UFC 105 Picks & Predictions
Posted by Drew Ellis (11/14/2009 @ 10:01 am)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship presents UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera on Saturday from the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England. The event will air on tape delay on Spike TV beginning at 8 p.m. and feature five bouts. Here are my picks for the five featured fights:
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) – Randy Couture (16-10) vs. Brandon Vera (11-3) – This fight features two former heavyweights that have dropped down to light heavyweight after struggling in the larger weight class. Couture is a Hall of Fame fighter that has won multiple titles in both divisions, but has lost his last two matches. The key in this fight will be whether the fight remains standing or if it goes to the ground. Couture has the edge on the ground while Vera has the edge standing. I expect Vera to come out highly motivated and on top of his game, using his speed and extensive strikes to get the best of Couture, who seems to be lacking in the ability to control fights right now. Look for Vera to win a second or third round TKO.
Welterweight (170 lbs) – Mike Swick (14-2) vs. Dan Hardy (22-6) – This match is a No. 1 contenders match, with the winner getting to fight UFC champion Georges St. Pierre in their next match. Both fighters will look to strike as each thinks they have faster and stronger hands than their opponent. The key for this fight will be which fighter has the ability to win the battle on the ground as that is likely where it will end up in the later rounds. I like Swick’s quickness and takedown ability to earn him a decision win over the game Hardy.
Middleweight (185 lbs) – Michael Bisping (18-2) vs. Denis Kang (32-11-1) – Bisping is coming off his first knockout loss at UFC 100 and how he handles that loss will be the key in this fight. Sometimes after losing by knockout, fighters come back tentative and unwilling to mix it up for fear of getting knocked out again. Bisping has to trust his abilities in order to beat Kang, who is an experienced and well-rounded fighter. Bisping was becoming a tentative fighter prior to his KO loss, and I expect him to be the same in this fight, which will allow Kang to control the fight and earn a decision win.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mixed Martial Arts
Tags: Aaron Riley, Brandon Vera, Dan Hardy, Denis Kang, James Wilks, James Wilks vs. Matt Brown, Matt Brown, Michael Bisping, Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang, Mike Swick, Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy, Randy Couture, Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera, Ross Pearson, Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley, UFC 105, UFC 105 picks, UFC 105 predictions, Ultimate Fighting Championship
White embarrassed by UFC 97
Posted by Thomas Conroy (04/19/2009 @ 1:56 pm)
Despite chants of “boring” and boos that echoed inside the Bell Centre, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champ Anderson Silva entered the record books with a unanimous decision over Thale Leites at UFC 97:Redemption in Montreal on Saturday evening.
Silva posted his ninth-straight victory in the octagon that broke a tie he held with MMA legend Royce Gracie and Jon Finch. This was overshadowed by the lack of action generated in a less-than-stellar main event, as the two fighters avoided contact for the first minute of the fight and they often went for long stretches without exchanging blows.
This didn’t sit well with UFC President Dana White, and he didn’t mince words in the post-fight press conference.
“I can honestly tell you that I’ve never put on an event that I was embarrassed to be at until tonight,” White said. “I want to publicly apologize to all the fans.
“Watching that was hard. That was tough to take. It was embarrassing, honestly. It was really and truly embarrassing.”
The fans booed throughout the match and started a “boring” chant at the beginning of the final round. They also cheered for UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre, who was sitting at ringside. The Canadian star is rumored to be the next opponent for Silva.
Posted in: Mixed Martial Arts
Tags: Anderson Silva, Bell Centre, Dana White, George St. Pierre, Jon Finch, MMA, Montreal, Royce Gracie, Thale Leites, UFC, UFC 97:Redemption, UFC middleweight champion, UFC welterweight champion, Ultimate Fighting Championship
Elite XC to fold
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/21/2008 @ 8:43 am)
Another MMA league has just got KO’d by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as Elite XC will be closing for business at the end of the week.
Elite XC’s two biggest attractions, Slice and Carano, are unlikely to be moving to the sport’s highest-profile group. UFC president Dana White has repeatedly said he won’t use Slice, who made his reputation as a backyard streetfighter on YouTube videos but is not the caliber of even a mid-level MMA pro. White also has said he’s not interested in promoting women’s fighting, although Carano’s success as a draw may cause him to reconsider. Her match with Kelly Kobold two weeks ago ended up adding more new viewers than any MMA match on television in the U.S.
It had been widely known that due to the losses, and the inability to raise new capital, that the Elite XC would either be sold to Showtime or be forced to fold by the end of the year. Others within the company said bankruptcy papers would be filed.
Well, I guess it’s back to fighting hobos for $20 on the street for Kimbo Slice. Only in America can you fight homeless people on YouTube and become a television star. Good for White for turning down the opportunity to represent a cartoon character just to get some publicity.
