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Welcome back to another round of UFC predictions! Here are the current standings:

Blogger	UFC 141	UFC 142	UFC Fox 2	Total	% Correct
Dbl0murf	17	14	16	47	72%
rodeoeyes	14	10	18	42	66%
CaptObs	14	8	16	38	62%

Rodeoeyes hit 8 of 10 with the bonus points with the Rashad Evans decision to win the evening. It's nice to see I may actually be challenged this year! Let's take a look at UFC 143:

Fight	Dbl0murf	CaptObs	rodeoeyes
Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit	Condit TKO R3	Diaz (4th Rd TKO)	Diaz Sub R4 (FOTN)
Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson	Werdum	Werdum	Nelson
Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce	Koscheck	Pierce	Koscheck
Scott Jorgenson vs. Rean  Pegado	Pegado (FOTN)	Pegado	Jorgenson
Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks	Herman	Starks	Herman
Dustin Poirer vs. Max Holloway	Poirer	Holloway	Poirer
Matt Riddle vs. Henry Martinez	Martinez	Riddle	Riddle
Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa	Caceres	Figueroa	Figueroa
Chris Cope vs. Matt Brown	Brown	Brown (FOTN)	Brown
Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper	Kuiper	Kuiper	Kuiper
Daniel Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson	Stittgen	Stittgen	Thompson

 

Comments:

 

Diaz – Condit

Rodeoeyes:

How do you pick against Diaz right now? Love him or hate him, or love his fights while personally hating him, or neither… I actually like his fights and don’t mind his antics anymore. After watching the Countdown series to hype the PPV it’s pretty obvious he has some massive social anxiety issues. I of all people cannot get pissed at a guy like that, so he gets a pass from me. I like Condit as a fighter too, but Diaz is just too damn good. Now can he stop a healthy and pissed off St. Pierre and his wrestling next fall?

 

Dbl0murf:

I’m going with the “nobody believed in me” theory – Few are considering Condit because of Diaz’s win streak and personality. Condit’s only loss in the last 5 years is a split decision to Martin Kampmann. He can finish guys in a variety of ways, and I can see him using elbows to open up Diaz. Remember the days when Diaz was a “bleeder?” I think that comes back to haunt him Saturday.

 

CaptObs

I think the answer lies in this – is Condit smart enough to abandon the strike and go for the submission if Nick starts to out-hit him? Because in his interviews he sounds like he wants to purely trade, which is a mistake almost everyone makes against Diaz (kinda like following Nate to the ground and into his guard, right? Does the pure hatred that they inspire manage to overpower all common sense/gameplanning in anyone fighting them? Murph, do a study!). Doesn’t Condit have a distinct advantage in subs/ground? Nick’s striking is ridiculously accurate; I hope he doesn’t trade with him. I’m going double-reverse jinx here and taking Diaz by 4^th Rd TKO, thereby hopefully causing Condit to get the 3^rd Rd Sub that I want. Yeah, me!

 

Werdum – Nelson

Rodeoeyes:

I’ve never been high on Werdum. Yes, he’s a fantastic jits guy. But he’s slow and plodding and his standup sucks. But at least he compliments that with horrible takedowns. Did you watch the Overeem fight? That was brutal. Nelson can keep this standing and earn the win because at least he knows how to punch and kick.

 

Koscheck – Pierce

CaptObs:

I watched a bit of the 143 preview show on FSN last night, and the best part of the whole Kos/Pierce preview was Koscheck’s being utterly incredulous about the whole thing. “This guy is calling me out? Really? Who is he again?” And since Kos seems arrogant enough to not take the time to know jack shit about anyone else in his weight class outside of AKA, I don’t think he’s kidding. He just seems really flustered about the whole thing, like he’s pissed, but still respects Pierce for having the guts to call for a fight he will obviously lose. So I really hope that Pierce pulls a Paulo Thiago and catches him flush. I doubt it, but Pierce seems cocky enough to trade leather and seems well aware of the uppercut, so…fuck it, I’ll try here.

 

Jorgenson – Pagoda

Dbl0murf:

27-1 with 19 finishes? Good enough for me. Jorgenson is tough as well, so I like this one for Fight of the Night.

 

Herman – Starks

CaptObs:

I know nothing about Starks, but he looks mean, and probably enjoys beating up white guys that look like Herman – I know I would. 

 

Poirer – Holloway

Capt Obs:

I was liking Poirier’s record/stats until I saw his nickname. Your fate is sealed!

Dbl0murf:

Holloway’s nickname is Lil Evil? That’s Pulver’s nickname isn’t it? Even if Pulver doesn’t remember it’s his nickname anymore, be a little more creative.

 

Riddle – Martinez

Dbl0murf:

Riddle is the goofy kid from TUF that doesn’t have a driver’s license. Martinez can knock you out and/or submit you. There’s something there for a witty remark, but anything I can think of sounds like something from a Steven Seagal movie.

 

Caceres – Figueroa

Rodeoeyes:

Caceres looked better last time out, and the drop in weight was a good call, but this is one time I think the new guy will be a bit much for the UFC “veteran”.

 

Cope – Brown

Look at this picture and tell me you don’t get uncomfortable -   http://www.ufc.com/event/UFC143#/fight/Matt-Brown-Chris-Cope

We are back with another round of predictions! This time it's on Fox and hopefully we'll get more than 55-ish seconds of fighting. Moar fighting, less Curt Menefee! Plus I think UFC needs its own music, not the football lead-in. And so help me God if Cletus the Robot shows up....well, I'll just probably bitch about it here but I'd THINK about doing more! Here's our updated standings:

First, I suppose I should explain the scoring for our prediction contest. We get 2 points for a winner, 1 bonus point each for correctly calling the Main Event round and victory type (decision, KO, etc.). Plus whoever nails the Fight of the Night gets 2 bonus points. Here's how UFC 141 went down:

So one month....two years....whatever! We're back NOW, and that's what counts. The driving force for the comeback is another one of our crew has been deployed to Kuwait for a few months. So our goal is to keep him entertained with our razor sharp insight and witty banter, and when that doesn't work I'll post some ring girl pics! LESNAR vs. Overeem Round 3 TKO 

All right, I was too busy being lazy today, so it's the quick-quick version of predictions!

UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN

Paul Beuntello (27-10) vs. Stefan Struve (18-3) - Beuntello's punching prowess > Struve's length.  Buentello TKO R2

Jon Fitch (20-3) vs. Mike Pierce (10-2) - Remember, Fitch's only UFC loss is to GSP.  This time he gets a finish.  Fitch TKO R3

Kenny Florian (11-4) vs. Clay Guida (25-10) - Guida is relentless, but Florian's elbows are razor sharp on the ground.  I think the doctor ends this one.  Florian TKO R2

Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) - Mir is 264.5 pounds?!???!  I think Mir gets Kongo to the ground before Kongo knocks him out.  Mir leg lock R1

Main Event - Lightweight title
B.J. Penn (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (21-2) - Sanchez's only hope is to physically overwhelm Penn like GSP did.  Sanchez is an excellent wrestler, but I don't think it's enough.  Penn RNC R3.

That's what I got, enjoy the fights everyone!

All right, I got to the doors of the Mandalay Event Center around 4pm Pacific, and got out of there right around 10pm.  So what do I know now?  Here are my thoughts and ratings for all the fights (as always, you can view the Ratings Guide here):

General thoughts:

I figured losing Lesnar for the main event would leave some empty seats, but I didn't expect what I saw.  Capacity of the building is around 12k according to the interwebs.

445 pm (when the first fight started) - maybe 500-1000 people
600 (when the Spike coverage started) - about one-third full
700 (when the PPV coverage started) - right around two-thirds full
915 ish (Ortiz vs. Griffin) - maybe 85-90% full

There were blocks of empty seats, and there were 6 seats to my immediate left that were empty.  Considering I was in the last row and the ticket's face value was $100, that's a lot of money wasted. 

I sat next to a group from Denver, they were pretty cool.  And of course, right below us was the UNDENIABLY the SMARTEST MMA MIND EVER.  WHY????  BECAUSE HE WAS LOUD.  LOUD = KNOWLEDGE.  Anderson Silva's really good, you say?  WOW.

Speaking of volume, we couldn't hear any of the fighters from the interviews.  Joe came through just fine, but the fighter's responses were way too quiet, even Koscheck. 

Something I never caught on TV was the fighter traffic flow.  All the fighters came out one entrance, but left through a different one.  And for the Koscheck-Johnson and Forrest-Tito fights, they came down separate entrances.

Got to see ALL the bufferswerves tonight!  Although Bruce wasn't fully committed about this main event, as the Stepback Swerve wasn't busted out. 

Most noticeable was all the down time.  There were quite a few quick finishes tonight, and no fight started early which meant plenty of down time.  Both Spike fights ended in the first round, so between maybe 550 - 710 or so, we saw just over seven minutes of fights.  Plenty of time though to get $8 beers and $11 cocktails...  Worse yet, while there were some advertisements on the big video screens, most of the time it just showed the UFC logo.  Why not show some old fights of some of the competitors, or the latest TUF episode? 

Anyways onto the fights:

Parisyan - Hazlett
 Why does this get the worst rating?  Because they didn't fight.  Parisyan pulled out last-minute AGAIN.  We didn't even know that until RodeoEyes texted me an update.  That was very disappointing because I was looking forward to see Hazelett again.

Sotiropoulos - Dent
 Sotiropoulos looked really good, his boxing was very crisp. 

Uno - Camoes
 Ugh, a draw.  Camoes lost a point due to kicked an opponent on the ground (ulitimately a recurring theme of the evening), which caused the issue. 

Larson - Foster
 Another fight when points deducted.  Larson kicked an opponent in the head while both were on the ground AND kneeing an opponent in a guillotine when Foster's arm was on the ground?  I didn't see that at all, but it wasn't like a had a great view.  After that 2nd point, Larson really got tentative and Foster eventually overwhelmed him.

Grove - Rosholt
 I guess we get the good Kendall tonight.  Those long limbs of his was able to lock in a triangle choke from out of nowhere.  Some pretty good back and forth action until then.

Davis - Saunders
 Saunders was pretty dominant in this one, Davis couldn't figure out how to get inside on Saunders.  The final knee and right stiffened Davis right up, he was down for a couple minutes.

Sadollah - Baroni
 Sadollah looked good, but Baroni was gassed THREE minutes in.  I thought Baroni was going to overwhelm him, but he had nothing left after some initial flurries.  He spent the rest of the fight with his hands down by his waist absorbing blows.

Nogueira - Cane
 Nogueira was the best fighter tonight.  It was almost like Cane was intimidated by Nogueira.  It's understandable - the two guys hanging Nogueira's banner was Anderson Silva and Big Nogs.  How 'bout a three on three fight, who you got against them?  (from the same camp)

Thiago - Volkmann
 Volkmann showed plenty of heart, but Thiago outclassed him in every area.  Volkmann did escape a couple tough submission attempts, but his striking was pretty raw.

Koscheck - Johnson
 Koscheck's flop and subsequent selling of the flop was awful.  It looked nasty from where we were at, but 2 people (thx RodeoEyes) texted people in our area saying he didn't connect with his head.  Having the doctor come in to check Koscheck out could have ended very badly.  What if the doctor had stopped it?  Can you imagine the response after the replays went public?  I don't have an issue with Rumble getting the point taken away, however.

Griffin - Ortiz
 Griffin's choice of Tupthumper as his entrance song was the highlight of the evening.  It was a  truly inspired choice.  This could have easily been Fight of the Night, but Tito giving up that third round scuttled that.  I can't believe he thought he had won the first 2 rounds, it was way too close for that.  A solid performance by Griffin, especially after the Silva debacle.

That's what I got for UFC 106.  Definitely not the best PPV event, but when you lose a main event a month before there's not too much to done about it.  I'd definitely like to attend at least one more live event, now that I have an idea of the layout.

All right, UFC 106 will be my first time watching the event Live, so expect ratings and some notes for all the fights tonight! As for the Weigh-In, we'll stick to the PPV fights.  As always, staredown pics by www.combatlifestyle.com:

Main Card
 
170 - Paulo Thiago (11-1) vs. Jacob Volkmann (9-0) - Ironically enough, the first fight on the main card features a fighter I've already seen twice live.  We caught 2 of Volkmann's fights when he was on the MAX fight cards and won both of those fights in a combined 85 seconds.  Paulo Thiago is not Travis McCollough or Butch Hajicek however.  Both guys are grapplers, but I'd have to give the submission edge to Thiago.  Combine that with Volkmann's first UFC experience, and I think he gets caught early.  Thiago RNC R1



170 - Amir Sadollah (1-1) vs. Phil Baroni (13-11) - "The New York Bad Ass" makes his return to the UFC.  He compiled a 3-4 record in his first UFC go-around, now he's in a lower weight class.  Amir Sadollah to me seems like too nice of a kid to really succeed in the Octagon.  He came in as an unknown in TUF and surprised people, but with adequate preparation he's at a disadvantage.  I might be putting too much stock into one fight, but I don't see this fight going any better.  An aggressive Baroni will overwhelm Sadollah.  Baroni TKO R1



205 - Luis Cane (10-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) - This fight is tough to predict.  Cane has run through a number of lower-tier light heavyweights, while Little Nogs has a ton of experience fighting top-caliber opponents.  Cane has 8 (T)KO wins, and Nogueira is tough to knock down.  However, he does have losses to strikers Sokoudjou and Shogun Rua.  It goes one of 2 ways I think - Cane pummels him for 3 rounds and gets a decision, or Nogueira takes advantage of a Cane mistake.  I'm going for the pummeling.  Cane Unanimous Decision



170 - Josh Koscheck (13-4) vs. Anthony Johnson (8-2) - First and foremost, Rumble made weight this time which is great.  You could argue that the winner of this fight is next in line for the GSP-Hardy winner.  I'd like to see Koscheck get back to his wrestling roots and get Johnson on the ground for most of the fight, but he seems to think of himself as a striker now.  The last place in the world you want to be is standing in front of Rumble Johnson.  Koscheck was manhandled by Thiago Alves a year or so ago, and Johnson's even bigger.  If he utilizes his wrestling, he might neutralize Johnson's power, but I see Koscheck standing up with Johnson.  Johnson KO R2



Main Event:

205 - Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) vs. Forrest Griffin (16-6) - You know, it's almost a shame these guys are fighting now.  They would have been a great coach combo for TUF 11.  But here they are trying to step up and save a PPV that lost its heavyweight title fight.  Both of these guys have something to prove - Tito wants to show the world a pain-free Ortiz while Forrest wants to erase his prior embarrassing loss plus avenge an earlier loss to Ortiz.  I've heard very little from Griffin after the Silva fight, to me that indicates he's been training hard.  Combine that with Tito's near 18 month layoff, and I think we get an outstanding performance by Forrest.  Griffin Unanimous decision



All right, that's it for the Weigh-In.  Come back tomorrow for The Beatdown!

UFC 105 predictions - 3-2
2009 Predictions - 72-46

Prefight - nothing much really, now there are 3 British TUF winners.  With Hardy, Daley & Paul Taylor, the UK is starting to build a pretty decent talent base.

155 - Pearson vs. Riley

1st Round - BUFFERSWERVE!!  Already a good start.  They're spending the first minute or so finding their range.  Pearson with a clinch, landing some knees and uppercuts against the cage.  Pearson is really pouring it on right now, Riley finally escapes from the clinch.  Pearson winning the standup battle as well, NICE body kick. Pearson lands a superman punch.  Riley lands a couple kicks, keeps missing with the head kick though.  Pearson's striking is very crisp and he's constantly moving forward.  Rogan mentions Greg Jackson isn't happy with Riley.  Pearson 10-9.

2nd Round - Riley's moving forward, but Pearson is popping him with rights.  Riley landing some nice elbows against the cage.  Pearson's also keeping Riley off balance throwing punches and kicks.  Pearson really popping that straight right.  Wow, Riley lands a punch, Pearson lands a combo.  Riley looks off balance and a little slow.  Pearson gets the Muay Thai clinch and lands some big knees, and one busts Riley open.  Referee stops for the doc to take a look at it.  Doctor stops the fight!!

Pearson TKO R2

Fight Rating:
  It was a combination of Pearson looking really good and Riley looking really bad.  Pearson certainly passed his first UFC test.

170 - Wilks vs. Brown

1st Round - Early clinch, Brown gets the early advantage.  Wilks able to reverse and land a couple knees.  Wilks with a body lock, Brown working for a kimura.  Wilks jumps on Brown's back to break the hold.  Brown has Wilks in a guillotine, but Wilks escapes fairly easily.  Referee moves them back to the center and both fighters exchange.  Brown lands some nice shots so Wilks goes for a takedown.  Both guys are neutralizing each other against the cage, so referee gets them back into the center.  Wilks lands a nice kick-uppercut combo.  Once again against the cage.  Wilks has a mouse under his left eye.  Brown is looking for a guillotine, and almost had it locked.  Wilks drops down to escape and is able to get the takedown.  Another nice kick by Wilks to end the round.  This is going to be close, I'm thinking the judges gave the round to Wilks 10-9.

2nd Round - Brown really working the kicks to start.  Flying knee by Brown clips Wilks and he goes down!  Brown is unleashing on Wilks, but Wilks is holding on to a leg.  Wilks gained a good position for a leglock, but Brown escapes.  Brown landing some knees in the clinch again.  Brown is targeting the left eye with some elbows.  Wilks is working for a takedown and Brown is countering with a kimura attempt.  Rogan is complaining about letting them work against the cage, I think the ref is doing a good job with the timing.  Brown landing rights and lefts, Wilks drops for a takedown and Brown lands some hammerfists.  Brown trying to gain the back, but Wilks reverses into side control.  Brown able to get him back into guard without taking any damage.  Brown almost locked in a triangle but the bell sounded.  Easy 10-9 round for Brown.

3rd Round - Wilks throwing some kicks to keep Brown away.  Brown with a nice combo.  Wilks working a takedown, Brown works for a kimura but Wilks reverses it!  Wilks is trying multiple ways to get that arm loose and Brown is flying all over the place to relieve the pressure.  Wow, Brown almost got caught there.  Brown able to escape, gets a guillotine attempt in, then lands in full mount.  Brown not taking any chances and RAINS down punches.  Ref stops the fight!!

Brown TKO R3

Fight Rating
  This was a nice back and forth fight, with multiple reversals and submission attempts.

BONUS Undercard

155 - Winner vs. Delgado

1st Round - Delgado looks like an Arlovski mini-me.  Winner drops the hands early.  Winner throws a BIG right hook that clips Delgado!  Delgado able to recover.  Winner keeps dropping his hands waiting to counter.  Delgado landing a couple jabs, Winner lands a left hook.  Winner lands a couple right hooks.  Delgado tries to clinch, but Winner shrugs it off.  BIG OVERHAND RIGHT HAND DROPS DELGADO!!!  Delgado I think was out before he hit the ground.  KO of the Night contender.

Winner KO R1

Fight Rating
  Highlight reel KO always gets a boost in the ratings...

Interview with Tito Ortiz.  He didn't mangle the English language, but got in some good shots.  They're really trying to sell this Main Event, but this would be a tough one to sell as a PPV.  Speaking of which, has anybody heard anything from Forrest??

185 - Bisping vs. Kang

1st Round - Rogan says Kang's right hand is a big weapon.  Think he'll be looking for that one, Joe....  Goldberg talks about how Bisping says he needs to be the aggressor, and Bisping follows that by walking right into a right hand by Kang.  Bisping goes down!  Kang follows him and gets into guard.  Kang moves into half guard, then follows into side control.  Bisping able to get him back into half guard.  Kang gets to mount, but Bisping gets him back into guard quick.  Kang able to get to mount again, but Bisping moves him back into guard.  Very good defense by Bisping, he's hardly taken any shots.  Bisping working an armbar, but Kang escaped to side control.  Kang gets the 10-9 round with the knockdown and being in top position.

2nd Round - Both guys trying to find their range early in this round.  Kang just misses with the overhand right again.  Bisping just missing with a left head kick.  Bisping gets the takedown (??!?!) and gets into guard.  Bisping able to land some shots by posturing up.  Bisping is really landing some shots, Kang back up but bleeding.  Bisping gets another takedown, and lands some more ground and pound.  Kang's hands are down, Bisping should be looking for the head kick.  Kang throwing some wild shots, and Bisping with another takedown.  Bisping has him against the cage unloading a bunch of knees to the body.  Kang is turtling, ref stops the fight!!

Bisping TKO R2

Fight Rating:
  What a difference between Round 1 and 2.  Bisping really showed some new skills with both the takedown defense and offense.  Kang is now officially overrated.

BONUS Undercard

Gustafsson vs. Hamman

1st Round - Both guys going at it early, nice exchange early.  Wow, they're really throwing down early.  Gustafsson with an accidental poke to the eye.  Now back at it,  Gustafsson straight right DROPS Hamman and he loses his mouthguard!!  Gustafsson rains down hammerfists and KOs Hamman!! 

Gustafsson KO R1

Fight Rating:
  Quite a debut for Gustafsson.  I'm not sure if Hamman was ready after the eye poke, but he claimed to be.

170 - Swick vs. Hardy

1st Round - BUFFERSWERVE!!  GSP sitting with Dana watching the fight.  Swick charged in, but took a shot by Hardy.  Swick able to get him against the cage.  Hardy able to reverse and landing some knees to the body.  Swick returns the favor.  Swick catches Hardy a little TOO low, ref stops it.  Hardy recovers quickly.  Now back in the center of the ring, Swick shoots for a takedown.  Once again they're against the cage.  Hardy able to land some more knees.  They're basically exchanging positions and throwing some knees.  Both guys let loose with their hands with 10 seconds left.  Wow, REAL close round - I say Swick gets it with the takedown attempts.

2nd Round - Hardy clips Swick with a left hand, but Swick recovers quickly.  Back up against the cage, nice elbow by Hardy.  Hardy is trying to take down Swick, but no luck.  Swick trying to get a Mauy Thai clinch, but no luck either.  Swick able to land some elbows.  Nice uppercut by Hardy.  Ref breaks them up.  Swick slips during a head kick.  Nice combo by Swick.  Superman punch by Swick.  Hardy missed with a right, Swick lands a left.  Swick has got Hardy's timing down and he's landing some left counters.  I'd have to give that round to Hardy with the big shot early. 

3rd Round - Both guys are starting to throw down now.  Swick lands a couple big shots, but Hardy is tough. Both guys connect, but Hardy's shot hurt more.  Hardy again with a takedown attempt, but Swick attempts a guillotine.  Hardy lands in guard, and Hardy connects with some elbows.  Swick is bleeding.  Swick attempts a triangle, but Hardy escapes.  Hardy landing a bunch of body shots, but ref stands them back up.  Hardy catches Swick with a left.  Swick charges forward, lands a couple shots.  Both guys are waiting for the other to throw, but they end up against the cage.  I'd say Hardy gets that round too, 29-28 Hardy

To the scorecards - 30-27, 30-27, 29-28........HARDY!!!!

Fight Rating
  Hardy was very impressive, his power in particular. 

Main Event:

205 - Couture vs. Vera

1st Round - According to the tale of the tape, Vera's only an inch taller.  But he looks 2-3 inches taller than Couture.  Vera very aggressive with a nice kick-punch combo.  Couture able to get him up against the cage though.  Vera able to hold Couture off pretty well though.  Vera was able to reverse briefly, but Couture back against the cage.  Ref breaks them up.  Couture immediately going for the takedown, gets Vera up against the cage again.  Couture with the takedown.  Vera able to stand back up.  Couture with a couple knees to Vera's head.  They're stalled again against the cage.  Couture able to grab a leg but unable to get him down.  Couture is continually pressing Vera against the cage.  Ref breaks them up again.  Vera throws a right, Couture ducks under and gets one more clinch.  Couture gets that round 10-9.

2nd Round - Vera somehow caught Couture with a low blow AND an eye poke.  Vera trying to keep him at bay with kicks, but Couture gets him against the cage AGAIN.  Vera able to reverse position, but Couture gets him right back against the cage.  Neither guy can land any damage.  Ref spearates them.  Vera starts to lands some kicks, multiple body shots crumple Couture!  Vera trying to finish the fight, but Couture able to grab him.  Couture has him tied up and ref stands them up.  Vera being tentative, needs to keep kicking him.  Couture closes the distance and keeps him against the cage again.  Couture able to land a couple shots this time against the cage.  Vera gets this round with the knockdown.

3rd Round - Vera lands a nice leg kick.  Couture able to close the distance and land some uppercuts.  Guess what, they're against the cage again.  Somebody's bleeding, sounds like it's Couture.  Couture working for a takedown, can't get it and throws an elbow instead.  Constant pressure from Couture, but Vera's handling it well.  Ref breaks them up, Vera is now targeting the right ribcage of Couture.  Couture catches the leg of another body shot and gets in the clinch.  Couture lands a couple shots.  Vera now has Couture against the cage and trying the takedown.  Vera gets the takedown and is in mount!  Couture rolls out of it, now both guys are throwing down!  Wow, I think that takedown gives the 3rd to Vera!

To the scorecards - all judges 29-28.......COUTURE!!!!!!!!

Fight Rating:

  I guess the Couture pressure > Vera's damage from kicks.  There was just a lot of nullified action in this fight.  Vera just couldn't keep Couture at bay, but Couture couldn't do any major damage.

UFC 105 was a pretty average event overall.  A couple big KOs and a good co-main event balances out a lackluster main event.

All right, here we go with The Weigh-In for UFC 105!  It's free on Spike starting at 7pm Central time tonight, so check it out!  Be wary for spoilers on other sites this afternoon though.  With the time change, preliminary fights are already underway.  All photos from www.combatlifestyle.com

UFC 105 from the MEN Arena in Manchester, England

Main Card:

155 - Ross Pearson (9-3) vs. Aaron Riley (28-11-1) - We start the first 2 televised fights of the evening with the 2 TUF Season 9 winners.  It's pretty much a certainty that either Goldberg or Rogan will say "welcome to the UFC, Ross Pearson" with this fight.  Riley is a very tough and experienced fighter, with an iron chin and a variety of ways to win a fight.  Pearson is going to have his hands full, but I don't believe he has an advantage standing or on the ground with Riley.  If Pearson stays active, he has a shot winning a decision, but I see Riley grinding him down.  Riley TKO R3



170 - James Wilks (6-2)  vs. Matt Brown (10-7) - Wow, Dana's not wasting any time in finding out if the TUF 9 guys are legit.  This is another very difficult fight for Wilks.  Don't let Brown's record fool you, this guy is an animal.  Brown is a questionable decision away from being 4-0 in the UFC, and can finish fights standing or on the ground.  His destruction of Pete Sell was extremely impressive last time out.  I don't think Wilks has ever faced an opponent of this quality, and that's going to cost him.  Brown TKO R2

 

170 - Mike Swick (14-2) vs. Dan Hardy (22-6) - This is for a title shot against GSP sometime in 2010, so plenty of pressure on both these guys.  Hardy is a title contender as far as hyping up a fight goes (he presented Swick with a runner-up trophy at the UFC 105 press conference), but the fight itself won't be so easy.  Swick is 9-1 in the UFC with victories in 3 different weight classes (205, 185 and 170).  His only loss was to ground specialist Yushin Okami, and Hardy doesn't share that style at all.  This should be a stand-up war, but I give Swick the reach and explosiveness advantage.  Swick KO R2



And the trophy pic:



185 - Michael Bisping (17-2) vs. Denis Kang (32-11-1) - It will be interesting to see how Bisping responds to the first decisive loss of his career.  It certainly doesn't appear that his confidence is sagging.  Kang could be an interesting matchup for him if he can get him to the ground, however I don't see that happening.  I see Bisping using his length to keep Kang at bay and doing enough to win a decision.  Bisping Unanimous decision



Main Event:

205 - Randy Couture (16-10) vs. Brandon Vera (11-3) - Captain America returns to the 205 division for one last run at a title.  He faces a fighter who still really hasn't found his stride in the 205 pound division.  Are we going to get the aggressive Brandon Vera that destroyed Mike Patt with kicks, or the tentative Vera who goes to decisions?  If it's the tentative Vera, this will be a tailor-made matchup for Couture, as he'll be able to grind him into dust.  If it's the aggressive Vera, it could be the final fight of Couture's career, as he'd be no match for Vera's youth and explosiveness.  I just have a feeling it's going to be the passive Vera, almost out of respect for Couture.  The analogy that keeps coming to mind is how nobody would ever throw at Cal Ripken, Jr., especially when he was close to breaking Gehrig's consecutive games record.  Nobody wanted to be known as the guy who took Ripken out.  I don't see Vera wanting to be the guy to take Couture out.  Couture Unanimous decision



All right, that's my picks!  Come back tomorrow to see The Beatdown!

Here's the Beatdown for UFC 104!

Pre-fight
First off, it's a 2 hour time change PLUS I want to watch the prelims on Spike, so that's 6 Vegas time.  I leave the hotel for the Strip around 430, plenty of time to find a parking spot and get settled in.  I had a tip that the Palazzo in the Venetian was a good place to be, so that was the goal.  I'm paranoid about parking and missed a turn, so I ended up parking at the Flamingo.  30 minutes later I find out.....they're NOT showing it!  So I start to make my way back, figuring somebody would have it.  Checked at Harrah's, nope.  They said Ceasars would have it for certain.  Go to Ceasars, the guy at the sportsbook said nobody on the Strip will have it, I'll have to go to one of the Fertittas casinos to catch it.  He recommended the Green Valley Stations, so back to the car.  Finally, at 645, I have a seat in the Ovation room... So no thoughts on the prelims, dammit. 

Johnson vs. Yoshida - Johnson KO R1
 
Johnson just tore through Yoshida.  Joe said something to the effect of Johnson looked 2 weight classes bigger.  I think Johnson should get one more chance at 170, like Alves did.  But if he doesn't make weight again, they need to bump him up to 185.

Stevenson vs. Fisher - Stevenson Sub (strikes) R2

Stevenson ended up mixing his striking and wrestling well, he's looking solid again.  He was able to pin both of Fisher's arms and rained down elbows.  He's now 2-0 in Greg Jackson's camp, but who does he fight next?  He's taken on pretty much all of the 155 contenders.  Maybe Gray Maynard next?

(Undercard) Sonnen vs. Okami - Sonnen Unanimous decision

Wow, Sonnen looked GREAT tonight.  He constantly kept pressure on Okami with a variety of strikes.  Plus, he was able to win the wrestling battle against Okami, so this was an easy call for the judges.  Okami is well-regarded as far as rankings go, so Sonnen should be moving up the ladder.  Plus, Okami and his style can stay on the undercard.

Neer vs. Tibau - Tibau Unanimous decision

Once again, Neer got taken down at will.  Even though there wasn't much damage landed during that time, takedowns are huge in the judge's eyes.  Neer should have learned that from his prior fight against Pellegrino.  I got a feeling he'll have to learn that lesson outside of the UFC.

Velasquez vs. Rothwell - Velasquez TKO R2

Wow, I was wrong about this one.  Velasquez dominated Rothwell the entire fight, even though when Mazzagatti stopped it could be called into question.  Rothwell was attempting to stand up, which is why he wasn't protecting his face at the time.  It was going to get stopped soon enough anyways.  Velasquez has definitely earned a shot either for the title or #1 contender against Big Nog.

Title fight - Machida vs. Rua - Machida Unanimous decision

Wow, that was an awful decision.  The only way I could see Machida getting 3 rounds was that 3 of them were too close to call so the Champ got the round.  If nothing else, Rua has solved the riddle of Machida.  He stayed patient and rocked Machida with kicks whenever Machida tried to engage.  It was a great strategy by Rua and he finally showed why he was/is considered one of the best 205 pounders out there.  It'll definitely be an interesting rematch when it happens!

Not a bad night, not a great night.  I think the decision of the Machida/Rua fight left a bad taste in people's mouths.  As for my bets, I ended up down only a couple bucks.  Of course, I ended up putting money on Stevenson instead of Fisher which helped quite a bit