Brock Lesnar (champion) vs. Cain Velasquez - heavyweight Championship
No secret I want Cain to win this one. If you want the reasons, read my blog about the primetime series just below this one. This fight is scheduled for five 5 minute rounds. That's 25 minutes for the challenger, Velasquez to take the title. But I don't see this fight going past the 3rd round.
During the press conference Lesnar again just explained how it is a simple sport. He doesn't think any opponent is tougher than the last, they're all great and you have to train well to beat each one. You have to go in and win, plain and simple. And if you don't win you have no one to blame but yourself. Of course he didn't use quite as many words. Lesnar seems to have one of those I don't care attitudes that I personally don't care for. As the press conference went on he spoke more and I agreed with some things he was saying. He’s not an evil person that I hate with every fiber of my being but I’m not a fan, simple as that.
When James Cybulski of TSN asked him about his beard he said "I finally hit puberty and wanted to try it out" oh look a sense of humor that doesn't slap someone in the face with the punch line, he really is growing up.
Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann - welterweight
Shields is a fighter from strikeforce and elite XC and is making his UFC debut. He hasn't lost a fight since 2004. He recently beat Dan Henderson who has fought in the UFC and defeated both Michael Bisping and Rich Franklin, two big welterweight fighters. I don't like comparing people that way, like I beat him but I lost to you, so you should be able to beat him. On paper that makes sense but there are so many factors to take into consideration it’s usually not that simple. Although during the press conference when a reporter asked Dana about the winner of this fight getting the next title shot he's pretty quick to say that after his win against Dan Henderson, Shields should have had the title shot right away. But with timing and of course the TV show it didn't work out that way.
Shields would love the opportunity to challenge GSP for the belt. Of course I’m not a fan of anyone saying that but Chael Sonnen has also said this. As much as I don’t want like hearing someone say they want to beat up GSP I can understand. To be the best you have to beat the best and who wouldn't want to test themselves against the welterweight champion?
In an interview with Joe Rogan, Shields talks about his fighting style. He says the more traditional jiu-jitsu style is to sit and wait for the other guy to make a mistake. He considers his fighting style to be American jiu-jitsu, combining wrestling with traditional jiu-jitsu. In wrestling it’s about force, force the guy to make the mistake. So he likes to force the mistake while still using the smooth jiu-jitsu technique. He doesn't look past his opponent, he knows that he also has a great ground game. However he still feels he is superior and will finish within the first two rounds.
I don't dislike Kampmann at all, I actually do like him. He's a mellow guy, he respects the sport and Dana's decision. He is excited for the fight and for the opportunity to move up in the rankings if he pulls off the win. He recently fought and defeated Paulo Thiago which is no small task. Thiago is a big welterweight fighter and is actually on this card as well. He has a kickboxing background so his strength would be to stand up. I just happen to like Jake Shields more and I think it will be exciting to see him in the UFC.
Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill - light heavyweight
Hamill trained as a cast member under Tito on season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter. He is a deaf fighter but you wouldn't know he had any sort of disability just by watching him fight. Tito sure didn't know, he even picked Hamill as his number one guy. After the show Tito invited Hamill to train with him. Four years later they have to face off in the cage. This is the second time that Hamill will have to face a friend. He considers only a two guys in the UFC to be good friends of his, Rich Franklin, who he recently lost to, is one of them. Like Dana said, it’s not meant to be personal, obviously some fighters make it that way but in the end this is a business and you're going in to compete and see who the best is, not because you don’t like someone.
Tito has lost 3 or his last 4 fights and the one he didn't win was still only a draw as a point was taken from him for holding the fence. He says after winning this his next step is to go get his title back. If he thinks with the record he has that one win will put him back into the mix I think he is sadly mistaken. Well first he has to beat Hamill which I don’t think he will do but there are so many guys in the 205 lb division it’s not that easy. He also said something during an interview that was a little off putting. He said that since Hamill is deaf he has a soft head and has no equilibrium. This didn't faze Hamill, he laughed it off, saying I don’t know, is a soft head good or bad? But it offended the deaf community who he obviously represents and I found it to be a bit disrespectful, you don’t have to go there with trash talking.
Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago - welterweight
I'm going with Thiago. He’s only been in the UFC for a little under two years but before his debut in February 2009 he had a great record against other Brazilian fighters, most wins coming by submission. I think he's better, faster, and stronger and I don't think Sanchez is ready to be back at 170. He’s bounced around from lightweight to middleweight now back at welterweight coming off a loss to John Hathaway.
Brendon Shaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - heavyweight
This is going to be a tough fight for him but I'm going with Shaub. He's an Ultimate Fighter alumnus from the heavyweight season, season 10. He fought under Rashad Evans and made it to the final, where he lost to Big Country. Since then he has won both of his fights, defeating his opponents by TKO in the first round. Gonzaga has lost to two of the main contenders for the heavyweight title, Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin and I’d like to see Shaub have his chance. It was also announced at the press conference that Brendon Shaub won tequila cazadores award. $1000 went to his charity, pretty impressive.
Tequila CAZADORES and UFC invited fans to decide the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award winner for UFC 121. Consumers had the opportunity to vote online at UFC.com for the fighter they thought demonstrated social responsibility, dedication to their art form, and good sportsmanship; the core values behind the Tequila CAZADORES brand and its sponsorship with UFC.
McGee won the 11th season of the Ultimate Fighter under his coach Chuck Liddell. I don’t know much about his opponent but his record of 15-6 with 10 wins coming by submission is nothing to sneeze at. This should be a great fight too.
Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawler - middleweight
I’m going with the Canadian Patrick
Dongi Yi Yang vs. Chris Camozzi - middleweight
Camozzi is another alum from season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter. He was injured with a broken jaw in his first fight and was unable to continue training. Don’t worry, the other guy had a broken orbital bone so he did some damage too. But in that first episode I did like him, he wanted to stay and train in spite of his injury but Dana would not allow it. He came back to fight James Hammortree at the finale and definitely showed he has talent. I'd like to see him do well, especially against a guy I've never heard of.
I’m definitely pumped for this card. A big title up for grabs, top contenders for another title battling it out. Covering almost every weight class and a lot of fighters I’m a fan of and familiar with. It’s going to be a great night!
No comments:
Post a Comment