|
|
By Jason Comack  January 18, 2010, at 10:08 pm  Two more fights have been added to an already loaded UFC 111 card.
Nate Diaz, who last week hinted a move up in weight, is set to make his 170 pound debut in Newark.
Diaz is set to return to action at UFC 111 in Newark, NJ and make his 170lb debut against Rory Markham. MMAJunkie initially reported the bout, and sources close to the fight confirmed independently to MMAWeekly.com on Monday that the fight is likely to happen at the UFC’s return show to New Jersey.
Diaz who had mixed results at 155 pounds, 6-3 UFC, said that he “didn’t get paid enough” to cut to 155. Weight struggle aside I’m not sure how moving up in weight helps Diaz. His lone strategical advantage was that at 155 he was longer and lankier then most fighters. That let his goofy approach to striking be somewhat effective as he had a much longer reach then most fighters. At 170 he’s going to be facing bigger stronger fighters.
His opponent, Rory Markham, is 1-1 in the UFC with the one loss being to current #1 welterweight contender Dan Hardy. The IFL veteran will be coming off a year long lay off in this bout as knee injuries kept him out of action for most of 2009.
Markham is going to look to strike in this bout and if Diaz exhibits the same game plan he did against Maynard he’s going to find himself face down on the canvas.
Also set for UFC 111 is a fight between Rousimar Palhares and Thomas Drawl
A middleweight match-up pitting submission ace Rousimar Palhares (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) against the heavy-handed Thomasz Drwal (17-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will be finalized shortly for UFC 111, sources close to the situation told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). Both fighters have agreed to the match-up and are expected to turn in bout agreements this week.
The only blemish on Palhares record is a loss decision loss to Dan Henderson wich is nothing to scoff at. The 29 year old Brazilian holds wins over veterans Jeremy Horn, Ivan Salaverry and Lucio Linhares. Palhares is coming off a leg injury that postponed his last fight.
Drawl’s lone UFC loss is to Thiago Silva. He has found recent success at the middleweight division and is on a three fight win streak. Drawl is a big middleweight and a vicious striker.
Breaking down this fight is simple. It’s the classic grappler vs. striker match-up. Drawl will look to avoid the ground at all cost but somehow I just don’t see that happening.
This card is shaping up to be the best since UFC 100.
By Jason Comack December 19, 2009, at 11:35 am Muhammed Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead.
Lawal is one of the sports most hyped prospects. He’s a force of personality as he often comes to down to the ring wearing a crown and a kings robe. In the ring Lawal can back up the hype. Lawal was a Big 12 Champion and Division I all-American in 2003, wrestling for Oklahoma State. That wrestling base is the strength for his MMA game. In his last fight he took out Mark Kerr by sheer domination. He picked up and slammed the much larger fighter with ease and then pounded him out. I don’t see this one going any differently.
Prediction: Lawal by TKO Strikes Round 1
Matt Lindland vs. Ronald “Jacare” Souza
Easily the most technical fight of the night pits an Olympic Greco Roman wrestler (Lindland) against a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion (Souza.) Of course such a clash of styles might lead to a rather boring fight. Neither of these guys are known for their stand up game. If Lindland fights a smart fight he’ll use his wrestling to keep the fight standing. Basically he should fight this fight Randy Couture style. Lots of clinching, lots of dirty boxing and a take-down to score points here or there. Jacare will probably try some crazy things if he can’t get the fight to the ground. I’d expect him to attempt to pull guard multiple times and who knows maybe try a flying arm-bar.
Prediction: Matt Lindand wins a lackluster fight by Unanimous Decision
Josh Thompson vs. Gilbert Melendez
In what will probably be the best fight of the night we see Thompson and Melendez meet to unify the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. This fight is a rematch of their fight from a year and a half ago. In that fight Thompson was able to use his boxing and his wrestling to neutralize Melendez in route to winning a unanimous decisions. Since that fight Thompson won one fight before getting injured. After a 11 month layoff from competition you wonder if ring rust will be an issue.
Melendez is another lightweight who constantly looks to push the pace. In his last two fights against Ishida and Damm we’ve seen an improved wrestling and striking game from Melendez. If he can take Thompson down he should be able to win this fight. Of course that’s a big if.
Prediction: Melendez game has improved in the past year while Thompson has been hurt. Melendez by Split Decision. Inevitably setting up Thompson/Melendez III
Cung Le vs. Scott Smith
Le returns to the ring after a brief hiatus to be a crappy action movie star. The beauty of this fight is in the eye of the beholder. Le is one of Strikeforce’s most popular fighters but I could care less. He’s 6-0 and never faced anyone of note or anyone who can wrestle a lick. He’s been protected by Strikeforce.
Smith has heavy hands but that’s about it. What he lacks in boxing technique he makes up with power. His wrestling game isn’t great but a smart game-plan would to take Le down and grind out a decision.
Somehow betting lines have Le as a 3.5-1 favorite. Really? He’s 37, coming into this fight on a 20 month layoff and is fighting the toughest opponent of his career. I get it he does San Shou and it looks cool but the guy simply isn’t a star in MMA.
Prediction: Scott Smith KO’s Le with a counter hook in Round 2.
By Anthony De Franco December 10, 2009, at 11:40 pm Stefan Struve v. Paul Buentello
When did Stefan Struve become a prospect? There is a reason that the UFC kept him around. He possesses one unique attribute that no one else can match: He’s 6′11. His absurdly long limbs provide a big advantage in his ground game. In his last fight, which I picked him to lose via murder, he showed good improvement in his standup that took him from heavyweight afterthought to legit prospect. He is taking the place of fellow prospect Todd Duffee, who had to back out of the fight because of injury.
Bunetello is making his UFC debut after coming over from Affliction when that organization folded. He’s 24-10 in his career with wins over pretty much no one. It seems that much like Roy Nelson, he seems to have a record that is padded against cans, and every time he fights anyone of note, he looses. Unlike Nelson, he isn’t nearly a complete fighter. He has fast hands, but absolutely no ground game. He will need to keep this fight standing to have a chance.
Take the more complete fighter.
Prediction: Struve via submission
Kenny Florian v. Clay Guida
Florian is coming off his championship shot when B.J. Penn absolutely dominated him completely. For all the crap that people give Florian about being the bridesmaid rather than the bride, he is still a very good lightweight. Not only does he have great muay thai with elbows that can cut through steel, but he actually changed his coach from Mark Dellagrotte to GSP’s head trainer Firas Zhabi in an attempt to improve that aspect of his game. He’s got great BJJ as well. The only area where he struggles is with his takedown defense (segue alert…)
Which is a huge problem because wrestling is what Clay Guida does. Guida has become a fan favorite for his rock star/caveman look, his incredible toughness and his propensity for being in great “action” fights. In his last fight, which was a loss to Diego Sanchez, he took huge shots in the first round, including a head kick that would have killed most men. With all of that, he still took Sanchez down and forced a decision by toughing out a fight that should have been stopped in the first round.
Since then, he has joined Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico. What he has improved on is anyone’s guess, but if he improved his boxing, which I’m willing to guess he has, then he could be a dangerous fighter.
I love both these guys and think it will be a great fight, but I like Guida’s wrestling in this one.
Prediction: Guida via unanimous decision
Jon Fitch v. Mike Pierce
Oh…Poor Jon Fitch. He lives in such a cruel world. In any other time, he would be the UFC welterweight champion. Instead, he toils away in relative anonymity, being the second best welterweight behind the incomparable Georges St. Pierre. He’s got great standup, incredible wrestling and is a black belt in guerilla jiu-jitsu, which is a combination of judo and BJJ.
Pierce is filling in for the injured Thiago Alves, who was filling in for the injured Ricardo Almeida. In Pierce’s first fight, he defeated underrated Minnesota Martial Arts veteran Brock Larson. He is a collegiate wrestler, and trains with fellow UFC newcomer Ricky Story.
Here’s the brutal truth: Fitch is just too good to let himself get beat by the youngster.
Prediction: Fitch via submission
Frank Mir v. Cheick Kongo
Mir is coming off a loss on the biggest MMA card of all time, getting trounced by Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. Since that beating, Mir has added a ton of muscle to his frame in preparation of fighting the champ again at some point. He has improved his striking over the years, and even is saying that he has better boxing than Kongo. His base is still his BJJ, which is arguably the best of the heavyweights.
Kongo is also coming off a loss, having been beaten by top prospect Cain Velasquez. In the fight, Kongo rocked Cain several times, but each time Cain was able to dump Kongo and rain down ground and pound on his way to a decision victory. Kongo is a world class striker, but lacks any kind take down defense. Really, any kind of take down defense.
Look for Mir to shoot the take down and then pass Kongo’s guard and submit.
Prediction: Mir via submission
B.J. Penn v. Diego Sanchez
Penn is “The Prodigy” for a reason. He has some of the best boxing in the UFC, heavy hands that can knock out anyone at 155, and the type of BJJ that is a weapon, no matter where the fight goes. If Sanchez is in B.J.’s guard, here comes the armbars and triangles. If B.J. is on top, then it could be ground and pound, or just about kind of choke in the book. The only hole in his game was his poor cardio, but he seems to have cleared that problem up by moving his camp to southern California and hiring Marv Marinovich as his new trainer.
Penn is an amazing fighter, who’s only loss since moving down to 155 is in a fight where he moved BACK to 170, and he lost to GSP, not just any welterweight.
The latest threat to his title is the winner of TUF 1’s middleweight division Diego Sanchez. Sanchez is a submission wrestler at heart, but that isn’t what makes him so awesome. His two best attribute are his hyper-aggressive style and his absurd motor.
Sanchez doesn’t just take control of the octagon at the beginning of the fight, he literally runs to the middle of it. He puts pressure on his opponent from bell to bell, looking to finish fights before they ever get started. If they do go longer, Sanchez is just fine with that because his cardio is just insane. He never stops, and I’m pretty sure the fight could go twenty rounds and Sanchez would be fine with it.
The problem is that I can’t figure out a single way for Sanchez to win this fight. Penn has the advantage on the feet, and on the ground. The only way I can see Sanchez winning is by a decision, but I don’t even know how he would win the rounds. Maybe by a flash knockout, but Penn doesn’t feel pain unless he’s hit by GSP.
Prediction: Penn via unanimous decision
By Anthony De Franco November 19, 2009, at 4:56 pm George Sotiropoulos v. Jason Dent
Love Sotiropoulos. He’s a huge lightweight with the kind of BJJ that can end fights quickly. He’s grown a lot as since his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. He’s got three wins in the UFC but none of them are over anyone with a name. The best of them in the ultra-lanky lightweight George Roop.
Dent is a TUF 9 alumni who has in a win in his one fight since. He’s another BJJ guy with 15 of his 19 career wins coming by submission. He had a previous stint in the UFC, and he lost to Gleison Tibau and Roger Huerta before being cut.
In what promises to be a technical, BJJ battle, I’ll take the guy who has more potential.
Prediction: Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision
Caol Uno v. Fabricio Camoes
How the mighty have fallen. Uno went from his famous wars with B.J. Penn to being on the undercard. In his comeback at UFC 99, he lost a fight he simply should not have against Spencer Fisher. Before that, he lost a fight in Japan against Shinya Aoki. Is Uno done? He 42 total fights under his belt, which is more than veterans like Randy Couture. There’s a possibility that the battle wounds have just caught up with him.
Camoes is a UFC newcomer. He’s 10-4 in his MMA career, but lacks any big wins. He’s a second degree black belt under Royler Gracie, so you know that his BJJ is solid. Most of his wins come by submission, which you’d figure. He’s walking into a really crowded 155 division, and will have impress right away to move up the ranks.
Prediction: Uno via TKO
Brock Larson v. Brian Foster
Larson is a Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts product that we praised on this site, so needless to say that he lost his last fight. He’s 26-3 in his career and he called for him to get more respect before he lost to solid up and comer in Mike Pierce. He’s a very strong wrestler with a background in Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu, which is a combination of BJJ and Judo. A former WEC fighter, he’s 2-1 since coming over to the UFC and will look to continue to use his all around game to climb in the rankings.
Foster is from the HIT Squad camp that Matt Hughes runs. Foster lost his first UFC fight in really bizarre fashion. He lost to Ricky Story via Arm Triangle, but he actually defended the move correctly. When you are in an arm triangle, you are taught to keep your opponent inside of your guard. That keeps him from getting any kind of leverage. Well, Story didn’t need any leverage to choke to out Foster. When you lose in such a strange way, you have to prove that the last one was a fluke.
Prediction: Larson via Submission
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
Kendall Grove v. Jake Rosholt
Is there more maddening fighter in the UFC than Kendall Grove? He shows potential that makes you jump out of your seat sometimes, and other times you think that he just flat out sucks. Since TUF 3, he’s won three in a row, lost two in a row, then won two more, then lost to Ricardo Almeida, which isn’t that bad. I still think that he is the best fighter that he has ever been. His muay thai causes problems for just about anyone because of his length. On the ground, he’s not a real pro, but he’s better than most.
Rosholt is another member of Oklahoma State wrestling dynasty that has made it’s way over to the UFC from the WEC. He’s 1-1 in the UFC since coming over. His loss was to an underrated Dan Miller, but his win was over Chris Leben, and there were rumors that Leben had fallen into drug use again and had not trained for the fight at all. Rosholt will likely try to take Grove down, and if he does the question becomes can he possibly stay out of Grove submissions.
In a word: Nope.
Prediction: Grove via submission
Marcus Davis v. Ben Saunders
Mark my words: This will be the most exciting fight on the card.
Davis is a former boxer that has made himself a really nice career in MMA. Since appearing on TUF, He’s 8-2, and his losses are to Mike Swick and Dan Hardy. In the Hardy fight, there is an argument to be made that Davis actually should have won a split over Hardy. If he did, he probably gets a rematch with Swick, and maybe we’re talking about him taking on GSP. He’s not just a good boxer, but he’s got good muay thai, and a good enough ground game to get back to his feet.
Saunders is also a muay thai practitioner with excellent stand-up. He’s shown a propensity to bang, and was even talking smack to Mike Swick before Swick put him down for good. He’s 7-1-2 in his career, and 3-1 in the UFC. I think that Saunders is a future contender, but this not going to be his fight.
Prediction: Davis via TKO
For UFC 106 Gear, check out The 3rd String Store.
By Anthony De Franco November 12, 2009, at 5:50 pm Ross Pearson v. Aaron Riley
Pearson will make his debut as the TUF 10 lightweight winner in his home country of England. He was without a doubt the best lightweight on the show, and defeated Andre Winner on the Finale. He’s a balanced fighter with heavy hands and a pretty good ground game.
On the other hand, he’s taking Aaron Riley who another really interesting story. He’s 2-2 in the UFC, and one of his loss was a controversial stoppage to Shane Nelson. He then avenged that loss with a dominating decision victory. He’s 28 years old, and has begun training with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He’s got good wrestling and solid power. Really like what he brings to the table.
Prediction: Riley via Unanimous Decision
James Wilks v. Matt Brown
Wilks is the other winner from the US v. UK season of TUF. He lives in California, but is a British native. He specializes in BJJ, but has some stand-up as shown in his two TKO wins. His last fight was his victory over DaMarques Johnson at the TUF 9 finale. My main question is his ability to take a punch.
If anyone will test his chin, it’s “The Immortal” Matt Brown. Brown got his nickname from surviving a heroin overdose earlier in his life. The incredibly intense fighter that Forrest Griffin once called “Chuck Norris” is a good wrestler with good power. Brown is one of those never die fighters, as shown by his nickname.
Prediction: Brown via Unanimous Decision
Michael Bisping v. Denis Kang
Just as reminder about what happened last time Michael Bisping was in the cage, I bring you this.
Yea, that happened. Bisping is coming back off one of the worst knockouts that anyone as seen. Many people thought that he would be able to outquick Hendo, but he insisted on circling into the power hand of Henderson and eventually got pwned. While everyone has been crapping all over Bisping, He’s still a really good fighter.
Now, Britain’s MMA poster boy will try to get back on track against a really good veteran opponent in Denis Kang. Kang is an interesting case because he has been around for so long and never been a top contender. He’s 1-1 since joining the UFC, with a win over the absolutely awful Xaiver Foupa-Pokam, and a loss to Alan Belcher when he had an ankle injury. Kang is a well-rounded fighter with a ton of experience.
Jason and I disagree on this one, but I like Bisping as the better, more athletic fighter in this one.
Prediction: Bisping via unanimous decision
Mike Swick v. Dan Hardy
The winner of this one will be the next opponent for welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre. Swick has been a solider for the UFC fighting in two different weight classes. He’s lost only once, that coming to Yushin Okami, who was so much stronger than Swick at 185, that he moved down to 170. Swick is a solid all around fighter, but has shown a lot of explosiveness on his feet over the last few fights.
Hardy is the hometown favorite. The British loudmouth has some solid wins, and is 3-0 in the UFC. The win that put him on pace for this shot at the title was over Marcus Davis. It was a controversial decision victory in which Davis had his moments on the ground, which isn’t exactly normal for the former boxer. That showed the weakness in Hardy’s game. Hardy is purely a striker. Even if Hardy did get past Swick, what would the odds be against GSP?
This fight could be over if Swick gets even one takedown.
Prediction: Swick via submission
Randy Couture (#3 Light Heavyweight) v. Brandon Vera
This fight was thrown together because the UFC needed a main event for this card, but it’s actually turned into a pretty interesting fight to talk about.
Couture is 46. He’s also a freak of nature and is still the third best light heavyweight in the world according to our rankings (which will be updated after this card.) His wrestling is as good as it ever was, but the real improvement in his game has come in his boxing. His head movement is the best in MMA this side of Anderson Silva. This may sound scary, but this may be the best Randy Couture we’ve seen during his career, despite the fact that he coming off a loss to Big Nog.
Vera is coming off a win, but is a classic sports storyline that is now gracing MMA. He was all blue-chip, first round pick that never panned out, and now is making a comeback.
If you don’t remember, Vera was predicted to win both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles because his Muay Thai was so good. He hit a lull in the middle of his career. He’s still 7-3 in the UFC, and his losses have come to Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum and Keith Jardine. All of those guys are at least good enough to say that they aren’t bad losses. At least Sylvia used to be.
At light heavyweight full time now, Vera has consecutive wins over Krzysztof Soszynski, and Mike Patt. Can he be a potential champ in that division? Sure. He just needs to show me more than I have seen. A win over Randy Couture would go a long way towards proving himself to me.
I think that the key to this match-up is Couture’s wrestling against the BJJ of Brandon Vera. Can Vera mount any kind of offense if Couture is leaning on him? I just don’t if he can.
Prediction: Couture via Unanimous Decision
Looking for the undercard? We got ya.
Lookng for UFC 105 gear? Check out The 3rd String Store.
By Anthony De Franco November 12, 2009, at 1:49 pm Andre Winner v. Rolando Delgado
Wasn’t Delgado going by Roli until like three days ago? If you don’t remember him, he was the guy on the Mir v. Nog season of The Ultimate Fighter whom was constantly questioned about his BJJ black belt. He’s 1-1 since joining the UFC and seems to be one of these guys who they like putting on cards overseas. His last fight was a loss to Paul Kelly in Germany. He features great BJJ, and improving standup. My biggest question about him is his strength and chin, as he has a really slight frame.
Winner was the runner up of the US v. UK TUF season. He’s 0-1 in the UFC, as he lost to Ross Pearson at the Finale. I’m curious to see more of winner. His record indicates a strong submission background, as he’s got three submission victories. My only concern about him is a lack of ability to finish, as he has a ton of decision victories.
While Delgado is a nice fighter, I think Winner has a better all-around game, and more potential.
Prediction: Winner via Decision
Alexander Gustaffson v. Jared Hamman
Gustaffson is making his UFC debut out of Stockholm, Sweeden. He is a wrestler/boxer with an 8-0 record. Six of those wins have come by knockout, indicating that he has some pretty sick power. Besides, that I have to admit that I don’t know much about the Sweedish MMA scene, and none of his opponents are exactly names.
Hamman is also making his UFC debut but is American. His best win was a KO victory over Travis Wiuff in 2007. He’s a Strikeforce veteran, meaning he has a bunch more “big fight” experience than the swede. He’s 10-1, and avenged his only loss to Poai Suganuma. The first fight ended with Hamman being knocked out with a flying knee, in the second fight, he knocked Suganuma out with punches.
When in doubt, take the veteran.
Prediction: Hamman via TKO
Paul Kelly v. Dennis Siver
What’s an England card without Paul Kelly? The British brawler is 3-1 in the UFC with his only loss is against Marcus Davis, and it’s never a bad thing to lose to The Irish Hand Grenade. Kelly wants to keep every fight on the feet, but has been grinding out some decisions. He’s the hometown favorite, that’s for sure.
His opponent is Dennis Siver, who is 3-3 in the UFC, and another European staple for the company. He’s famous for his spinning back kick KO of Nate Mohr at UFC 93. He’s 2-0 his coming back from the nether regions of the MMA universe. He’s got a pretty good ground game to go with top notch kickboxing.
I’ll take the German to upset the British favorite.
Prediction: Siver via submission
Nick Osipczak v. Matt Riddle
Osipczak is another fighter off the TUF 9 cast. He beat American Frank Lester at the finale, and likely earned himself another fight with the victory. He’ll be the hometown favorite against the American as usual. He’s a practicioner of Shaolin-Kung Fu. Let’s make something clear: He’s not GSP, who has combined his Karate with other skills to make himself a more dangerous fighter. He’s just a Shaolin kung-fu guy. Not good.
Riddle on the other hand has as much potential as any fighter in the UFC. He debuted as the guy who lost to Tim Credeur on TUF 8 with terrible coach Rampage Jackson. Riddle got on the show by breaking the jaw of Serra Fight Team fighter Dan Simmler, but lost his first fight. He was 21 at the time.
Since then, Riddle has become a scalding hot prospect. He has great wrestling, and th ekind of knockout power that few people posses. IF he reaches his ceiling, He could easily follow the Dan Henderson archetype to success. Riddle is looking to make it four in a row in Britain, and I think that he will.
Prediction: Riddle via KO
Terry Etim v. Shannon Gugerty
Etim is 4-2 in the UFC, with wins over Sam Stout and Justin Buchholz on his record. Etim is another British favorite. He’s got an all-around game including some pretty good Muay Thai, and a really ground game. He has nine submission victories to his credit, and two submission of the night awards as well.
Gugerty is 2-1 in the UFC against some pretty mediocre competition. His best win is against Spencer Fisher, who’s ground game looks like a fish out of water. He has a great submission background as well, with eight of his 12 career victories coming by submission.
If the ground games cancel each other out, I like Etim’s muay thai to win the standup war.
Prediction: Etim via TKO
Paul Taylor v. John Hathaway
Taylor is 3-3 in the UFC and is most noted for his war with Paul Kelly at UFC 80. He has three fight of the night awards under his belt, and even if he doesn’t win, he’ll have a place in the UFC because he garners exciting fights with an aggressive style. While he has some submission wins, he most known for his standup ability with five career KO victories.
Hathaway is also British, making this the only fight on the card that features Brit on Brit violence. Hathaway is 2-0 in the UFC, with two european victories to his credit. Also a standup fighter, expect a ton of action in this fight, and eitheir fighter could score a clean shot and a KO.
Prediction: Hathaway via TKO
|
|
Tags: 
