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Griffin: My BJJ Is As Good As Nog's...

By Anthony De Franco

March 6, 2010, at 5:33 pm

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Seriously. He said it. Check out when talking to MMA-Fighting.com:

“I think I’m actually a better wrestler and my jits I think is just as good as his, and I just have to not get choked,” Griffin said.

Okay, I love Forrest’s enthusiasm, but he is so wrong that this is easily one of the worst errors in the history of MMA. This is right up there with when Rich Franklin said that he had an advantage in the clinch with Anderson Silva.

Really, I don’t see any where that Griffin has a leg up on Nog. He’ll need to fight perfect to win.

MMA

Swick v. Serra Is Close To Finalized...[Update]

By Anthony De Franco

March 5, 2010, at 3:27 pm

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Speaking of things that don’t make sense, It appears that a battle between Matt Serra and Mike Swick is being lined up according to Figure Four Online:

Dana White confirmed today that UFC is running a show on April 17th, head-to-head with the announced Strikeforce show on CBS. The event would air most likely on Spike TV. The Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama match is not the main event. The only thing confirmed is they are trying to finalize a Matt Serra vs. Mike Swick [co-main] semifinal fight today.

There had been talk of a possibility that if UFC scheduled a show on that date, CBS may move the Strikeforce show to April 24th, which would go head-to-head with the WEC PPV in Sacramento.

Even though the April 17th show was not announced yesterday, the issue of the Observer that came out yesterday has a lead story analyzing the whys of this head-to-head battle.

Let’s look at the tactics being used here by the UFC. They are counter-programming a Strikeforce card that is on national television, which they could not do when Fedor stepped into the cage on American soil for the first time. That was the height of the injury-plague that the UFC suffered in late 2009.

As for this fight, I don’t particularly get it. Swick is coming off two consecutive losses and needs a win badly. Serra is coming off a quick knockout of Frank Trigg, but is late in his career and not really in much of a position to fight for titles. Why do they need to fight?

The crazy thing is this simply isn’t an easy win for Swick. While Swick’s striking is crisper and faster, it doesn’t have the same kind of knockout power that Serra posseses. On the ground, Serra should have a leg-up with his BJJ black belt from Renzo Gracie. However, the long limbs of Mike Swick might cause problems for Serra, who is just 5′6.

Swick should have gotten someone he could have beaten and got back on track, not a fight that is almost a toss-up.

Update (3/5): Swick told the world on his twitter that there was no truth to this rumor.

Not fighting Serra guys. Most likely having surgery soon. @oxphos Any truth to Serra fight 4/17? Seems unlikely unless ur arm is better

So much for that one.

MMA

WEC 47: Main Card Predictions

By Anthony De Franco

March 5, 2010, at 4:44 am

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Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan

The Fighters: Palaszewski is just 26 years old, but has 44 fights under his belt. Recently, he has gone 2-2 in the WEC. He defeated Anthony Pettis by Split decision in his last fight. He is well rounded, as he has achieved his 31 wins in a variety of ways.

Darabedyan is another of the Armenian judo practitioners that came into the MMA world with Karo Parisyan. Although he is not related to Karo like Manny Gamburyan, he is their training partner. A black belt in Judo, Darabedyan also has a background in Kickboxing and Karate. He is 9-1 in his burgeoning career, and his most recently victory came over the always overrated Razor Rob McCullogh.

The Breakdown: While Palaszewski holds the massive experience edge, he simply doesn’t have a part of his game that really jumps out at you. We’ve seen from Karo that Judo can take you far in MMA, it just won’t ever get you into the elite level. Expect Darabedyan to continue proving his worth.

The Prediction: Darabedyan via unanimous decision

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. LC Davis

The Fighters: Taurosevicius is a pseudo-local for us. He fights out of Copiague, New York, which is like thirty minutes from our hometown. He is 15-3 in his career, with eight of the wins coming by submission. He’s 2-0 in the WEC and is coming off a win against the previously undefeated Mackens Sermerizer.

Davis is a survivor of the former Pat Militech camp with a virtual gaggle of big fight experience. He’s fought in the IFL, for Affliction, and now with the WEC. He’s 15-2 in those fights, and 2-0 in the WEC. He’s coming off consecutive wins against Javier Vasquez and Diego Nunes. And yes, I really wanted to get the world gaggle in there.

The Breakdown: This is a matchup of a wrestler and a BJJ specialist. Naturally, that will probably lead to a boring standup fight. If it does go to the ground, Davis will look to stymie the guard of Taurosevicius and do his damage without getting submitted.

The Prediction: Taurosevicius via submission

Jens Pulver v. Javier Vasquez

The Fighters: Pulver is a legend of the sport and the UFC’s first lightweight champion. He is also a survivor of the Pat Militech camp in Bettendorf, Iowa, but has had harsh words for his former trainer recently. Pulver has lost 8-of-12 and is really fighting on nothing but reputation at this point. Some of the losses are good ones, like the two losses he suffered at the hands of Urijah Faber. However, some of them aren’t so good like the time he was choked out by Josh Grispi. Pulver knows that this is his last chance, and has discussed retiring if he loses.

Vasquez seems to be the place WEC featherweights go when they need a win. He is 0-2 and also likely fighting for his WEC life. He is 17-4 in his career with most of those victories coming by submission.

The Breakdown: I’ve watched a lot of Pulver fights in preparation of this column and I’ve noticed some things. While he’s never had the best boxing technique, it’s almost gotten worse recently. Also, when is the last time that we saw Pulver wrestle? He won’t break that streak against the BJJ skills of Vasquez. The real question is: Does Pulver have anything at all left?

The Prediction: Pulver via TKO

Miguel Angel Torres v. Joseph Benavidez

The Fighters: Until recently, Torres ruled over the bantamweight division with an iron fist. He is well-rounded, and capapable of fighting for an eternity before he gets tired. Unfortantely, that didn’t mean much when he rushed in to finish Brian Bowles and gotten flattened. Now, Torres must climb back into the title picture with a win. He is 37-2, and is still improving his game. He brought in noted Muay Thai trainer Mark DellaGrotte to work with him for this fight.

Benavidez is a pupil of Urijah Faber who is 12-1. His only loss came in a number one contender’s fight against Dominick Cruz. Another energizer bunny of a fighter, his cardio is off the chain. He has won most of his fights by submission, but does have some TKOs to his credit. His last win was over noted BJJ stylist Rani Yahya.

The Breakdown: Torres has taken the “That loss was the best thing that ever happened to me” road and vows to come back stronger than ever. He can win the fight just about anywhere, but I expect his biggest advantage to come on the feet and for his to try and outstrike Benavidez.

The Prediction: Torres via unanimous Decision

Brian Bowles v. Dominick Cruz

The Fighters: Bowles dethroned Torres and shocked the world in his last fight. He also broke his hand on Torres jaw, forcing him out of action. He is 8-0 and looks like just about any middle America wrestler. While he may not look imposing, he is strong as hell for 135, and has imposed his will on his opponents with various skills taught to him by former UFC fighter Rory Singer. In fact, Bowles trains at the gym where Forrest Griffin got his start.

Cruz is 14-1 and 4-0 in the WEC. The majority of his wins have come via decision, but he is a stand up specialist with five T/KOs to his credit. He trains at Alliance MMA alongside UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera. While he does have some wrestling, don’t expect him to go to it much in this one.

The Breakdown: Bowles is a powerhouse. He is so thick for 135 that I can’t really see anyone in the division taking him down. However, he also packs a powerhouse punch. Just ask Torres. Cruz’s only hope is to stick and move for five rounds.

The Prediction: Bowles via TKO

MMA

Prospect Watch: Gunnar Nelson

By Anthony De Franco

February 24, 2010, at 3:23 pm

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A few days ago, we posted an interview the always excellent Jordan Breen did with our local favorite MMA prospect Gian Villante. The other guy that he interviewed on that same show was Gunnar Nelson. Gunnar is a young BJJ fighter with a black belt under Renzo Gracie and a win to his credit over Jiu-Jitsu expert Jeff Monson who is a heavyweight. Gunnar fights at 170. So, yea, he’s good. Here is video of his latest fight. Most of the vid is just hype, because the fight ends pretty quickly.

Gunnar Nelson vs. Sam Elsdon from Hulduheimar on Vimeo.

MMA

UFC 110 Aftermath: What's Next For C.B. Dollaway

By Jason Comack

February 21, 2010, at 4:24 pm

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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.

MMA

UFC 110 Main Card Predictions!

By Jason Comack

February 17, 2010, at 1:31 pm

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Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1; #3 Heavyweight) vs. Cain Velasquez (7-0; #6 Heavyweight)

The Fighters: Nogueira is one of the few PRIDE vets who was able to successfully transition to the UFC. He won his first two UFC fights, including a win over Tim Sylvia for the UFC title. Since he’s gone 1-1 losing to Frank Mir and beating Randy Couture.

In his UFC stint ‘Nog has been oft-injured. More particularly he’s battled staph infections during his entire UFC tenure. ‘Nog is never one to make excuses but, after the Mir loss it was revealed that he had spent a ton of time in the hospital battling a bad staph infection. It’s hard to argue that the staph didn’t affect his performance in that fight. Not only was he finished for the first time in his illustrious career but he looked old and more then a step slow. Many, myself included, wondered if wear and tear had finally caught up to ‘Nog. However, in his win against Couture he proved that he still has a ton left in the tank. His boxing was as crisp as ever and he showcased his world class ground skills.

Cain Velasquez may be the fastest rising heavyweight prospect the sport has ever seen. He’s 5-0 in the UFC, but more importantly he’s looked better every fight. He proved against Cheick Kongo that he could win a three round war as well as take a punch. As Jordan Breen would say “the man has a great beard.” Ben Rothwell was suppose to be another step up in competition for Velasquez. However, Velasquez took the much bigger and experienced Rothwell down at will and made him look like an amateur. Every test that has been presented to Velasquez he has passed with flying colors.

Breakdown: Odds makers have this fight as a Pick ‘Em and it’s hard to disagree. ‘Nog has great boxing and will have a significant advantage when the fight is standing but, as we saw in the Kongo fight Velasquez isn’t easy to drop. Velasquez will want to shoot early and often and should have no problem getting ‘Nog to the ground. The key question is; will Velasquez be able to control the action on the ground? Velasquez is relentless and can push the pace like no other heavyweight in the UFC can but he’s also never fought a fighter of ‘Nog’s caliber on the ground. ‘Nog has a knack for taking a pounding, but still finding the perfect opportunity to sweep or submit. Even when it looks like he’s on the brink of defeat he’s not, just ask Bob Sapp.

Velasquez is so hyper active on the ground it could end up being reckless. Look for a classic ‘Nog performance as he catches the wrestler off guard with a sweep followed by a textbook submission.

Prediction: Nogueira via Arm-Bar Round 3

Wanderlei Silva (32-10-1) vs. Michael Bisping (18-2)

The Fighters: Annnnnd cue “Sandstorm!”

Ok, you can put the glow sticks away now.

Unlike his PRIDE counterpart, Nogueira, Silva did not find immediate success upon entering the UFC. In fact The Axe Murderer is only 1-3 in the UFC (though you can make a sound argument that he beat Rich Franklin.) His UFC run has certainly been a disappointment but there’s a lot of reasons to think that he can still turn his career around. Silva is making his debut at middleweight, dropping from light heavyweight. Silva was always on the small side for a 205 pounder and has said he feels much quicker since dropping the weight. Silva also underwent facial surgery. He got his mangled nose repaired and a ton of scar tissue removed. While the gains of such surgery appear superficial on the surface they are not. The scar tissue left Silva’s face much more susceptible to cuts, also Silva said the surgery on his nose has helped his breathing tremendously.

Silva certainly earned the nickname The Axe Murderer. His style is to come straight at you at overwhelm you with strikes and knees from the clinch. The underrated aspects of Silvas game are his wresting, more then adequate, and his jiu-jitsu. He never uses either offensively but he’s shown skill in both areas when he’s been forced to.

Bisping is the brash winner of The Ultimate Fighter. I’ve long considered Bisping an overrated fighter whose record was inflated by fighting low level talent. After his decisive loss to Dan Handerson I found myself vindicated. However, in his win over Dennis Kang, Bisping proved the doubters wrong and showed he still has a lot of talent. What impressed me most about Bisping in the Kang fight was his jiu-jitsu. Kang has a tight ground game and Bisping did a great job using his hips to keep Kang off balance. In the later rounds he showed improved wrestling as he dropped Kang with ease.

With an 8-2 UFC record a win over Silva would put Bisping in or around the top 10 and potentially only one or two fights away from a title shot.

Breakdown: Bisping in a lot of ways is similar to Forrest Griffin. He’s tough and he’s well rounded but he doesn’t have one particular skill that’s exceptional, and at the end of the day that can only get you so far. Bisping should look to keep Silva at a distance with his jab and leg kicks, Silva on the other is going to try to showcase his trademark combination of explosiveness and violence and bum rush Bisping with strikes.

Bisping will find himself overwhelmed in the striking game just like he did against Dan Henderson, who really is just a one trick pony. Bisping could work for take-downs but Rich Franklin struggled to take Silva down and Silva’s take down defense should only be better at a lighter weight class.

Prediction: Silva via TKO Round 2

Joe Stevenson (31-10) vs. George Sotiropoulos (11-2)

The Fighters: The hometown hero Sotiropoulos, is a very well rounded fighter. He’s a BJJ Black Belt but he also has an amateur boxing background, in fact in 2004 he won a Victoran State Amateur boxing tournament. Sotiropoulos is 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. His only two losses are a DQ loss to Shinya Aoki and a split decision loss very early in his career. Sotiropoulos competed on the Ultimate Fighter and made it to the semi-finals before losing in controversial fashion. Sotiropoulos has never been finished in his professional career. As a former welterweight Sotiropoulos is a very large lightweight and is a handful to try to take down. Sotiropoulos is similar stylistically to Paulo Filho. He’s incredibly methodical as he tightly transitions from position to position.

To say Stevenson is veteran would be an understatement. Stevenson fought Jens Pulver when he was only 17 years old! Stevenson is only 27 years old but already has 41 pro bouts on his record. Like Sotiropoulos, Stevenson moved from welterweight to lightweight. Stevenson won his first four fights as a lightweight before getting a shot at the UFC title against B.J Penn. Since losing to Penn it’s been a mixed bag for Stevenson. He looked good against Diaz and Fisher but not so good against Florian and Sanchez.

Stevenson recently teamed up with Greg Jackson and it’s done wonders for his career. Stevenson has gone back to his roots, his wrestling and top game, and is riding a two fight win streak.

Breakdown: Much like ‘Nog vs. Velasquez the question in this fight is; what happens when Stevenson gets Sotiropoulos down. Sotiropoulos has the skills to sweep or submit Joe Daddy. However, what I see being the underrated aspect of this fight is Sotiropoulos boxing. He hasn’t showcased it a ton in his UFC career but you can tell he has actual boxing technique, something we don’t get to see in the UFC often. Joe Daddy might be able to take Sotiropoulos down but I don’t think he’ll be able to keep him down.

Prediction: Sotiropoulos Via Split Decision

Keith Jardine (15-6-1) vs. Ryan Bader (10-0)

The Fighters: Expect the word “unorthodox” to be used to describe Keith Jardine roughly 8,000 times this fight. The former Ultimate Fighter contestant began his career at heavyweight before settling in at 205. Jardine is 6-5 in the UFC but has faced top competition for most of the past three years. Jardine holds wins over contenders Brandon Vera, Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell. Jardine is well rounded, trains at a great camp (Greg Jackson) and has a unorthodox (Ding!) striking style that keeps opponents off guard. He likes to use his leg kicks, some of the best in the sport, and his jab to keep distance from opponents.

Ryan “Darth” Bader won his season of The Ultimate Fighter. When watching him on TUF you got the sense that not only did he have the raw skills to be a TUF champ but a UFC champ one day. A two time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University and a three-time PAC 10 Champion, Baders 120 wins ranks him 8th on the all-time wins list for ASU. Bader was college teammates with current UFC competitors Cain Velasquez and C.B. Dollaway. Bader is 3-0 in the UFC.

Breakdown: Where Bader struggles is on his feet. He has tremendous power but his striking arsenal is limited to a single Dan Henderson style overhand right. The UFC has protected him in the stand up game by feeding him grapplers and weaker wrestlers early in his career (Magalhaes, Marerro, Schafer.) That’s why Jardine is a bigger test then people realize. How’s Bader going to react to leg kicks? Will he check them properly or are we heading for Robbie Lawler territory (if you underestimate the importance of leg kicks look no further then Griffin/Rampage where Forrest essentially won a title because of them.) How will Bader react if he gets tagged? These things are unknowns with Bader. As for Jardine we’ve seen that he’s most vulnerable when facing a striker with K.O power. Of his five losses three came within the first minutes of the fight (W. Silva, T. Silva, Alexander.) Where Jardine excels is when he’s forced to wrestle and scramble.

Bader is a great wrestler and should be able to take Jardine down at will but even Rampage Jackson had trouble holding Jardine down for three rounds.

Prediction: Jardine via TKO Round 3

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (25-7-2) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-7)

The Fighters: Wild Boys…Wild Boys….Wild Boys!

It’s been a quick and sudden fall for Cro-Cop who was once unanimously considered the third best heavyweight in the world. The one time PRIDE star has found almost no success in the Octagon. He’s 2-3 in the cage but his wins have been over meek competition (Eddie Sanchez and Mastapha-Al-Turk.) I’ve written about Mirko’s struggles at length. Mirko would blame his struggles on the lack of a proper training regimen and a mental block in the Octagon, I would simply blame them on age. PRIDE fighters tend to age in dog years and all those years of tournament fighting seem to have caught up to him.

Ben Rothwell came into the UFC with a fair amount of hype. The 28 year old was considered a borderline top 10 heavyweight and he racked up an impressive record fighting in the now defunct IFL. Somehow the UFC had always eluded him. Rothwell’s UFC debut didn’t go as planned as he was manhandled by Cain Velasquez.

Breakdown: Cro-Cop is on the small side for a heavyweight and relies on his kickboxing. In fact, Cro-Cop has basically made a career off of jab-head kick. Rothwell is a monster of a man, tipping the scales at 260 plus. Rothwell also relies on his kick boxing but he doesn’t have the same technical acumen as Cro-Cop. Rothwell is a mauler and brawler, not a counter puncher. That fact should bode well for Mirko.

Prediction: Cro Cop via KO, Head Kick, Round 1

…Hey we all can dream.

For More UFC 110 Coverage:

UFC 110 Undercard Predictions

UFC 110 Walkout Shirts from the 3rd String Store!