UFC 117: Aftermath

It took me quite some time to digest that my boy Sonnen lost the title fight. It was like man.. 2 more minutes and he would had Anderson Silva kill himself after. Yeah literally, and most possibly because Sonnen talks trash and he talks em real good, and personal. So if he said what he’ll do and did it and took the belt, man.. that will be history in the making.

Sonnen for me gained a +50 in respect, and probably still have won in my books. I knew you had it in you man, and am proud of the performance you did against the Spider.

Not sure what’s next for Silva, but for Sonnen, it’s probably some long time thinking first, and if he decides to still compete can probably get Leites, or Maia. Looking forward to your next battle Sonnen. He looks like a huge Matt Hughes to me.

And speaking of Matt Hughes, wrestling wins over jiujitsu on his match. Props to the once most dominant welterweight in the planet. Though I see a lot of holes in his game already, I still think he can compete. If he can bridge the gap from his striking to his wrestling, he will be once more another wrecking machine for the promotion. Why not join Greg Jackson’s camp? is that an option for Hughes?

Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch’s fight made me sleep. Alves was never in there and he actually looked not in shape for the fight. I do not think that it is the weight cut that affected his performance but something else. Maybe the surgery he had or some personal things going on in his life. I can see it in his eyes even before the fight started, he was out and Fitch was loving it.

Dos Santos wins but Nelson also gains more respect. Nelson took those shots and still punched back. Nelson is a force to reckon with, just that it’s Dos Santos time now and he seemed to be too much for Big Country to handle. If Roy focuses more on his training and strategy, I can see a future title fight between the 2 again where Dos Santos is champion.

Dos Santos against Cain Velasquez is most interesting to me aside from pairing him with Brock.

UFC 117, lost 200 bucks and my voice with Sonnen’s performance. It was a great UFC weekend!

UFC 117: Results

Junior Dos Santos def. Roy “Big Country” Nelson – decision unanimous

Matt Hughes def. Ricardo Almeida – Choke

Clay Guida def. Rafael Dos Anjos – submission

Jon Fitch def. Thiago Alves

Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen

UFC 117: My Take

UFC 117 is quite a card even though truthfully, this guy Chael Sonnen really isn’t that popular as compared to Anderson Silva.

But Chael has a fighters chance, and honestly, I want to see Silva get beat up this time. Anderson is a great fighter, but he probably just went off the grid with his last bout against jiujitsu superstar Demian Maia.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson

Interesting heavyweight match up to be considered. Roy Nelson a recent TUF winner and Junior Dos Santos whom is a rising prospect in the heavyweight division.

Both guys present pretty much danger to each other from standing up to the ground. And as Big Country tells it, he does not look into just pound the guy but to start with him from stand up and take it down.

Dos Santos on the other hand is a flexible guy with great stand up. We just haven’t seen his ground game since no one has ever tested him there or at least last in order to take him down.

I see this fight going to Dos Santos by way of KO in the 2nd round.

Matt Hughes vs Ricardo Almeida

A classic Wrestling vs. Jiujitsu match up. Another test for what Matt Hughes can bring or if Almeida can take on the big times already. Pretty great match up I might say.

If Hughes brings his A game and more, he can probably dominate Almeida, but he must dominate and not bore people out. Almeida’s career can also be boosted up high if he beats Hughes but I see the pressure more on the farm bread Hughes who is a former champion in the division.

Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva

Silva is an awesome fighter from stand up to ground and we have seen it countless times that he has proved this. There is a huge chance that the main event may last only 2 minutes if all his strikes hits its mark. I see Silva to try and humiliate Sonnen by submitting him in a Triangle Arm Bar variation.

Sonnen on the other hand has a wrestlers chance. As compared to other wrestlers, Sonnen is also durable and can take a hit. We have seen that with his other fights. But how much hit can he take and can he punish Silva with every attempted or successful hit.

I see Sonnen like a bigger Matt Hughes, with similarly incredible strength and conditioning. As much as the odds go for Silva, I will put my chips on Sonnen on this one. I think he knows himself and by putting all the pressure on him similar to the champ, both of them will come out with their A++ games which I really hope that Sonnen beats the hell out of Silva.

Sonnen by Round 4 referee stoppage.

UFC 114: The Results

UFC 114 Results

Ryan Jensen def. Jesse Forbes via Guillotine Choke

Aaron Riley def. Joe Brammer via Unanimous Decision

Cyrille Diabate def Luiz Cane via TKO (Punches)

Melvin Guillard def. Waylon Lowe via TKO (Strikes)

Efrain Escudero def. Dan Lauzon via Unanimous Decision

Dong Hyun Kim def. Amir Sadollah via Unanimous Decision

John Hathaway def. Diego Sanchez via Unanimous Decision

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Jason Brilz Split Decision – Crowd boos the call

Mike Russow def. Todd Duffee via Knockout (punch)

Michael Bisping def. Dan Miller via Unanimous Decision

Rashad Evans def. Quinton Rampage Jackson via Unanimous Decision

Evans – Jackson: My Take

Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson will happen on UFC 114 Saturday, May 28, 2010. As much as I was not all that excited to write about this, it just changed my mind last minute thinking – this is how great a promoter is the UFC – and once again, all the hype of this fight was made with such clearness and at one point all natural.

These guys hate each other and that’s the bottom line. This was what UFC probably banked on when promoting this fight. I hate to say it, but when Rashad was coaching against Rampage in TUF and we all know that Rashad is not Champion anymore, then the fire just went out. Rashad lost it all to Lyoto in which I believe should have coached TUF after he gained championship status and it was going to be Rampage Machida in the end of the TUF season. But the blunders were there or probably contracts were signed so Jackson – Evans pushed through.

Jackson pulling out of the fight actually did some good with their upcoming match and it was to give the UFC and them to hype the match to attract more fans. Resuming a few months back after a lopsided win for Evans over Silva, Rampage was back and the trash talking resumed. This time, more people were aware of who Rashad is, and how Rampage is now a member of the A-Team. Giving these highlights to what has transpired, a successful comeback fight for the 2 gets more interesting now.

Now I guess what happend next was for these 2 to keep on banging on each other mouths until the time came when they smash each other in the octagon, and it worked. The hype paid through, watch UFC primer, watch UFC Countdown, it is but more meaningful now than if it was done last year.

So I guess another victory for UFC / Dana White / Zuffa – you just proved that you are mountains in terms of the promotion business and I applaude that!

Evans vs. Jackson – The Fight

I see this fight either Evans getting KTFO or Rampage loses to a decision. Evans is a good boy and he follows whatever it is he needs to do to win, similar to what happend in the Thiago Silva fight. He tries to get back to his roots since his jaw is now broken by which I mean that once you get knocked out, your Jaw now converts to glass and can be broken by any of your next opponents.

Wanderlei Silva was un-KO’able before but after that Crocop kick, everything changed. So I guess if Rashad stands with Rampage, it will be an early night for him. So I am thinking that Rashad will definitely take the fight the ground and try to finish it there.

Rampage on the other hand, if he remains as cocky as he was on the Forrest fight, it will cost big time. Giving Rashad all the trash talking privileges after. Take down defense and KO power will be Rampage’s greatest chance of winning. As if he can pull off out of the bat submissions on his back then he can probably Triangle Evans – and it will be funny!

Evans is known to have that question chin now, similar to his mate Jardine, so the key is upper cuts. Or what I believe what Carwin did to Mir. Get him in the cage and make Evans work for it, move out and throw upper cuts or hooks. If that is what will happen, Evans will surely lose his legs again and get beaten badly.

My money is on Rampage, for the sole reason that he is more battle tested, and a fight with my boy Shogun should be very much interesting so Shogun can shut him down for good.

If Evans win, I see Shogun doing a knee bar on him, or an off-the-back arm bar / triangle.

UFC 113: The Results

Finally, the long awaited rematch on UFC 113 has finally concluded. It was an event that will be legend. Held in Montreal Canada where it is the Mecca of MMA, UFC 113 did not disappoint.

Alan Belcher def. Patrick Cote

The “Talent” once again reigned supreme over a returning title contender in Cote. Cote, who was expected to win last Saturday did not expect the pressure that Belcher will bring to the table. It was a controversial slam which Cote is contending, but after the replays, it was clear that it was his face which slammed and the top of the head making the move legal in the UFC.

After that Belcher immediately went to grab Cote’s back and secured the RNC. Great performance by the Talent.

Matt Mitrione def. Kimbo Slice

Meathead did what was expected of him to do, BANG! And it was actually Kimbo who wanted to take the fight to the ground which he got to in the first round.

On the 2nd, it seems that the internet sensation was breathing more heavy and Mitrione keeps on giving him problems on his legs by chopping on them. Kimbo just seemed to have gave up and just turtled back defending the strikes as the referee calls it.

Mitrione gets the win and Kimbo after the event was said to have been released from the UFC. Tough day for our bearded fighter.

If I was Kimbo, I will get back to the drawing boards and see where I really would excel. I think what he needs is some solid wrestling and some power training ala BJ Penn. If he can muster up these skills in the next 6 months, he can probably make a solid come back. Boxing plus solid wrestling is a good finisher combination. And I think it will better for him to go down to light heavyweight or extremely pack some weight to be at 250-265 lbs for more power ala Frank Mir.

Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley

Probably the most boring fight of the night. Josh Koscheck said he would bang with Daley, and that he did not. He utilized his extreme wrestling prowess with the Brit making it a long night for both of them. Josh is a snoozer and as much as he does have all these wins under his belt, I think it will not be easy for the UFC to market their championship match with GSP without having another main event in the card.

Koscheck pretty much have things to think about but GSP will no doubt hand Koscheck another loss in his career as I haven’t seen much difference to what koscheck have to offer to GSP that can beat the champion. Maybe some lucky clover perhaps might work.

On top of this fight, Daley, as hot blooded as he is threw a career ending hook after the bell rang which just made it worse for him.

Daley is out of the UFC and maybe out of fighting forever. These bad examples will not be tolerated as it diminishes the image of what everyone wants for fighters to have.

Mauricio Shogun Rua def. Lyoto The Dragon Machida

KO of the year material as Shogun demystified Lyoto’s invincibility aura. Round 6 started and both feel each other out. Shogun probably more confident now as he have already knew what threat does Machida’s striking imposes for him. This is I believe was his edge over the bout, he knew Machida was good, but he knew he can take those punches in and he did.

He stalked Machida right down as Machida does what he does best, elude and dart in some punches. I must agree that Machida was landing lots of shots but I never saw Shogun wince even once. Shogun on the other hand delivered kicks to the leg and to the body and a following straight which you can see is really hurting Machida.

Lyoto is a warrior but his strength was not enough to fend over the conquering Shogun. Shogun prepared himself for a stand up war and went out more until he got what he wanted, tested Machida KO resistance and he was successful exploiting that.

Shogun is king of the hill now and I see lots of mega fights coming his way. If he does not get his fame go into his head, the UFC will have their best champion ever giving ultra exciting fights always. This is the Chute Boxe way, and even if the champ is not with Chute Boxe anymore, his roots will always remain Chute Boxe.

Congratulations Shogun, you have achieved your dream last saturday, do not stop there and create a legacy, for you and for all your supporters. Don’t let money get in the way! Use it and don’t be owned by it.

MMA Weekly Recap

I think since it has been a while since I have posted (simply because there wasn’t much that interesting news to broadcast from the UFC) I think it’s best if I create like a weekly news on what I knew was going on and will go on.

UFC Related News

I am always excited about the Machida – Shogun Rematch. It’s a fight of legends since Shogun was the first fighter to ever exploit Machida to pain. They say they will give it their all, they say they will have different strategies and I do hope that they do and give us fight fans the fight of the year.

On another note, there is Tito Ortiz’s recent arrest due to domestic violence. I am with Tito on this one. It’s like a martial artists instinct that Ortiz would never hurt a female or anyone in the matter that is not necessary but on females generally. I think most MMA practitioners in its real sense knows this. To learn the sport and be good at it, discipline and mental toughness is necessary. Otherwise, if things get bad, I’m sure a broken arm would be Jenna’s least problems to undertake.

I remember this one time when I lost control myself, I punished our door and my hand.  The rage is there, sometimes it comes out, most of the time it stays in. But never to hit my wife, or anybody for that matter that is not necessary. Doesn’t mean you can that you should always prove it as one of my sensei’s before taught me.

Back to UFC related news is that Jackson and Evans have now a fight scheduled. It was long time due but I guess it’s more of a hype now than it was before being that Jackson is now more well known being cast in the upcoming movie remake – The A Team. White is always full of these under the sleeves techniques by which he commits to further more hype UFC fighters.

WEC Related News

Urijah Faber got owned but Aldo hold back in the last round. Jose Aldo has now proven himself as one of the best pound per pound fighter in the world if not the best in his weight class. His dominant wins over Mike Brown and Urijah Faber seals the deal and gives him an invincible aura most of these P-4-P fighters have.

Manny Gamburyan, a TUF finalist also gained much respect after defeating former WEC champ, Mike Brown. A fight is a fight and it’s always as unpredictable as it is whenever you step into the octagon.

MMA in the Philippines Related News

An in-house jiujitsu tournament will be held in BAMF MMA Center tomorrow starting at 9am. The cause is for getting another individual within the DEFTAC (Defense Tactics Group) to go in the upcoming Mundials. It’s a show of how camaraderie can prevail in such short time and efforts to increase the growth of Jiujitsu and MMA in the local Philippine economy.

I will sure be there to watch and support these fellow jiujitsu practitioners which will be present tomorrow at BAMF MMA Center.

URCC University Challenge Trials

URCC is holding a MMA Try-out / Elimination on who wants to be a part of URCC University Challenge. On May 22, 2010 – these try outs or fights will be held at BAMF MMA Center.

This reminds me of the movie Never Back Down which is one of my fave’s by the way. Getting that social status in college, that is priceless. Also adds to the fact that we should promote martial arts in our young generation. Most people think that this will simply increase the number of bullies in school, but think again. Martial Arts is a serious deal to be in. If you really want to get buffed up and be the fighter you want to be, you have to have the mental toughness, discipline and respect along with a good heart and healthy body to cope up with real fighters of today.

URCC News

Richard Lasprilla possibly rematches with Erwin Tagle in URCC. Interesting fight to see, I remember some intriguing lines before between the 2 and they both grueled it out in 2 fights both ending in draws. Well now if the fight happens, there is no more draw in the URCC rules so we will know who the toughest man is.

What’s happening with URCC fighters? I am thinking of getting interviews from them whenever I get the chance. Let me write up a questionnaire for them then

I guess that’s about it for this past week. Catch you guys up again next time. Probably sooner since if I can get pictures, I will probably share my BAMF experience tomorrow.

War Shogun

I just watched UFC 113 the Preview on the UFC.com website and heard some of the comments Lyoto was giving on it and he says:

“People say the Shogun showed how to beat Lyoto Machida, but why didn’t he beat Lyoto Machida”

Wow, some bold words coming from a fake champ.. yeah you have the belt now, wait till you get owned by the real champ come May 8.

I really can’t stand Lyoto’s Arrogance, I am not sure if its just me whose seeing this. Lyoto and A. Silva are close friends, no wonder they both talk s**t.

Go get em Shogun, and then step down to 185 to beat the hell out of Anderson.

Shogun vs Machida 2

Finally, the event the fueled everything up is happening on May 8, 2010. A battle which continue a previous 5 round match between the 2 best light heavyweights on the planet.

Karate vs Muay Thai

A classic match up between between 2 classic arts one origins from Japan, and the other Thailand. Both fighters are Brazilians and both have black belts in Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Shogun against Machida opened up a lot of controversy which started a series of mis-judging from the UFC brass. Something in my opinion which is the current loop hole of the whole UFC franchise. But every promotion does have judges, and its simply a matter of how big you are will the judging be a factor. In this matter, UFC is so perfect that it leaves this loophole in its game where it depends on how these people see and think.

Shogun is a top fighter and in my 200% opinion and effort, Shogun won the first match. But Dana was right saying that you fight to shock the world, you fight to finish your opponents, its not enough to become a good fighter, all fighters must be great. Quoting BJ that

Good fighters can win 5 rounds, great fighters will finish the fight

It is apparent that in the evolution of the fight game today, a fighter must now win a convincing fight and not simply try not to lose. This was Shogun’s only flaw, but it was something any smart fighter would do against someone as strong and great as Machida.

Machida is a great evader and counter puncher, has good ground defense and offense, and is somewhat strong also. No one in their right mind would simply come after a fighter such as Machida. Even as elusive as Rashad Evans, Machida happened to frustrate Evans into playing his game and attacking when he saw the opening ending in a highlight reel KO.

What Shogun should do

I think Shogun’s game plan is still perfect for the match-up, I think that he should punish the legs and the body of Lyoto in order to get to him faster without him reacting. But the key this time is more speed, he should work faster and implement his strategy from the beginning. If he can get Lyoto beat up by round 3, he can surely finish him off on rounds 4 or 5 with that saying that his cardio is 200% from the last fight because it will definitely take more out of him this time.

What should Machida do

If Machida can learn to adapt and defend against those viscious kicks, and have some punches coming over Shogun’s face every  time he tries to do a kick, then there is a possibility that Lyoto can catch Shogun with some nice shots and it will now be a question of Chin for both.

I do hope someone gets KTFO on this rematch, it is something required for both fighters since they should win decisively from this point forward. And I think if Machida wins, it should be a convincing win that will match his big mouth and not something that he knew he lost but kept lying to himself telling people he won.

I see this going Shogun’s way, still the underdog in the matter but I believe this will be his time to shine.

Shogun by round 4 referree stoppage – TKO.

Silva is Getting What he wants

Recent reports mention that Anderson Silva is squaring off with middleweight standout Chael Sonnen. Sonnen, a formidable wrestler having 3 consecutive wins and most recent with middleweight title contender Nate Marquardt.

Silva would getting another wrestler, another opponent whom he believes he can bully and clown around with. Silva not getting any penalty and getting scheduled for another match which he has a great advantage of. Wow, embarrass the UFC and they’ll let you embarrass them again.

I see Silva playing with Sonnen or possibly knocking the guy out in 60 secs. But what he does not anticipate is that Chael will come in packed and not afraid to come forward. He gave Filho his first legit loss, and probably will end the spider’s reign once and for all.

On another note, if Silva gets beaten by Sonnen, it will be humiliating for him thus possibly what the UFC wants as his punishment.

Take away all that fame and fortune from Silva, and all you got left is a big bully kid with nothing. Grow up brotha!

Source: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/White-UFC-Planning-Silva-Sonnen-Showdown-23878