Author: Drew Ellis (Page 9 of 14)

      Strikeforce Predictions: Fedor vs. Werdum

      June 26, 2010 /

      Strikeforce holds its next big card tonight featuring Fedor Emelianenko taking on Fabricio Werdum. The card features four fights and here are my thoughts on what will happen tonight.

      Heavyweight Bout – Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) vs. Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1) – This is the next big bout for Fedor, who is one of the greatest mixed-martial artists of all-time, let alone in the heavyweight division. Werdum is a solid grappler, but he doesn’t have the style to defeat Fedor, as he has not standup and he is slow on his feet. Emelianenko should have no problem winning this fight by TKO in round one or two.

      Women’s Featherweight Championship – Cris Santos (9-1) vs. Jan Finney (8-7) – Finney is a game fighter, but she is running into a buzzsaw in Santos, who may eventually become as dominant as any champion in a weight class, men or women. Santos will overwhelm Finney with her strength and her striking. Look for a first round TKO win for “Cyborg” as she retains her title.

      Middleweight Bout – Scott Smith (17-6) vs. Cung Le (6-1) – Smith handed Le his first pro loss last December on a miracle KO punch in the third round. Le was dominating the fight up until that point, which is why the rematch is taking place. Le has a better skill set and more tools than Smith, who simply will be relying on one punch to win. Look for Le to fight a smart fight and finish Smith in the third round.

      Lightweight Bout – Josh Thomson (16-3) vs. Pat Healy (23-15) – Thomson clearly has the edge in this fight. Healy is an experienced fighter, but that experience hasn’t resulted in a great record. Look for Thomson to control the fight on the ground to earn a decision win in his quest to get back into the Lightweight title picture.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Despite another KO loss, Liddell deserves one last fight

      June 14, 2010 /

      I, like many of you, watched the sad scene of Chuck Liddell getting knocked out by Rich Franklin at UFC 115 on Saturday night.
      The consensus of the broadcasters and many of the fans is that it was Liddell’s last fight. After all, the man has now lost five of his last six and three of four of those losses have come by knockout.

      While you have to be concerned for Liddell’s health and mental state after the repeated KO’s, I think the UFC owes it to Liddell for one last fight.
      This wouldn’t be just any fight, it would be a fight with his rival, Tito Ortiz. And no matter the result, Liddell would retire after that fight.

      I mean the poor guy spent a month of his life listening to Ortiz talk unwarranted trash about him with the thought that he would get a chance to shut Ortiz up one more time, only to see Ortiz back out with an injury that he somehow hadn’t noticed until the show was about to wrap up.
      Liddell has already KO’d Ortiz two times yet Ortiz still seems to think he is better than Liddell and will gladly tell anyone that asks him about it. Liddell would love nothing more than to plant another right hand on Ortiz’ big head.

      You really wouldn’t have to worry much about Liddell’s health with this fight either as Ortiz doesn’t have punching power and Liddell has tremendous takedown defense. Ortiz would pretty much be a sitting duck for Liddell.

      Liddell was the face of the UFC during its boom into mainstream media and he has always done what the organization has asked. It would be nice to see the UFC pay him back one last time by giving him this fight. Liddell deserves a chance to ride off into the sunset by beating one of the most hated fighters in the promotion.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      UFC 115 Picks & Predictions

      June 12, 2010 /

      UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin takes place tonight from the General Motors Palace in Vancouver, British Columbia. The card is pretty solid but not overwhelming. Here are my thoughts on each of the main card bouts.

      Light Heavyweight Bout – Chuck Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich Franklin (27-5) – Both of these guys are past their prime and looking for another win to add to their career list. Liddell looks to be in great shape for the fight but unless he changes the way he fights, he is probably in trouble. Franklin is a more technical striker and he utilizes body kicks, which Liddell will have trouble with. I expect Franklin to use his jab to keep Liddell and bay and slowly wear him down before scoring a big punch that leads to a finish in the third round.

      Heavyweight Bout – Mirko Cro Cop (26-7) vs. Pat Barry (5-1) – This should be a very entertaining fight as neither fighter wants it to go to the ground and both are excellent with their kicks. Unfortunately for Cro Cop, he has lost his killer instinct that made him a star and his apprehension will allow Barry to set the tone with his brutal leg kicks. Look for Barry to win this fight by a TKO in the second round.

      Welterweight Bout – Paulo Thiago (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (16-3) – Kampmann seems to be getting overlooked in this fight as he is a tough guy to beat and he is very well-rounded. Thiago is probably over-confident in his striking after his last win over Mike Swick, but that will play into Kampmann’s favor. Look for the Dane to get a decision victory as he dictates the pacing and location of the bout.
      Heavyweight Bout – Ben Rothwell (30-7) vs. Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1) – These are two big sluggers that are going to probably tire themselves out early in the fight. The key to victory will be the bigger size and better wrestling skill of Rothwell, who should be able to use his weight to lay on Yvel and tire him out quicker. Once Yvel is gassed, look for Rothwell to pounce and score a second round TKO win.

      Welterweight Bout – Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-0) – There is a lot of promise in MacDonald, who is just 20-years-old, but he is stepping up in competition with this fight against the experienced Condit. Condit will be ready anywhere the fight goes and MacDonald still has some learning to do before he can get into contender status. Look for Condit to out-class MacDonald on their feet and on the ground as he scores a decision win.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      What a difference 5 years makes in MMA

      June 5, 2010 /

      The main event of UFC 115 next weekend would have been one of the biggest fights ever five years ago. Former champions Rich Franklin and Chuck Liddell will meet in a fight where in all reality, the loser should retire. The winner won’t have much of anywhere to move up the ladder and the loser will really only deserve to be on a PPV undercard.

      It is amazing how quickly things have changed in MMA and looking back just five years ago to see who the UFC champions were and where they are now. On June 4, 2005, the UFC held UFC 53: Heavy Hitters where Franklin won the middleweight title over Evan Tanner. As of that show, here is a look at who the UFC champions were and how their careers have quickly headed south.

      Heavyweight Champion – Andrei Arlovski: At UFC 53, Arlovski defended his title for the first time defeating the late Justin Eilers by TKO in the first round after Eilers blew his knee out. It was Arlovski’s fifth-straight win at the time, all of which were by stoppage. Arlovski followed that win with a one-punch KO of Paul Buentello at UFC 55 and was largely considered the most dominant champion in the organization. However, a bizarre loss to Tim Sylvia at UFC 59, in which Arlovski has Sylvia beat but then was caught with as straight jab that led to a TKO loss, started the downfall of his career. Another loss to Syliva led to a five-fight winning streak, but the fighter was never quite the same. He lost his aggression and confidence and has since lost three-straight fights and is almost an afterthought in MMA. His most recent fight was a decision loss to Antonio Silva, which was a sad performance where he never showed the aggression that made him the dominant champion of five years ago.

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      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      UFC 114 Picks & Predictions

      May 29, 2010 /

      The long-awaited fight between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans finally takes place tonight, as the main event of UFC 114 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Here are my picks for that bout and the other four fights on tonight’s PPV card.

      UFC Light Heavyweight Bout – Quinton Jackson (30-7) vs. Rashad Evans (19-1-1) – This fight should be exciting as both clearly dislike each other. I think the key to victory will be for Jackson to use his size on Evans and for Evans to use his quickness and wrestling on Jackson. In the end, I like Evans to utilize his hand speed and mix in more wrestling to keep Jackson off guard. Look for Evans to also utilize leg kicks, which Jackson has shown he can’t defend. I am going with Evans to win by decision in a tough fight.

      UFC Middleweight Bout – Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3) – Bisping is hungry for a strong showing after his tough decision loss to Wanderlei Silva. Miller is a game fighter that will keep Bisping on his toes, but Bisping has too much talent and big-fight experience for Miller. Look for the Brit to win by TKO in the second or third round.
      UFC Heavyweight Bout – Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1) – Duffee has been an explosive monster in his MMA career, as he is 6-0 with six KO’s. Russow has the experience edge and will be the better grappler, but the fight always starts on the feet, where Duffee has a clear edge. Look for Russow to push Duffee a little bit before Duffee lands the big punch and scores a TKO late in round one.

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      External Sports, March Madness, UFC

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