Brock Lesnar tapped out Shane Carwin at UFC 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin. Brock Lesnar wins his fifth fight after a one year layoff. There will be no questions about Brock Lesnar’s next fight. Cain Velasquez will be the lucky or unlucky fighter next to challenge Brock Lesnar.
The intensity throughout UFC 116 leading up to the fight was just awesome. There was something different about this show that has been missing since maybe UFC 100. Whether it be boxing or UFC, there is still nothing better than a good heavyweight fight. The fact that you had two guys with the knockout power of Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin only intensified an already exciting event.
This was one of the most impressive wins you will ever see in MMA. Shane Carwin destroyed Brock Lesnar for the entire first round. Carwin caught him with an upper cut and just dominated Lesnar for the entire round. Carwin sat on top of Lesnar and dropped down hammers and elbows. Lesnar was cut bad and looked like he was out of it at one point. The onslaught obviously gassed Carwin out. Lesnar finally got a take down in Round 2 and dominated him on the ground. Lesnar was able to tie him up with a choke and get Carwin to tap. The win was huge!
Brock Lesnar remains the 14th undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. Even with the comeback win, Lesnar continues to be the most hated fighter in all of MMA. At this point it has to be either jealousy or the embarrassment of a professional wrestler jumping into the UFC with little MMA experience and becoming arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter in UFC history.
It was gutsy performance from Shane Carwin. If anything, Shane Carwin made himself a star tonight. For the first time since Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar 1, Lesnar looked human. Even with his matching power and wrestling acumen, Carwin was still no match for Lesnar in the end. Carwin and Lesnar will likely meet again at some point. Carwin is just too good to go on an extended losing streak so whether it is for the UFC title or not, I see a rematch between these two guys at some point down the road.
Carwin immediately brought attention to himself in the MMA community after he blasted Brock Lesnar on his website following UFC 100. “The flipping off of the fans that just lined your pocket with millions of dollars is just LAME. He may be a Champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a Champion. The fans are why we do this Brock, this sport is not about fat paychecks and drama it is about hard work and sacrifice for a shot to do what you did last night.”
Ironically Carwin did more trash talking for this fight last July than he has done in the last three months.
Brock Lesnar finds himself hunted by the most dangerous heavyweight field in UFC history. Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar is on tap for the next UFC heavyweight championship collision. Junior Dos Santos, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Roy Nelson, Randy Couture, Mirko Cro Cop (retirement pending), Ben Rothwell, and Frank Mir are all out there as potential future challengers. Of course a rematch with Shane Carwin would be big but the money is Lesnar vs. Mir III. If Frank Mir can get a win or a bunch of top contenders are injured, this could be the biggest match in UFC history.
Alistair Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko are also wildcards. Emelianenko only has one fight left on his Strikeforce deal and Overeem has already publicly expressed interest in joining the UFC at some point. While Lesnar vs. Emelianenko won’t have the luster it would have if Fedor remained undefeated, it will still be a huge match if Fedor can avenge his loss to Fabricio Werdum in convincing fashion. One more dominating national appearance by Overeem and the UFC could have a juggernaut on their hands with Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar. The match would also likely be a lot easier for Dana White to make than Fedor vs. Lesnar.
Lesnar will first have to get past Velasquez before anyone starts even thinking about Lesnar vs. Fedor or Lesnar vs. Overeem. Velasquez is a very dangerous opponent for Lesnar. I don’t think Velasquez could handle Lesnar’s power, but I think Velasquez’s speed could give Lesnar some real fits. Carwin vs. Lesnar won’t have the sizzle of most UFC heavyweight title collisions, but it will be a really fun match to see.
As it stands today there is nobody in the UFC that would be favored against Brock Lesnar in the octagon. Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva have both talked about moving up to heavyweight to fight Lesnar. Dana White has never been a big fan of “freak shows’ until of course Randy Couture vs. James Toney was signed. So you never know what could be down the pike in the UFC heavyweight division.
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
UFC 116 Brock Lesnar Vs. Shane Carwin Preview
It has been a long time coming, but Brock Lesnar will finally face Shane Carwin in a battle between two of the biggest UFC heavyweights of all time. Originally scheduled for UFC 106, the match got postponed after Lesnar
fell to a serious illness.
Normally, a new opponent would be found for Carwin to avoid a long layoff for both fighters. Complications arose, however, as Carwin had been promised a UFC Heavyweight title shot. With the champion unable to defend and a challenger, rightfully, unwilling to risk losing in a contenders match up it left the heavyweight division in disarray.
The match was rescheduled for UFC 108 in January of 2010 before details arose about just how serious Brock Lesnar's illness was. The match was quickly postponed again. This time, however, the UFC was not going to risk having the top contender sit on the shelf. An interim UFC Heavyweight title fight was scheduled between Shane Carwin and former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir. It was announced that the winner of this fight would go on to face Brock Lesnar to unify the disputed championship.
Carwin made short work of Mir, claiming the interim belt and the right to face off against Lesnar. At UFC 116, going down July 3, 2010, Carwin and Lesnar will finally see who is the best between these supersized brawlers.
George Sotiropoulos (12-2) vs. "Batman" Kurt Pellegrino (15-4)
Last Fight for Sotiropoulos: Defeated Joe Stevenson by Unanimous Decision at UFC 110.
Last Fight for Pellegrino: Defeated Fabricio Camoes by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at UFC 111.
Rundown: These two Lightweight contenders have quietly built up impressive resumes in the UFC. Sotiropoulos comes into this fight with a six fight winning streak, highlighted with a victory over The Ultimate Fighter 2 Welterweight Champion Joe Stevenson while Pellegrino is riding a four fight win streak over the likes of Josh Neer and Rob Emerson.
Kurt Pellegrino is a very game opponent, but has surprisingly weak submission defense for a fighter with his pedigree. Three of his four career losses have come via submission, most recently succumbing to a Triangle Choke from Nate Diaz two years ago.
fell to a serious illness.
Normally, a new opponent would be found for Carwin to avoid a long layoff for both fighters. Complications arose, however, as Carwin had been promised a UFC Heavyweight title shot. With the champion unable to defend and a challenger, rightfully, unwilling to risk losing in a contenders match up it left the heavyweight division in disarray.
The match was rescheduled for UFC 108 in January of 2010 before details arose about just how serious Brock Lesnar's illness was. The match was quickly postponed again. This time, however, the UFC was not going to risk having the top contender sit on the shelf. An interim UFC Heavyweight title fight was scheduled between Shane Carwin and former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir. It was announced that the winner of this fight would go on to face Brock Lesnar to unify the disputed championship.
Carwin made short work of Mir, claiming the interim belt and the right to face off against Lesnar. At UFC 116, going down July 3, 2010, Carwin and Lesnar will finally see who is the best between these supersized brawlers.
George Sotiropoulos (12-2) vs. "Batman" Kurt Pellegrino (15-4)
Last Fight for Sotiropoulos: Defeated Joe Stevenson by Unanimous Decision at UFC 110.
Last Fight for Pellegrino: Defeated Fabricio Camoes by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at UFC 111.
Rundown: These two Lightweight contenders have quietly built up impressive resumes in the UFC. Sotiropoulos comes into this fight with a six fight winning streak, highlighted with a victory over The Ultimate Fighter 2 Welterweight Champion Joe Stevenson while Pellegrino is riding a four fight win streak over the likes of Josh Neer and Rob Emerson.
Kurt Pellegrino is a very game opponent, but has surprisingly weak submission defense for a fighter with his pedigree. Three of his four career losses have come via submission, most recently succumbing to a Triangle Choke from Nate Diaz two years ago.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
UFC 115 Rich Franklin KO Chuck Liddell After His Arm Is Broken
The conditioning was there and so was some of the old versatility. But when it came time to stay under control, Chuck Liddell's killer instinct got the best of him. One of the great mixed martial artists of the 2000's was doing major damage late in the first round but he got a little wild trying to land the big shot and got blasted by a short uppercut from Rich Franklin. Liddell went down in a heap. His head bounced off the canvas and he took one more right to the face. He was out cold at 4:55 of the first and now it looks like his career has come to a close in Vancouver at UFC 115.
It was far from a terrible way to go out. No one wants to be the victim of a knockout but Liddell was winning the fight and doing some major damage to Franklin. A kick early in the first round actually broke Franklin's left foreman. Amazingly, Franklin didn't hesitate for a second and was giving back much of what Liddell was delivering. It didn't even appear that he cut back on using his left hand.
Franklin laughed when he was asked by UFC analyst Joe Rogan if he thought he going to be able to come for the second round.
"Are you kidding me? I broke my hand before and continued fighting," said Franklin. "It’s a broken arm! These fans came here to see a fight."
Liddell (21-8, 16-7 UFC) actually looked like he was in position to potentially finish the fight after he delivered a big right elbow with 15 seconds left in the first. Franklin (27-5, 13-4 UFC) lost his balance a bit and Liddell missed with a right. That's when Franklin counter with his own short right that blasted Liddell right in the middle of his face.
Liddell, 40, has now lost 5-of-6 fights, four of those by knockout. He last fought in Apr. of 2009 at UFC 97 where he was finished by current UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
Immediately after the event, UFC president Dana White announced that Liddell was retired. Liddell wouldn't make it official and asked for one more chance. White responded behind the scenes by telling Liddell that he needed to take the sport seriously, make lifestyle changes and cut out all of his legendary partying. The former champ did it, putting down alcohol starting back in November of 2009. He got himself in better shape going from 238 down to 215. Liddell even appeared on Dancing With The Stars. He also spent the beginning of the 2010 training hard while he served as a coach on Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter."
In the end, you have to win fights and against Franklin, who has also run into a rough patch recently, Liddell was again finished in devastating fashion.
It was far from a terrible way to go out. No one wants to be the victim of a knockout but Liddell was winning the fight and doing some major damage to Franklin. A kick early in the first round actually broke Franklin's left foreman. Amazingly, Franklin didn't hesitate for a second and was giving back much of what Liddell was delivering. It didn't even appear that he cut back on using his left hand.
Franklin laughed when he was asked by UFC analyst Joe Rogan if he thought he going to be able to come for the second round.
"Are you kidding me? I broke my hand before and continued fighting," said Franklin. "It’s a broken arm! These fans came here to see a fight."
Liddell (21-8, 16-7 UFC) actually looked like he was in position to potentially finish the fight after he delivered a big right elbow with 15 seconds left in the first. Franklin (27-5, 13-4 UFC) lost his balance a bit and Liddell missed with a right. That's when Franklin counter with his own short right that blasted Liddell right in the middle of his face.
Liddell, 40, has now lost 5-of-6 fights, four of those by knockout. He last fought in Apr. of 2009 at UFC 97 where he was finished by current UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
Immediately after the event, UFC president Dana White announced that Liddell was retired. Liddell wouldn't make it official and asked for one more chance. White responded behind the scenes by telling Liddell that he needed to take the sport seriously, make lifestyle changes and cut out all of his legendary partying. The former champ did it, putting down alcohol starting back in November of 2009. He got himself in better shape going from 238 down to 215. Liddell even appeared on Dancing With The Stars. He also spent the beginning of the 2010 training hard while he served as a coach on Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter."
In the end, you have to win fights and against Franklin, who has also run into a rough patch recently, Liddell was again finished in devastating fashion.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
UFC 115 Preview Liddell V. Franklin
More than a year after he lost a fight that UFC fans were told would be his last, Chuck Liddell is back on Saturday night against Rich Franklin, who stepped in on short notice to fill Tito Ortiz's place both as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter and in the main event at UFC 115 in the season-ending fight between the coaches.
So does Liddell still have anything left? Or is the most popular fighter in the history of the UFC about to lose again? We weigh in on that and more in our full preview and predictions below.
What: UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin
When: The non-televised undercard starts at 7 PM ET Saturday, the Spike TV card starts at 9 and the pay-per-view card starts at 10.
Where: General Motors Place, Vancouver, Canada
More Coverage: UFC 115 Results | UFC 115 Pictures | Latest UFC 115 News
Predictions on the five pay-per-view fights:
Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
At first glance, Liddell and Franklin might appear to be at fairly similar places in their careers: Both are former champions whose best days are behind them and who are coming off ugly first-round knockout losses. But the 40-year-old Liddell is five years older than Franklin, and I think he's a lot further past his prime than Franklin is. Liddell is one of the sport's all-time great competitors, and it would be great to think he might be back on top some day, but I just don't see it happening.
Pick: Franklin
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry
Cro Cop is a little like Liddell, a fan favorite knockout artist who's way past his prime. The 30-year-old Barry has just six pro MMA fights on his record, although he had a six-year career as a pro kickboxer before he got into MMA. Barry has gushed about how he considers Cro Cop his idol, and I think he's going to beat his idol, simultaneously earning his biggest victory and also demonstrating once and for all Cro Cop is done as an elite heavyweight.
Pick: Barry
Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann
You wouldn't know it from the lack of media attention devoted to him, but Thiago is the best fighter on this card. At 13-1, Thiago is probably only a couple of wins away from getting a welterweight title fight, and I expect him to get one of those wins against Kampmann, who's a well-rounded and exciting fighter but not quite on the level of Thiago.
Pick: Thiago
Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
Rothwell is fighting for the first time since Cain Velasquez brutalized him in October, and Yvel is fighting for the first time since Junior dos Santos brutalized him in January. These two heavyweights are on the main card not because they're great fighters but because they're almost certain to produce a fight that ends in a knockout. I think it'll be Yvel who lands the punch that ends the fight.
Pick: Yvel
Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald
MacDonald is one of the most exciting young prospects in all of MMA, a 20-year old Canadian who's won all 10 of his pro fights, with six submissions and four knockouts. I give the UFC a lot of credit for its matchmaking in putting him in the Octagon against Condit, who's a step up -- but not too big a step up -- in competition for him. I believe Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion who's 24-5 in his career, is going to stay out of trouble against MacDonald and win a decision.
So does Liddell still have anything left? Or is the most popular fighter in the history of the UFC about to lose again? We weigh in on that and more in our full preview and predictions below.
What: UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin
When: The non-televised undercard starts at 7 PM ET Saturday, the Spike TV card starts at 9 and the pay-per-view card starts at 10.
Where: General Motors Place, Vancouver, Canada
More Coverage: UFC 115 Results | UFC 115 Pictures | Latest UFC 115 News
Predictions on the five pay-per-view fights:
Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
At first glance, Liddell and Franklin might appear to be at fairly similar places in their careers: Both are former champions whose best days are behind them and who are coming off ugly first-round knockout losses. But the 40-year-old Liddell is five years older than Franklin, and I think he's a lot further past his prime than Franklin is. Liddell is one of the sport's all-time great competitors, and it would be great to think he might be back on top some day, but I just don't see it happening.
Pick: Franklin
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry
Cro Cop is a little like Liddell, a fan favorite knockout artist who's way past his prime. The 30-year-old Barry has just six pro MMA fights on his record, although he had a six-year career as a pro kickboxer before he got into MMA. Barry has gushed about how he considers Cro Cop his idol, and I think he's going to beat his idol, simultaneously earning his biggest victory and also demonstrating once and for all Cro Cop is done as an elite heavyweight.
Pick: Barry
Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann
You wouldn't know it from the lack of media attention devoted to him, but Thiago is the best fighter on this card. At 13-1, Thiago is probably only a couple of wins away from getting a welterweight title fight, and I expect him to get one of those wins against Kampmann, who's a well-rounded and exciting fighter but not quite on the level of Thiago.
Pick: Thiago
Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
Rothwell is fighting for the first time since Cain Velasquez brutalized him in October, and Yvel is fighting for the first time since Junior dos Santos brutalized him in January. These two heavyweights are on the main card not because they're great fighters but because they're almost certain to produce a fight that ends in a knockout. I think it'll be Yvel who lands the punch that ends the fight.
Pick: Yvel
Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald
MacDonald is one of the most exciting young prospects in all of MMA, a 20-year old Canadian who's won all 10 of his pro fights, with six submissions and four knockouts. I give the UFC a lot of credit for its matchmaking in putting him in the Octagon against Condit, who's a step up -- but not too big a step up -- in competition for him. I believe Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion who's 24-5 in his career, is going to stay out of trouble against MacDonald and win a decision.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Rashard Evans Defeats Rampage Jackson In UFC 114
The long awaited Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans match is now history. Rashad Evans backed up his trash talking with a win at UFC 114 over Quinton Jackson. The battle of TUF 10 coaches ended with Evans winning via unanimous decision. While the fight may not have lived up to the hype, the fight could go down as one of the most successful draws in UFC history.
Rashad Evans did a lot of talking on TUF 10 and coming into the fight. A loss would have been devastating, playing into Rampage Jackson’s claims about Rashad Evans being overrated. Other than a close scare in the third round, Rashad Evans dominated all three rounds against Rampage. Rashad Evans is hardly overrated, with wins now against three former UFC light heavyweight champions.
Rashad Evans looked to be in the best shape of his life coming into the fight. UFC fans saw a very focused and disciplined Rashad Evans on the UFC 114 Countdown. Evans Olympic style training and intense sparring obviously paid off. Regardless of how you feel about Rashad Evans, there is no denying his commitment to being the best professional athlete he can be.
The win immediately propels Rashad Evans back into the UFC light heavyweight title picture. UFC president Dana White declared that the winner of the Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans fight would receive the next title shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua. Looking at an early timeline, I would expect the fight to be scheduled for September or October. Rashad took 4 ½ months between this fight and his last fight against Thiago Silva. A little time off is well deserved for the new number one contender.
For Rampage Jackson, it is back to the drawing board. Unlike in the past, I don’t think anyone can question Rampage Jackson’s commitment coming into the fight. He dropped a lot of weight and looked to be in the best shape of his life throughout the Countdown to UFC 114 show. Rampage will immediately begin a press tour for the A-Team movie. Rampage will be back in a big arena next Monday night when he is a Guest Host on WWE RAW.
Early estimates are that UFC 114 was a monster success. My gut feeling is that we haven’t seen the last of Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson in the UFC.
Rashad Evans did a lot of talking on TUF 10 and coming into the fight. A loss would have been devastating, playing into Rampage Jackson’s claims about Rashad Evans being overrated. Other than a close scare in the third round, Rashad Evans dominated all three rounds against Rampage. Rashad Evans is hardly overrated, with wins now against three former UFC light heavyweight champions.
Rashad Evans looked to be in the best shape of his life coming into the fight. UFC fans saw a very focused and disciplined Rashad Evans on the UFC 114 Countdown. Evans Olympic style training and intense sparring obviously paid off. Regardless of how you feel about Rashad Evans, there is no denying his commitment to being the best professional athlete he can be.
The win immediately propels Rashad Evans back into the UFC light heavyweight title picture. UFC president Dana White declared that the winner of the Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans fight would receive the next title shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua. Looking at an early timeline, I would expect the fight to be scheduled for September or October. Rashad took 4 ½ months between this fight and his last fight against Thiago Silva. A little time off is well deserved for the new number one contender.
For Rampage Jackson, it is back to the drawing board. Unlike in the past, I don’t think anyone can question Rampage Jackson’s commitment coming into the fight. He dropped a lot of weight and looked to be in the best shape of his life throughout the Countdown to UFC 114 show. Rampage will immediately begin a press tour for the A-Team movie. Rampage will be back in a big arena next Monday night when he is a Guest Host on WWE RAW.
Early estimates are that UFC 114 was a monster success. My gut feeling is that we haven’t seen the last of Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson in the UFC.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
UFC 113 SHOGUN RUA KO'S LYOTO MACHIDA
UFC 113 Results Shogun Rua KOs Lyoto Machida MMA Odds - What a great Rematch this one tonight. Shogun Rua got his revenge when he knocked out UFC Results Lyoto Machida in the 1st round on Saturday night at UFC 113.
With a little over a minute left in first round Rua landed a shot to Machida's temple that knocked him to the ground, then Shogun Rua got on top of him and landed ton of punches until Machida was unconscious and referee Yves Lavigne had to come in to stop it.
With the win Rua is the new light heavyweight champion. MMA Betting Odds Shogun Rua +175 underdog in the fight. I was not happy the way Lyoto Machida preformed tonight as my MMA Predictions was on Machida. Rua gave Machida everything he had in their first fight, and got hosed by the judges for his effort. I think Machida will have learnt a lot more from that experience than Rua will, and I think Machida will have some new tricks up his sleeve to throw Rua off his game. As you can see I was totally wrong tonight with this MMA Predictions. But that was only loss had all night. Stayed tuned to the site for UFC 114 Odds and much more from the UFC 114.
With a little over a minute left in first round Rua landed a shot to Machida's temple that knocked him to the ground, then Shogun Rua got on top of him and landed ton of punches until Machida was unconscious and referee Yves Lavigne had to come in to stop it.
With the win Rua is the new light heavyweight champion. MMA Betting Odds Shogun Rua +175 underdog in the fight. I was not happy the way Lyoto Machida preformed tonight as my MMA Predictions was on Machida. Rua gave Machida everything he had in their first fight, and got hosed by the judges for his effort. I think Machida will have learnt a lot more from that experience than Rua will, and I think Machida will have some new tricks up his sleeve to throw Rua off his game. As you can see I was totally wrong tonight with this MMA Predictions. But that was only loss had all night. Stayed tuned to the site for UFC 114 Odds and much more from the UFC 114.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)