Tag: middleweight title

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UFC 162

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The Spider is back in the octagon to defend his title against an explosive up and coming Chris Weidman. Weidman is a powerful wrestler that has KO power. Many see Weidman as the man to dethrone Silva. It doesn’t mean much since everyone says that about all of Silva’s opponents, but in the end Silva walks away keeping his title without breaking a sweat.

Silva is still the king of the division, and he’ll prove it to night by stopping Weidman in the later rounds.  Weidman will have to focus on his wrestling and keep Silva on his back if he wants a chance. As long as Silva is standing it will be a bad night for the challenger.

 

My Picks:

Anderson Silva beats Chris Weidman
Frankie Edgar beats Charles Oliveria
Tim Kennedy beats Roger Gracie
Tim Boetsch beats Mark Munoz
Dennis Siver beats Cub Swanson
Dave Herman beats Gabriel Gonzaga
Edson Barboza beats Rafaello Oliveria

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UFC 154

GSP has been out for more than 18 months since his last fight against Jake Shields. St. Pierre will be defending his title against current Interim champ Carlos Condit. This will be a very interesting match. Condit will be one of GSP’s more well rounded opponents to date. However, Condit isn’t going to bring what GSP hasn’t already faced.

Condit’s last fight against Nick Diaz showed that he is a very cerebral fighter. He executed his game plan perfectly and didn’t fall into Diaz’s antics, which have gotten many other fighters flustered. Condit has a great chance to shock MMA fans and win the title. What he needs to do to win is to immediately go after GSP at the opening round. Condit needs to put on the pressure, but stay away from the takedowns. GSP tends to spend the first couple of minutes sizing up his opponents before he pulls the trigger. Since GSP has been out for some time, Condit will need to take advantage of GSP’s ring rust. The early pressure from Condit will keep GSP at bay.

One of the biggest questions people have for the current champ is how he will perform coming back from a serious injury, and will he still be able to dominate the division? A true champ will always come to win and GSP has more than enough tools to maintain the title for some time. Condit will be a tough test for the champ, but GSP will prove too much for the challenger once the champ gets into his grove.

My Picks:

Georges St. Pierre beats Carlos Condit
Martin Kampmann beats Johny Hendricks
Francis Carmont beats Tom Lawlor
Nick Ring beats Costa Philippou (fight cancelled)
Rafael dos Anjos beats Mark Bocek
Mark Hominick beats Pablo Garza
Patrick Cote beats Alessio Sakara
Chad Riggs beats Cyrille Diabate
Sam Stout beats John Makdessi
Rodrigo Damm beats Antonio Carvalho

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UFC 148

Chael Sonnen is getting his wish, a rematch against the Middleweight King, Anderson Silva. It’s an understatement to say that Sonnen despises the current champ. And in every interview it’s seldom that he doesn’t mention how he feels about Anderson Silva.

With all the smack talking from Sonnen, it has finally struck a nerve with the always cool and calm champ. Silva has voiced some of his own smack talk as well. And at the weigh ins staredown Silva gave Sonnen an uncharacteristic shoulder bump that quickly caused both camps to jump in to prevent any further escalation. The tension in the air between both fighters was heavy and it only makes this fight more anticipating than ever.

In their last fight Sonnen dominated every minute of every round until the final round where Silva was able to slip in a triangle choke. As impressive as Sonnen was in that fight I don’t think he can replicate that performance. This is the first time we’ve seen an emotionally motivated Anderson Silva. And this motivation is just fuel to the fire that Sonnen is stoking. Expect Silva to keep the fight standing as he will try to KO Sonnen. But it’s likely that Sonnen will take the fight to the ground and in that case he’ll fall victim to another submission.

My Picks:

Anderson Silva beats Chael Sonnen
John Alessio beats Shane Roller
Chad Mendes beats Cody McKenzie
Mike Easton beats Ivan Menjivar
Rafaello Oliveira beats Yoislandy Izquierdo
Patrick Cote beats Cung Le
Forrest Griffin beats Tito Ortiz
Dong Hyun Kim beats Demian Maia
Constantinos Philippou beats Riki Fukuda
Gleison Tibau beats Habib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard beats Fabricio Camoes

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UFC 134 – Rio

For the second time the raining Middleweight champ, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva, will be facing the Japanese sensation, Yushin Okami. The last time they faced each other the fight ended in an awkward win for Okami, via disqualification by Anderson Silva.  Nevertheless Okami is the last person to hold a win over The Spider. This fight has been a long time coming. Okami has put on some great fights as well as a couple of disappointing losses, but with each loss Okami came back more determined and has proved himself  to be a worthy contender to the title.

Tomorrow night will be a special night for UFC and the Brazilian fans. It’s been over a decade since Brazil held a UFC event. Many of the popular UFC Brazilian fighters will be representing their country in the Octagon. Most importantly the Middleweight title is on the line. Watch Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera fight for the first time in his home country against rising star, Brendan Schaub. Shogun Rua is back in the octagon.  This time it will be a rematch against TUF winner and former Light Heavyweight champ, Forrest Griffin and the fighter that beat Rua in his UFC debut.

My Picks:

Luis Cane beats Stanislav Nedkov
Rousimar Palhares beats Dan Miller
Ross Pearson beats Edson Barboza
Forrest Griffin beats Mauricio Rua
Paulo Thiago beats David Mitchell
Thiago Tavares beats Spencer Fisher
Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera beats Brendan Shaub
Anderson Silva beats Yushin Okami

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UFC 126

Going to Las Vegas has become like a ritual around this time for the last few years. Superbowl and UFC weekend has fallen on or near my birthday UFC 126 is no different.  I am in Las Vegas to catch the weigh ins again. Unfortunately, I won’t be attending it, but I will be catching a closed-circuit viewing of the event instead.

This UFC event is one of the most stacked events in a long time. In addition to the headliners “Kid” Yamamoto, Miguel Torres, and Donald Cerrone making their UFC debut it will be exciting to see these lighter fighters show how dynamic their weight class has become.

Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort

It’s finally happening. This fight has been scrapped a few times in the past due to injuries from each fighter, but now both have healed up and ready to get it on. Vitor Belfort has come a long way with a roller coaster ride of a career with big wins and disappointing losses he has now in a position to solidify himself as one of the best fighters in the world. A win over Anderson Silva will rock the middleweight division. Belfort is known to have very fast hands, but he has always shown weakness in the mental aspect of the fight game. Troubled by personal issues of the past (he had a sister who was kidnapped and killed) was thought to be the cause of his poor performance. Belfort’s last loss has been in 2006, and his last win was an impressive KO over Rich Franklin which catapulted him to number one contender.

Anderson Silva has ruled the division longer than Belfort’s current winning streak. He has dominated almost all of his opponents and made his wins look easy. In this fight I don’t see Belfort being any more of a threat compared to his previous opponents. Silva’s striking is superb and his grappling is just as good as anyone in the division. I expect Silva to win dynamically. Belfort will try to be aggressive, but that will only make The Spider step up his game and win the fight fashionably.

For Belfort to win he will need to take the fight to the ground early and score points in the eye of the judges. Keeping Anderson on his back is the best chance for any fighter going against him. In the end the Champion will retain his belt unless Belfort can sneek in a flash KO with his quick hands but I don’t see that happening.

My Picks:

Anderson Silva beats Vitor Belfort
Forrest Griffin beats Rich Franklin
Jon Jones beats Ryan Bader
Jake Ellenberger beats Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Miguel Torres beats Antonio Banuelos
Chad Mendez beats Michihiro Omigawa
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto beats Demetrious Johnson
Paul Taylor beats Gabe Ruediger
Kenny Robertson beats Mike Pierce

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UFC 117

This will be the first time UFC has held an event in Oakland and it has a stacked card, at least for me it is. Headlining the event will be Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva defending his belt against big mouthed trash-talking Republican Chael Sonnen.  A lot of hype is being thrown into this fight thanks to Sonnen’s commentary, but the truth is Sonnen hasn’t faced a fighter like Silva, but Silva has faced wrestlers and ground fighters and won with ease.  I’m not saying Sonnen has no chance of winning, he just needs to bring a strategy that is much different than what he’s brought against his past opponents.

When Anderson Silva fought Travis Lutter Silva was put on his back and got a slight beating only if it was for a slight moment. Against Dan Henderson in the first round, Silva was taken down and held there for the majority of the period. Both those guys have great ground game, but was unable to finish Silva. As for Sonnen, he needs to take the fight to the ground, but unlike Henderson and Lutter he needs to finish. He needs to stay busy inflicting damage and work his top position and prevent Silva from escaping. On the feet is where it gets tricky. Anderson Silva’s striking is above and beyond Sonnen’s and he’ll have to find a way to take the fight to the ground. It’s likely that Sonnen will use the cage and his clinch to work for a takedown or a catching a kick from Silva, and anyone who’s anyone knows that being in the clinch with Anderson Silva is a quick way to see stars and birdies.

But the big question is on Anderson Silva whether he’s coming into the cage like he did against Demian Maia. Silva seems to not take a fight seriously when he knows he’s the better fighter. The Cote, Leites, and Maia fight were more than lackluster, it was an embarrassment for a Middleweight Champion. I don’t see Anderson Silva losing, but if he fools around in the cage like before I just hope Sonnen catches him and puts out. I’m a huge Anderson Silva fan, but his last fight made me lose a lot of respect for him.

My Picks:

Ben Saunders beats Dennis Hallman
Johny Hendricks beats Charlie Brenneman
Tim Boetsch beats Todd Brown
Phils Davis beats Rodney Wallace
Junoir Dos Santos beats Roy Nelson
Ricardo Almeida beats Matt Hughes
Clay Guida beats Rafael Dos Anjos
Thiago Silva beats Jon Fitch
Anderson Silva beats Chael Sonnen

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Stikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le

strikeforceshamvle

The Frank Shamrock and Cung Le’s bout has been years in the making. Shamrock, a self-proclaimed legend of MMA, and Le is a World Class Shanshou kickboxer whose jump to the MMA scene has been nothing but phenomenal. Both fighters are natives of San Jose and it’s more than just for the Middleweight title it’s for bragging right on who is the best middleweight in town.

Frank Shamrock is a tested veteran and has been in major fights years ago when MMA was in its infancy. So his experience and skills on the ground will let him win this fight. But Cung Le is a world class kick boxer, his short stint in MMA is his only downfall. On paper, this bout seems like a mis-match, but there’s more to it than a piece of paper. Le’s stand up is like no other. His striking is unorthodox and it has been extremely effective against his previous opponents. This will give Shamrock some trouble. Le has a solid wrestling background, and if he can prevent Shamrock from taking him down then Le has a good chance winning the fight.

I’ve been a big critic of Cung Le even during his Sanshou days. Many of his opponents were hand picked. Le’s Shanshou opponents were mainly kickboxers who never fought or inexperience with Shanshou rules which gave Le a huge advantage. In MMA, he has become a huge sensation by beating less than stellar opponents. I don’t blame Le. It’s his hardcore fans of the Bay Area that are quickly jumping the gun proclaiming he’s the next best thing since sliced bread. This fight will be a true test for Cung Le and if he wins I will admit that Le will be a legit threat to anyone in the middleweight division.

Other bouts on the fight card includes Drew Fickett, Gilbert Melendez, and Joey Villasenor. Unfortunately, Nick Diaz was pulled from the card.

My picks:

Frank Shamrock beats Cung Le
Gilbert Melendez beats Gabe Lemley
Joey Villasenor beats Ryan Jensen
Drew Fickett beats Jae Suk Lim
Tiki Ghosn beats Luke Stewart
Mike Kyle beats Wayne Cole

I will be attending the event. I will be sending live under card results to MMA-Extreme.

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UFC 82

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From the words of UFC’s iconic announcer Bruce Buffer, “It is time..!!!!” for UFC 82. Headlining the event is Anderson Silva defending his title against Dangerous Dan Henderson. Not only is this for the Middleweight title, but it’s for the unification of PrideFC’s Middleweight title that Henderson holds.

Dan Henderson is only fighter to hold two titles in two seperate division in PrideFC. Last year Henderson lost his Lightheavy weight title to UFC’s current Champ, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. And now Henderson is now fighting a fighter who is considered one of the top pound for pound fighter in the sports of mixed martial arts. It seems UFC is not giving Henderson a break at all. Henderson has his hands full with Silva. Silva has a superior and technical striking game whereas Henderson is a big slugger with KO power in each hand. So this contrast in styles will likely play in Silva’s hands as long as he doesn’t get caught with one of Henderson’s haymakers.

We’ve seen Silva’s great striking abilities, and his slick BJJ, and his clench game is second to none. But there’s one spot where Silva has not been put in yet. And that’s being pressed up against the cage and get worked by some dirty boxing or crowded in the corner against the fence getting pounded. The reason why we’ve never seen him in that situation is because Silva is smart and utilizes his footwork and to put himself in position to use his weapons. But if there’s one person who can force him against the cage and into a corner it would be Dan Henderson. Henderson is a pedigree wrestler, Greco-Roman that is. If Henderson can close the gap on Silva and get put his back against the fence it would neutralize Silva’s devastating knees, kicks, punches. But then it’s always easier said than done.

My pick is Silva. Silva has too many ways to win, and Henderson has nothing that Silva has never faced. Unless Henderson catches Silva with an over hand right that stuns or KO Silva it’s going to be another loss for him in the UFC.

My Picks:

Cheick Kongo via stoppage
Chris Leben via submission
Evan Tanner via decision
Jon Fitch via submission
Andrei Arlovski via KO
Luke Cummo via stoppage
Josh Koscheck via stoppage
Diego Sanchez via submission
Jorge Gurgel via decision