We need to stop Julio Jones.
Let’s go #Niners
Kaep and team are going to take down Green Bay. Let’s do this.
UFC 152
Vitor Belfort was once the most feared fighter in the early days of UFC. His speed and strength was almost unmatched inside the cage. Over the years Belfort went from top of the heap to middle of the pack. But with a couple of high profile wins and a little bit of luck the Brazilian gets a shot at the Light heavyweight title.
Belfort has been fighting at Middleweight for the past few years and how he’s stepping in the cage against one of the most dominant Light Heavyweight fighters in UFC. Jon Jones has already put away four former UFC Champs with ease. It will be difficult for Belfort to put up an effective strategy that Jones hasn’t already seen. If there’s any chance that Belfort can pull off an upset he’ll need to pressure Jones from the opening bell. He’ll need to use his speed to close the distance and press the champ up against the cage. Beflort is a great fighter, but in the end Jones will finish the fight before it reaches the championship rounds.
My Picks:
Jon Jones Beats Vitor Belfort
Demetrious Johnson beats Joseph Benavidez
Michael Bisping beats Brian Stann
Matt Hamill beats Roger Hollett
Charles Oliveira beats Cub Swanson
Igor Pokrajac beats Vinny Magalhaes
Evan Dunham beats TJ Grant
Sean Pierson beats Lance Benoist
Charlie Brenneman beats Kyle Noke
The Hunger Games
In a post-apocalyptic era of the US, each year a young boy and girl are selected from 12 different districts to battle to the death on live television in an event called the Hunger Games. For the 74th annual Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen volunteers in place of her younger sister. Katniss is joined by Peeta Mellark to represent their district. Like American Idol, the last person standing wins – but instead of a sing off, the contestants must fight, kill, and survive.
For some the movie can be a bit slow. It has a steady pace and all action and excitement is in the last half of the movie during the Hunger Games. As the first movie of a trilogy its a great start and I hope the sequel takes it up a notch.
Rating: 
UFC 143
Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will be fighting for the welterweight interim title. This is a very interesting match up. Condit is well-rounded with great composure in tense fights. Diaz loves to put on pressure and it’s that pressure that breaks down many of his opponents. But in this fight, Diaz will be up against someone who can deal with an onslaught of punishment and dish major punishment of his own. Condit will need to prevent Diaz from getting into a groove such as allowing Diaz to throw hundreds of those slap punches and controlling the pace and the octagon. I see this being a very close fight but with the edge going to Carlos Condit.
My Picks:
Carlos Condit beats Nick Diaz
Roy Nelson beats Fabricio Werdum
Josh Koscheck beats Mike Pierce
Renan Barao beats Scott Jorgensen
Dustin Poirier beats Max Halloway
Ed Herman beats Clifford Starks
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Ethan Hunt and the entire IMF organization has been disavowed by their own government after a bomb blows up the Kremlin. Now Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, and his rogue team must find the culprit that has framed them for the bombing and to prevent an all out nuclear war with Russia. Ghost Protocol is action packed and the daring stunts will leave you at the edge of your seats.
It’s also nice to know that with a couple of Apple products and some BMW vehicles you can pretty much save the world. If you enjoyed the last Mission Impossible movies then you will definitely be pleased with this one.
Rating:
UFC 136
Two titles are on the line. Frankie Edgar will be defending his Lightweight title against Gray Maynard in a rematch that ended in a controversial draw in their last bout. And Jose Aldo will try to retain his title against the veteran Kenny Florian whose been trying to capture a title of his own the past few years.
Edgar vs. Maynard
This will be their third fight against each other with Maynard holding a win over Edgar in their first fight. In their last fight, Maynard was so close to finishing the fight in the first round, but Edgar was able to weather the storm and took control of the fight to even it up on the score card.
Expect Maynard to come into this fight with a controlled game plan. He will use is physical strength and wrestling to control his opponent. He’ll want to take the fight to the ground and wear the New Jersey native down. But it won’t be easy as Edgar’s foot movement and quick hands will be the deciding factor of this fight. If Edgar can keep the fight on the feet, he will retain the title. Both are good wrestlers and in the end I see Edgar fending off Maynard’s takedowns and utilize his quickness to keep Maynard at bay and score points with this hands.
Aldo vs. Florian
Aldo has dominated all his opponents since he debuted in the WEC. Since holding the Featherweight title he looked untouchable. In his last fight against Mark Hominick, Aldo seemed to exposed a weaknesses. It was his cardio. Some were saying Aldo had an injury that forced him to make a big weight cut right before the fight, but who knows?
Florian has made an unprecedented move by dropping to a fourth weight class. He was able to prove that he belongs in the division by beating a tough and top contender, Diego Nunes. Florian will be Aldo’s toughest opponent yet. Well-rounded with tons of experience Florian will force the Champion to bring his A-Game.
I’m excited for this fight as Aldo is one of the most explosive fighters in MMA. His striking is phenomenal and his team mates say his ground game is just as good. We haven’t seen it yet as he has not have the opportunities to use it in the octagon. I believe Florian’s striking is good too, but not at the level that Aldo has displayed. I expect Florian to use his reach advantage, but when the opportunities are there he will try to stifle Aldo by keeping him up against the cage. Keeping the fight in tight quarters where Florian can use his knees and elbows is key to scoring points and maintain control. It’s out in the middle of the octagon is where Aldo can blast those big leg kicks and crushing knees. I see Florian struggling to control the Brazilian phenom. Aldo will be just too fast and powerful in the striking game.
My Picks:
Frankie Edgar beats Gray Maynard
Jose Aldo beats Kenny Florian
Chael Sonnen beats Brian Stann
Nam Phan beats Leonard Garcia
Melvin Guillard beats Joe Lauzon
Demian Maia beats Jorge Santiago
Jeremy Stephens beats Anthony Pettis
Zhang Tiequan beats Darren Elkins
Eric Schafer beats Aaron Simpson
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is a prequel to the 1968 and 2001 movie “Planet of the Apes” starring Charlton Heston and Mark Wahlberg respectively. In this film Will Rodman, played by James Franco, is searching for a cure of Alzheimer by genetically engineering a virus and testing them on chimpanzees. The outcome lead to a short term cure which he had to modify to make it more potent. The new potent cure dramatically increases the intelligence of the chimps but causes unwarranted side effects on humans.
This movie is a surprisingly entertaining with a great story line. It’s definitely one of the top movies of the summer. When it comes to prequels Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best.
Rating:
UFC 133
Last time I saw Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz fight it was at the Arco Arena in Sacramento at UFC 73. The fight unfortunately ended in a draw. Since the fight Rashad Evans has put a string of wins and eventually captured the Light Heavyweight title. Ortiz hasn’t had much luck. With plaguing injury and poor performances many are surprised he’s still fighting. But his last fight against Ryan Bader proved that he still got some fight left in him.
Evans is still in the midst of a burgeoning career whereas Ortiz is winding his down for retirement. Evans is very much like Tito in his style and strength and in this fight Ortiz will have a very difficult time battling his younger foe.
My Picks:
Rashad Evans beats Tito Ortiz
Vitor Belfort beats Yoshihiro Akiyama
Brian Ebersole beats Dennis Hallman
Costantinos Philippou beats Jorge Rivera
Rory MacDonald beats Mike Pyle
Alexander Gustafsson beats Matt Hamill
Chad Mendes beats Rani Yahya
Mike Pierce beats Johny Hendricks
Mike Brown beats Nam Pham
Track and Field Season
Except for my for UFC Picks, I haven’t been posting much lately. It’s Track and Field season which started back in February has keeping me busy, along with flag football, and teaching computer class.
Check out TFmeets.net if like to follow any of the local BVAL results. Or follow me on Twitter.