UFC 123 Quinton Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machinda November 20th, 2010 from Detroit Michigan
Well this wasn't exactly the night I was hoping for. Paul Kelly and Mark Munoz did pull off the Win, just like I wanted. Munoz by decision and Kelly by TKO via elbows. The other fights made for a great night of fights, just not all the outcomes I wanted.
Tonight it was also announced that there will now be a featherweight division in the UFC. The first belt has gone to Jose Aldo. They showed clips of this guy and he looks insane. Some of the video looked like someone hit fast forward. He is so quick and powerful winning most of his fights by TKO or KO. He has a professional record of 18-1, his only loss coming in late 2005. He has defeated current TUF top contestant Jonathan Brookins and also pulled off a unanimous victory over Urijah Faber. I don't know how they chose Aldo but I'm assuming it was because of this win. Faber is a pretty huge name in the WEC, where Aldo is coming from. He kinda looks like Carey Hart and is on pretty much every single commercial they advertise. But back to Aldo, he will have to defend his belt in the UFC at UFC 125 on New Years Day on the same card that Frankie Edgar will be defending his lightweight belt. This is going to bring a whole new division of fighters I'm pretty excited to see get started.
Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch - light heavyweight
I didn't make any predictions about this fight because I've only seen Phil Davis fight once and I was way too distracted by the 3 publicized fights but this win is definitely worth noting. The first round Davis was absolutely dominating, Boetsch started to look like a rag doll. The second round started off the same way. Davis ended up getting Boetsch on the mat and got the weirdest submission. He has side control and maneuvers Boetsch's left arm in a kimura behind him. He was holding onto it with one hand and was able to flip Boetsch's legs over to tighten the hold and did finish holding the submission with two hands but it was so crazy to watch. From the angle that I could see it really looked like Davis had the kimura with one hand. Joe Rogan pointed out that he did have a two hand hold when Boetsch tapped so I'm not sure its the night "The Mr. Wonderful" submission was created. (His UFC name is Phil Mr. Wonderful Davis).
Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao - middleweight
This fight I have to at least mention because it introduced another fighter I will not be cheering for any time soon. Falcao was making his UFC debut and in the first round he was able to get Harris in a pretty strong choke in the last few 10-20 seconds of the round. After the bell rang he kept holding the choke and the ref had to push him off of Harris. Harris did not tap so the fight was definitely not over and the ref actually made a point of telling Harris that. I don't think I've ever seen that before, a ref saying, its not over yet buddy, get up. I understand that its crazy loud in those arenas so maybe Falcao didn't hear the bell but when the ref literally has to push you off someone, that doesn't sit well with me. Falcao, ended up winning the unanimous decision but he did not gain a fan in me.
Edson Barboza vs. Mike Lullo - lightweight
Wow wow wow! I picked Barboza simply because his name is Barboza and I love the pirate movies. I had no idea this was the fighter I was going to see. His right leg is so dangerous. He must have kicked Lullo 20-30 times. Leg kicks to Lullo's left thigh you could see how red it was getting when his shorts would lift up a bit. Towards the middle of the second round you could easily see it was wearing on him. He started to limp and favour his left leg a lot and took a long time to get up after each kick knocked him down. At the end of the round he could barely limp to his corner, and it was the wrong corner at that. He was having trouble even standing. The third round started and Barboza kept attacking that leg, each kick he landed Lullo was knocked to the ground and was having the hardest time getting up. Even Joe Rogan was saying, call the fight, end it. One more time and the ref finally ended the punishment and called a TKO win. I don't know if I have seen a TKO vis leg kicks in a really long time, that was very impressive. Of course the entire fight wasn't like this, the first round saw the two on the mat and Lullo definitely had the ground game advantage. Barboza was smart enough to change his game plan at that point and keep the fight standing. Every time he knocked Lullo down he didn't attack, he let him stand up so he could throw some more of those ridiculous leg kicks. Obviously a fighter can't have only one tool in his belt to be a champ but with a little work on his ground game I can definitely see this kid going far.
Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos - lightweight
In the end it would be about who could push harder for longer and that's exactly what it came down to. Lauzontakedown defense, not giving anything up to Sotiropoulos. In the second round though he completely gassed out and was a totally different fighter. He was able to get our of an armbar submission attempt like he did in the first round but Sotiropoulos kept pushing and ended up getting the kimura win just after the halfway point of the second round. It did earn the guys the fight of the night bonus so thats a nice little $80 000 paycheck for both of them. Lauzon continues his record of bonus fights, even with the loss while Dana says he has his eye on a Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver match-up at the UFC to be held in Sydney, Australia.
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn - welterweight
The old BJ is officially back. In his recent fights it seems like he just doesn't care, he's going into the cage for a paycheck and that's it. This time he was fired up, he looked fit and awake and was talking to himself in the cage getting pumped up while Hughes was entering. Sadly, old BJ is not good news for Hughes. Once the bell rings both fighter went into offensive mode. Both guys are throwing punches and BJ connects with a HUGE right. He knocks Hughes out cold 21 seconds into the first round. BJ helps Hughes us and in his interview with Joe Rogan after the fight he mentions how Hughes is an idol of his. This fight meant a lot to BJ, it was not only the end to the three fight series with Hughes, it was showing everyone that he still loves to fight, he is still motivated. When Hughes was standing up he looked to his corner and asked what happened? He explained that he had no idea what he was hit with, it was so hard he thought it was a kick or a knee. BJ said in the post fight press conference that the acupuncture he'd been helped him out a lot. He wants to keep it private what exactly it did to help him but now I'm curious. I can only assume it was a mental advantage because the fight was only 21 seconds and he said it himself he wasn't trying to set up the big punch, he was just going in to fight. He's always had knockout power, he is just using it again now. As far as BJs future, he wants to get back to fighting right away. Whether it be at 155 or 165 he is going to leave that decision up to Dana. But he plans to fight until he is about 35 (4 more years) and then maybe call it quits. Hughes' future is not so clear. He's 37 years old and has had over 50 fights. I feel like if he had won this fight it would have been a good time to retire after a big win at the end of a win streak. Dana only said that he and Hughes would have to sit down together and talk about it. I really hope he keeps fighting, he's still an amazing fighter and I love seeing him win.
Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida - light heavyweight
This fight was such a snooze. This is exactly why I thought Machida was a boring champ. His first round is always the same. He doesn't attack much, more so just feels out the spacing and what his opponent will do. But this time the first two rounds were that way. Rampage was definitely the aggressor. Of course with Machida's famous elusive technique, by the time Rampage threw a punch in one direction, Machida was on the other side of the cage. He did manage to land a few hits though and so did Machida, but only once Rampage started the exchange. Rampage was definitely going for the knockout but obviously didn't get it. He tried to slam Machida but wasn't able to. Rampage's corner told him to add 2-3 punches at the end of his combinations, he also needs to start throwing kicks and knees. The third round was a little more exciting. Machida started a couple exchanges and even rocked Rampage with just over 3 minutes left. Although when they got back up Rampage threw 4 or 5 really quick punches getting right back on the offensive. Machida ended the round on top and the decision went to the judges. Rampage won by split decision. The look on his face when it was announced was one of genuine chock, he has been lifting Machida's arm like he had won the fight. In his interview with Joe Rogan Rampage said Machida just whopped his a** and he would be happy to give him the rematch. When Machida was interviewed he also mentioned the rematch. Saying look, even Rampage says I deserve the rematch. Dana was certainly not impressed with this reaction. The way he say the fight Rampage clearly won the first two rounds. Its a three round fight, you do the math.
Rampage did acknowledge this in the post fight press conference. As soon as someone asked him about the comment, he said look, I just got done getting punched in the face, don't pay me no mind. Which is absolutely true, Machida finished the round on top. The last 3 minutes of the 3rd round were completely one sided. Its hard to remember the first two rounds clearly after that. Rampage is always entertaining at the press conferences. He was asked what endears you to the fans. He had no idea what he was being asked! Honestly I thought it was a pretty silly way to ask the question, he could have just asked why do you think you are popular and have such a large fan following but either way, I thought it was funny he didn't know what it meant. Rampage knows, no fans, no sport, so he simply always tries to put on a show and is just himself.
There will NOT be an immediate Rampage Machida rematch. Thank goodness. I really get tired of the instant rematch. Sometimes I understand, with Machida's first fight against Rua where he won the decision that was a very weird call from the judges and the result wasn't fair in anyone's eyes. The rematch happened and Rua got the win, no question. BJ Penn's rematch against Edgar, I feel, only happened becaues it wasn't the result people expected or wanted. Edgar easily won their first fight and I don't think he should have had to prove himself again against BJ before moving on to defend his new title against someone else. Some judges decisions call for a rematch, especially when a title is on the line, but like Dana always alllllways says, don't leave it up to the judges. Then there would be no question.
One thing to finish, Dana is expecting 30 fights next year!! This is getting crazy, more than 2 a month, holy smokes thats a lot of beat downs.
AND, one questions was asked of Dana, one guy who gets put on the main card and totally does not take advantage of that spot, seems like he doesn't even show up for the fight (Harris) and you have another guy who was given only 5-6 weeks notice to come on for a prelim fight take full advantage and put on an amazing show (Brian Foster), how does seeing that affect his decision as to who gets the prime time TV spot in future fights. Dana openly says this will play a lot into his decision, he would easily keep a guy who lost a dog fight over a guy who dances around for three rounds and wins. Hmm does this make anyone else think of Silva? Yes I am bringing him up again, people have said he's champ he doesn't need to prove himself. Which is true, but he does need to do what he's paid to do, which is fight, not dance, just sayin.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Upcoming UFC 123 Rampage vs. Machida
UFC 123 Quinton Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machinda November 20th, 2010 from Detroit Michigan
4 former champs in the ring in one night.
Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida - light heavyweight
Machida has recently lost his belt in a rematch against Mauricio Shogun Rua. Before then he was undefeated. Usually he trains in his home country, Brazil, but for this fight he has moved his training to San Diego, California. In Brazil it is hard for him to find sparing partners in or above his weight class. In San Diego he trains with the Nogueira brothers and Junior Dos Santos. They definitely have different fighting styles than Rampage but they are a much better size match.
Rampage's camp oddly enough is less than 100 miles north of Machida's in Orange County, California. He also often trains overseas, in the UK at Wolfslair MMA Academy. To avoid being away from his family any more than he already is, he moved all his training to within 10 minutes of his home. Like Machida, Rampage has also been champ in this division and took the belt in 2007 from Chuck Liddell by knockout in the first round. He defended it once that same year against Dan Henderson to become the first undisputed light heavyweight Champion but lost it in 2008 to Forrest Griffin. Since then he has only fought 3 times, two wins against Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva and a loss to Rashad Evans, his opposing coach on the 10th season of the Ultimate Fighter. The win against Silva was pretty important to Rampage because the two had met twice before when they fought in Pride, another MMA league. Rampage lost both times and actually refuses to watch footage of the second fight when he was knocked out cold and fell stiff legged through the ropes (Pride fights in a boxing style ring, not a fenced in cage). Rampage has become a super strong and aggressive fighter. Most of his wins have come from either knockout of TKO. He's a little obnoxious and incredibly arrogant but for some reason I have always really liked him. He always wear a ridiculously large chain around his neck and howls like some sort of wild animal. In an interview he says he doesn't know when he started the howling but he remembers the day he got good. He was biking through his neighbourhood one evening and a woman on the street told him she heard a pack of wild dogs that are coming up fast so he better hurry home. And he just said Mrs. Johnson, that was me! I feel like Machida was kind of a boring champ, I'd like to see Rampage back at the top!
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn - welterweight
Similar to Machida, Penn has recently lost his lightweight belt to Frankie Edgar and in his last fight lost the rematch against him. He is back fighting at 170 now to face Hughes in their 3rd fight rubber match. These guys have fought two times before. In their first fight in January of 2004, Penn won by submission at the end of the very first round taking the belt from Hughes. The second time they fought it was very different. Penn was Challenging Hughes for the belt that he had fought back for and It was set to be a 5 round fight. It didn't make it that far as Hughes got in Penn in a crucifix and finished him in the 3rd round. If you don't know, a crucifix is when a fighter has top control and ties up both arms, leaving the bottom fighters head completely vulnerable to a nice little beat down. In this position Penn had no chance to get out of the hold and the ref had to put an end to the punishment.
I am so excited for this rubber match. Hughes is coming off a three fight win streak where he took out some big guys. The first was a unanimous decision win against Matt Serra in May 2009. The next was a TKO defeat of Renzo Gracie, a pretty famous family name in the UFC in April 2010. And the third was his first round submission victory over one of the Gracies' top students Ricardo Almeda in September 2010. This will be his thrid fight in 2010. He hasn't had three fights in the same year since 2006, fighters usually average 1 or 2 fights a year. Although that number is getting higher with UFC events happening more and more often as they get more popular around the world.
Although BJ has lost his last two fights you can't under estimate him at all. He held the welterweight title in 2004 but it was taken from him when he decided to leave the UFC to join another fighting league in Japan called K-1 where he fought and defeated Duane Ludwig, Rodrigo Gracie and Renzo Gracie. After loosing to GSP and Hughes his first two fights back in the UFC in 2006 he has mainly fought in the lightweight division. He took the lightweight belt from Joe Stevenson in 2008 and defended it three times against great fighters Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez before loosing it to Frankie Edgar in April 2010. I wasn't really been a big fan of BJ when I started watching the UFC but since watching old fights thanks to Spike reruns I do like him. He just has a very different training style. When I have seen his training the the UFC countdowns he has a very laid back, mellow approach. Maybe its the Hawaiian thing but other fighters seem to be a lot more intense and care more. BJBJ on the mat. He wants to take a tired BJ to the mat like he did the second time they fought and beat him that way.
George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon - lightweight
I like both these guys but I'm definitely going with Lauzon. He is from a small little cowtown and has often been seen as the underdog in his fights. In his UFC debut against Jens Pulver we was brought in to be a stepping stone for Pulver. He ws brought in to get knocked out as many people saw Pulver as a big up and coming name in the UFC. Lauzon went in and knocked him out cold in the first minute of the very first round. Since then Pulver has lost almost every fight but that's not the point, before then he was winning almost every fight and had a lot more experience than Lauzon. After this win Lauzon was selected to be a contestant on the 5th season of The Ultimate Fighter. He fought under BJ Penn's leadership and ironically enough the opposing coach was Jens Pulver. Lauzon made it pretty far that season, loosing out in the semi-finals. He had the opportunity to fight in the season 5 finale anyway and won the submission of the night bonus for his defeat of Bryan Melendez. 6 of his last 8 fights have been awarded bonuses, either fight of the night, knock-out of the night or submission of the night with only 2 being losses. Lauzon was a major gamer before he got into fighting, he would sit and play video games for 8-10 hours a day. It got to the point where his eyes would burn from looking at the tv screen for so long, he knew he had to find something else to fill his time. He chose to try out jiu-jitsu training and made a complete switch from 8-10 hours of video games a day to 8-10 hours of training a day. He has a really great work ethic and goes by the saying, don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today. The way he talks about past fights is really interesting. He knows exactly whats going on and what his game plan is and is able to explain himself very well. When he fought Kyle Bradley he knew the voice of his opponent's coach and was able to hear his instruction. When he saw Bradley going for the big hook he was able to duck out of the way and get the takedown. His most recent win was a beautiful armbar submission of his housemate from The Ultimate Fighter and huge trash talker Gabe Ruediger. I don't mind the trash talking if you can back it up and this guy definitely did not.
Sotiropoulos trains all over the world. Where ever he can get training and experience he will go there and get it. He has fought big names like Joe Daddy Stevenson and Kurt Pelligrino and worked both of them. He has not loss since 2006 and including that has only lost twice in his professional career. He seems like a class act but I really just like Lauzon better in this one. Both fighters are very strong and technically skilled. They are submission artists with aggressive knockout power. In the end it is going to come down to who can push harder for longer.
The other fights I'm not as excited about I'd like to see. Id like to see Mark Munoz and Paul Kelly pull in the W as well as Edson Barboza, mostly only because I just nicknamed him the Captain. But with the 3 top fights I know this card is going to be another great one to watch no matter what and I'm definitely looking forward to Saturday night.
4 former champs in the ring in one night.
Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida - light heavyweight
Machida has recently lost his belt in a rematch against Mauricio Shogun Rua. Before then he was undefeated. Usually he trains in his home country, Brazil, but for this fight he has moved his training to San Diego, California. In Brazil it is hard for him to find sparing partners in or above his weight class. In San Diego he trains with the Nogueira brothers and Junior Dos Santos. They definitely have different fighting styles than Rampage but they are a much better size match.
Rampage's camp oddly enough is less than 100 miles north of Machida's in Orange County, California. He also often trains overseas, in the UK at Wolfslair MMA Academy. To avoid being away from his family any more than he already is, he moved all his training to within 10 minutes of his home. Like Machida, Rampage has also been champ in this division and took the belt in 2007 from Chuck Liddell by knockout in the first round. He defended it once that same year against Dan Henderson to become the first undisputed light heavyweight Champion but lost it in 2008 to Forrest Griffin. Since then he has only fought 3 times, two wins against Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva and a loss to Rashad Evans, his opposing coach on the 10th season of the Ultimate Fighter. The win against Silva was pretty important to Rampage because the two had met twice before when they fought in Pride, another MMA league. Rampage lost both times and actually refuses to watch footage of the second fight when he was knocked out cold and fell stiff legged through the ropes (Pride fights in a boxing style ring, not a fenced in cage). Rampage has become a super strong and aggressive fighter. Most of his wins have come from either knockout of TKO. He's a little obnoxious and incredibly arrogant but for some reason I have always really liked him. He always wear a ridiculously large chain around his neck and howls like some sort of wild animal. In an interview he says he doesn't know when he started the howling but he remembers the day he got good. He was biking through his neighbourhood one evening and a woman on the street told him she heard a pack of wild dogs that are coming up fast so he better hurry home. And he just said Mrs. Johnson, that was me! I feel like Machida was kind of a boring champ, I'd like to see Rampage back at the top!
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn - welterweight
Similar to Machida, Penn has recently lost his lightweight belt to Frankie Edgar and in his last fight lost the rematch against him. He is back fighting at 170 now to face Hughes in their 3rd fight rubber match. These guys have fought two times before. In their first fight in January of 2004, Penn won by submission at the end of the very first round taking the belt from Hughes. The second time they fought it was very different. Penn was Challenging Hughes for the belt that he had fought back for and It was set to be a 5 round fight. It didn't make it that far as Hughes got in Penn in a crucifix and finished him in the 3rd round. If you don't know, a crucifix is when a fighter has top control and ties up both arms, leaving the bottom fighters head completely vulnerable to a nice little beat down. In this position Penn had no chance to get out of the hold and the ref had to put an end to the punishment.
I am so excited for this rubber match. Hughes is coming off a three fight win streak where he took out some big guys. The first was a unanimous decision win against Matt Serra in May 2009. The next was a TKO defeat of Renzo Gracie, a pretty famous family name in the UFC in April 2010. And the third was his first round submission victory over one of the Gracies' top students Ricardo Almeda in September 2010. This will be his thrid fight in 2010. He hasn't had three fights in the same year since 2006, fighters usually average 1 or 2 fights a year. Although that number is getting higher with UFC events happening more and more often as they get more popular around the world.
Although BJ has lost his last two fights you can't under estimate him at all. He held the welterweight title in 2004 but it was taken from him when he decided to leave the UFC to join another fighting league in Japan called K-1 where he fought and defeated Duane Ludwig, Rodrigo Gracie and Renzo Gracie. After loosing to GSP and Hughes his first two fights back in the UFC in 2006 he has mainly fought in the lightweight division. He took the lightweight belt from Joe Stevenson in 2008 and defended it three times against great fighters Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez before loosing it to Frankie Edgar in April 2010. I wasn't really been a big fan of BJ when I started watching the UFC but since watching old fights thanks to Spike reruns I do like him. He just has a very different training style. When I have seen his training the the UFC countdowns he has a very laid back, mellow approach. Maybe its the Hawaiian thing but other fighters seem to be a lot more intense and care more. BJBJ on the mat. He wants to take a tired BJ to the mat like he did the second time they fought and beat him that way.
George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon - lightweight
I like both these guys but I'm definitely going with Lauzon. He is from a small little cowtown and has often been seen as the underdog in his fights. In his UFC debut against Jens Pulver we was brought in to be a stepping stone for Pulver. He ws brought in to get knocked out as many people saw Pulver as a big up and coming name in the UFC. Lauzon went in and knocked him out cold in the first minute of the very first round. Since then Pulver has lost almost every fight but that's not the point, before then he was winning almost every fight and had a lot more experience than Lauzon. After this win Lauzon was selected to be a contestant on the 5th season of The Ultimate Fighter. He fought under BJ Penn's leadership and ironically enough the opposing coach was Jens Pulver. Lauzon made it pretty far that season, loosing out in the semi-finals. He had the opportunity to fight in the season 5 finale anyway and won the submission of the night bonus for his defeat of Bryan Melendez. 6 of his last 8 fights have been awarded bonuses, either fight of the night, knock-out of the night or submission of the night with only 2 being losses. Lauzon was a major gamer before he got into fighting, he would sit and play video games for 8-10 hours a day. It got to the point where his eyes would burn from looking at the tv screen for so long, he knew he had to find something else to fill his time. He chose to try out jiu-jitsu training and made a complete switch from 8-10 hours of video games a day to 8-10 hours of training a day. He has a really great work ethic and goes by the saying, don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today. The way he talks about past fights is really interesting. He knows exactly whats going on and what his game plan is and is able to explain himself very well. When he fought Kyle Bradley he knew the voice of his opponent's coach and was able to hear his instruction. When he saw Bradley going for the big hook he was able to duck out of the way and get the takedown. His most recent win was a beautiful armbar submission of his housemate from The Ultimate Fighter and huge trash talker Gabe Ruediger. I don't mind the trash talking if you can back it up and this guy definitely did not.
Sotiropoulos trains all over the world. Where ever he can get training and experience he will go there and get it. He has fought big names like Joe Daddy Stevenson and Kurt Pelligrino and worked both of them. He has not loss since 2006 and including that has only lost twice in his professional career. He seems like a class act but I really just like Lauzon better in this one. Both fighters are very strong and technically skilled. They are submission artists with aggressive knockout power. In the end it is going to come down to who can push harder for longer.
The other fights I'm not as excited about I'd like to see. Id like to see Mark Munoz and Paul Kelly pull in the W as well as Edson Barboza, mostly only because I just nicknamed him the Captain. But with the 3 top fights I know this card is going to be another great one to watch no matter what and I'm definitely looking forward to Saturday night.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Episode 10
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010
GSP brings in another big name, Freddie Roach, to train with his team. I won’t lie, I didn’t know this guy before watching this episode but after reading about him a bit his credentials are a little ridiculous. He trains some of the most incredible boxers including one that even I, someone who has watched a total of maybe 5 boxing fights in my entire life, know of, Manny Pacquiao.
The third quarter final fight and the first of this episode is Kyle Watson vs. Aaron Wilkinson. Watson took out Andy Main in the first round of fights to earn his quarter-final spot while Wilkinson had to come back to defeat Marc Stevens in the wildcard after his third round loss to Michael Johnson. Wilkinson has better striking but may not have the big power punches that knock people out but I still expect him to try to keep it a standing game. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Watson is Matt Hughes’ jiu-jitsu coach so he is definitely going to favor his ground game, where he has most experience. He plans to take Wilkinson down from the clinch. That would mean he isn't going to rush at him like GSP takes guys down. He is going to tie him up when they are exchanging and then take him to the mat.
Round 1
Watson comes out as the aggressor landing a few leg kicks and gets the takedown in the first 30 seconds. Wilkinson is able to stand up after some struggle but Watson takes him down right away again. He gets Wilkinson's back and works to get the rear naked choke.
Kyle Watson wins by submission via rear naked choke. Wilkinson feels so bad. He feels like he has embarrassed everyone and shamed his coaches. Watson doesn't look like he just fought at all, I'm not sure Wilkinson landed anything other than a few punches while Watson was on top of him. I wanted this outcome but I honestly didn't expect it to come so easily for Watson. Wilkinson is a great fighter but Watson's experience just overpowered him this time.
Koscheck's team has now lost 5 times via rear naked choke. Johnson defeated Wilkinson, Watson defeatedMain , Brookins defeated Magakain and then defeated Chivitchian, and now Watson defeated Wilkinson. Perhaps Koscheck should look a little further into training his guy for submission defense.
Next fight is the one we've been waiting for, the personality clash, Bruce Leroy vs. Michael Johnson. GSP and his coaching team will not corner either fighter as they are both from team GSP. Instead Watson will be in Johnson's corner while Koscheck, and Lentz, who lost to him, will be in Leroy's corner.
Leroy makes a point that he feels the pressure is on Johnson. If Johnson looses, he looses to a guy that he thinks he is superior to and does not belong there at all. I'm pretty sure Johnson just thinks Leroy doesn't belong on the show because it doesn't seem like he acts like he appreciate the opportunity, not because he doesn't have talent. Of course there is editing involved so we see all Leroy’s pranks and not a whole lot of his hard training. The two have sparred together in training though and they know each others strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies better than they would if they were coming from opposing teams. Johnson has a three inch reach advantage going into the fight but since Leroy seems to enjoy throwing legs more than punches I'm not sure if he'll be able to use it.
Round 1
Johnson lands a big takedown in the first 30 seconds. Leroy’s mouth guard is knocked out when he stand up and when the ref stops them so he can put it back in the two are right at each other with the trash talking. Johnson gets another huge takedown again but on their way up Leroy gets a few quick punches to Johnson's head. While the two are in the clinch Johnson gets a really nice knee right to Leroy's face!
Between the rounds Leroy's corner is saying he won but I really don't think he did. He landed some big hits but Johnson had two really big takedowns and was able to land some big punches himself when they were standing. That’s not his strong area of the fight but he was definitely attacking and I think he had that round no question. Leroy threw a few kicks that weren't doing anything more really than just tripping himself up.
Round 2
Again Johnson gets a huge takedown in the first 20 seconds. This time he holds onto him on the mat and lands some pretty decent ground and pound. When the stand up Leroy does manage to get a half ass head kick but after some sloppy punches Johnson has him back on the mat again. Leroy manages to have control on the mat for about 20 seconds but after they stand up again against the cage Johnson gets yet another big takedown. Finishing the round with one more big takedown Johnson finished with top control and I have no doubt he took the unanimous decision.
Michael Johnson wins by unanimous decision. All of Johnson's takedowns were really impressive, he was able to easily pick Leroy up off the ground and slam him down. Leroy threw a lot of kicks and punches that didn't do any real damage. Big roundhouse style kicks just like he threw against Lentz in his first fight, that don't seem to do much. Even though I say that, the fight wasn't entirely one-sided. Leroy didn't just give it to Johnson, he simply wasn't strong enough to defend against Johnson's wrestling and take down ability. So even though he lost, Leroy proved he is a talented fighter. Koscheck said the fight sucked, that GSP tricked Dana into picking this fight. Who do you think Leroy should have fought if you like him so much? Your own guys? Maybe if Leroy had fought Wilkinson that would have been one more yellow in the semis because the fight likely would have stayed standing but I think Koscheck just has sour grapes, He has an excuse for everything.
Dana calls the coaches into a side room to decide on the semi-final match-ups. Oddly enough they all agree right away. When they're walking into the gym to announce the decision GSP says "Have to watch him, he wants to put my pants down" referring to Koscheck’s love to pants guys as he did to Brad Tate a couple episodes back. First off, anything GSP says in his French accent sound funnier but how sad is it that he legitimately has to worry about a grown man pulling his shorts down, real mature bud.
Dana announces the semi-final fights
Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson
Michael Johnson vs.Nam
Again I am not super happy with this. I'd like to see Watson and Brookins in the final if I have these four guys to choose from. But I guess its fair, GSPs first choice was Johnson and Brookins has become his lead dog so these two being in the final would be great. Of course they both have to get past their semi-final opponents first.
Next episode...
2 hour special, both semi-final fights
GSP brings in another big name, Freddie Roach, to train with his team. I won’t lie, I didn’t know this guy before watching this episode but after reading about him a bit his credentials are a little ridiculous. He trains some of the most incredible boxers including one that even I, someone who has watched a total of maybe 5 boxing fights in my entire life, know of, Manny Pacquiao.
The third quarter final fight and the first of this episode is Kyle Watson vs. Aaron Wilkinson. Watson took out Andy Main in the first round of fights to earn his quarter-final spot while Wilkinson had to come back to defeat Marc Stevens in the wildcard after his third round loss to Michael Johnson. Wilkinson has better striking but may not have the big power punches that knock people out but I still expect him to try to keep it a standing game. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Watson is Matt Hughes’ jiu-jitsu coach so he is definitely going to favor his ground game, where he has most experience. He plans to take Wilkinson down from the clinch. That would mean he isn't going to rush at him like GSP takes guys down. He is going to tie him up when they are exchanging and then take him to the mat.
Round 1
Watson comes out as the aggressor landing a few leg kicks and gets the takedown in the first 30 seconds. Wilkinson is able to stand up after some struggle but Watson takes him down right away again. He gets Wilkinson's back and works to get the rear naked choke.
Kyle Watson wins by submission via rear naked choke. Wilkinson feels so bad. He feels like he has embarrassed everyone and shamed his coaches. Watson doesn't look like he just fought at all, I'm not sure Wilkinson landed anything other than a few punches while Watson was on top of him. I wanted this outcome but I honestly didn't expect it to come so easily for Watson. Wilkinson is a great fighter but Watson's experience just overpowered him this time.
Koscheck's team has now lost 5 times via rear naked choke. Johnson defeated Wilkinson, Watson defeated
Next fight is the one we've been waiting for, the personality clash, Bruce Leroy vs. Michael Johnson. GSP and his coaching team will not corner either fighter as they are both from team GSP. Instead Watson will be in Johnson's corner while Koscheck, and Lentz, who lost to him, will be in Leroy's corner.
Leroy makes a point that he feels the pressure is on Johnson. If Johnson looses, he looses to a guy that he thinks he is superior to and does not belong there at all. I'm pretty sure Johnson just thinks Leroy doesn't belong on the show because it doesn't seem like he acts like he appreciate the opportunity, not because he doesn't have talent. Of course there is editing involved so we see all Leroy’s pranks and not a whole lot of his hard training. The two have sparred together in training though and they know each others strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies better than they would if they were coming from opposing teams. Johnson has a three inch reach advantage going into the fight but since Leroy seems to enjoy throwing legs more than punches I'm not sure if he'll be able to use it.
Round 1
Johnson lands a big takedown in the first 30 seconds. Leroy’s mouth guard is knocked out when he stand up and when the ref stops them so he can put it back in the two are right at each other with the trash talking. Johnson gets another huge takedown again but on their way up Leroy gets a few quick punches to Johnson's head. While the two are in the clinch Johnson gets a really nice knee right to Leroy's face!
Between the rounds Leroy's corner is saying he won but I really don't think he did. He landed some big hits but Johnson had two really big takedowns and was able to land some big punches himself when they were standing. That’s not his strong area of the fight but he was definitely attacking and I think he had that round no question. Leroy threw a few kicks that weren't doing anything more really than just tripping himself up.
Round 2
Again Johnson gets a huge takedown in the first 20 seconds. This time he holds onto him on the mat and lands some pretty decent ground and pound. When the stand up Leroy does manage to get a half ass head kick but after some sloppy punches Johnson has him back on the mat again. Leroy manages to have control on the mat for about 20 seconds but after they stand up again against the cage Johnson gets yet another big takedown. Finishing the round with one more big takedown Johnson finished with top control and I have no doubt he took the unanimous decision.
Michael Johnson wins by unanimous decision. All of Johnson's takedowns were really impressive, he was able to easily pick Leroy up off the ground and slam him down. Leroy threw a lot of kicks and punches that didn't do any real damage. Big roundhouse style kicks just like he threw against Lentz in his first fight, that don't seem to do much. Even though I say that, the fight wasn't entirely one-sided. Leroy didn't just give it to Johnson, he simply wasn't strong enough to defend against Johnson's wrestling and take down ability. So even though he lost, Leroy proved he is a talented fighter. Koscheck said the fight sucked, that GSP tricked Dana into picking this fight. Who do you think Leroy should have fought if you like him so much? Your own guys? Maybe if Leroy had fought Wilkinson that would have been one more yellow in the semis because the fight likely would have stayed standing but I think Koscheck just has sour grapes, He has an excuse for everything.
Dana calls the coaches into a side room to decide on the semi-final match-ups. Oddly enough they all agree right away. When they're walking into the gym to announce the decision GSP says "Have to watch him, he wants to put my pants down" referring to Koscheck’s love to pants guys as he did to Brad Tate a couple episodes back. First off, anything GSP says in his French accent sound funnier but how sad is it that he legitimately has to worry about a grown man pulling his shorts down, real mature bud.
Dana announces the semi-final fights
Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson
Michael Johnson vs.
Again I am not super happy with this. I'd like to see Watson and Brookins in the final if I have these four guys to choose from. But I guess its fair, GSPs first choice was Johnson and Brookins has become his lead dog so these two being in the final would be great. Of course they both have to get past their semi-final opponents first.
Next episode...
2 hour special, both semi-final fights
Saturday, November 13, 2010
UFC 122 Marquardt vs. Okami
UFC 122 Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami November 13th, 2010 from Oberhausen, Germany
Before the action even starts, Sakara woke up with flu symptoms and will not be fighting, bummer. Just a little note, Bruce Buffer does a pretty got job doing the intro in German, very impressive. Overall it was a pretty impressive night of fights. Some disappointing outcomes but in the end not too shabby.
These first two fights weren't shown but as they were in Germany and long since over I was able to find the results anyway.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexandre Ferreira - light heavyweight
So I was completely off on this prediction, Matyushenko won by TKO via elbows in the first round.
Kyle Noke vs. Rob Kimmons - middleweight
Noke won by submission via rear naked choke in round two, woop!
I didn't make any prediction about this fight because I don't know the fighters but wow this was a great fight. The first round showed a big turnaround. Ludwig threw some punishing combinations and showed great takedown defense. Osipczak finished the round on top dealing some big ground and pound, which created cuts over both of Ludwig's eyes. By the third round Osipczak has really faded, it becomes Ludwig’s fight to take, he just had to attack and do more damage than what was done to him in the first two rounds. It goes to the judges and they score it and Ludwig wins by split decision. The one judge scored that gave the advantage to Osipczak scored it 30-28, I thought if a round was tied it was 9-9 not 10-10, but obviously I’m wrong. Either way It’s a pretty special win for Ludwig, his baby boy was born just three days before the fight and he hasn’t been able to meet him yet. That will be quite a nice homecoming present.
Kris McCray vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha - welterweight
The fight was pretty even, on the mat almost the whole time, both fighters competing for the better position. As McCray was going for Rocha’s back he didn’t control his legs and Rocha took advantage and won by submission via kneebar in the first round
Krysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic - light heavyweight
Soszynski, the big tatted up Winnipeg boy, learned in his last 2 fight series against Stefan Bonner when you have somebody hurt you have to finish them. In the first round he seemed to be pushing the pace, hurt Reljic a bit and was following him around the ring like a stalked. They ended up against the fence and oops, oil check! Joe Rogan’s commentary is ridiculous, so gross! By the third round Soszynski laid down a good pounding and Reljic is very tired. Soszynski gets a takedown in the last minute and lands some big punches right to Reljics face. Last ten seconds he goes crazy and lands another huge right hand on Reljics head. The fight goes the distance and it goes to judges’ decision. All three judges score it 30-27 and Soszynski wins unanimous decision.
Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta - welterweight
Sadollah came out strong, throwing a lot and landing more strikes. The hometown German, Sobotta kept trying for takedowns but didn’t really do any damage in the first round. Second round Sadollah is strong again, throwing some big kicks to Sobotta’s head and body. He gets a takedown lands some ground and pound and finishes the round with a big knee to the body. Sobotta did show up in the third to deliver some damage of his own but it definitely wasn’t enough to overcome the first two rounds. All three judges give the win to Sadollah 30-27.
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner – lightweight
The round starts off with a lot of action, Winner attacks a lot. Siver comes right back with some really fast combinations. Both guys are throwing a lot of punches and some big kicks. Siver lands a big left hook that puts Winner down, he keeps attacking and ends up with Winner’s back. He gets the rear naked choke and its a win for the German, Siver in the first round.
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara - middleweight
Fight has been postponed because Sakara is sick.
Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami - middleweight
The first round is very even, both guys got takedowns and did some damage from the top. Marquardt landed some big knees to Okami’s body when they were standing and attempted a guillotine choke. Okami finished the round on top but I think the judges probably gave the round to Marquardt. In the second round Okami had Marquardt against the fence. Marquardt was able to turn it around and got a big takedown. Once they stand up Marquardt shows pretty amazing takedown defence time after time against Okami and lands a really nice right to Okami’s chin. Marquardt seems to have some trouble finding the distance when they’re standing. When Okami initiates Marquardt is able to throw big counters but he didn’t start a lot of the exchanges. Marquardt was able to get a takedown in the third round but Okami controlled the pace of the stand up game and maintained control of the center of the cage. The decision goes to the judges and by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 Okami gets the win. Well shoot that’s pretty upsetting. Marquardt got some pretty big takedowns but he definitely seemed off in this fight. Disappointing this is the second time he has been so close to getting his title shot and just missed out. I’m sure he will come back stronger in his next fight though.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Upcoming UFC 122 Marquardt vs. Okami
UFC 122 Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami November 13th, 2010 from Oberhausen , Germany
Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami - middleweight
This is going to be a really great fight, both guys are so well rounded that the fight could stay standing or go to the ground and it will definitely be exciting. Okami says Marquardt is an amazing all-around fighter with no weaknesses. He sees this fight as the doorway to a title shot. This is absolutely true, the winner of this fight will get the next title shot after the Silva vs. Belfort fight in 2011. Okami’s ultimate goal is to be the first Japanese Champion. Okami is strong, tall, well rounded in every area. He is also a south paw, something Marquadt will have to prepare for. Marquardt is confident he can defeat Okami, he says he knows how he fights and is confident he can get him to fight his way. Marquart won his most recent fight in September and just before that he fought Chael Sonnen to determine who got the title shot. Obviously he wasn't successful in that fight but this win could definitely put him right back in the running. I would really like to see either one of these guys take out Silva though. Of his last five opponents, Marquardt has knocked out four of them and three were in the first round. Marquardt trains with some crazy good guys including a couple of my faves GSP and Shane Carwin. As Joe Rogan says, steel sharpens steel, if you’re training with top guys and being pushed by them every day, there is no doubt you will become amazing. This fight will go how Marquardt wants it to, whether it remains standing or does end up on the mat, I'm hoping Nate the Great pulls off the win.
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara - middleweight
I do really like Rivera but I’m still going with Sakara on this one. Sakara used to be a boxer with an 8-1 and has been fighting in the UFC since 2005. He’s been around a while and is coming off a three fight win streak, I’m hoping he continues that run on Saturday.
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner – lightweight
I definitely want Winner to take this one. I’m not a big fan of Siver, he reminds me of the bad guys in war movies fromGermany
Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta - welterweight
Sadollah won season 7 of the ultimate fighter. Before entering the UFC in 2009 Sobotta was close to undefeated. He has, however, lost his last two fights so he really needs to win this. I still want Sadollah to take it though!
Krysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic - light heavyweight
Reljic is coming off two loses at 185. Now that he is back at 205 it will be in his favor because he will be fighting at a more natural weight with a much smaller weight cut. He’s coming off two straight loses to C.B. Dollaway and Kendall Grove. I'm definitely going with Soszynski on this one, plus he's Polish/Canadian so I have to cheer for the canuck!
Kyle Noke vs. Rob Kimmons - middleweight
I'm going with the Aussie from season 11 of the ultimate fighter. He lost out in the quarter finals to Kris McCray who is also on this fight card.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexandre Ferreira - light heavyweight
I don't know much about either of these fighters but Ferreira hasn't lost since 2006 and Matyushenko is coming off a loss to Jon Jones, so I'll go with the guy that's been winning.
Kris McCray vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha - welterweight
As everyone knows I have a special place in my heart for TUF alum and as Kris McCray was runner up in the 11th season I'm rooting for him.
Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami - middleweight
This is going to be a really great fight, both guys are so well rounded that the fight could stay standing or go to the ground and it will definitely be exciting. Okami says Marquardt is an amazing all-around fighter with no weaknesses. He sees this fight as the doorway to a title shot. This is absolutely true, the winner of this fight will get the next title shot after the Silva vs. Belfort fight in 2011. Okami’s ultimate goal is to be the first Japanese Champion. Okami is strong, tall, well rounded in every area. He is also a south paw, something Marquadt will have to prepare for. Marquardt is confident he can defeat Okami, he says he knows how he fights and is confident he can get him to fight his way. Marquart won his most recent fight in September and just before that he fought Chael Sonnen to determine who got the title shot. Obviously he wasn't successful in that fight but this win could definitely put him right back in the running. I would really like to see either one of these guys take out Silva though. Of his last five opponents, Marquardt has knocked out four of them and three were in the first round. Marquardt trains with some crazy good guys including a couple of my faves GSP and Shane Carwin. As Joe Rogan says, steel sharpens steel, if you’re training with top guys and being pushed by them every day, there is no doubt you will become amazing. This fight will go how Marquardt wants it to, whether it remains standing or does end up on the mat, I'm hoping Nate the Great pulls off the win.
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara - middleweight
I do really like Rivera but I’m still going with Sakara on this one. Sakara used to be a boxer with an 8-1 and has been fighting in the UFC since 2005. He’s been around a while and is coming off a three fight win streak, I’m hoping he continues that run on Saturday.
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner – lightweight
I definitely want Winner to take this one. I’m not a big fan of Siver, he reminds me of the bad guys in war movies from
Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta - welterweight
Sadollah won season 7 of the ultimate fighter. Before entering the UFC in 2009 Sobotta was close to undefeated. He has, however, lost his last two fights so he really needs to win this. I still want Sadollah to take it though!
Krysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic - light heavyweight
Reljic is coming off two loses at 185. Now that he is back at 205 it will be in his favor because he will be fighting at a more natural weight with a much smaller weight cut. He’s coming off two straight loses to C.B. Dollaway and Kendall Grove. I'm definitely going with Soszynski on this one, plus he's Polish/Canadian so I have to cheer for the canuck!
Kyle Noke vs. Rob Kimmons - middleweight
I'm going with the Aussie from season 11 of the ultimate fighter. He lost out in the quarter finals to Kris McCray who is also on this fight card.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexandre Ferreira - light heavyweight
I don't know much about either of these fighters but Ferreira hasn't lost since 2006 and Matyushenko is coming off a loss to Jon Jones, so I'll go with the guy that's been winning.
Kris McCray vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha - welterweight
As everyone knows I have a special place in my heart for TUF alum and as Kris McCray was runner up in the 11th season I'm rooting for him.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Episode 9
Wedneaday, November 10th, 2010
Time for the first quarter final fight. Jonathan Brookins vs. Sako Chivitchian.
GSP is going to put his team through the same training he does for himself. The hardcore training and sparing is over, its time to get technical. He doesn't want them to go too hard, this way they will be more hungry for the fight. This is definitely smart, wearing yourself out by training too hard isn't smart especially at this point when you could be fighting three times in the next two weeks, quarters, semis and the final.
Brookins is a very humble person, I like him a lot. He wants to ride his bike, go to the library, just like he always does. There is no shortage of cockiness in the house and Brookins is the exact opposite. He appreciates the opportunity and understand thats what it is, an opportunity to make it to the UFC, not to be a UFC star, but to get in on the action. He's a very mellow person which makes him seem a little weird to people, initially myself included, but now I definitely think he's a cool guy.
Sako thinks Brookins is the toughest guy on GSP's team. Brookins fought Sako's friend Sevak in the first round of fights so he is not only fighting for himself but also to avenge the loss of his buddy. Sako is undefeated and his game plan is simple, don't let Brookins take his back. His wins have come from submissions, rear naked choke, so don't give him that option. In his pre fight interview he says... Better be ready to get down and dirty because I'm down to fight to round thirty... wow... that's pretty much all I have to say to that comment.
Round 1
Sako gets Brookins against the fence early but Brookins manages to get a big takedown. He holds onto Sako's back. Sako tried to avoid another takedown but is caught holding onto the fence. Brookins is getting close to a rear naked choke but doesn't have Sako's neck right away. A little bit of effort he gets it and Sako taps out. He does it again, takedown, take his back, choke him out.
Jonathan Brookins wins by submission via rear naked choke. He moves on to the semi-finals. After the fight Sako is upset he didn't follow the main gameplan to not give up his back. This is his first loss. I like his outlook on it though, this loss wont break him, he has made the mistake once and he wont make it twice.
Next fight in the quarter finals Cody McKenzie vs. Nam Phan.
GSP says Phan is better than McKenzie at jiu jitsu as well as his standing game. The plan is to get Phan against the fence, this way his striking and jiu jitsu are both neutralized. All but one of McKenzie's professional wins has come from guillotine choke. He doesn't use a lot of technique, but it works. He's a scrappy, random fighter which makes him very dangerous and unpredictable.
Koscheck is treating this fight personally for him, McKenzie is one person who is trash talking him, the rest of GSP's team is just ignoring the idiot boy. Phan is focusing training a lot for guillotine defense. The team knows that Phan is more experienced and skilled but again with the random tactics of McKenzie, its hard to plan for the fight.
Round 1
Cody charges first takes the center. He gets Phan against the fence gets a half takedown and throws some knees and punches to Phans body. McKenzie looks really tired in the last minute, he eats some big punches from Phan and doesnt do any damage really when he throws kicks or punches. That round was a weird one, I think McKenzie took it because he did get a few takedowns and had Phan against the fence for most of the round but it wasn't total domination
Round 2
Koscheck is yelling Cody's tired and its pretty obvious he is. He lands a couple headkicks and gets Phan against the fence again following the game plan. McKenzie looks really tired, he's not defending against some big hits from Phan. Phan lands some big punches right to McKenzie's chin and puts him to the ground with a big punch to the body.
Nam Phan wins by TKO due to strikes. I wanted McKenzie to win but I'm really not too surprised after seeing the first round. McKenzie at this point is a one trick pony. Dana says its great to win fights that quickly by guillotine choke but its also good to get the rounds under your belt. Of course Koscheck is just ecstatic, no respect or sportsmanship. He admits it was personal and says this was the best day of the show. Really? Seeing one of the bottom and least experienced guys be eliminated, not the hugest victory there buddy. McKenzie is pretty torn up about it but he knows life goes on. He'll improve, he definitely has potential.
Next Episode...
The last two quarter final fights.
Johnson vs. Leroy battle in and out of the cage.
The Semi-final match-ups are announced
Time for the first quarter final fight. Jonathan Brookins vs. Sako Chivitchian.
GSP is going to put his team through the same training he does for himself. The hardcore training and sparing is over, its time to get technical. He doesn't want them to go too hard, this way they will be more hungry for the fight. This is definitely smart, wearing yourself out by training too hard isn't smart especially at this point when you could be fighting three times in the next two weeks, quarters, semis and the final.
Brookins is a very humble person, I like him a lot. He wants to ride his bike, go to the library, just like he always does. There is no shortage of cockiness in the house and Brookins is the exact opposite. He appreciates the opportunity and understand thats what it is, an opportunity to make it to the UFC, not to be a UFC star, but to get in on the action. He's a very mellow person which makes him seem a little weird to people, initially myself included, but now I definitely think he's a cool guy.
Sako thinks Brookins is the toughest guy on GSP's team. Brookins fought Sako's friend Sevak in the first round of fights so he is not only fighting for himself but also to avenge the loss of his buddy. Sako is undefeated and his game plan is simple, don't let Brookins take his back. His wins have come from submissions, rear naked choke, so don't give him that option. In his pre fight interview he says... Better be ready to get down and dirty because I'm down to fight to round thirty... wow... that's pretty much all I have to say to that comment.
Round 1
Sako gets Brookins against the fence early but Brookins manages to get a big takedown. He holds onto Sako's back. Sako tried to avoid another takedown but is caught holding onto the fence. Brookins is getting close to a rear naked choke but doesn't have Sako's neck right away. A little bit of effort he gets it and Sako taps out. He does it again, takedown, take his back, choke him out.
Jonathan Brookins wins by submission via rear naked choke. He moves on to the semi-finals. After the fight Sako is upset he didn't follow the main gameplan to not give up his back. This is his first loss. I like his outlook on it though, this loss wont break him, he has made the mistake once and he wont make it twice.
Next fight in the quarter finals Cody McKenzie vs. Nam Phan.
GSP says Phan is better than McKenzie at jiu jitsu as well as his standing game. The plan is to get Phan against the fence, this way his striking and jiu jitsu are both neutralized. All but one of McKenzie's professional wins has come from guillotine choke. He doesn't use a lot of technique, but it works. He's a scrappy, random fighter which makes him very dangerous and unpredictable.
Koscheck is treating this fight personally for him, McKenzie is one person who is trash talking him, the rest of GSP's team is just ignoring the idiot boy. Phan is focusing training a lot for guillotine defense. The team knows that Phan is more experienced and skilled but again with the random tactics of McKenzie, its hard to plan for the fight.
Round 1
Cody charges first takes the center. He gets Phan against the fence gets a half takedown and throws some knees and punches to Phans body. McKenzie looks really tired in the last minute, he eats some big punches from Phan and doesnt do any damage really when he throws kicks or punches. That round was a weird one, I think McKenzie took it because he did get a few takedowns and had Phan against the fence for most of the round but it wasn't total domination
Round 2
Koscheck is yelling Cody's tired and its pretty obvious he is. He lands a couple headkicks and gets Phan against the fence again following the game plan. McKenzie looks really tired, he's not defending against some big hits from Phan. Phan lands some big punches right to McKenzie's chin and puts him to the ground with a big punch to the body.
Nam Phan wins by TKO due to strikes. I wanted McKenzie to win but I'm really not too surprised after seeing the first round. McKenzie at this point is a one trick pony. Dana says its great to win fights that quickly by guillotine choke but its also good to get the rounds under your belt. Of course Koscheck is just ecstatic, no respect or sportsmanship. He admits it was personal and says this was the best day of the show. Really? Seeing one of the bottom and least experienced guys be eliminated, not the hugest victory there buddy. McKenzie is pretty torn up about it but he knows life goes on. He'll improve, he definitely has potential.
Next Episode...
The last two quarter final fights.
Johnson vs. Leroy battle in and out of the cage.
The Semi-final match-ups are announced
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Episode 8
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
It’s finally the wildcard episode, Aaron Wilkinson vs. Marc Stevens. The wildcard is supposed to be the people who put up the best fight. Wildcard options would have been Jeffrey Lentz, Andy Main, Sevak Magakin, Dane Sayers, and Spencer Paige who is now out with an injury, of course in addition to the two that were chosen. I honestly feel Sevak or Sayers should have been given the spot. Of course I am biased to team GSP and I wanted Sayers in there but even Dana admits if Sayers were to stay in, he knows with each fight he would show huge improvements. Unfortunately at this moment in time, Stevens is the “better fighter”. If they didn’t choose Sevak because the fight was over by submission in the first round, at least he was fighting the top contender Jonathan Brookins. Stevens was choked out cold in seconds by someone with half the experience. Lentz and Main , teammates of Stevens even show their doubt in the choice. Not saying straight out that he doesn't deserve it but mentioning that the guillotine loss was done in seconds.
So now for the Koscheck drama of the episode... I’m really getting tired of this guy. I know they edit the show so we can see all the bad stuff he does and none of the great coaching or training but there wouldn’t be anything to show in if he didn’t act out all the time. They can’t show GSP as the bad guy or the prankster because that’s not who he is. So since GSP won’t give him any reaction, Koscheck starts up with the medic on team GSP, Brad Tate. He’s making fun of Tate for being a male nurse. He gets in his face and even grabs on to him to jokingly start a bit of a fight. Both guys start to laugh and shake it off but you can tell Tate was not happy with the initial motion to fight. The end up fighting with a trash can and plunger so nobody gets hurt but its just one of those things were yeah they’re joking and goofing around but you know they completely hate each other. Walking in to the weigh-ins Koscheck pants Tate! Wow junior high flashback? As they’re sitting down waiting for the weigh-ins to start they get into an exchange of words again, of course all Koscheck has to use as an insult is that Tate is a male nurse. Apparently Tate is a paramedic but even if he wasn’t, being a nurse is not an insult! Maybe it’s not the most likely profession for a big dude to pick but it’s totally respectable. So Tate comes back with, what did you accomplish in life? How to fake a knee? OOOOH I love that he said this, I was waiting for someone to say it! That’s so awesome, Koscheck has totally done that, twice. Don’t believe me, watch his fights against Anthony Johnson and Paul Daley, here’s a quick youtube link you can watch too, its a really dumb video but the only one I could find with both fakes.
That comment definitely gets to him, he jumps up and tries to grab Tate's neck. Sayers tries to separate them but is grabbing the back of Koschecks neck to do it. He ends up getting pushed in the face by Koscheck too. After everyone calms down he walks out on the weigh-ins, way too frustrated with Koscheck to be there. Koscheck does go and apologize so I can respect that. The fight is between him and Tate, not Sayers.
Koscheck blames GSP! He accuses him of hiring Brad Tate to do his trash talking for him. Well for one thing if he did that would be smart, but GSP doesn't have to time to bother himself with petty stuff like that. He has told his team many times not to talk trash, it’s beneath them. Tate is part of his team. He feels like trash talking is like being in kindergarten, its pointless. But of course Koscheck always has an excuse for everything.
Bruce Leroy is complaining of a sore back a lot. This episode shows him getting stretched out while Johnson is sparring in the cage. Johnson figures it’s just an excuse not to train as hard. Back at the house Johnson brings it up and Leroy just says he's injured. When it’s his turn to fight he will train hard, right now he's hurt. They talk about fighting each other, both fighter sounds confident they would win.
GSP gets the remaining guys on his team together and asks them to write down the name of someone on their own team they would like to fight. As there will be 3 yellow and 5 red going into the next round, obviously two guys from GSPs team will have to face each other. If the two names match up and the fighters pick each other, they will try to make that fight happen. Go figure the match up is Leroy and Johnson. We'll see if Dana will go for it.
Both fighters are from the Koscheck camp. He admits it will be a hard fight to watch. He likes both guys and wants them both to do well. He is not going to be in the corner or either fighter. Wilkinson and Stevens have been training together a lot during their sessions. They are shown on the treadmills talking about helping each other after the show is over. They can both learn from each other. Stevens does have a great wrestling background and Wilkinson has a big stand up game, combining their talents would make for a great fighter.
Before the fight Wilkinson gets news that his Nana has passed. He's trying not to cry, it’s really sad to see. His mom says his nana would "kick his ass good style" if he were to come home and leave this opportunity. She’s trying to make him laugh but that's rough news to get. He’s completely alone in the house and he has no one to lean on.
Round 1
Wilkinson has a 3" height and reach advantage going into this. He also got suited up for the fight in GSP’s team room. Just sayin, he's a good guy! Both guys start of slow, just feeling out the distance. Stevens tries to throw a couple kicks then gets a takedown and side control. He gets full mount and switched to having Wilkinson’s back each time he spins. It’s so quiet, there are a few teammates and coaches shouting from the corners but not a lot. Nam Phan is shouting mostly for Wilkinson but not doing the greatest job, telling him the whole time that he’s winning when he is clearly not. But at least he’s trying. Stevens is close to getting a triangle choke with his legs. But Wilkinson is able to get some big punches to Stevens' body and head from the position. The round is definitely not even, with Stevens having top control for the first 3 minutes and landing some major ground and pound I think the judges may give it to him. Especially since when Wilkinson was landing punches, Stevens was still defending from the bottom.
Round 2
Wilkinson starts with nice inside leg kick. He's throwing punching combinations and as he throws a knee Stevens gets a takedown. Once again he leaves his neck vulnerable and Wilkinson gets the guillotine. The same one he gave up to McKenzie.
Wilkinson wins but submission via guillotine choke. Stevens laughs after the fight, apparently I need to work on my guillotine defense. Main and Lentz are still set that they would have been able to perform better. It’s pretty bad that he looses the exact same way again, especially since his background is in wrestling, he should be better at the ground game
GSP and Koscheck meet with Dana to discuss the quarter final matchup. They bring in the fighters to ask them who they would like to fight. All the fighters seem to think that Leroy is he weakest on his team and they would be able to take him out. GSP says he would like to see Leroy and Johnson fight. Again Koscheck with his conspiracy theories thinks GSP is trying to get one of his own guys to take out Leroy who he considers to be the weakest link on his team instead of someone on yellow eliminating him. Well why wouldn’t GSP want that, if he really has that little faith in Leroy it’s a sure was to be confident one of his guys will get through to the next round easily. GSP did slip up a little and gave up too much information about his fighters’ strengths and weaknesses.
Poor canada
The quarter final fights are announced;
Jonathan Brookins vs. Sako Chivitchian
Cody McKenzie vs. Nam
Kyle Watson vs. Aaron Wilkinson
Michael Johnson vs. Bruce Leroy
Koscheck says Dana feels sorry for GSP so he gave him all the fights he wanted!! Oh my gosh, this guy is ridiculous. I’m not sure how I feel about the fights. I feel like there are two really whatevers fights. Both guys in the McKenzie vs. Phan fight are pretty inexperienced and Johnson vs. Leroy fight is just for the personality clash. Watson is definitely going to have his hands full with Wilkinson and Brookins got the second most difficult fight in Sako. But we’ll see how it goes. My picks are underlined, no surprises I’m sure.
Next episode...
2 fights!! Brookins vs. Sako and McKenzie vs. Phan
Getting closer to the semi-finals
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