to get a solid fight. His role is taking on young guys who are ready to move up in competition and while there’s a bunch of fights that make sense a lot of the young welterweights are already booked in fights.
Rory MacDonald; The 20 year old Canadian welterweight is an exciting prospect. However he’s been rumored to be fighting Carlos Condit at UFC 115. Rick Story and Nick Osipczak are fighting each other at UFC 112. Amir Sadollah and Dong Hyun Kim are fighting each other at UFC 114. T.J Grant and Johny Hendricks are fighting at UFC 113.
So due to timing issues most of those guys are out of the equation. So whose left?
Paulo Thiago: Thiago has been fighting top guys non-stop. This fight would give him a chance to hone his skills, he’s still very raw, and give him a win against a solid welterweight. Let’s not kid ourselves though Thiago isn’t going to take such a drastic step down in competition.
Matt Serra: That already happened and my wallet still is hurting.
Rob Kimmons and Mike Pierce: Pierce and Kimmons are fighting on UFC Live: Vera/Jones on March 21rst so the timing works out nicely. Pierce, 10-3 (1-1 UFC), took out Brock Larson is his UFC debut and then lost to Jon Fitch. Obviously there’s no shame in losing to Jon Fitch and in fact he looked very good in that fight. Kimmons hasn’t enjoyed much UFC success, 2-2, but is moving down to welterweight for the first time.
Ben Saunders and Jake Ellenberger: Saunders was originally set to take out Martin Kampman before a horrifying gash knocked hm out of the fight. Ellenberger is 1-1 in the UFC and much like Pierce has looked good even when he’s lost. He lost to Carlos Condit in his UFC debut but lost a close split decision, he followed that up by beating Mike Pyle.
Saunders is 4-1 in the UFC and a win over Ellenberger would probably put him in line to fight bigger fish then Lytle. If Ellenberger does win however Lytle would probably be a fight in his range.
Ricardo Almeida and Matt Brown: Almeida is moving down from middleweight, where he had sucess and draws Matt Brown as his first opponent. Brown is riding a fight win streak and is 4-1 in the UFC. Almedia would probably draw a bigger name if he wins considering his original opponent before injury was Jon Fitch. Brown already fought and lost to Lytle although it was outside of the UFC.
Nate Diaz and Rory Markham: The less sane Diaz brother is moving up in weight because well in his own words “I don’t make enough money to cut to 155.” Diaz is 6-3 in the UFC and a marketable fighter because of his personality. Markham had success in the IFL but has struggled as of late. He lost is UFC debut to Dan Hardy and has struggled with injuries since.
If Diaz can beat Markham I can’t think of a more perfect fight then Diaz/Lylte. Your bound to get a fight of the night with both guys winning wild hay-makers at each other. Unlike Gray Maynard Lytle actually has the boxing acumen to make Diaz pay for his goofy striking style. Also unlike Gray Maynard if he gets KO’d he really doesn’t care. Lytle and Diaz would also be a wildly entertaining scrap if it hit the ground.
Diaz has to get by Markham first but, Lytle Vs. Diaz would be awesome as a Spike TV Prelim or Fight Night fight.
By Anthony De Franco February 11, 2010, at 1:49 pm Sorry, but comments are closed Nothing like another good striker v. grappler matchup. Here’s the news from Bloody Elbow:
Welterweights are set to do battle on May 29 in Las Vegas at UFC 114 as “Ultimate Fighter” winner Amir Sadollah returns to action to face Korean Judoka Dong Hyun-Kim.
The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight, with both fighters verbally agreeing to the tilt. Bout agreements are expected soon.
Sadollah has quietly worked his way back from the being the forgotten TUF winner and become a fan favorite. His self-depricating sense of humor reminds many people of Forrest Griffin. For me, he mention the Family Guy Road House running joke in his post-fight. I’m sold.
Hyun-Kim will look to take the fight to the ground and work the ground and pound that earned him victories over Matt Brown and T.J. Grant. Kim is 12-0-1 (1). Yea, that’s a lot of columns.
This should be a good fight to see where both of these guys stand. If Kim wins, expect a jump in competition for his next fight.
By Anthony De Franco January 14, 2010, at 11:10 pm Okay, so we have a fat guy and a skinny guy…Insert obvious joke here. From Watch Kalib Run:
First up, Fighter’s Only is reporting that The Ultimate Fighter season ten winner, Roy Nelson (14-4), will fight Stefan Struve (19-3).
The fight will take place at UFC Fight Night 21, which used to be Fight Night 22 but the UFC renamed Fight Night 21 to “UFC on Versus.” So, now UFC Fight Night 22 in North Carolina is Fight Night 21. I didn’t lose anyone there, did I?
I’m lost.
Nelson became a name on TUF 10 with his easy defeat of internet sensation Kimbo Slice. He knocked out Brendan Schaub at the finale to win season ten. To say I was shocked when Nelson won the fight via knockout would be an understatement. He’s known mostly for being a BJJ black belt…and a fat guy.
As for Struve, my UFC 104 prediction of Struve getting murdered is becoming the stuff of legend. Since I made that pick, He’s 2-0, and has won his last three fights total. Also mainly a grappler, he has shown improved standup that has led to his winning streak.
As for the fight…I don’t really get it. I understand that Nelson isn’t a typical TUF winner that needs to be brought along. He’s 14-4, which is 18 more fights than Amir Sadollah had before he won TUF 7. However, Struve and Nelson are both strong grapplers and submission artists. When two guys are strong on the ground, that normally leads to a sloppy boxing match.
Who will win? Well, we know that Nelson has power. We can’t say that about Struve.
By Jason Comack January 11, 2010, at 4:03 pm Amir Sadollah (2-1) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-9-1)
The Fighters: Sadollah won the Ultimate Fighter, while beating C.B Dollaway twice in the process. He’s gotten off to a rocky start in his UFC career with a loss to Johnny Hendricks and a less then stellar win over a very tan Phil Baroni.
Blackburn is “looking to steal some of Sadollah’s name value.” Bad Brad is an IFL veteran who is currently on a 3 fight UFC win streak.
Breakdown: We haven’t seen a ton of Sadollah. He certainly has some ground skills but he lacks the wrestling to take a guy down. He has some striking skills but it’s nothing to right home about. On the other hand Blackburn has solid kickboxing skills that should be able to frustrate Sadollah. Truth is I don’t think Sadollah is very good at all and I still have no idea how he won TUF.
Prediction: Blackburn KO Round 3.
Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1)
The Fighters: Much like Khamal Shalarous, Simpson is a decorated wrestler who found MMA late in his career. Simpson was a standout wrestler. In high school, Simpson compiled a 142-1 record wrestling for Antelope Union High School in Welton, Arizona while earning four state wrestling championships. He went on to compete at Arizona State, compiling 110 wins and earning NCAA All-American status in 1996 and 1998. After 6 impressive fights, including a domination of Ed Herman, the 35 year old Simpson has all the skills to be a champion. It’s just a shame that he didn’t find MMA sooner.
Lawlor is known for his stint on the Ultimate Fighter and his goofy entrances. He’s gone to the weigh-in’s with Just Bleed painted on him and dressed as Harold Howard. He’s also come out to the cage to who let the dogs out. Also a solid wrestler, Lawlor is 2-0 in the octagon.
Breakdown: What Lawlor does well Simpson does better. Lawlor won’t be able to take Simpson down and we’ve seen time and time again wrestlers aren’t comfortable fighting off their backs. Simpson is more athletic, stronger and more explosive. I expect a dominant performance for Simpson that will leave people pining for him to get bigger fights.
Prediction: Simpson TKO Strikes Round 2.
Efrain Escudero (12-0) vs. Evan Dunham (9-0)
The Fighters: Escudero, also a TUF champion, got on the map by defeating Phillipe Nover. He followed it up with an impressive performance by knocking out Cole Miller. In that fight Escudero had trouble making weight but this time he had no problem. As of Sunday he weighed 172 and looked to be in much better shape then the Miller fight. Escudero is a wrestler but his game is constantly evolving. He hands looked much sharper against Miller then they did on The Ultimate Fighter
Dunham, 2-0 UFC, put his name on the map by defeating the seasoned Marcus Auerlio. Dunham, a BJJ Brown Belt, put all those skills to use against the skilled grappler. Dunham has also show quick and accurate striking ability in his short UFC stint. His cardio is no question as he trains with the X-Treme Couture camp.
Breakdown: The winner of this battle of undefeated fighters will surely emerge as a contender for top fights. Dunham has the more precise, technical striking while Escurdero holds an edge in terms of raw power. Escudero is a better wrestler but Dunham has the ground skills to submit or sweep him. It’s a tough fight to call but one prediction I’m not afraid to make is this will be up for Fight Of The Night honors.
Prediction: Dunham by Split Decision.
Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz (11-4)
The Fighters: Another fight full of TUF alumni. Maynard lost to Nate Diaz on the Ultimate Fighter, Diaz would go on to win. Maynards stock has skyrocketed since the Ultimate Fighter. He’s beat a whose who of top contenders; Siever, Edgar, Miller, Huerta, en route to a perfect 6-0 UFC record. Maynard’s nickname is appropriate for his fighting style. The Bully isn’t the prettiest fighter but he has a knack for taking you down and imposing his will. If there’s one knock on Gray it’s that he’s become a bit of a blanket. He’s only finished one his UFC fights and his boxing has never really evolved.
While Diaz won the season of TUF he isn’t nearly the same class of fighter Gray is. Diaz has been up and down in the UFC, 6-2, but is 1-2 in his last three fights. The knock on Diaz is that much like Maynard he’s a one trick pony. Without his jiu-jitsu he’d be useless and when he’s taken a step up in competition, Gudia/Stevenson, it’s cost him. Even against Melvin Guillard he was losing that fight before catching Melvin. Diaz tries to use to same tactics his brother does. Except his goofy slap boxing doesn’t work nearly as well because he doesn’t have the naturally heavy hands his brother does.
Breakdown: You don’t need Greg Jackson to come up with a game plan for this fight. Maynard will look to stand with Diaz and if he gets in trouble he should have no problem taking him down. I would expect Gray to try to take Diaz down towards the end of rounds in order to score points while minimizing the risk of submission. Diaz on the other hand will try like hell to get Gray on his back where he would be a fish out of water. Expect him to jump to guard and try an inordinate amount of standing Kimuras.
Prediction: Maynard avenges his loss and wins a lackluster decision.
Bonus Prediction: Maynard’s non-fan friendly style gets him passed over in favor of Frankie Edgar for a title. This being despite Maynard holding a win over Edgar.
By Anthony De Franco November 24, 2009, at 10:05 am Ladies and Gentlemen, let us take this time to take pride in a little victory. The UFC 106 disclosed payroll was over 1 million dollars. Way to get that money, guys.
Some interesting notes from this list, brought to us by MMA Weekly:
- Tito Ortiz is making 250,000 in a loss. Do we even know if he can still draw? If the numbers for this card come back, and they suck, how is Dana White going to defend paying him that kind of money?
- Lil’ Nog also making big bucks, getting 100,000 for his win over Luiz Cane. Rogerio was incredibly good in the victory, and showed the kind of skills that can make him a champ at 205.
- The night’s big winner was Josh Koscheck, who received 106,000 in salary for his win over Anthony Johnson, and then added 140,000 more for Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night. War Kos. That’s got to be a good feeling waking up on Monday and seeing an extra 246,000 in your bank account.
Here’s the full list:
MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS
-Forrest Griffin: $250,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) def. Tito Ortiz: $250,000*
- Josh Koscheck: $106,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Johnson: $17,000
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
-Paulo Thiago: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Jacob Volkmann: $6,000
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $100,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Luiz Cane: $19,000
-Amir Sadollah: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Phil Baroni: $25,000
PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS
-Ben Saunders: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis: $27,000
-Kendall Grove: $44,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus) def. Jake Rosholt: $15,000
-Brian Foster: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Brock Larson: $26,000
-Caol Uno: $20,000 vs. Fabricio Camoes: $10,000
(The fight was ruled a draw. Both fighters received their show money only.)
-George Sotiropoulos: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jason Dent: $8,000
UFC 106 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,021,000
*Tito Ortiz was paid a flat rate of $250,000 to show, with no available win bonus.
UFC 106 AWARDS & BONUSES
(Each fighter was awarded $70,000 per award, which is in addition to his disclosed salary.)
Fight of the Night:
-Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson
Knockout of the Night:
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Submission of the Night:
-Josh Koscheck
By Anthony De Franco November 20, 2009, at 3:41 pm Karo Parisyan v. Dustin Hazelett – Bout Cancelled. Hazelett will receive both his show and win money.
I’ve waited this long specifically to see if anyone can find out what the hell happened that made Parisyan pull out of the fight. He made a claim that the Nevada State Athletic Commission wanted the money, 32,000 dollars, for his steroid suspension up front, but a ton of sources have interview NSAC member Keith Kizer and he says they worked out a payment plan for Karo, let alone asked for the money up front.
The same bit Karo that always does: he’s not of right mind. He simply self-destructs far too often to be employed by anyone, let alone the UFC. Dana White has said that he’ll never work for the UFC again, and now I can imagine that Strikeforce or DREAM will likely try and sign him. Good luck, boys. You’ll need it.
Phil Baroni v. Amir Sadallah
Here’s the fight that will replace Hazelett and Parisyan on the main card.
Baroni is making his return to the UFC after being banished to the wastelands of MMA in 2005. He hasn’t really been all that successful since, going 13-11 in his MMA career and just 8-5 since UFC 55.
He’s mainly a kickboxer and used to train with Team Hammerhouse, which means that he has almost no jiu-jitsu whatsoever. There’s an awesome moment where he tries to describe a kimura that he used after finally learning it. If you can find the video, leave it in the comments. because it’s hysterical. Baroni also has a tendency to gas early, so watch for that.
I like to call Sodallah the “Forgotten TUF Winner.” After winning TUF 7, defeating a much better fighter in C.B. Dolloway, he missed over a year with injuries before losing to Jonny Hendricks at UFC 101. It was a really early stoppage, as after Sodallah got buckled, the ref jumped in really quick. He’s also a kickboxer, but has good submissions, but has to take Baroni down first.
If Sodallah can’t beat Baroni, he doesn’t belong in the UFC.
Prediction: Sodallah via submission
Luiz Cane (#10 Light Heavyweight) v. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Cane is making his name a a light heavyweight contender in the UFC. He’s 10-1-1 in his career, and his only loss is to James Irvin via DQ when illegally kneed Irvin in the head when he was on the ground. The American Top Team product is a very strong BJJ practitioner and has pretty good standup to go with it.
Lil Nog is making his UFC debut, and he’s pretty much a smaller carbon copy of his brother. Sick BJJ and very good boxing is what both Nogueiras bring to the table. He’s 17-3, with wins over Alstair Overeem, Dan Henderson, and Vladimir Matuyshenko.
Nog will be the first real road bump in Cane’s career.
Prediction: Nogueira via TKO
Paulo Thiago v. Jacob Volkmann
Thiago’s on this undercard too, huh? It wasn’t too long ago that he knocked out Josh Koscheck, right? Since then he lost a decision to Jon Fitch at the swing fight of UFC 100, and now he’s been banished to the undercard. He’s only loss is the one to Fitch, and he still has a bunch of potential.
Volkmann is making his UFC debut, but has big fight experience as his last bout was on ESPN’s Bellator Fighting Championship. He’s 10-0, and a very hot prospect. Another Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts project, he’s got great BJJ, and a decent all around game. Side note: His nickname is Christmas. Not kidding.
I’m just pretty sure that this fight is designed for Thiago not to lose.
Prediction: Thiago via unanimous decision
Josh Koscheck v. Anthony Johnson
This is probably the most interesting fight on the card, and has some serious implications.
Koscheck is one of the original TUF cast, and has a laundry list of achievements in the UFC. However, he is 2-2 in his last four fights. He’s coming off a TKO victory over the returning Frank Trigg and is looking to get himself back into the welterweight title picture. Coming from the American Kickboxing Academy, he possesses great wrestling and sick power in his hands.
Johnson is an unbelievable athlete who has a few things going for him in this fight. First off, he trains as kickboxer with the legendary Cung Le. He possesses knockout power in all four limbs, and if you think I’m kidding, check out his last couple of fights. He also is a good wrestler, which he should be looking to use in reverse to stay on his feet. Last, he is HUGE for 170, as people have suggested that he cuts from around 195. If he walks into the cage at 195, he will be hard for Koscheck to take down.
Welcome to the championship conversation, Rumble.
Prediction: Johnson via TKO
Forrest Griffin (#9 Light Heavyweight) v. Tito Ortiz
Griffin needs this win as bad as anyone has ever needed a win. He;s coming off two consecutive losses, and one to Anderson Silva where he made a bad moment embarrassing by running out of the ring as soon as the fight was over. He doesn’t posses elite skills, but is one of the toughest fighters in the world, and will go after Ortiz, there’s no question about that.
Ortiz is making his much publicized return to the UFC, and claims to finally be healthy after having back problems for years. He hasn’t won a fight in nearly three years, but blames the injury for most of his problems. He always has possessed good wrestling and is one of the forefathers of ground and pound. There is no doubt of his gameplan in this one. He won’t get caught in a submission, as he isn’t Ken Shamrock and has evolved his game over the years. Look at the Machida fight when he almost triangled the Dragon at the end of the fight.
Griffin better be working on his wrestling, which is the weakest part of his game. Otherwise, he’s in trouble.
Prediction: Ortiz via unanimous decision
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