Last Saturday’s UFC 132 card was one of the more exciting and entertaining cards that the promotion has run this year, and was far superior to last month’s pay per view. The highlight of the evening by far was Tito Ortiz’ shocking first round submission victory over Ryan Bader. It was his first win in five years and first time finishing someone NOT name Ken Shamrock in ten. Tito needed a win to keep his job with the UFC and with the Las Vegas fans firmly behind him, levelled Bader with an uppercut and finished him with a guillotine within minutes of the opening bell. The main event of Faber and Cruz was an exciting technical affair, but as someone who was rooting for Faber I was disappointed. This wasn’t because he lost, as I had expected him to lose by decision, it was that he really blew a winnable fight. There were several instances where Faber should have followed up with some strikes after getting up from a takedown or busting in and out of the clinch, but did not. He didn’t push the pace at the times when he needed to and instead was tagged by Cruz’ smart boxing and crazy footwork. In other news from the card, PRIDE again took a blow as Wanderlei Silva was annihilated in 27 seconds by Chris Leben. I’ll go into this some more in a minute, but I don’t necessarily think that this fight should be the end for Silva. He just fought in a profoundly stupid fashion and it cost him. With that being said, let’s get down to what should come next for the winners (and some of the losers) from UFC 132.
Dominick Cruz: The UFC Bantamweight Champion looked good in his first fight since the WEC closed shop. His herky jerky footwork and angles he throws strikes from makes it very difficult to score any points against him, but it also makes it nearly impossible for him to throw any power strikes hard enough to finish an opponent. He showed great takedown offense and defense against Faber, who has very strong grappling skills, and his performance in that department should halt a lot of criticism against him. Look for him to take on former WEC Bantamweight Champ Brian Bowles and/or Demetrius Johnson before hooking up with Faber for a rubber match.
Urijah Faber: Faber didn’t look awful in this loss, but he should realize that this was a fight that he could have won if he showed some more urgency. He still performed better than anyone else has against Cruz to date and within one to two more matches, I would expect him to get another shot for the belt. A fight with fellow fan favorite Miguel Torres could be fun and makes a lot of sense for both men.
Chris Leben: The Crippler brutally finished Wanderlei Silva and has managed to eliminate some of the negativity surrounding him after his loss to Brian Stann back in January. He’s probably 2-3 fights away from a middleweight title shot, but the odds of him being able to avenge a loss to Anderson Silva are nil. I would suggest Mark Munoz, but he’ll likely be paired off with Stann for his next fight. I would like to see him take on Vitor Belfort, assuming Belfort beats Akiyama at UFC 133. That could be exciting.
Wanderlei Silva: I’m in the minority of people who think that Silva could potentially continue his career. I think with a change in his strategy, he could fight a couple more years (barring any more massive knockouts). His biggest problem in the Leben fight was that he charged like a bull and reacted poorly. Instead of backing up and taking a second to recover before going back on offense, he kept fumbling for a clinch that he had no momentum and leverage for and received several vicious uppercuts to the grill for his trouble. If he had fought more like he had in the Bisping fight last year, he wouldn’t have been laid out quite as badly. What worked for him in PRIDE won’t work for him anymore and if he wants to keep fighting, he needs to learn to cope with that fact. I would let him get started on that trail by putting him up against Demian Maia. Maia doesn’t wade into firefights and his punching power isn’t going to put Silva away, but his striking is solid and his ground game is top notch and it could push Wanderlei into a new direction that doesn’t involve major head trauma.
Carlos Condit: The Natural Born Killer looked fantastic in knocking out Dong Hyun Kim with a flying knee and a flurry of punches in the first round. He showed better ground defense than he has in the past as well, getting up quickly from a takedown. I would say that he is one more fight away from a title shot. If BJ Penn and Jon Fitch have their rematch and Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger still face off in September, then Condit should either face a returning Josh Koscheck in the winter. If that isn’t an option, then put him up against Diego Sanchez if Sanchez beats Matt Hughes. If Penn-Fitch 2 doesn’t happen, put him up against Fitch in a number one contender bout. It would be the best way to see if Condit is ready, as Fitch is clearly the second best fighter in the division and if someone can beat him, that man is very deserving of a title shot.
Melvin Guillard: The Young Assassin scored a brutal knockout win over the hopelessly outmatched Shane Roller and is poised to be a contender for the lightweight title in the next year. The only problem is that the title picture is gridlocked until Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard settle their business. If Jim Miller beats Ben Henderson next month at the UFC on Versus, then Miller is the top challenger and Melvin should take on Dennis Siver. If Henderson wins, I would pair him off against Guillard for a title eliminator and put Clay Guida up against the winner of Edgar-Maynard III (whenever that happens).
Ryan Bader: Bader has fallen so far, so fast this year. He went from being mentioned in the same breath as Jon Jones for the future of the light heavyweight division to being tooled by Jones and nearly KOed and actually choked out early by Tito Ortiz in a fight that was supposed to be a gimme for him. Bader has some serious soul searching and work to do. Although he has good power, his striking has never been as good as he thought it was and it’s come back to bite him in the ass. His strongest suit is wrestling, so he should probably go back to that a bit more while he shores up his standup technique and submission defense. A fight against fellow wrestler/mediocre striker Matt Hamill makes a lot of sense for him, since he’s in no danger of being on the receiving end of a guillotine again and it is apparent that neither man can hang with the upper echelon of the 205 lbs weight class right now.
Tito Ortiz: Tito gave the fans one of the best moments in recent memory in the UFC with his win over Bader. The emotion from the fans in the arena, as well as the emotion from himself combined with the vicious uppercut that floored Bader and the guillotine that finished him made for a riveting experience. Tito went from being forced into retirement to having new life in the UFC. He wants the winner of Shogun Rua and Forrest Griffin, but I think that both those guys are a little out of his league right now. The fight that makes the most sense for him would be against the winner of Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Despite this win and what he may think, Tito is at best a top 20 ranked light heavyweight. If he beats one of the aforementioned guys, then a fight with someone on the lower half of the top ten would make sense.
That’s it for this piece. If there are any fights coming out of UFC 132 you think should be made, or you have thoughts to share on the event, have something you would like to say, then feel free to leave a comment or post on facebook.
Showing posts with label UFC 132. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UFC 132. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
PRIDE's Next Last Stand: Wanderlei Silva Edition
As I stated a few months ago, the legends of the defunct Pride FC have fallen at an alarming rate in the UFC. Most recently Shogun Rua, possibly the most violent fighter I've ever seen, was on the receiving end of a massacre at the hands of Jon Jones. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira went from being an iron chinned submission master to a punching bag that has a better than 60% chance of losing to Brendan Schaub, the type of fighter that would have been destroyed by Big Nog five years ago. I've discussed the rapid decline of Mirko Cro Cop, the man at one time considered the most feared kickboxer in all of MMA. This weekend, Wanderlei Silva returns to the Octagon for the first time in fifteen months to take on Chris Leben. Unlike a lot of his fellow PRIDE legends, Silva is coming in after winning his most recent fight, a unanimous decision over Michael Bisping. Despite that win however, Silva has lost five of his last seven fights.
This Saturday should be a telling sign to how much gas is left on Wanderlei's tank and whether his chin can still hold up. It will be his second fight at 185 lbs. and Leben is known for having very heavy hands. Prior to the move to 185, he had been thrice knocked out in his last four fights at his original weight of 205 lbs. It was a sad end to his time at light heavyweight, since from 2001-2006 he was the most feared 205 lbs. fighter in the world.
PRIDE-era Wanderlei Silva was a monster, plain and simple. He had nasty muay thai knees and soccer kicks that he used to great effect, going 18-1 at in his weight class over the aforementioned five year span. His two knockout victories over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson were legendary and cringe inducing for their brutality. His trilogy of knockout wins over Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba also famed for their violence.
The most noted part of Wanderlei's fighting technique, besides the most intimidating pre-fight staredown in history, was his sheer aggression and zeal with which he went at an opponent. It made perfect sense for a man dubbed "the Axe Murderer" to fight like he was going to rip someone limb from limb. It's what made him so exciting and so beloved amongst the fans. To this day, Silva brings up that he fights this way out of his own instinct and to entertain the fans. An interview doesn't pass without him mentioning that he likes to have exciting fights that pump up the crowd.
Of course, this aggression has managed to take its toll on him over the past five years. First, he was headkicked into the next year by Mirko Cro Cop in the 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix. Then, he was brutally knocked out by Dan Henderson at PRIDE 33. He followed this up with an entertaining brawl against fellow legend Chuck Liddell, but he was on the receiving end of a decision loss. He bounced back from these losses by beating the starch out of Keith Jardine in 36 seconds, and it appeared that the Axe Murderer of old was back.
His next opponent was his old nemesis Quinton Jackson. Like their prior fights it would end in a knockout. This time, it would be Wanderlei getting scraped off the canvas after Rampage levelled him with a picture perfect hook. At this point, it seemed that Silva was essentially done. His inability to take a punch while combined with a chin that was looking increasingly fragile had made him a shell of the man that electrified Japan for years.
February of 2010 marked his debut in the UFC Middleweight Division, where he won a decision over Michael Bisping. In what was a good fight, Silva managed to show his jiu jitsu skills by locking in a nasty guillotine that nearly ended the fight in the second round and he floored Bisping with a flurry of punches to end the third round. It was his first victory in two years and looked to be the start of a rebirth in his career. His next opponent was slated to be Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, but Silva broke three ribs during training and had knee surgery as well and hs been out of action since. His replacement for that fight was Chris Leben, who beat Akiyama by submission with twenty seconds left in the final round in what was one of the best fights of the year. Following that fight, Leben called out Silva as an opponent, which brings things to UFC 132.
This is the type of fight that both men live for - a wild brawl that should feature no grappling whatsoever. If Silva wins, it sets him up for fights with Chael Sonnen and/or Vitor Belfort and potentially a shot at Anderson Silva's Middleweight Title further down the line. Recently, he stated that he wants to continue to fight for five more years and a total of ten fights. If he gets crushed by Leben, he should seriously consider retirement. On another note it would be yet another PRIDE legend losing a fight that years ago wouldn't have been much of a challenge. Regardless of a decline in skill, everyone can still expect Silva to come out the same way he always has: forward and punches flying.
This Saturday should be a telling sign to how much gas is left on Wanderlei's tank and whether his chin can still hold up. It will be his second fight at 185 lbs. and Leben is known for having very heavy hands. Prior to the move to 185, he had been thrice knocked out in his last four fights at his original weight of 205 lbs. It was a sad end to his time at light heavyweight, since from 2001-2006 he was the most feared 205 lbs. fighter in the world.
PRIDE-era Wanderlei Silva was a monster, plain and simple. He had nasty muay thai knees and soccer kicks that he used to great effect, going 18-1 at in his weight class over the aforementioned five year span. His two knockout victories over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson were legendary and cringe inducing for their brutality. His trilogy of knockout wins over Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba also famed for their violence.
The most noted part of Wanderlei's fighting technique, besides the most intimidating pre-fight staredown in history, was his sheer aggression and zeal with which he went at an opponent. It made perfect sense for a man dubbed "the Axe Murderer" to fight like he was going to rip someone limb from limb. It's what made him so exciting and so beloved amongst the fans. To this day, Silva brings up that he fights this way out of his own instinct and to entertain the fans. An interview doesn't pass without him mentioning that he likes to have exciting fights that pump up the crowd.
Of course, this aggression has managed to take its toll on him over the past five years. First, he was headkicked into the next year by Mirko Cro Cop in the 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix. Then, he was brutally knocked out by Dan Henderson at PRIDE 33. He followed this up with an entertaining brawl against fellow legend Chuck Liddell, but he was on the receiving end of a decision loss. He bounced back from these losses by beating the starch out of Keith Jardine in 36 seconds, and it appeared that the Axe Murderer of old was back.
His next opponent was his old nemesis Quinton Jackson. Like their prior fights it would end in a knockout. This time, it would be Wanderlei getting scraped off the canvas after Rampage levelled him with a picture perfect hook. At this point, it seemed that Silva was essentially done. His inability to take a punch while combined with a chin that was looking increasingly fragile had made him a shell of the man that electrified Japan for years.
February of 2010 marked his debut in the UFC Middleweight Division, where he won a decision over Michael Bisping. In what was a good fight, Silva managed to show his jiu jitsu skills by locking in a nasty guillotine that nearly ended the fight in the second round and he floored Bisping with a flurry of punches to end the third round. It was his first victory in two years and looked to be the start of a rebirth in his career. His next opponent was slated to be Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, but Silva broke three ribs during training and had knee surgery as well and hs been out of action since. His replacement for that fight was Chris Leben, who beat Akiyama by submission with twenty seconds left in the final round in what was one of the best fights of the year. Following that fight, Leben called out Silva as an opponent, which brings things to UFC 132.
This is the type of fight that both men live for - a wild brawl that should feature no grappling whatsoever. If Silva wins, it sets him up for fights with Chael Sonnen and/or Vitor Belfort and potentially a shot at Anderson Silva's Middleweight Title further down the line. Recently, he stated that he wants to continue to fight for five more years and a total of ten fights. If he gets crushed by Leben, he should seriously consider retirement. On another note it would be yet another PRIDE legend losing a fight that years ago wouldn't have been much of a challenge. Regardless of a decline in skill, everyone can still expect Silva to come out the same way he always has: forward and punches flying.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
UFC 132 Predictions
Greetings readers! It's been a long time coming, but I'm updating the blog with an easy post: predictions for this weekend's UFC 132. It looks to be a great card, headlined by a main event of UFC Bantamweight Champ Dominick Cruz taking on "The California Kid" Urijah Faber and a co-main of Chris Leben vs. PRIDE legend Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva." Since I'm typing this up while I'm at work, let's just get down to it.
Main Card
Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman: This is a lightweight scrap featuring two men who have each won seven of their past eight fights. I don't know too much about Wiman besides the fact he was on a season of Ultimate Fighter in 2007 and didn't win. I'm also not sure I've ever seen him fight. I've seen Siver and he is an impressive kickboxer with a solid ground game. He's coming off a decision win against top contender George Sotiropoulos and is looking like he could be a potential contender within the next six to twelve months. I hate going with a fighter just because I know him more, but Siver has the more impressive record and a skillset I'm aware of. Let's go with Siver by decision.
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim: This is a welterweight fight featuring two of the top fighters in the division, with both men probably one or two fights away from a title shot. Condit is coming off two impressive knockouts - a first round KO of Dan Hardy in October and a third round miracle TKO against Rory McDonald last June. Kim has shown effective wrestling and grappling in winning fights over Amir Sadollah and Nate Diaz. Condit has been out of action for a long time and is coming off of surgery, so ring rust could be a major factor for him. I think Kim has the grappling to win this by decision, but Condit is exciting and fights hard. I'm a fan of his and so I'm going to with Condit by 3rd Round TKO.
Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader: This fight has a better than forty precent chance of being really boring, as both men are wrestlers with some weak striking. Bader is coming off his first loss ever after being tooled by Jon Jones and submitted. Tito hasn't won a fight since beating the piss out of Ken Shamrock in 2006. Since then he has lost a decision to Lyoto Machida (where he almost pulled off a submission), had a draw with Rashad Evans after having a point deducted for grabbing the cage, a split decision loss to Forrest Griffin that shouldn't have been split, and was dominated by Matt Hamill this past fall en route to a decision loss. With the exception of the Hamill fight, he has only lost to top flight competition and he hasn't been finished in any of them. He's been competitive for the most part, but he isn't good enough to win or bad enough to just get crushed like Chuck Liddell over the past few years. Bader is another tough fight, as he was considered a top light heavyweight with a lot of potential before Jones tooled him. It will be interesting to see how he recovers from that. He should be able to beat Tito, as he is a younger version of of Ortiz. I'll be cheering for Tito just because that dude deserves to win at least once more before he retires, but I'm almost certain this is going to be Bader by decision.
Co-Main Event
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben: This is a fight that has been a year in the making, but Wand had about fifteen surgeries and hasn't fought since February 2010, when he beat Michael Bisping by decision. Leben took Silva's place in May and beat Yoshihiro Akiyama by third round submission in one of the best fights I've ever seen and then followed that up with a DWI and a first round knockout loss to Brian Stann this past January. This should be an exciting brawl, since both men do not go to the ground and will stand and trade punches all day. I think it is a near certainty someone is getting knocked out. Leben's chin has come into question after Stann finished him in a way that had only been done once prior, and Silva's chin has been called into question consistently over the past few years. I would like to see Wand go into PRIDE mode and beast on Leben with a knockout, but I think that his chin won't hold up to his opponent's punching power. I want Wanderlei by 2nd round KO, but think it will be Leben by 2nd round KO.
Main Event
UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber: This fight pits the dominant champ in Cruz, who has not lost in four years against Faber, the former featherweight kingpin and the only man to beat Cruz. Cruz employs a technical striking style that, although lacking in finishing power, has not been deciphered by any opponent yet. The odds of Cruz finishing Faber are pretty much nil, as no one finishes the California Kid. Faber is in his third fight at 135 lbs. and his last fight was a disappointing decision win over Eddie Wineland. What makes this fight especially interesting, other than Cruz attempting to avenge his lone loss, is that these two dudes can't stand each other. They have been sniping at each other for a couple of years now, so it should be interesting to get to see them face off again. Faber can't stand and box with Cruz, or he will lose a decision. He needs to push the pace, bully Cruz against the cage, work some takedowns and try to throw him off his game early. If he doesn't, he'll lose a decision. I will be desperately cheering for a Faber win, as he is exciting and seems like a good dude. I doubt how much Faber has left in the tank though. He had to drop to bantamweight after it became apparent he could no longer compete for the title at featherweight, and his last fight at 135 was not very impressive. Cruz, on the other hand, should be entering the prime of his career. I think it's going to be Cruz by decision.
As always, feel free to leave your predictions on the comments page or my facebook page.
Main Card
Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman: This is a lightweight scrap featuring two men who have each won seven of their past eight fights. I don't know too much about Wiman besides the fact he was on a season of Ultimate Fighter in 2007 and didn't win. I'm also not sure I've ever seen him fight. I've seen Siver and he is an impressive kickboxer with a solid ground game. He's coming off a decision win against top contender George Sotiropoulos and is looking like he could be a potential contender within the next six to twelve months. I hate going with a fighter just because I know him more, but Siver has the more impressive record and a skillset I'm aware of. Let's go with Siver by decision.
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim: This is a welterweight fight featuring two of the top fighters in the division, with both men probably one or two fights away from a title shot. Condit is coming off two impressive knockouts - a first round KO of Dan Hardy in October and a third round miracle TKO against Rory McDonald last June. Kim has shown effective wrestling and grappling in winning fights over Amir Sadollah and Nate Diaz. Condit has been out of action for a long time and is coming off of surgery, so ring rust could be a major factor for him. I think Kim has the grappling to win this by decision, but Condit is exciting and fights hard. I'm a fan of his and so I'm going to with Condit by 3rd Round TKO.
Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader: This fight has a better than forty precent chance of being really boring, as both men are wrestlers with some weak striking. Bader is coming off his first loss ever after being tooled by Jon Jones and submitted. Tito hasn't won a fight since beating the piss out of Ken Shamrock in 2006. Since then he has lost a decision to Lyoto Machida (where he almost pulled off a submission), had a draw with Rashad Evans after having a point deducted for grabbing the cage, a split decision loss to Forrest Griffin that shouldn't have been split, and was dominated by Matt Hamill this past fall en route to a decision loss. With the exception of the Hamill fight, he has only lost to top flight competition and he hasn't been finished in any of them. He's been competitive for the most part, but he isn't good enough to win or bad enough to just get crushed like Chuck Liddell over the past few years. Bader is another tough fight, as he was considered a top light heavyweight with a lot of potential before Jones tooled him. It will be interesting to see how he recovers from that. He should be able to beat Tito, as he is a younger version of of Ortiz. I'll be cheering for Tito just because that dude deserves to win at least once more before he retires, but I'm almost certain this is going to be Bader by decision.
Co-Main Event
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben: This is a fight that has been a year in the making, but Wand had about fifteen surgeries and hasn't fought since February 2010, when he beat Michael Bisping by decision. Leben took Silva's place in May and beat Yoshihiro Akiyama by third round submission in one of the best fights I've ever seen and then followed that up with a DWI and a first round knockout loss to Brian Stann this past January. This should be an exciting brawl, since both men do not go to the ground and will stand and trade punches all day. I think it is a near certainty someone is getting knocked out. Leben's chin has come into question after Stann finished him in a way that had only been done once prior, and Silva's chin has been called into question consistently over the past few years. I would like to see Wand go into PRIDE mode and beast on Leben with a knockout, but I think that his chin won't hold up to his opponent's punching power. I want Wanderlei by 2nd round KO, but think it will be Leben by 2nd round KO.
Main Event
UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber: This fight pits the dominant champ in Cruz, who has not lost in four years against Faber, the former featherweight kingpin and the only man to beat Cruz. Cruz employs a technical striking style that, although lacking in finishing power, has not been deciphered by any opponent yet. The odds of Cruz finishing Faber are pretty much nil, as no one finishes the California Kid. Faber is in his third fight at 135 lbs. and his last fight was a disappointing decision win over Eddie Wineland. What makes this fight especially interesting, other than Cruz attempting to avenge his lone loss, is that these two dudes can't stand each other. They have been sniping at each other for a couple of years now, so it should be interesting to get to see them face off again. Faber can't stand and box with Cruz, or he will lose a decision. He needs to push the pace, bully Cruz against the cage, work some takedowns and try to throw him off his game early. If he doesn't, he'll lose a decision. I will be desperately cheering for a Faber win, as he is exciting and seems like a good dude. I doubt how much Faber has left in the tank though. He had to drop to bantamweight after it became apparent he could no longer compete for the title at featherweight, and his last fight at 135 was not very impressive. Cruz, on the other hand, should be entering the prime of his career. I think it's going to be Cruz by decision.
As always, feel free to leave your predictions on the comments page or my facebook page.
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