The MMA Smackdown
posted by Ariel Helwani
Here’s what you need to know about last weekend’s UFC 99 event:
1) Marcus Davis looked tentative against Dan Hardy. He lost their grudge match, and is still upset about it. He would like a rematch. Not sure what it’s in it for Hardy, though.
2) Caol Uno’s return to the UFC didn’t go as planned. He was too focused on taking Spencer Fisher down and was unsuccessful in doing so.
3) Mike Swick blew by Ben Saunders. He’s now 9-1 in the UFC, and itching for a title shot. One more big victory (Matt Hughes?) and he just may get it.
4) Mirko Cro Cop returned, eye-poked, won and then went back to Japan. Is it fair to compare this whole situation to the Carlos Boozer-Gordon Gund debacle from 2004? It’s pretty darn close.
5) Cain Velasquez is the truth. However, he proved that he a) needs to develop better head movement, and b) has a very hard time finishing a fighter on the ground. There’s no reason why he couldn’t have finished Cheick Kongo after smothering him for 15 minutes. I consider Velasquez one tiny step below the Shane Carwins of the world, but a step above the Junior dos Santos’.
6) Rich Franklin has a few more victories left in him. I would love to see him fight either Tito Ortiz or Luiz Cane at 205 pounds next. That’s right, I said “Tito Ortiz.”
7) Wanderlei Silva looked great in defeat. I thought he actually won the fight, but I understand why the judges gave it to Franklin. I think he can be a factor at 185. Let’s see him win one or two down there and finally get his revenge on Anderson Silva.
The biggest MMA news of the weekend, however, didn’t even go down at UFC 99, but rather in an arena in Alabama where Ray Mercer (!) knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (who weighed in at 310.6 pounds) in, get this, nine seconds. Check out the video over at Bloody Elbow. I’m not sure which part I enjoyed most: the knockout or Mercer’s post-fight celebration. Either way, let us never speak of this again.
The great thing about MMA, though, is that the fun never stops week in and week out. At least that’s how it feels. There are three pretty big shows this weekend with some interesting match-ups, so here are my top six fights to keep an eye on, with picks (odds courtesy of bestfightodds.com) included.
1) Joey Villasenor (-210) over Evangelista Santos (-210) , I think Villasenor feels very overlooked and disrespected, and will look to finish Santos early. Villasenor knows that he should be fighting on the big shows and will make a statement by beating the original ‘Cyborg†via first round TKO.
2) Tim Kennedy (-125) over Nick Thompson (-150) , The Army Green Beret returning from Afghanistan versus the lawyer. Don King wishes he had a fight like this to promote. Kennedy last fought in December 2007, but it’s not like he’s been sitting at home eating potato chips. I like him in a mild upset.
3) Shayna Baszler (+170) over Sarah Kaufman (-210) , Here’s what Baszler told me about Kaufman earlier this week:
‘She’s predictable for me like in the same way that a video game character boss is once you figure their pattern out.â€
That’s good enough for me.
4) Eddie Alvarez (-450) over Toby Imada (+370) , I have a feeling that Toby Imada’s magic is about to run out. In case you’ve never heard of Imada, he pulled off one of the craziest submissions in MMA history last month, landing him a spot in the finals of the Bellator FC lightweight tournament. Prepare to get your mind blown:
That was a career-defining highlight, for sure, but Alvarez, considered by many to be one of the 10 best 155-pound fighters in the world, is on a whole other level.
5) Joe Stevenson (+120) over Nate Diaz (-150) , Logically, Diaz should win this fight. He is five inches taller with a significant reach advantage. Stevenson has lost three of his last four fights and has the dreaded UFC pink slip hanging over his head. However, I think ‘Joe Daddy‒s move to Greg Jackson’s camp, plus his desire to not get bounced from the UFC, will propel him to a unanimous decision victory.
6) Diego Sanchez (-325) over Clay Guida (+250) , It may be worth taking Guida at those odds, but I just think that Sanchez is a step above ‘The Carpenter†all aspects of the game. This could be Sanchez’s last stop before facing the winner of BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian fight for the UFC lightweight title.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Both the Mercer KO and the Imada submission (which I’ve now watched for about the 17th time) were off the hizz. I admit that I rarely sit down and watch a full MMA card, but when I watch the highlights, which I do all the time, it makes me wish I had more time.
Then again, I’d like to thank Ray Mercer for clearing up the whole boxing vs. MMA thing once and for all. Now that’s resolved, we can all just get on with our lives.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Good one, Large. As a self-appointed rep from the MMA world, I would like to ask for a mulligan on that one. Let’s go with, say, GSP vs. Paul Williams, or better yet, nothing. I hate that discussion.
BTW – There are some other nutty finishes on Bellator’s YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/bellatormma
June 18th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
As I posted before – that last UFC was only of interest to me to see how Velasquez did. His standup is without question a work in progress at best. He’s still primarily a wrestler with a little bit of MMA training. Why does the UFC insist on putting these guys in big fights before they’ve developed a decent well-rounded set of skills?
Clearly Velasquez is one of the better athletes at heavyweight and if he sticks to focusing on takedowns and ground-and-pound he’ll be formidable. I think he beats Carwin like a drum. Carwin is overrated – Velasquez is the goods on the ground. He would school Carwin there unless Carwin got lucky with a punch.
Sylvia and Arlovski – done and done-er. Sylvia and Arlovski just kind of demonstrate what I was talking about in the Kimbo thread. MMA needs to develop more well-rounded fighters. These two clowns were UFC champs and top ten contenders not long ago. It doesn’t say much for the quality of fighters that the UFC is passing off as champs. Quite honestly having Brock Lesnar as champ just four fights into his career is pretty pathetic as well. Give it ten, fifteen years and if the sport remains popular these MMA fighters we’re talking about today will be regarded as almost as primitive as the folks who took part in the first few UFCs.
Most of the fights you’ve previewed are kind of ESPN level, lower-tier fights but I guess I follow MMA enough to know who a few of these guys are. You’re really picking Kennedy over The Goat. Off of that long of a layoff, I’d shocked. The Goat’s only losses in the last four years have been to Parisyan and Shields. I get that Kennedy has split two fights with Mayhem but I think the layoff will hurt him and he’ll lose a close decision.
I remember Alvarez from his Bodog days when they were hyping him pretty heavy – until he lost to The Goat. That submission you posted by Imada was wild but that’s the only thing I’ve seen of him. I’ll take your word for it that Alvarez is of a higher class.
Stevenson-Diaz is interesting. Nate always seems to take a pounding and then come back to win by submission. I didn’t see his fight with Guida but I’m sure it was something. Both guys need this win. I’m rooting for Nate – he seemed like the coolest dude on TUF. It’s pretty impressive that he submitted Gray Maynard on that show as well, considering Maynard went on to dominate Frankie Edgar.
If Sanchez-Guida is anything less than a total balls-out war it will be disappointing. Sanchez is a beast but Guida has phenomenal energy. This could be the Gatti-Ward of MMA unless Sanchez just proves too strong for Guida. Give Guida credit – he’s the true gatekeeper at lightweight. He’s certainly not afraid to throwdown – Sanchez, Diaz, Danzig, Huerta, Griffin – those are some bad boys to be fighting over the last few years.
June 19th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Then again, I’d like to thank Ray Mercer for clearing up the whole boxing vs. MMA thing once and for all. Now that’s resolved, we can all just get on with our lives.
CHURCH!!!!
June 19th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Rooster son good to see you back! Where you been? And on an MMA post no less! You’re full of surprises.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Hey, Kurt: How ’bout that Tim Kennedy? Maybe I’m not so crazy after all.
June 20th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I loved tk when he was in wec, gladto see him back full tilt
June 21st, 2009 at 9:45 am
Yeah, finally made it back. Took a little bad beat in life, man. I’m out of NYC but will be looking to make my Ali like return soon enough. Currently training down here in Alabama in the hot and humid. This was just a peep into the NOMAS home where everyone is family. I have to say, as much as I want you guys to blow up here…and you have in many ways with the shirts and films. I’m glad we are all still family here and are cool with disagreeing and we get along. I love to read everyone’s take on things and sometimes (not often) it makes me change my mind on fights and who I pick.
The Rooster…Nomastian for Life…HOLLA!
June 21st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Yo, is there like a prize if you get some hot girls to rock the NoMas shirts and send it in? This should be a new contest. Holla!
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 am
Ariel – you got me on that one. I thought the layoff would hurt Kennedy more than it did. Good pick my friend.
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Thanks. First one in a while. While I’m boasting, I must admit that I’m quite proud of my Stevenson pick since few were going with him.
So, if anyone is counting, I’m 9-3 in the last two weeks. That has to be some kind of personal record.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Hot Damn! That TUF 9 Finale had to go down as one of the better free televised cards the UFC has put on. The three fight of the nights were rightly deserved.
The Lytle/Burns fight was pretty much what I expected. Kevin Burns may never be a contender but he is a tough out for anyone. For a guy who was brought in to be slaughtered he has put on some good fights.
Sanchez/Guida was great and could end up being in the FOTY talks by years end. That has to be the closest and most exciting one sided fights I have ever seen. I got no qualms with Diego getting the next title shot.. Anything to keep the Lightweight Title constantly contended.
Stevenson/Diaz was a good way to start the show, a nice technical battle. I wanted Diaz to win but deep inside I knew he would lose. Guida really set up a nice blueprint of how to beat Diaz and Stevenson pretty much just worked on that.
I was real impressed by Wilks in his victory over Johnson. He showed crisp striking, good clinch work, and solid jiu jitsu. His performance was far more impressive than either of his British teammates.
Ariel, I don’t know if you got a chance to catch the under card fights. But I was wondering what’s your take on the Blackburn/Garcia and the Tibau/Guillard fights. I personally thought Blackburn earned his victory and Guillard didn’t.
December 25th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Like your page, good reading, thanks.
December 29th, 2010 at 1:07 am
I just wanted to comment & say that I was very impressed with the design on your blog & also your writing skills.. happy holidays!
January 8th, 2011 at 3:04 am
This weblog seems to get a great deal of visitors. How do you promote it? It offers a nice unique spin on things. I guess having something authentic or substantial to say is the most important thing.
January 19th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Try coupon code “onecentcoupons” – Hostgator webhosting one month free while order.
January 21st, 2011 at 8:19 am
gry hazardowe zagraj darmowy poker texas holdem cesarski poker kasyna z bonusem bez depozytu kasyno za darmo teksański poker slots kasyno live gry hazardowe hotspot download gra ruletka online darmowe gry ruletka kasyno wirtualne kasyno online free kasyno ruletka poker texas holdem wikipedia kasyno europejskie grand kasyno poker dobierany zasady kasyno wirtualne poker hazard
January 21st, 2011 at 10:27 am
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:37 pm
internetowe kasyna darmowy poker gra ruletka download ograć kasyno gry hazardowe hotspot download kasyno online bez depozytu ruletka francuska kasyno darmowe gry hazardowe maszyny kasyno europa bingo gra gry hazardowe automaty kasyno na telefon kasyno bez wpłaty poker 5 kart jak przechytrzyc kasyno gry hazardowe hotspot za darmo gry hazardowe za darmo maszyny kasyno lublin ograj kasyno
April 7th, 2011 at 9:52 am
Hello, I wanted to tell you I thought your blog was cool. Thank you!
April 15th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
This is a good,common sense article.Very helpful to one who is just finding the resouces about this part.It will certainly help educate me.welcome tocar-flags-maker.
April 18th, 2011 at 8:54 am
I observed your blog using google and I should say, this is most likely among the best well ready articles I’ve come across in a lengthy time. I have bookmarked your site for much more posts.
August 27th, 2011 at 2:09 am
loved it. Great Store