Upcoming UFC 136 Edgar vs. Maynard III

Upcoming UFC 136 Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III, October 8th, 2011 from Houston, Texas.

I’m just gonna go ahead right away and say I’m pretty upset after living in and around Houston for 9 months I come home one week before this dream of a rematch comes to town? Okay, done with that, on to the exciting stuff. For the first time in a while I am excited about every single fight on the main card, and even a few on the undercard.

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III – lightweight championship

No, Maynard is not a third generation Gray, this is the third time these two will be meeting in the cage and the instant rematch from their bout on New Years Day at UFC 125. This fight was pretty close to not happening. Dana White, like me, does not like the instant rematch, it just delays other championship matchups. Anthony Pettis, the last WEC lightweight champ, was promised the next title shot and it was even announced at the press conference that he would have it. Soon after though, Dana probably gave his head a shake and realized not only the challenger, but the current champ, Frankie Edgar, wanted to see that fight with a decisive result and needed the rematch. They had both fighters watch their New Years Day matchup and it was pretty interesting to hear what they had to say. Both fighters had themselves winning 48-46.

I would like to see Maynard finally put an end to this. The first round at UFC 125 he completely dominated. He knocked down Edgar 4, maybe even 5 times. Edgar looked bad, totally shaky, unable to get up, if it wasn’t a title match, it could possibly have been called. But to give him credit he did keep getting up. Also, if Maynard wanted to finish it, he should have in that round when Edgar was so weak. That was obviously the gameplan but unfortunately he wasn’t able to follow through and he gassed himself out a bit. The rest of the fight was back and forth but I thought Maynard took it. But no need talking about a fight 9 months ago, this is the fight at hand. Since it has been so long I really don’t know what to expect. I can only guess both have worked hard on their weaknesses from the last time their faced each other. I’m only hoping that Maynard worked on that knockout power so when he knocks down Edgar this time around, he stays down.

Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian – featherweight championship

I made the mistake of going against Aldo at his first title defense at UFC 129 but I won’t be making that mistake here. I just don’t think Florian has what it takes to finish him. The Ben Stiller lookalike is a fantastic fighter and has taken out some big names, but he has done so in four different divisions! That has to take a toll on his body. He has fought from 145 all the way up to 185. I think he fits better in this division, or even lightweight but I don’t think he can be the champ right now against Aldo. It’s a quote of a quote but I heard Anderson Silva said if Jose Aldo was 185, he’d retire. If Silva is scared of this dude, he’s gotta have something. I just hope it’s an exciting finish.

Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann – middleweight

This is so crummy to have to pick. This is Sonnen’s first fight back after all the controversy of his fight against Anderson Silva and drama afterwards. I really wanted to see him come in and redeem himself but this is an easy choice, Stann has quickly made his way into my top three fighters and I’m going with him. His last three fights have been exciting finishes, one submission and two huge TKOs. He’s an awesome guy and has already adopted Couture’s nickname Captain America, just added the 2.5. These two were about to start training together before this matchup was announced so it’s another friendly gone foe fight. Both fighters have great wrestling background and clearly have knockout strength. Either way, I don’t think these two will let the fight go to a decision. Another TKO for Stann? Yes please.

Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan – featherweight

This is the promised rematch from Phan’s UFC debut at the TUF Season 12 finale. I feel like he was robbed in that fight but since his recent loss to Mike Brown he does have a lot to prove. I hope he can do it, I’m a Phan… haha, get it?

Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon – lightweight

Guillard has been running through guys, Jeremy Stephens, Evan Dunham, Shane Roller but Lauzon also just had an impressive submission victory over Curt Warburton. I feel like Guillard may take this one but I’m really hoping Lauzon can pull it off. I was rooting for him when he faced George Sotiropolis at UFC 123 but after being disappointed there I want to see him win it. 

Upcoming UFC 135 Jones vs. Rampage

Upcoming UFC 135 Jon "Bones" Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, September 24th, 2011 from Denver, Colorado.

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson – light heavyweight championship

Getting to this matchup was a bit of a journey. It started with season 10 of TUF where coaches Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson were set to face each other for the number one contender spot to take on the champ at the time, Shogun Rua. After Rampage took his fighting hiatus to become a “movie star” they fought and Evans took the W. But when Evans was to get fight Shogun, he had to pull out because of injury. Rampage was unable to cut as much weight as he would have to on such short notice so young gun, Bones Jones was giving the chance to step up. He took advantage of the opportunity with a big third round TKO. So now it’s set for Evans to get his title shot against a different champ. Later it is announced that Jones has an injury that requires surgery and will put him out until the end of 2011. Not wanting to wait that long to fight again, Evans took the headline fight at UFC 133 and took out UFC vet Tito Ortiz. Now here is where the really crummy news for Evans comes in, Jones does not need surgery and is ready to fight. Too soon after his last bout, Evans wont be in that matchup so the man he defeated, Rampage, gets it. Yes, Rampage did defeat Matt Hamill and Lyoto Machida since his loss to Evans but I would still be pretty annoyed if I was Evans. Pretty sure he will take on the winner of this one though, so I suppose that’s the silver lining.

Now past the ifs, ands, buts, and injuries, on to the fight! Simple choice, Jones it is. He is incredible. Like I have said before, he has a very out there and unorthodox fighting style. Moves like the flying knee and spinning elbow tend to annoy me because they are often so inaccurate and tend to be just for show. However, this kid has perfected them and they have become a great weapon, hook, jab, spinning elbow, it’s all in his back of tricks. Having the longest reach in the UFC isn’t a bad thing to have up your sleeve either. At 84.5” that is even longer than the spider’s (Anderson Silva) 77.5” reach. That’s one reason why I want to see that matchup so badly. But that’s neither here nor there, this fight comes first. Rampage is a great fighter as well, no doubt about that, I just don’t see the same drive I used to. His last two fights have gone to the judges and one decision was split. Rampage is usually really aggressive and I do hope to see that side of him come back but with a 10” reach deficit it will not be easy. I think this fight will be exciting and I don’t think it will go to a decision, unfortunately for Rampage though, he’ll be getting the short end of the stick. I’m a big Jones fan and I want to see him hold on to this belt for a while.

Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck – welterweight

I’m so happy this fight changed! Hughes was set to face Diego Sanchez. If you ask me, Sanchez has gone a little loopy lately. He renamed himself “The Dream”, I wont go into it, just read my post for UFC Live on Versus 3. Anyway, Sanchez suffered a broken hand and was replaced by Koscheck, we all know how I feel about him… He hasn’t had a fight since being totally demolished by GSP at UFC 124. He could come out guns blazing and surprise everyone but I’m hoping instead that Hughes redeems himself after a ridiculously disappointing loss to BJ Penn. I don’t see either of these guys getting a title shot soon after this fight but I do want a good matchup with Hughes taking the win.

Nick Ring vs. Tim Boetsch – middleweight

This is the only other fight on the card I’m really excited to see. Ring is a TUF vet and trains in Calgary Alberta, Oh Canada! He has won two fights so far in 2011 and I am hoping to make that three. He’s a goofy dude but seems really down to earth and cool, not to mention a great fighter. His defeat of Riki Fukuda was so controversial that Dana White actually gave Fukuda a win bonus paycheck as well. Ring obviously didn’t want to leave it up to the judges again and took his next win by submission. Boetsch is a big guy and has been in the UFC for a long time but I think Ring will take this one, he seems to have momentum since he fought so recently with a decisive finish.

Having so few fights that I am really pumped about usually means it is going to be a great night. Going in with no expectations and watching fighters I don’t really follow is usually a good combination. I’m hoping that pattern stays true and it’s an exciting night of TKOs and submissions. 

Upcoming UFC 134 Silva vs. Okami

Upcoming UFC 134- Rio Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami, August 27^th, 2011 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This is without a doubt going to be one of the most exciting cards so far this year. Three big Brazilian names taking on top contenders in their own backyard.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller – middleweight

Brother of one of my new favourites, Jim Miller, Dan Miller, a middleweight, isn’t quite as good but has the same awesome attitude. Unfortunately he has lost to most of the top 10 guys in the weightclass; Maquardt, Bisping, Demian Maia, and Chael Sonnen but I would still like to see him do well. Especially considering I don’t remember this Palhares dude other than the fact that he also lost of Marquardt not too long ago.  

Ross Peason vs. Edson Barboza – lightweight

I am very excited to see the Captain on a main card. (I dubbed Edson Barboza “The Captain” a while back, simply because I really like the pirate movies) His most recent fight in March went to a decision but this kid has got some major kicks I am excited to see him pull out at this one. Ross Peason is an incredible fighter, he’s taken out big names like Andre Winner and rising star, Dennis Siver but I’d like to see Barboza win in his home country.

Antonion Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub – heavyweight

No question, after he came second on the tenth season of TUF, I have been a fan of Schaub. Since the show ended, Schaub has gone 4-0 with two coming from TKO and one huge KO of Mirko Cro Cop in his most recent fight in March. Big Nog is not going to be an easy one to get past, he’s been fighting a lot longer and has similar KO power but I think Schaub has it. He’s younger, faster, and I feel like he is more driven to get his title shot. I don’t see this fight going past the second round and I am going with the Hybrid this time.

Shogun Rua vs. Forrest Griffin – light heavyweight

Shogun has home court advantage and Griffin has only had one fight in the past year but I’m still going with one of my favourites. I have always liked Griffin, I like his style and he’s a great sport. Not the best reasons to pick a winner but do I ever have real legitimate fighting related reasons? Shogun just lost his belt in March to the extraordinary Jon Bones Jones so I’m sure he feels like he has something to prove. That was his first defense so he wasn’t even able to hold the belt for a year. This is not the first time these two have fought though; this is the victory that earned Griffin his embarrassing highlight reel hands flailing victory celebration. He finished Shogun with a submission with just seconds left in the lst round, he went on to gain the title but this was also four years ago. Both of these guys know what it is like to hold the belt and I usually don’t care for a repeat champ but I like these guys and I think they were both good ambassadors. Plus Griffin is hilarious. If you can find it, watch Griffin’s part of the countdown, when he talks about wanting a girl that looks just like him (his wife is pregnant with their first child, a daughter, to be born 10 days after this fight). I see fight of the night potential in this one, I’m just hoping it goes that way I want it to.

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami – middleweight Championship

I cannot wait for Silva to be dethroned, and Okami may just have what it takes to get the job done. Okami earned his title shot by taking out Nate Marquardt at UFC 122. He was able to control the pace and was the aggressor for most of the fight. He also trains with Chael Sonnen, the one man who has been able to take Silva to the edge, and just barely lost in the last seconds of the 5^th round after dominating the majority of the fight. This is a little ace in Okami’s pocket for this fight. Now with Silva, if you have read my blogs you know my feelings about him; I have felt lately that he has been lackadaisical about fighting. He was becoming a showboat, clowning guys in the cage but not finishing. After his most recent KO of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 my faith in 2008 Silva is beginning to return. As long as Silva comes out strong and aggressive, like the amazing fighter we all know he is, I will have no problem cheering him on as he keeps the belt. However, if showboat Silva decides to make an appearance instead I will be thoroughly disappointed. Silva is widely considered as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet but it’s about being smart too, and if Okami goes in with the right gameplan and the right mindset, he could pull off the upset. 

Upcoming UFC 133 Evans vs. Ortiz

Upcoming UFC 133 Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz, August 6^th, 2011 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz – light heavyweight

So I am almost furious with this fight. First it was supposed to be Rashad Evan’s shot at Jon Jones, the current belt holder. But when Jones suffered an injury during his fight against Shogun Rua where he earned the belt, Phil Davis was named the new opponent. But of course Davis suffered a knee injury and the spot was offered up to Tito. SO MAD! His most recent win was impressive, a submission victory over Ryan Bader which I haven’t blogged about yet but I will because his reaction is repulsing. Miming digging a grave, dragging Bader in and then covering it up. That is so low class. To celebrate is one thing, and good for him, he worked and trained hard for that but to be a cocky, arrogant, jerk is too much. Not the first time he has celebrated like that and I’m certain it will not be the last but I am not impressed Mr. Ortiz.

For a while now I have been saying I am over Tito. I used to like him and I do not deny that he is talented, he’s a former champ but I can’t stand his attitude and for a couple fights it seemed like he was fighting as a coach not a fighter. It makes sense, just think about it for a minute. When he defeated Bader, he had not won in about 5 years and his contract was on the line. Up against the wall he was in survival mode to save his career against the man who’s only loss was to the current champ. Kudos to him, it has earned him the third pick for this headline fight. Also, good for him for taking another fight so soon after his last. That still doesn’t earn my vote though, I’m hoping that just when Tito thinks he is on his way back up he gets shot back down and suffers a huge loss against Evans.

Just a side note, another little slap in the face, since it has been announced Jones doesn’t need surgery, Evans will not get the first shot at Jones’ title, Rampage gets it in September!

I’m going to make the rest of my choices short and sweet because I’m just plain annoyed with Tito showing up again.

Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama – middleweight

Both of these guys need to win, Akiyama is coming off two straight losses to Chris Leban and Michael Bisping and Belfort just lost to Silva in an embarrassing front kick to the face KO. I’m a fan of Akiyama and especially since Belfort just had his chance at the belt I’m going with him tonight.

Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman – welterweight

Ebersole is on quite a role and with a recent victory over Chris Lytle I feel like Ebersole has the momentum and he will be my pick this time.

Jorge Rivera vs. Costantinos Philippou – middleweight

I don’t know anything about this Philippou guy but after all the trash talking Rivera did before his fight against Bisping I’m going to be cheering against him.

Mike Pyle vs. Rory McDonald – welterweight

I’m going to be watching at a very busy bar in America so even though I kind of think Pyle will take this, I’m going with my fellow canuck McDonald in this one.

Over fights to note;

Matt Hamill vs. Alexander Gustafsson – light heavyweight

Obviously going with Hamill since I cheered against him in his last fight. Interesting to note that Hamill defeated Mr Ortiz who got the headline spot ahead of him…. Hmm. Granted, Ortiz did just win his last fight and Hamill lost to Rampage bit still, ugh.

Nam Phan vs. Mike Brown – featherweight

PHAN! I love watching this kid fight. After he got robbed of the decision win at his UFC debut I want Phan to finish this fight and not give the judges the opportunity to do that again.

Upcoming UFC 132 Cruz vs. Faber

Upcoming UFC I32 Dominik Cruz. Vs. Urijah Faber, July 2^nd, 2011 from Las Vegas, Nevada

Dominik Cruz vs. Urijah Faber – featherweight championship

This is a fight I have been looking forward to since I saw this kid defend the last WEC belt at WEC 53. Cruz was so exciting in that fight! Faber made his UFC debut just a short while ago when he went to battle with Eddie Wineland and took the unanimous decision win. Its so hard to pick a winner, Cruz hasn't fought yet in 2011 and has not fought in front of a UFC crowd so both of those factors could play against him. I'm going with Faber in this match up but I think we are in for a good fight. 

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leban - middleweight

Silva has only had one fight at middleweight and it was a great win ver Michael Bisping at UFC 110. But that fight was in February... of 2010. Leban has been fighting a lot more recently with 3 wins, one by knockout and one by submission. His most recent fight was of course a loss to Brian Stann but I wont hold that against him, it's Brian Stann. I'm going with the crippler in this one. 

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader - light heavyweight

After his loss to current champ Bones Jones I'm not too happy that I feel like this fight is way below Bader. The last time I saw Tito fight was an ugly defeat by Matt Hammil and I felt he was fighting like a sparring partner, throwing some nice combinations but instead of going in for the finish, stepping back. Tito is a great fighter, he has had a great career in the UFC but I think it's time for him to move solely to coaching, he's good at it. But I suppose we will see how this fight goes for him and what Dana has to say after his likely loss. 

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim - welterweight

Kim and Condit I feel are both in the same place right now, definitely on their way up, breaking into the top guys of the welterweight division. I'm picking Condit in this fight simply because his knockout of Dan Hardy is still one of my favourites. If you haven't seen it, go youtube it now, seriously, UFC 120, ridiculous!

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman - lightweight

Both of these fighters are great and are currently on win streaks but I feel like Siver is going to take it. He has that intimidating quiet confidence, it may just be because he can't speak English so he is always quiet. But I've said before he also has that German soldier in a movie look to him, I'm hoping for a submission victory. 

Upcoming UFC 131 Dos Santos vs. Carwin

Upcoming UFC 131 Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin June 11, 2011 BC, Canada


This is going to be short and sweet since time is limited and I'm in the middle of moving! Busy busy with NBA finals and NHL playoffs all going on! All three result blogs will be coming soon though, promise!

Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin - heavyweight

Even though Carwin has the interim belt I'm going with Junior. I've been informed by a trained mma buddy his fighting style is more fluid and I think that will do well against Carwin who is a little more robotic with his movement. I would also like to see a Carwin vs. Lesnar rematch and I think that would happen if Junior took this fight and then got his chance at Velasquez. Either way though, I'll be happy with either fighter winning, they're both great fighters and with these big dudes in the cage I don't see it leaving the first round. 

Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz - middleweight

I've never really been entertained by Maia so I think I have to go with Munoz on this one. Both fighters have won their last two bouts so we'll have to see how this fight goes. I'm hoping it's an exciting one though, Maia tends to let it go to a decision. 

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes - featherweight

Now that Florian is down from lightweight to a more comfortable spot at featherweight I think he will do well. So I'm going with Ben Stiller's twin!

Krysztof Sosynski vs. Mike Massenzio - light heavyweight
I have to go with the crazy Polish experiment who has been doing pretty well winning his last fight and getting fight of the night honours in his rematch with Stephan Bonnar


Nick Ring vs. James Head - middleweight
Simple, Canadian, TUF vet, going with the Canuck

Upcoming UFC 130 Rampage vs. Hamill

Upcoming UFC 130 Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Hamill May 28th, 2011 from Las Vegas, Nevada

So this card was meant to include the third fight between lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard but unfortunately due to injury (both fighters being injured) that fight is being postponed. Edgar was the first to be injured with broken ribs and initially Anthony Pettis (who is in line for the title shot as he was the last to hole the WEC lightweight title) was going to replace him. I’m not happy Maynard got injured but I am happy that he doesn’t have to take on Pettis before getting his chance against Edgar again. This has left the main card to be mostly big guys but there are still some great fights, which should make for a very entertaining evening.

Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill – light heavyweight

UGH I hate when this happens, I like both of these guys! I know a lot of people can’t stand Rampage because he is so cocky and the stunts he pulled delaying the coaches matchup against Rashad Evans and leaving the sport temporarily to pursue his “acting” career but I have always kinda liked something about him. Hamill is a typical good guy, well liked and for good reason. He is definitely an inspiration to a lot of people. He is deaf and recently beat Tito Ortiz at UFC 121after he had made fun of his disability. Hamill is an awesome fighter but I really want to see old Rampage back on top. I can see this being a early first or second round knockout.

Frank Mir vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson – heavyweight

Unfortunately this is a fight I see as choosing the lesser of two evils. I am going with Big Country on this one, not because I like him, but because I like Mir even less! Mir will probably act like his cocky self coming off a recent defeat of UFC big name, Cro Cop in a painfully boring fight where it felt like Cro Cop didn’t even show up. Before that though he was totally demolished in a first round KO by Shane Carwin. Big Country’s last fight was for the title shot against Junior Dos Santos, which he obviously did not win. Before that, however, he was on a bit of a streak defeating both Stefan Struve (also on this card) and Brendon Shuab by first round KOs. I am really reeeally hoping for another one of those! 

Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne – heavyweight

I have said it before that I think Struve is going to be a big name in a couple years and I definitely want to stick with that. He is a big dude at 6’11” and as he continues to put on more muscle as he trains for each fight I can only see him getting better. His last fight was an impressive TKO finish of Sean McCorkle at UFC 124 and before that a gross KO victory over Christian Morecraft at UFC 117. Browne has not been in the UFC long at all. His last fight, and UFC debut, was a draw (lucky for him) against Cheick Kongo at UFC 120. Before that fight though he seemed to be a KO/TKO king so this may be a tough one for Struve who doesn’t seem to be able handle fast pressure too well. Let’s see what the kid can do!

Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story – welterweight

Simple answer, I made the mistake at UFC 124 of going against the pitbull and I’m not going to again. Story is not a fighter to be looked past, he is on a five fight win streak but my decision is made.

Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago – middleweight

After the UFC 125 I became a huge fan of Stann. He mentioned taking on Wanderlei Silva next but first will have to take on UFC rookie Santiago who has spent most of his mma career in Japan. After seeing this guy’s record where most of his wins are a stoppage, wither TKO, KO or submission I feel like it will be a great fight for Stann and I can’t wait to see him better his position in the middleweight division. 

UFC 129 St-Peirre vs. Shields (coming soon-ish)

UFC 129 Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields April 30^th, 2011 from Toronto, Canada

Due to some unfortunate obnoxious company while I watched UFC 129 I need to wait for the replay to not be seven hundred dollars to watch again before I rant. In general, however, it was an amazing night of fights! No surprise GSP is still the champ but according to two of the judges he did loose a couple rounds. My full review will be coming soon!

Upcoming UFC 129 St-Pierre vs. Shields

 Upcoming UFC 129 Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields April 30^th, 2011 from Toronto, Canada

Better late than never, this night is HUGE for Canadian fighters, two guys in title fights and some big up and comers in the undercard. By this point most of my picks will be extremely predictable and a bit self-explanatory but I'll share them anyway. As I have a custom made t-shirt ready for tonight (yep, I’m that nerdy) I’m more than ready for the action!

Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields - Welterweight Championship

No question I am going for one of my top fives and fellow Canadian GSP! I'm not taking anything away from Shields, especially after watching the three-part primetime series. Shields is a stand up guy that has been working his way through tough opponents and holding world titles in different leagues, such as strikeforce before the UFC bought it. He is crazy strong on the mat but I still don't think its enough. GSP is a total well-round fighter. He does seem a little more nervous for this fight than any other though. I think that mainly comes from the fact that so many people around him are already looking past this fight. Because of Shield's blahzay first appearance in the UFC at UFC 121 people don’t expect much. These people are definitely naïve. I know this will be a great matchup. GSP has a ridiculous training regiment. The most interesting I feel would be his gymnastics training. Helping on his agility and control it’s something you can see is helpful in his fights and I haven’t heard of any fighters that train that way. GSP is without a doubt an amazing athlete but he can also be beat. He doesn’t have a strong chin like a lot of other fighters are. He says himself you can be winning all four rounds and you make one mistake in that fifth round and its all for nothing. That’s why I feel he doesn’t finish fights. His last matchup against Koscheck he could have gone hard to finish but as Koscheck was still throwing punches and throwing them hard he didn’t want to risk getting too cocky and getting clipped with one. I like what one of Shield’s trainer’s said about GSP. He explains that GSP is not the average fighter, you have to take him into deep water. You have to see what is inside of his soul, and then defeat that. Kinda sounds like a weird video game boss battle but it makes sense, you can’t just go in and hope to catch him, you have to beat GSP in every aspect of the fight, and today is not the day for that to happen.

Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick – featherweight Championship

This will be the first title defense for Mr. Aldo. Too bad it’s against another top notch Canuck, Mark Hominick. After his amazing appearance at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 I am totally behind this kid. He’s got crazy talent in addition to being a cool dude. I’m excited for this fight. Watching featherweights is totally a different game. They’re usually more fast and agile than the bigger weightclasses and obviously have a lot more room to work with in the cage. Go Canada!

Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida – light heavyweight

Captain America is one of my all time favourite fighters and always will be. Machida lost his title in his rematch again Rua and then went on to loose his most recent matchup against Rampage. Not sure what’s up with him, he hasn’t seemed to be the great fighter I know he is lately. I’m okay with that though, a W against Machida will look great on Coutures list of fights and I’m excited to see him take out the dragon.

Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson – lightweight

I made the mistake of underestimating this kid at UFC 124 and I will not be doing that again. Henderson is great and held the title in the WEC before it was taking by Pettis right before the merge at WEC 53 but Bocek is better. I’m expecting another victory for team Canada here.

Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger – welterweight

Yet another great Canadian! After an impressive and exciting victory in his UFC debut at UFC 124 I have high hopes for Pierson.

Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald – welterweight

No real reason, I just like this guy and I read an article about him and his brother Nick Diaz in an mma magazine a few months back that made me like him even more. I wouldn’t be too disappointed if MacDonald pulled off a W though, as long as it’s a great fight.

John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson – lightweight

Watson was on team GSP on the 12^th season of TUF but unfortunately lost out in the quarterfinals. He defeated a fellow cast member at the TUF finale but this will be his first fight since the show. I like this guy and even though he’s fighting a Canadian on Canadian soil, I’m hoping he’ll pull off the win.

UFC 128 Shogun vs. Jones

UFC 128 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Jon "Bones" Jones March 19th, 2011 from Newark, New Jersey.

Wow what a dummy, I didn't press the “publish post” button so this results blog has been sitting for 2 weeks, sorry about that. 

Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani - lightweight

Not as impressive as his win at UFC 123 but winner of fight of the night it was definitely a battle. You can watch it on UFC.com in the videos section.

Mirko Cro Cop (Filipvic) - Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub – heavyweight

Shaub comes out aggressive throwing a lot of punches to get the fight going early. Shaub gets a "strong warning" from ref Herb Dean to make sure he avoids punches to the back of the head. He follows that up with a takedown instead. Cro Cop lands a pretty nice up kick against Shaub but is still on the bottom taking some huge, heavy punches. They stand up with just over a minute left but Shaub keeps Cro Cop close to stuff his lethal kicks. He finished the round landing a couple knees and some nice body shots. Cro Cop lands a great left kick to Shaub's head but is taken down right after. While Cro Cop was on the mat Shaub lands a punch to the back of Cro Cops head and while Cro Cop tried to protest ref Herb Dean explains it wasn't targeted, that happened because he moved his head. That's why he's an awesome ref! Cro Cop's lucky he didn't get a warning himself for landing an up kick while Shaub's knee was still on the mat. Shaub continues to keep Cro Cop in close and does eat a few elbows himself getting cut up a bit but I still feel like he had control. Unfortunately that strong warning was serious, and Shaub gets one point taken away for hitting the back of Cro Cops head again. Third round I feel like Shaub is up 2-0 but with that point taken away he still has to come out strong. Shaub gets a nice takedown early in the third round. They stand up but Shaub stops that really quick taking the fight down again. Shaub lands a bit of ground and pound but they get back on their feet. Cro Cop gets another beautiful left kick right to Shaub's head. I would not want to be on the receiving end of one of those. Rogan and Goldberg said a couple times Cro Cop is always just one kick away from ending the fight but I don't think they saw the one punch coming from Shaub... KO!!! (Offically by TKO but it was one punch from where I was sitting) Out cold one punch just over a minute left Cro Cop is laid out! Man that was a nice one for the highlight reel. KO as Cro Cop is throwing another kick too, that was pretty cool. Its nice to see Cro Cop was actually fighting this time, not like his recent match up against Mir but this is definitely the result I wanted. Happy 28th Birthday to the Hybrid as this earned him one of two knockout of the night bonuses. Dana mentioned this will probably be the last time we see Cro Cop in the octagon, just seems like he can’t quite fight like he used to.

Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller - middleweight

In the post fight press conference we found out that Miller lost his daughter and she would have been two years old that night. Very impressive Miller, brother of Jim Miller, also on this card, took this fight on such short notice after Akiyama pulled out after the disaster in Japan on March 12^th and on such an emotional evening. Miller was able to get close to a guillotine in the first round but Marquardt showed some great defense being able to get out of it. Marquardt landed some nice elbows from his top position but with just over a minute left the ref stood them up. From that he was able to land a huge slam takedown, which probably earned him the round. Second round Marquardt lands some nice combinations. Getting in and getting out quickly. Miller landed a nice takedown grabbing Marquardt's flying knee but didn't do much with it. The fight goes to the mat and Miller again grabs a pretty tight guillotine but Marquardt is able to get out and ends the round on top. That was a pretty close round to me and I think Marquardt definitely had the stand up game but you never know how the judges will score it. Marquardt comes out strong again third round landing a very pretty head kick early. Miller gets a takedown but again winds up on the bottom. Marquardt takes advantage of his top position dealing some brutal knees to bloody up Miller's left eye and finishing the fight strong. It goes to the judges and all three call it 30-27 for Marquardt. Not the most exciting finish but a great fight from both guys.

Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus – lightweight

Shalorus has some skills. He started off the first round throwing some nice quick punches but Miller was countering every one of them. He landed a few leg kicks a sweet head kick and a damaging punch that started to swell up Shalorus' right eye pretty badly. Miller stayed aggressive the rest of the round but so did Shalorus. Second round Miller grabs a takedown and immediately takes Shalorus' back. He holds on with a body triangle to prevent Shalorus to spin around and face him. Miller tries for the submission but just can't get the right hold. Miller is not tired at all going into the third round and lands pretty solid knees to the body right away. Just under three minutes left Miller lands a beautiful uppercut then a lethal knee to Shalorus' face the totally rocks him. He jumps right on him and lands punch after punch to finish the fight by TKO. Miller is an awesome fighter and a really modest guy and I like him more and more each time I see him fight, he is quickly becoming one of my favourites. Of course a title shot was brought up during the post fight press conference but since the lightweight division is becoming so powerful there are a ton of guys up at the top waiting for that shot. I think Miller definitely deserves it but I think he will have one or two more fights while waiting.

Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland – bantamweight

It was a really solid first round. Both guys working hard for a takedown and Wineland lands the big slam halfway into the round. He lands a couple nice punches but not a whole lot of damage. Wineland does a really great job stuffing a couple big takedown attempts. Faber does land a few nice punches himself but I would absolutely give the round to Wineland. During the break you can see Wineland has a nice little goose egg developing over his left eye, Faber certainly does damage. Second round Faber finally gets a takedown. He is able to use it more that Wineland did landing some really nice elbows. A couple times Faber did this crazy thing where he was able to lift Wineland up while he was in his guard and slam him again. Wineland was almost able to stand up and did do a pretty good job holding Faber in so not a lot of damage could be done but this round still goes to Faber. He was continuously attacking from the top. Not doing a ton of damage but still working. Going into the third round it's 1-1, the fight is definitely not over. The fight stays standing and both fighters are attacking but Faber is definitely more effective in his punches. They're fast, precise and absolutely powerful. One more takedown from Faber in the last minutes of the fight that I think won the fight for him. The decision goes to the judges and no surprise all three call it 29-28 for Faber. This was a great fight and even though Wineland wasn't able to pull off the upset he was not at all a stepping-stone or just an opponent to introduce Faber to the UFC. I'm excited that this division is now in the UFC and I'm looking forward to seeing both of these classy guys continue to fight. Faber is a little disappointed in his performance as he is still getting used to the weight class but he had no problem calling out current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, saying “Hide your kids, hide your wife and hide your belt” (if you don’t know what he is referring to just look up Antoine Dodson on youtube). it looks like that fight will be happening in July at UFC 132. 

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Jon "Bones" Jones - light heavyweight championship

Ladies and Gentlemen we have a NEW CHAMPION!! This man is a real champion and an inspiration. Just a couple of hours before the fight Jones was meditating in a park and heard a couple getting mugged. He chased down the thief and held him until the police arrived. If you haven’t heard him tell the story himself go watch the post fight presser now, what a funny and great guy! The first round both fighters come out aggressive. Jones grabs the first takedown though about 30 seconds in. Jones maintained control on top landing some hard elbows to Shogun's face and body. About a minute and a half left in the round the two stand up and Jones gets some nice connections, a knee to the body and a kick to he face against Shogun on his way up. Shogun is still trying to push forward but you can tell he is wobbly and he definitely looks tired. Round one to the rookie, no doubt about it. About thirty seconds into the second round Jones lands his famous spinning elbow. Its great to see that he is not letting up at all even though it is a big title fight. He's fighting like he always does, strong, aggressive, creative and effective. Jones finishes the round on top continuing to land solid elbows to shoguns face and smothering him making it hard for him to breath in his tired state. The way I see it, clearly 2-0 for the kid. Not counting Shogun out, the beginning of the third round he gets close to a leg lock on Jones. Unable to hold it Jones gets on top and deals some painful ground and pound. He lands elbow after elbow and just as Shogun is able to stand up he gets a brutal left hook and a knee to the face and the fight is over! The youngest Champion ever in the UFC, Jones wins in the third round via TKO. Now THAT is how to take a belt! So excited he gives Joe Rogan a cute little kiss to the cheek before the interview. Dreams do come true for him; he was signing autographs 2011 Champion and tonight he proved that’s exactly what he is. Very soon the smile went away though. The game face is back on as Jones is told he will be taking on his teammate and training partner Rashad Evans for his first title defense. He will take off a little time to spend quality time with his daughters and future wife but I’m sure the battle will happen in late 2011.

During the post fight press conference Dana White was asked if he would arrange a fight between Jones and Anderson Silva after such a dominating win. Dana explained Silva does not want to fight at 205 at all so it’s not likely that will happen. All the other fighters spoke very highly of Jones. Not only speaking about his athletic ability and skill but his personality and what he will do for the sport.

So I was six for six on all my fight picks... well that's new. A great night of fights, exciting finishes and proper decisions! The next season of TUF (after the current one on Spike) will be 135/145 fighters to introduce the new divisions to the UFC a little bit better. Faber has been looked at as a possible coach but we’ll have to wait and see. During the post fight presser I also found out Anthony Pettis (who was the last WEC lightweight champ after defeating Ben Henderson at WEC 53 and was supposed to have the next shot at the belt after Maynard and Edgar fought the first time) will be taking on Clay Guida at the TUF 13 finale this summer. If Pettis wins he will still get the title shot after the Maynard/Edger rematch but Guida would likely not. (Yay)

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Upcoming UFC 128 Shogun vs. Jones

Upcoming UFC 128 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Jon "Bones" Jones March 19th, 2011 from Newark, New Jersey.

This fight card has been altered, flipped and switched around so many times but I'm finally happy with it! First the major title fight was supposed to be between Shogun and Rashad Evans. Evans had earned the title shot after defeating fellow TUF season 10 (the heavyweights) coach, Rampage Jackson in 2010 but because of a recent knee injury during training he is not able to fight. Joe Rogan announced that Jones would be offered the opportunity to step up in his place after his first round finish of Bader at UFC 126. A little hunting and I found out that Rampage was actually offered this fight first but refused saying he currently weight 250 meaning he would have to drop 45 pounds in 4 weeks and he would not take a fight on that kind of notice. I'm guessing that means he will have the chance to take on the winner of this fight if Evans is still not healthy. Brendan Schaub was also supposed to demolish Frank Mir but instead he will be fighting Cro Cop. Tito Ortiz and Little Nog (Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) were to fight on this card as well but instead were moved to headline Fight Night a week later. (Following that switch Tito suffered an injury and won’t be fighting then either; I really think he needs to go away now). Chael Sonnen was also initially on this card but because of his recent run in with the law (pleading guilty to money laundering) he will not be fighting until that is sorted out. For those that may not know, Sonnen tested positive for performance enhancing drugs after his fight with Anderson Silva. It was later determined that those drugs were for a medical condition. Since then of course he has been suspended because of the legal charges against him. I still want to see that rematch, he has been the closest man to defeating Silva in a looong time... and I liked it! Nate Marquardt has stepped up in his place. So on to my predication bout the fights that are actually happening on the 19th... Hold that thought, one more last minute change. On March 12^th it was announced that Marquardt’s opponent, Yoshihiro Akiyama pulled out of the fight because of the recent tragedy in Japan. No surprise here, everyone continues to send their best wishes to those suffering in Japan. Dan Miller will take Akiyama’s place.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Champion) vs. Jon "Bones" Jones - light heavyweight championship

Here's the trailer nick the face (see my post here for the rest of his trailers)

This is such a tough call. It’s like the veteran versus the rookie (I was calling it that before I saw the countdown, just sayin). Jones has only been fighting in the UFC since the summer of 2008 and only started fighting mixed martial arts professionally a few months before that. Shogun, on the other hand, has been in the UFC since 2007 and fought in pride the four years before that. 

Jones has a very unorthodox fighting style. Watch any clip compilation of his fights and you are sure to see more than one flying knee and spinning elbow. Usually these kinds of moves annoy me. (Like what Ebersole did in his recent fight against Chris Lytle at UFC 127 when he attempted a couple weird cartwheel kicks) But Jones has mastered them so well that they have become a legitimate tool in his arsenal. His fights are always exciting, usually ending in TKO or KO. Jones’ only loss was a disappointing DQ for illegal 12-6 elbows against Matt Hammill in 2009.  I wasn’t too impressed when I saw that, but he has totally redeemed himself in my eyes with his three fights since then with two first round TKO finishes and one submission. Shogun is also a beast! When he first fought Lyoto Machida in 2009 in Abu Dubai it was a very controversial loss for him. Personally I thought that Shogun won the fight but I didn't feel like he did enough to take the belt so I was happy with the instant rematch. Shogun did not waste any time in that second chance opportunity. He came in fierce, guns blazing and finished the fight via TKO in the first round. In a 5-round title match that's pretty impressive. He has not fought since that rematch almost a year ago so he may have a bit of ring rust to get over. Since this will also be his first time defending his belt that is another thing to put pressure on him. 

There is no pressure on Jones in this fight. If he wins, he will be the young gun that took out the vet. If he looses, he'll be the young guy that couldn't quite take advantage of the opportunity and will have to work back up the ladder after that small slip. Personally I see the first scenario happening. He has so much momentum since taking out Bader in a quick win. There has been no break in his training. He trained hard to prepare for Bader and just over a month later he takes on the champ. When Shogun took the belt I was excited for a new champ in the light heavyweight division but now that people are talking about the beginning of a Jon Jones era I’m pretty pumped for that. He’s a bit of a goofball but a completely cool and humble guy and I think he would make a fantastic champion and inspiration to other young fighters. Jones also has the biggest reach in UFC history and I am looking forward to him using it in this title fight to take home the belt. 

Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland – bantamweight

Faber was basically the poster boy for WEC. He’s a pretty cool guy but definitely reminds me more of a BMX dude or a snowboarder. Until you see him fight… This guys is crazy talented. When he started fighting MMA he won 11 of his first 12 fights. This will be his first fight in the UFC but he has faced a couple names already well known. One being two big victories over Jens Pulver and current UFC bantamweight champ, Dominick Cruz. Faber is also a big family guy, which I like. He grew up in a very Christian family in a community that, as his dad says, “Shared everything but their toothbrushes and their wives”. He took part in fashion shows and commercials, and was a pretty boy that knew how to entertain a crowd at a young age. One other thing I really like about Faber’s life outside of the cage is how he wakes up to goals he has written on paper and posted on his bedroom wall. He’s just a really awesome guy that makes you want to see him succeed.

I’m definitely not counting Wineland out for this fight though. He has more of a bad boy image, tattoos and shaved head but he is just as family oriented as Faber is. He became close with his family when his brother battled through a devastating accident. When he was three years old he was trying to fill a lawnmower gas tank and it ignited the garage. As a result of the inferno, 98% of his body was burned. The family spent most of the next year by his side in the small hospital room. This scenario runs through Wineland’s head when he’s fighting and training, he may be in pain or hurt but is he willing to walk through the wall of fire, as his little brother did. Odd that I think Faber looks the part because Wineland actually was BMX champ at 17 years old. Ironically he decided that was too dangerous so he switched to fighting. Going into this bout, Wineland believes the UFC is using this fight to introduce Faber. A similar story to Joe Lauzon’s first fight in the UFC against Pulver; expected to be a stepping stone. This is definitely giving Wineland motivation and he is looking for the big upset.

Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus – lightweight

I am without a doubt going for Miller in this fight. After his submission victory at UFC 124 I realized how good this guy really is. I don’t know anything about Shalorus because he is an import as a result of the WEC merge but with his nickname “Prince of Persia” and a 7-0-2 record I can only assume this will be a great match up. In my opinion Miller is right up there with the top dogs in the lightweight division and but there are two people in line before him to get their title shot so he has a bit of time to wait, may as well spend it beating people up.

Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller - middleweight

Marquardt's most recent fight was a loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122. That fight was to determine the next fight to get a title shot after the Silva Belfort fight that just took place at 

UFC 126. Oddly enough, just two fights before that Marquardt fought for the title challenger position against Chael Sonnen. He lost that fight as well. He seems to get so close to that title shot but just barely misses out. If he wins this fight against Miller I can only assume that he will be involved in one more fight where the victor will go on to take on the champ, whomever it is at that time.  As far as I know this will be Miller’s first time on a UFC main card. He recently defeated Canadian Joe Doerksen at UFC 124 but he has lost to big names like Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia and Michael Bisping before that. I’m hoping that Marquardt finishes the fight strong with a decisive win and gets closer to that coveted title shot again.

Mirko Cro Cop (Filipvic) - Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub – heavyweight

I’m absolutely cheering for Schaub in this one. I really like watching him fight. He was initially supposed to take on Frank Mir, which would have been amazing, but instead Cro Cop stepped up. Cro Cop recently lost in the most boring and ridiculous fight ever to Mir at UFC 119. I’m hoping Cro Cop just gets the snot kicked out of him. When the kickboxing side of him shows up he is deadly but he has not been doing that recently and has become boring in my opinion. The saying regarding Cro Cop’s lethal kickboxing moves has been, “Right kick hospital Left kick cemetery”. Shaub likes to see himself as “Left hand fight of the night, right hand knockout of the night”. Not quite the same ring but I like the confidence. 6 out of his 7 wins have come from a first round finish but I like that he has shown he can go the distance by going all 15 minutes with UFC big gun Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121. Obviously I would prefer a first round KO again but its good to see his endurance too so he doesn’t pull a Shane Carwin and gas out his first time seeing a second round. Shaub for 


Last minute addition, I didn't even notice the Captain is on this card!
Edson Barboza vs.  Anthony Njokuani - lightweight
Again I have no idea who his WEC imported opponent is but after seeing Barboza's lethal leg kicks at UFC 123 I am a fan. Plus the whole Captain Barboza thing is just plan cool. (Thats not actually what he calls himself, but I like it)

UFC Live on Versus 3 Sanchez vs. Kampmann

UFC Live Sanchez vs. Kampann Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 from Kentucky 

There were a lot of great fights tonight but I’m only going to talk about two of them. The first being a bantamweight bout with one of the front runners for a title shot, Brian Bowles and the second is an absolutely astonishing decision from the judges in the Sanchez “win”.

Brian Bowles vs. Domacio Page - bantamweight

This is a new division to the UFC so all these fighters are very unknown to me. This fight in particular is a rematch between the two. They fought in 2008 when Bowles defeated Page via guillotine. Bowles went on to win his next two fights where he won the WEC bantamweight title against Miguel Torres in 2009. He lost that belt to Dominick Cruz who was the last WEC bantamweight belt holder and the current UFC bantamweight champion because of a doctor stoppage. (see my blog where Cruz got the UFC bantamweight belt click here). Page starts the first round really aggressive, he lands a nice head kick and a big knee right away. He gets in some nice leg kicks and Bowles seems to just be sitting back and waiting for his moment, not throwing too much. But when you're attacking so aggressively like Page is, you leave some openings. Apparently this is what he did the first time they fought too. Came out strong and lightning fast but got a little too comfortable. Bowles clips him with a quick right then drops him and attacks with a flurry of punches. He grabs Page's neck and pulls off the guillotine choke again! Page didn't tap, Bowels had to roll a bit to show the ref he was asleep. That was a great finish for Bowles, I think he's coming after that belt, the guys got talent. 

Diego "The Dream" Sanchez vs. Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann - welterweight HIGHWAY ROBBERY

First off, Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez has reinvented himself, shaved his head and changed his name to "The Dream".  But he still keeps his I'm angry don't look at me mean mug on while he’s walking in to some weird calypso music. He also looks a little big. Not muscle big but a little extra jello big. This could be because Sanchez has bounced around from 155 to 185, to 170 and so on between the divisions. It’s easier to gain and loose fat than actual muscle mass. This was such a controversial decision that I had to watch the fight a couple times to see if there was something I missed.

First round started little slow, Kampmann maintained control of the center of the cage. Both landed some good shots. But then Kampmann lands a straight right about a minute and a half in that rocks Sanchez pretty good. Kampmann also landed a pretty nice knee right to Sanchez’s face and consistently landed clean hits to his face too. By the end of the round Kampmann had easily stuffed 5 or 6 takedown attempts and Sanchez had blood all over his cut up face. Even though Sanchez attempted so many takedowns, none were effective so I give this round 10-9 to Kampmann.

The second round starts off with another takedown attempt failed by Sanchez. Sanchez did initiate a lot more exchanges but if you’ve seen his style you know he throws at least 3 or 4 hard punches a little haphazardly. Don’t get me wrong, if he was to connect with one of those it would hurt, but that doesn’t happen too often.  With about two minutes left in the round Sanchez did get off a few great punches on Kampmann. During this round Kampmann does develop a small cut on his face that Rogan insists slowed him down. I don’t agree with that. Kampmann is quietly lethal. He’s a very technical fighter. His punches are a lot crisper and landing a much higher percentage. In the last minute or so, Sanchez went in two or three times with his attempt at a slugfest. He landed a few nice shots but had to throw 4 air-balls to get them (yes I know an air-ball is a basketball term but I think you know what I mean). However during these mini slugfests Kampmann consistently landed clean shots to Sanchez’s chin and finished the round strong. Again I score this round 10-9 Kampmann.

Okay so here we listen to the commentary between rounds. Kampmann does well when he maintains control of the cage, he keeps it in the middle and can decide on the pace. When he allows Sanchez to get him against the cage and start throwing wild punches that’s when he gets clipped. Which happened twice in that round. Whopee, two punches that connect. Watch those exchanges in slow motion and see how many actually do damage.

I’m not against giving a fighter credit where it is due. Sanchez did start the third round with a nice right and a good body shot but when another takedown was attempted he ate a nice clean from Kampmann. One thing he did in this round that I (and Joe Rogan cannot stand) is keep his hands on the mat when he didn’t have to, to avoid a knee. Sanchez was bent over and when Kampmann had a clear shot at landing a brutal knee to him Sanchez keeps his hands on the mat. I’m not sure how to technically describe this rule but basically when a fighter is “grounded” they can’t be knee’d. I totally agree that this is a good rule when that fighter has his knees on the mat, but when it goes for just hands too fighters take advantage. Instead of having the rule to protect the fighter, it’s being used as a tool. Just over two minutes Sanchez gets a takedown finally. He gets side control but does nothing with it and Kampmann stands up. Again, more slugfest attempts where Diego may land one punch out of 5 but Kampmann lands one of one cleanly to Sanchez. Just over a minute left Kampmann shakes out his hand, clearly hurting. He definitely slows down throwing rights to finish the fight. Diego’s face Is BUSTED, A total wreck. Sanchez looked really aggressive in this round but I still completely give it to Kampmann easy 10-9.

It goes to the judges for the decision and all three score is 29-28 for Sanchez to win unanimously! I cannot believe it. This is clear robbery to me. A round is scored based on these criteria; effective striking, grappling, aggression and octagon control. So here's where the questions start showing up. A takedown attempt in an offensive movie while blocking the takedown is defensive and according to the criteria does not receive any points. I'm really hoping the judges don't believe that and if they do I think there needs to be a change in the rules. In this fight in particular Sanchez attempted close to 15 takedowns and was stuffed on all of them except one! The entire 15 minutes he got one takedown. Another issue I have with the "aggression" judging is the combination attempts. The key term I think needs to be looked at more diligently is EFFECTIVE striking. Is it Kampmann's fault that he may be a bit more technical and instead of going for a "slugfest" throwing 15 punches one after another and possibly landing 2 he throws 5 crisp ones that land every time? I mean come on, he broke his hand on homeboy's face! That's not doing damage?!

Rogan interviews Kampmann as well as Sanchez. Rogan says Kampmann won the first and probably the second… I would say if the judges would give him ANY round it was the second. Kampmann even says Sanchez threw a flurry of punches but a lot didn’t land, duh!

When I watched Kampmann fight Shields I thought he lost. A lot of people thought he was robbed because Shields didn't do anything with his takedowns. But the difference in that fight was that Shields actually got the takedowns! He may not have dealt a lot of damage once he had that top position but during that fight Kampmann didn't either. When he fought Shields, he didn’t win because he wasn’t aggressive enough, he sat back. He wasn’t hurt badly but he was more laid back. In this fight just look at Sanchez’s face, Kampmann was picking him apart! I honestly feel he should have won this fight, no question. Dana White said on twitter he thought Sanchez had that fight won but I really don't see how. I have no problem admitting the fighter I was rooting for lost if I feel that loss was justified. I can fully admit that Sanchez did show a lot of heart continuing to fight with his face ripped apart in 18 places but heart does not equal a win. 

I can see how someone watching mma for the first time may see Sanchez as the winner. He did look more aggressive, throwing more, attacking more but these “judges” are supposed to be experts. They should be able to see that a punch thrown is only effective when it connects with something, anything!! I am entirely frustrated with this decision and do not agree with it at all. I don’t want to see a rematch because I don’t like Sanchez’s fighting style, I want to see Kampmann move on and fight another more technical fighter.

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